Let’s start from when our clients first reach out to us! Normally, a client reaches out to us via our submission form on our website, and sends along some inspiration pictures or Pinterest page, along with the flowers needs for the wedding (number of bouquets, corsages, centerpieces, etc). If we have the date available, we usually try to schedule a call so we can get a better idea of what a client might be envisioning before we send over a detailed quote. During this phone call, we like to get to know our potential client, to make sure we would be a good fit for them! We also see if there are any blooms in particular that they are looking for.
After the phone call, we start putting together a detailed proposal to send over to the client. This proposal usually takes a few hours to put together, as we want it to be perfect and exactly what our client is looking for. Pricing these proposals is what really takes the most time. We need to calculate how many stems of each variety of flower goes into every arrangement, and then what each of those stems cost us. It’s important to know that each variety of flower has a different cost. For example, a peony or garden rose is going to cost quite a bit more than a carnation or standard rose. Other factors that go into the cost per stem is if it is in season during the date of the wedding, if they are local flowers, if the wedding is close to Valentine’s Day or Mother’s Day (prices per stem definitely go up on these busy flower holidays), etc. Just a heads up: if a bouquet or centerpiece is on Pinterest, it probably has LOTS of those premium blooms in them. When we send over the proposal, we usually like to walk through it with the client, either over the phone or in person, to get their thoughts and to talk about pricing. At this point, we have already invested quite a few hours with the client!
If the client decides to book with us (yay!), then we spend the next few months answering any questions or e-mails leading up to the client’s wedding. A month prior to the wedding, we schedule an in-person final consultation with our client to talk about the actual table set ups and to confirm all of the floral needs. After we confirm the number of arrangements, we can then place the orders for the flowers. This is one of the trickiest parts about being a florist! You do not want to buy too many flowers and waste money on flowers that you do not need, but you also want to make sure you have enough to bring the client’s expectations to life. It’s also important to note that when we order from wholesalers, the flowers come in certain amounts. For example, we can’t just order one rose, we have to order 25 roses! Another important part to remember is that not all of the flowers that we order are going to be wedding worthy. When working with perishables, you can expect some of them to be crushed or dead when they arrive from the wholesaler. These are all facts that we have to consider when ordering.
