I sat down with the gorgeous ladies of Ivory Tribe and delved into the details of organising wedding flowers... from start to finish! They managed to make sense of my rambling in an eloquently written article!
Alice of She’s a Wildflower is a trailblazer when it comes to beautiful blooms. With her effusive personality, creative brilliance and down to earth nature, it’s easy to see why Alice’s clients always fall a little bit in love with her.
Brides-to-be are often daunted by the prospect of finding the perfect florist for their day. The world of floristry is not one often explored so there is a common misconception that just anyone can throw a bunch of blooms together and walk down the aisle.
The bloom-bloom-wow that Alice brings to each of her client’s day, does not come without hours pouring over concepts and styles, as well as the physical labour that comes with market runs and on-the-day preparation.
We sat down with Alice to uncover exactly what role she takes in wedding preparation for her gorgeous brides to be.
INITIAL ENQUIRIES AND CONSULTATION
The buzz of receiving an enquiry from prospective clients never dulls for Alice, as her brain begins to explode with ideas of how to decorate the hell out of your venue or send you down the aisle with a jaw-dropping bouquet. Once availability is confirmed, Alice sets a time for a one-on-one consultation in which she can begin to understand exactly the look and feel a bride is trying to create with her flowers.
“It’s important that I know what a bride is inspired by before I go about creating a custom concept for them,” Alice explains.
She can then offer her professional insight and knowledge before providing a quote that encompasses all costs – including product, set up, logistics, time, staff etc. “I try not to overwhelm a bride with too much information in the beginning,” she says, “it’s not an area many brides are an expert in, so it’s better for me to understand their needs before getting into the finer details.”
TAILORING THE CONCEPT
The floral fun really begins once a bride has locked in the services of She’s a Wildflower, as they begin to explore the world of beautiful blooms and the impact they will leave on a wedding day.
We asked Alice where does one even begin when determining the look of their flowers and she brightly tells us ‘the bouquet of course!’.
“The bride’s bouquet really sets the theme for the day and the rest flows from there”, she explains. “With one complementing the other – from the bride, to the bridesmaids, groomsmen, arbours and table flowers.” Alice’s ideas for beautiful blooms run wild when she begins to tailor the concept, factoring in colours, varieties, availability and the shape and form of bouquets and other arrangements. No two concepts are ever the same, as Alice thrives on creativity – “no two brides or celebrations are ever the same, so why should their flowers be?”.
As Alice finalises concepts and throws herself into researching stock, finalising run sheets, and liaising between the bride and venues about set ups, you truly see the juggling act a florist experiences.
WEDDING WEEK WHIRLWIND
As Monday comes around in the week leading up to a bride’s wedding, Alice is prepared for a whirlwind of work. First up is the itemisation of her stock lists that she keeps for each client – working through from what is required for the bride, bridesmaids, groomsmen and venue.
Knowing her stock requirements Alice’s next port of call is putting in phone calls to suppliers and farmers that she knows will provide her with only the best flowers, and placing her orders.
“Certain suppliers specialise in certain varieties,’ she says, and while it would of course be easier to just go to one market to pick up everything, Alice is never one to compromise on quality. On different days she knows which market or farmer she can go to collect her stock. On a Thursday, she drives around to wholesalers for a majority of her stock for the weddings ahead, and then travels approximately 125 km visiting local flower farmers.
Upon return, most would be hitting the couch for a snooze, but for a florist, this is the day the conditioning and arrangement of flowers commences, which will often take two solid days.
There are hours of creative and labour-intensive work ahead of Alice as she lovingly puts together the perfect posy or begins to create a glamourous garland. All the while she ensures her clients are enjoying a seamless ‘She’s a Wildflower’ experience, knowing they are in capable hands.
ON THE DAY
Alice rises with a smile on wedding days. Packing her van, she makes many stops along the way to drop off bouquets and boutonnière’s, as well as heading to the reception venue or ceremony location for drop off and set up. She describes the experience as a ‘real thrill’ to finally deliver her creativity and passion to her clients. “So much work has gone into the process so it’s a proud moment to see the smile on their faces as I hand deliver their flowers,” she says.
While we have grown to love Alice’s stunning floral work this special insight into how it all comes to be – has given us a whole new appreciation for the craft.