I could have titled this blog ‘florists’ bugbears’ or ‘making your florist’s day better in 3 easy steps’.
The wedding industry has seen plenty of trends come and go, but the three in floristry that I am always most wary of are these:
Matchy-matchy:
Just like almost everything else, the colours chosen for wedding flowers go in and out of fashion. Should you concern yourself with these trends? With a wealth of industry experience, my answer to that question is a resounding ‘NO!’ By all means, bring along a swatch of dress fabric to our initial consultation. I want every chance to get a feel for the backdrop to the bouquets and get excited with you about beautiful colour palette options. However, please don’t ask me to match to your fabric. Firstly, a colour match of a natural bloom alongside a manufactured fabric can never be exact and it would be disingenuous of me to suggest it could be done. Secondly, there’s nothing more beautiful than photographs of contrasting and complimentary colour harmonies. This is where I excel, with so much experience I can visualise colour harmonies and flower varieties to suit your requirements within moments. I can provide you with plenty of options and will provide images to inspire you. My advice would always be to steer away from matching, although it might feel like the safest option, trust the professional and get excited by the opportunity to create something beautiful and distinctive.
Flower variety non-negotiables:
Flexibility is key. I will always try my hardest to source particular varieties, but it’s important to remember there are factors which affect availability. The first is seasonality; narcissi are only available for a short window of the winter and spring months, peonies are a summer bloom and rosehips are an autumn treat. As much as possible I like to work with seasonally available produce, after all, flowers and foliage in season is at its very best! The second factor affecting availability is the market, something only the growers and the wholesalers have any control over. So relax, if the variety you want isn’t on the market, my knowledge and skill means I can source an alternative. Trust me, I’m an experienced florist, it’s what I do.
The same, but cheaper:
Take a look on Pinterest and social media platforms to find images of glorious, opulent, and astonishing floral displays. The JM team can create absolutely anything your heart desires and I also pride myself on a policy of no minimum order for wedding flowers. Whatever your budget, I will be delighted to provide beautiful creations for your wedding day. But, and this is a big one, when you receive our quotation, it will have been expertly costed. I’m always very happy to discuss options with you, if you feel your budget won’t accommodate your initial ideas, but please don’t ask me if I can simply make my quote cheaper. Effectively this is a request to not pay for the expertise and talent of the team at JMFD. I always think back to a story I was told many years ago:
A lady telephoned a florist to discuss the size of the floral design she had received. ‘It doesn’t look like £100 worth of flowers’ she told the florist. ‘No madam’ he said, ‘The flowers were free, it’s my skill in arranging them that you have paid for.’
If you’d like to start an adventure in wedding flowers with me- click here. I look forward to meeting you!
