Working With Your Floral Designer: Tips from Nancy Liu Chin

I am so excited for today's post. When I was planning my wedding, I was constantly trying to figure out how to achieve the most impact while staying within my budget. Florals are often one of the elements of planning that can be a challenge in terms of figuring out what flowers to use, which vases go best, and keep it all within my frugal budget please! During my search for floral inspiration I came across Nancy Liu Chin Designs and I have been smitten with her work ever since. A quick tour of her website shows why it is no surprise that she is one of the most sought-after floral designers in the Bay Area.

Nancy is known for her ability help clients translate their vision into reality. Thus why I am so excited for today's post... Nancy has stopped by to guest blog and give us tips on working with your floral designer to get the most out of your budget for floral design.

1) Agree to a Seasonal Buy
When in doubt, request a seasonal buy. What does this mean? The florist will go to market and select what they love for your vision/style and what looks the best. It like saying to a cook, here's $200 to cook a meal for 4 people. Find the best ingredients and do it. It really allows a floral designer to be more creative. If you specify that you only like this flower, that flower than a floral designer has no choices. I always recommend seasonal buy for those on a budget. Allowing your floral designer to be creative will take your budget further.

2) Avoid High Maintenance Flowers
Believe it or not there are flowers that are high maintenance. Try to avoid them. Flowers like gardenias bruise so easy. When a bride orders gardenias for a corsage, boutonniere, hair piece or for their bouquet, I always have to cushion the proposal because I might have to buy more and make a few more boutonnieres. Ask your floral designer to recommend flowers they think would work for your type of wedding. They will be able to make suggestions to fit your style.

3) Summer Brides - Avoid Heat Sensitive Flowers
Some flowers are so heat sensitive. If you are getting married in the summer be aware that flowers might "POOP" out. Even the most seasoned floral designers have had issues. Hydrangea is a good example of a flower that's heat sensitive. Half an hour in the sun during 100 degree temperature will "kill" these flowers. I don't know of a single floral designer who hasn't faced this dilemna yet again year after year when a bride wants delicate flowers during the summer heat. Be realistic. Once again, if you know it will be warm, ask your floral designer for suggestions. Don't force them to buy the flowers you like only to have them "die"!

4) You don't need to know the names of all Flowers
My brides are so savvy and smart. I love how knowledgeable they are but frankly, I don't think that a bride needs to know every name of a flower in order to get wonderful floral designs. I would never expect this from a bride. Yet in recent years more and more brides feel that they need to know this in order to have great flowers. I stress to my clients that it is more important that the floral designer or florist has a portfolio that shows their range. They should be able to do all different styles. They should have some weddings that are on the more expensive side and others that they do that are more moderate. The best floral designers have great tips on which flowers are best for a bride's proposal. That's what a good floral designer does. And even the most experienced floral designers may not know every single botantical name but the good ones have years of experience and know what works.

Rely on their knowledge, don't try to outsmart them or feel that they expect you to know everything about floral design.

5) Be prepared.
There's nothing more frustrating for a floral designer or florist then a bride who has nothing prepared for a floral consultation. I can't think of one advise more important than this. Do research. You don't need to know all the names of every flower. But go through magazines to determine a style that you like. Do you like romantic floral arrangements? Do you like avant garde? Go to some ready made flower sites to see what the costs are. When you look at a photo on a flower website like ftd.com, teleflora.com, etc, count how many stems of flowers there are. You would never believe how many couples who come see me and say a flower should be so and so price. Often times they are quoting me a price for a flower on a website that's in a bulk box. It's like asking Paula Dean to charge you the cost of the flour and butter to make her famous pancakes. Commodity price is not the same as a finished, hand craft arrangement.

Bottom line: be prepared. Bring magazine tear sheets. Bring swatches. Bring photos of things you like. Bring a floor plan of your ceremony site, reception site. Think about style aspects. Instead of focusing on the name of flowers, think about what you want your day to be about.

6) Avoid generic questions
The first question every bride or groom asks when they contact a vendor is "how much do you charge?". This question is probably one that you will get answered when you meet a florist/floral designer. However, if you email this question, it really is like asking, "how much should I spend for a car?". It's so generic that no decent floral designer can answer that. It's too broad. Avoid questions like this because you may not get the right information or answer. You might end up with answers like ," our minimum is___________." Would that really help you as a bride or groom? Keep in mind without knowing you, a floral designer has not idea what you like, what colors are want, what flowers you will like, how many centerpieces, and on and on and on.

If you are going to begin communicating with a florist/floral designer, ask them if a budget of _$____ would be doable for a wedding of _____(# of guests) for a __________(your event date, i.e. Sunday afternoon). Give them some descriptions and show a bit of your own personality. Here's a good example of how to communicate:

"I like arrangements that are filled with flowers especially romantic garden varieties. Pieces that are great for an afternoon lunch wedding at an outdoor winery on the 2nd Sunday in August for 100 guests. My wedding colors will reflect my like for summer citrus fruits. I love the use of foliage when it is appropriate. I may not have a huge budget but I'm looking for someone who is creative, experienced, and reliable. If you've worked at my venue I would be even more thrilled though I'm open. Most importantly, I want to have fun. I don't want my wedding to be overly stuffy and I looked at your work and there are many different images that could work so I would put my trust in your abilities"

Now that's a wonderful email that gives your floral designer several great bits of information and this will help the florist/floral designer understand your unique needs and bit about your personality.

The real wedding montage below is of a wedding that was during the summer in 2008. The bride did everything right to get the most impact for her budget. She deferred to me on floral issues. She didn't go for the most expensive flowers, she went for the ones that would reflect her "preppy chic" wedding. She didn't ask me for the cost of her flowers. She told me that she had # of guests and needed me to come up with creative ways to get her the most for her budget. She avoided high maintenance flowers and opted for sweet gerbers, spider mums, imported roses, mums, orchids and anything else that I thought would work. The results were florals that complimented her vision.

Images courtesy of Ken Buck Photography

Thank you so much for sharing these valuable tips, Nancy!  If you haven't seen the absolutely stunning work that is done by Nancy Liu Chin Designs then you must check our her site!