Client Process: A Step-by-Step Look at Working with Stone House Creative
A step-by-step Look at my client process
Photos by Brittany Mahood
We are Stone House Creative, a floral design studio led by Lauren (that’s me!) and rooted in colour, clarity, and thoughtful artistry. With florals, we shape the full visual story of a celebration bringing palette, texture, and atmosphere together with calm, confident direction. Couples choose us for our ability to simplify complex ideas, articulate what will make the greatest impact, and deliver a celebration that feels cohesive, expressive, and uniquely reflective of their aesthetic.
It’s really important to me that every element I’m touching is thoughtfully considered to build a cohesive, immersive aesthetic that feels elevated and artfully composed. I often joke to my planner partners that I’m nosey and I want to know everything — but I truly do! If I know what you’ve got going on in various areas of your wedding, then I can offer florals that will best complement the overall vibe,
Another of my priorities is to act as a guide to you: I know that you (most likely) haven’t done this before. You have no idea what boxes to check, what to focus on, and sometimes, you don’t even know what you like! I want to help my couples refine ideas, prioritize impact, and navigate decisions with clarity and transparency.
If you’re interested in working with me, the process is going to go a little like this:
Step 1: Inquiry and Consultation
-Most clients reach out to me via my website or through their planner. This lets me gather the basic info I need!
-Your virtual consult will be scheduled, and we usually take about 45 minutes to chat through everything floral. I’ll ask you for inspo pics and colours beforehand so I can start brainstorming!
-We’ll discuss your budget range and if I see any red flags with what’s realistic for your budget, I’ll note that. I’ll also steer you towards ideas that will work within your budget.
-Depending on how early in the planning you’re at, I often find that couples haven’t really spent a lot of time thinking about the details yet. This means my questions will definitely bring up things you’ll still need to think through, and that’s totally fine.
-Some couples want to be very collaborative in the design, and some just want me to create the vision and execute it. Both are great — just let me know where you fall!
*I’m usually booking 9-15 months in advance of a wedding, so keep that in mind when you send your inquiry! The sooner, the better.
Step 2: Proposal Creation
-I love this part. Creating your proposal involves a custom visual proposal and an itemized breakdown, giving you all the transparency in pricing that you need to make a good decision. It does take me a fair amount of time to work through all of this, because of the way I aim to envision everything in an all-encompassing way.
-Everything is fully CUSTOM. Yes, there are definitely average price ranges, but with each couple comes specific requests, flower choices, colour palette blending options, unique table needs, and so on. It takes time to make the magic, baby!
*That being said - if you’re only looking for a price, please tell us that so that we don’t invest a few hours into your proposal. I can give you general price ranges instead.
-My favourite part is definitely the visual proposal (and to be honest, I’m likely doing too much unpaid work here). This custom design plan translates our shared direction into an inspiring visual roadmap. It outlines key floral moments, installation concepts, colour intentions, and atmosphere, all showing how each detail contributes to an immersive, beautifully cohesive experience.
-You’re not beholden to any particular idea at this point! We can continue making any changes up until 5-6 weeks prior to the wedding, but this gives us a really good place to start from.
Step 3: Booking
-You’ll reserve your date with a contract and retainer. I make this super clear and easy to follow, so you’ll have total piece of mind.
-I aim to take only 1 wedding per day. Sometimes there are occasions where we have 2, but that’s the max because it’s really important to me to be able to have the time I need to make your designs totally perfect. This means it’s also important for you to be responsive on booking your date pretty quickly because once the date is gone, it’s absolutely gone.
-You’ll receive a client guide with some further info and a BTS look at my process!
Step 4: Behind the Scenes Design Details
-This is when your unified visual story really comes together! I’ll be hard at work, selecting flower varieties, ordering the right vases, choosing candles, and making any updates or design refinements you need until about 5 weeks before the wedding.
-Recipe writing, internal cost work, and placing preliminary flower orders with my local growers are all in the works now, too. In fact, I actually work with my local growers as early as January/February, letting them know what colour palettes and flowers I would hope for each weekend during their growing season, and they will plant according to my requests.
-If you’re one of those clients who wants to collaborate on design, the visual proposal is a great way to get our thoughts on the same page and work to refine it together throughout your engagement and as the rest of the details come together.
-Your second flower payment will be due 90 days from the wedding.
Step 5: Confirmations
-About 5-6 weeks prior to the wedding, we’ll re-connect to see where everything is at. Usually we need to make a few adjustments to the table numbers, refine a few design elements to coordinate with everything else you’ve been planning, and talk about the delivery, set up, and teardown timeline.
-From here, I place our flower orders and send your final invoice (due 15 days before the wedding).
-A small number of my clients will want to gift their flowers to guests, or repurpose arrangements to their day-after brunch the next day. I love this! We’ll just need to connect to discuss the details and make a plan for success.
-This is a busy time for you, but it’s critical for us to connect on all of these details so that nothing is forgotten or missed!
Step 6: The Wedding Day
-All week long we’ve been processing, prepping, and designing, and on your wedding day you’re free to be fully present. Our calm, seamless execution brings your visual story to life, transforming each space into an atmosphere that feels intentional, expressive, and unmistakably yours. I’ll deliver your bouquets to you in the morning while you’re getting ready, and then my team heads off to the venues to make the flower magic happen.
-Most couples opt to have us come back at 1 am to handle the removal of all the vases, candle holders, and any unwanted flowers. *The flowers are all yours, if you want them! If you don’t want to deal with any or most of them, my team will bring them back to the studio for proper composting.
LOOKING FOR A WEDDING FLORAL AND EVENT DESIGNER IN WINNIPEG?
If what you’re looking for is a designer to guide the vision for your wedding, come and ask me any questions you want — I might just be your girl. I offer custom designs, creative and unique design boards that communicate the vision, have countless testimonials that speak to the creative trust the client had in me, and I also just love what I do.
Reach out to check your date!
