Behind the Scenes – Florists

As a photographer, I meet many different vendors at weddings and often wondered what the build up to a wedding is like for them. For me, I enjoy sitting down with the couple a month or so before their big day. We discuss their photography needs and I spend time getting to know them and their personalities so that I can infuse this into their photography on their wedding day. Over a cup of tea, I love to listen to all their stories and woes in relation to their wedding and any obstacles they may have encountered along the way.

Every bride has her own unique vision of how she wants her wedding flowers but most importantly her bouquet to look as she walks down the aisle. This may have changed from when she was a little girl dreaming about her wedding day to growing up and seeing photos of her favourite idols and celebrities’ wedding flowers as well as seeing various assortments at her family and friends’ weddings over the years. It is up to the florist to make this vision a reality.

Is it like this for other vendors?  Do they love the buzz and craziness associated with the build up to a wedding like I do? I had an informal chat with Carmel from Village flowers to try and get an insight into the preparations involved from a florist’s point of view.

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I’m loving all the colour and fabulous scents coming from the flowers while I hang out and watch Carmel hard at work who obviously is enjoying what she does as she turns flowers into beautiful bouquets, the envy of any soon to be bride.

I wondered what the most popular flowers are for a wedding. Carmel divulged that ‘most girls like to have roses’ and that white roses are the most sought after. As I watched Carmel putting the various bouquets and arrangements together, I saw that an eye for detail was intrinsic to fulfilling each and every bride’s vision. Like photographs, no two bouquets are ever going to look the same. Like me as a photographer, Carmel sits down with the couple prior to their wedding date and discusses their wedding flowers vision and then the week before the wedding begins work making their vision a reality.

I was curious if Carmel as a florist had a favourite flower when it came to designing bouquets and she was quick to enlighten me that the lily of the valley was ‘the most beautiful bouquet  any bride can walk down the aisle with’. I on the other hand – I love sunflowers☺  Their beauty is one that encapsulates me and makes me smile every time I see them. Their colour and natural beauty is unique like me – or so I like to think. I think every bride should incorporate sunflowers into their day.

Having spent an afternoon with Carmel, I felt I got a real feel for what it was like to be a florist. A florist has to catch the personality of the bride and groom as well I do on their big day. Every minute detail has to be encapsulated in these flowers as well as photography. I watched as green stems of colour went from simply being flowers to beautiful bouquets, the vision of natural beauty for any soon to be bride. But the most significant thing I learned was how important it is to Carmel as a florist that ‘the bride will be over the top (I would say – over the moon) when she first lays eyes on her bouquet. You never want to disappoint her’.