"Picky, picky, picky" OR "Why I Heart My Floral Designer"

I am a detailed bride. I am a planning-a-holic. When you're a bride that treads a fine line between picky and neurotic, it helps to have creative and understanding vendors on your side. :)

Luckily for me, I have been blessed with such talented and patient professionals - people who have received countless emails clarifying what I do and do not want on the wedding day, and respond promptly and professionally. For example, an exerpt from one of my emails to my lovely floral designer:

Dear Ms. Meade

....I am impressed and very excited to work together! Let me tell you my "vision" as a starting point to our planning:

My wedding is an black-tie, formal evening wedding on October ? 2008

• I'm having a 1950s- inspired vintage wedding


• I'm wearing an ivory satin ballgown with a cathedral train


• The bridesmaids will be wearing knee-length "(Dior's) New Look" silhouette pale pink dresses with silver pumps, pearl necklaces, pearldrop earrings, and updos (possibly with little hats and birdcage veils).


• The groom and groomsmen will be wearing ivory dinner jackets, black pants and shoes, and black bowties.


• The colours are: pastels (pink, robin's egg blue, buttercream yellow, ivory), splashes of hot pink, silver, gold, and crystal/sparkle


• Motif: peonies, hearts, birds ("birds of a feather flock together")


• Keywords: " dollhouse wedding,"Swelegant" (ie. swell + elegant), "whimsical" "charming" " "tooth-achingly sweet-like-a-pastry"


• My tablecloths will be champagne pintuck satin, the chairs will be white with champagne silk sashes. This colour combination is very subdued, so as to provide a backdrop to the centerpieces instead of competing with them. It will also look fabulous by candelight.

NOTE: This is from an introductory email - 14 months before the wedding date, and less than a week after my engagement. :p I am still surprised (and grateful) that she didn't run away screaming "Bridezilla!" But no, my floral designer Larissa is a woman of great talent, and great courage.  Did I mention talent? I completely heart Larissa Meade of Bridal Beginnings.

Not only has she been willing to discuss, accomodate, and improve upon my floral vision, she has also made ingenius suggestions for improvisation.

Exhibit B: PEONIES 

 

 {image source here}

Besides cheese, pasta, baked goods, and Mr. Shortcake, my true love is the peony flower. Unfortunately for anyone getting married in summer, fall, or winter, peonies can be hard, if not impossible, to find out of season. My hopes were raised by Larissa's mention of Chilean growers shipping a second batch of those petal-ed beauties in November every year, but were quickly dashed when she noted that

 

1) your date is very early for their season, they usually don't start shipping till end of October - would not know till 2 weeks out, as it really depends on the soil condition, weather, etc etc etc.

2) due to your date, they would be shipped much smaller and tighter -no guarantees on condition and whether they will open

3) you need to order a minimum of a 100 stem case
 
4) the price per stem is OUTRAGEOUS - $8-9.50 per stem (so like$1000), and you have to buy the entire case, regardless of thecondition etc that they arrive in. It's not a case of "oh, they don't look good, they're too small, they're too tight, i don't want them"

 

 Hopes were dashed, pre-menstrual tears were threatening to spill, but then she noted that we could "consider ...Lisianthus [and use] different size roses (full import roses, local roses,mini spray roses).... to create different textures.....for a touch of green, we can use bells of ireland, hypercium berries"

Hooray! And here was the clincher: (seriously, suggest this to your florist if your wedding date precludes peonies)

 

 

3-4 carnations (the bouquet in her left hand) can be grouped tightly together to give a soft, full, fluffly peony effect! Brilliant!