HOW NOT TO PLAN YOUR WEDDING FLOWERS

Over my years working at a bridal magazine, a local florist shop, and now owning Stone House Creative, I've realized there are a few things that brides do when planning that aren't necessarily the best way to go about planning their weddings. So, here's a few tips on how to NOT plan your wedding flowers!

NOTE: The photo above is from the wedding of one of my very favourite brides, who totally did all the right things! Photo by A Marie Photography

1) You may not want to do things on your own. I totally understand that some of you ladies are very artistic and know exactly how to complete your vision, but your wedding is typically going to be best pulled together when you let your hired vendors actually do what you've hired them to. For example, I've had a few brides who wanted to make their own centrepieces. Sometimes this works, and sometimes it doesn't. If you're going to go this route, then ask your florist to order the bulk flowers for you - she'll be able to tell you how many stems you need, and order the right varieties to coordinate with the other flowers she's designing for you. You can't just order a bunch of flowers from Costco and expect them to look good with everything else. And, don't be afraid to ask for tips on how to arrange the flowers! While your designer is likely not going to put together a mock up or tutorial for you, there are always going to be some basic tips we can pass along that will help you.

2) Don't mix and match vendors. I've done a few weddings where I've been hired to design the bridal party and family flowers, and then a random decorator or a gardener aunt shows up to do the centrepieces or ceremony flowers (and some venues have a package with a built-in florist with centrepieces included, which can be both good and bad). This almost always results in two very distinct looks that just don't come together well. The best option is to just trust your floral designer, and have her come up with a few great ideas for each area of your wedding so that you'll have options that you love and fit into your budget. 

3) Try not to micromanage your floral designer. The photos you see all over wedding blogs and Pinterest that you fall in love with come from weddings with brides who explained their vision to their designers, and then trusted them to take the reigns and get creative. Here are some of the things that I want to know about your planning: what's your colour palette? What type of bouquet shape do you like? What are you and your bridesmaids wearing? How do you want your reception to feel? What do your linens look like? Details like this will help me understand your vision, and if you're flexible with the rest of the details, then I'm best able to get creative and put together some fun and unique ideas for you. Unless a bride has worked with flowers herself, it just doesn't make sense for her to micromanage her florist- you simply don't have the experience and ideas that we will, if you let us do our thing.

Looking for a floral design for your 2016 wedding and want to find someone you can trust your vision to? I'm booking up for 2016 quickly, so please send me an email (and we'll avoid all of the things above, right? ;) ).

Why You Should Hire an Event Designer

...And why your florist would be a great one! 

"The details are not details. They make the design." - Charles Eames

First, what is an event designer? Event design services are geared towards pulling together all of the aesthetic details and plans for your wedding. An event designer will assist you in designing the creative direction for your day, working with you and any of the vendors you hire to deal with the visual aspects of the wedding. 

So, who should consider hiring an event designer?
-the bride who has no idea how to pull together her aesthetic ideas and needs help getting started
-the bride who needs a hand pulling together all of the visual components of the day
-the bride who doesn't have time on her wedding day to do anything herself
-the bride who has DIY tendencies

Photo by Kat Willson Photography for a collaboration designed and styled by Stone House Creative with lovely paper goods from Robin Egg Blue Design and linens and chairs from Planned Perfectly. 

Now, why would your floral designer would be a great person to hire as your event designer? Because designing beyond flowers allows one to really challenge the aesthetic plan for your day, and become the architect for a well-planned, intentional design. Because the details are not just details - when they're intentional, they tell a story. Your story. 

As an event designer, here are some of the aspects I'll help you plan: 
lighting - paper - textiles - florals - textures - colour palette

Many wedding planners also act as event designers, and can expertly guide you through the aesthetic planning process. We know that you want to host a wedding that, in the end, feels and looks like you--we hear that from pretty much every couple who we work with. And we want that to happen, too.

And guess what? Stone House Creative offers some pretty slick event design services. I'd love to chat with you about your wedding and how I can help!