The Finishing Touch — Weddings, Events, Design, Paperie

Hello – and thank you to Candice, Leah, Nicole, Priscilla, and Soroya for inviting me to be a contributor to Finishing Touch’s Wedding Wisdom.  My name is Sue Nairn Smith and I am the owner and founder of The Romantic Garden in Morristown, NJ.  We create floral designs exclusively for weddings and special events and it has been our privilege to do so for over 13 years.  One of the best aspects of working with our clients is being a part of designing and collaborating on one of the most magical days of their life.  Here’s our step by step process for anyone in the process of selecting and working with a floral professional.

1.   Start clipping pictures!  The looks you are attracted to will provide a wealth of information to your designer.

2.  Research your potential florist’s style and range by reviewing their website’s gallery and seeing if there are looks that match the ones you’ve been clipping.

3.  When meeting with your potential florists, go with your gut.  So much of the success in this process is that you are working with someone with whom you feel comfortable  and who you feel is truly listening to what your vision is.

4.  Once you’ve communicated your style, and selected your designer, listen to his or her  recommendations for adapting it to the locations you’ve selected for your ceremony and reception and for working with your target budget.  This one can be a bit tricky, and here’s the one thing to notice about the shots you’re drawn to when you’re clipping the photos:  are you selecting looks that are mostly presented in white tents during daylight and your reception is in an elaborate reception hall at night?  The space you’ve selected for your event and the ambient lighting that will be present at your event time is a big consideration when creating your floral designs.  Some design styles and colors just will not work well in certain settings (unless you are willing to make some additional décor modifications to your space – draping, rental of alternative furniture, specialty lighting).

5. Have your designer provide a sample centerpiece, ideally at your reception facility, on a table that is set with the linens you are conidering and the china and glassware that will be present on the tables when your guests are first seated.  Sometimes this process will be an iterative one if you have a multi-faceted or multiple item/collection type centerpiece.  Remember that this demo is intented to be played with and modified until it meets all your criterion.   

What your designer will be considering when creating your floral pieces will be how the following aspects match your preferences:

Color – from monochromatic to multi, degree of contrast between colors

Style – modern, garden, tropical, classic elegance, sensual, etc.

Scale – size of overall piece and size of elements (detailed – many small elements to dramatic with all large elements)

Density – mounded, pave style arrangements to loosely structured, airy ones

Elements – preferences for florals, branches, foliages, fruits, pods, berries, etc.

Texture – soft, “blousy” elements to rough, structural elements

Budget – the use of more unusual or “premium” elements, and the more innovative the design style desired, the more budget should be allocated.

Obviously, a topic I love to go on and on about, but then this would become a novelette, not a blog!  Thanks for reading!

Best Wishes,

Sue