Grand Rapids wedding flowers

Comparing Florists :: The Passion

0 · Mar 23, 2015 ·

Let’s talk about passion. It’s the next thing I think we need to consider when comparing floral designers (in case you missed point #1 – pricing – you can read that here). I think it’s seriously underrated how important passion is in life and business. But if we think back to the restaurants we used in our pricing example, my gut tells me that the master chef creating fine seafood dinners at the fine dining restaurant might have a little more passion for his craft than the fast food worker. That’s not to say that all fast food workers lack ambition and drive, their job might be a stepping stone for them – or it might just be a paycheck. Either way, there was something there that pushed the executive chef to his position, or odds are it was more than just luck.

So what is passion and why is it so important? For me, passion is what started me down this path in the first place. I eat, sleep and thrive on weddings. Flowers absolutely make me feel alive. I know, it sounds ridiculous, but I can’t make this stuff up. My spare time is spend Pinteresting bouquets, Googling new flowers and staring at wholesaler’s inventories – even when I’m not planning an event. I think about how I can add more flowers to my garden and perhaps even get myself a bit more of a green thumb, although I might be better off letting someone else do the growing. A girl can still dream. My spare dollars are spent on new clippers and flower coolers. It’s because I’m passionate about this.

I think passion is something that shines through in someone’s work. It can’t be taught. I can hardly wait to get home and put together a floral proposal after a great first meeting. I’ve emailed my brides back and forth numerous times a day swapping ideas about their weddings and dreaming up new ideas for them, even when I should probably be working on other things. And receiving a floral wholesale order is better than Christmas morning. But I’ve had brides complain to me that they’re talking with other florists who haven’t responded to them in over 2-3 weeks. Planning clients of mine have shared that they don’t feel comfortable in what they’re florist is telling them, or even if they come close to understanding their vision. This could possibly be due to a lack of passion on the other florist end.

With all this being said, you need to feel confident in your florist abilities and know that they love what they do. It’ll shine through and their work will reflect it.

Invest in Yourself

0 · Feb 17, 2015 ·

As a business owner, I think one of the biggest hurdles that I struggle with is knowing when to invest in myself. If something breaks, it’s easy to know that it needs to be repaired or replaced. But if something isn’t necessarily broken, then we tend to leave well enough alone.

So when do you decide that you need some improvement?

I decided to set personal goals of enrichment. I refuse to become stagnant in my craft. And while I remain somewhat flexible in these goals, I’m determined to stick to them, otherwise I could easily go 5 years without updating procedures and technology, website galleries or furthering my education – after all, my business is profitable without such changes.

But if I look back over the past 5 years, I’m hardly the same person that I was then. There have been so many personal changes and growth and we should take the time to reflect on that. I can even say I’ve grown immensely- both in business and personal life – in the past year and it’s just paved the road to the future.

On this note, I’ve determined that it time for a website upgrade. There’s nothing wrong with my old one, but the comments and feedback I received from it weren’t necessary a reflection of who I wanted to be. I’m excited to move forward, pressing deeper into 2015 and the really amazing wedding season that is ahead, as well as show off some of the awesomeness that took place in 2014. I’m excited to share my style and get to know you even better. So hop on over to the new website, the blog will receive it’s facelift soon as well, but I believe in baby steps and I don’t have to conquer the whole world today.

Original Recipe :: Delphiniums & Yellow Blooms

0 · Jan 26, 2015 ·

A couple weeks ago I was asked to create an very special arrangement. I was given a loose set of instructions and told to do my thing. So I let my mind wonder and creativity soon took over and I crafted a piece I was truly proud of. But recipes, colors and instructions are open to different interpretations as I very quickly learned upon delivering my floral arrangement. And it’s not to say that any one floral designer is right or wrong, but their vision, style and perceptions of color and floral pairing preferences are all different.

I was asked to create using yellows and white, with delphiniums and touches of lavender. And since it’s winter, we thought evergreens should be used along with some twigs and more masculine touches, this wasn’t meant to be my typical “girly” flower arrangement.

So I began to compose my display using these ingredients –

Ivory roses, Yellow spray roses, Ivory Stock (which is actually a buttery, pale yellow color), Evergreen branches, Delphinium, Sahara Roses and Blue Thistle.

In addition to the above ingredients, I also went on a little winter foraging adventure in search of twigs — I found the most perfect ones, complete with small blue berries — I just had to dig them out of the snow.

With the same loose instructions, another artist was inspired to create with the flowers pictured below — a combination of flowers that had never even occurred to me but again just shows how it never hurts to show some extra attention to detail while being very visual in your descriptions. And the only argument I might make is regarding the snapdragons and carnations, which I consider more of a fuchsia rather than a lavender.

They choose a darker shade of delphinium and a brighter yellow bloom, but they’re still within the original description. The pine used was a longer needle, probably white pine and I’m not really sure the one terra cotta rose really fits with the other flower choices but I’m trying not to judge.

Using my recipe, here’s what I created –

While this certainly is not the most beautifully photographed arrangement (I’m so sorry for the icky Iphone photos!) I think it’s important to understand why I ask my clients so many questions about their wedding day and what EXACTLY they’re hoping for. It’s not only because I’m nosy, it’s because I want to make sure our imaginations are traveling on the same road together. I never assume anything and always try to incorporate a few pictures or visual examples of designs.

Married in a Month

0 · Dec 30, 2014 ·

Photography: Katie Grace Photography | Floral Design: The Day’s Design

Happy Engagement Season! So cheesy, right? But I read somewhere that nearly 40% of all proposals that take place each calendar year happen between Thanksgiving and New Year’s Eve. And if that weren’t crazy enough, there’s another big burst ready to happen as soon as Valentine’s strikes.

This means that wedding vendors (myself included) are getting bombarded with inquires and people trying to plan their weddings – some for this year, and some for next – because it really depends on the individual as to how much time they need to plan their wedding.

Which brings me to my next point, how much time do you need? I know I’ve touched on this subject before (you can read that post here), but earlier this year I worked with a bride that decided she didn’t really know what tomorrow might bring so, forget the long engagement, let’s get married next month (she also happened to be my sister… eep, that was challenge #2!) . For real.

How in the world do you make that happen!?

First and foremost, develop a plan and stick to it. There’s no room for second guessing yourself or changing your minds. Have a few ideas of what you want your wedding to look like, feel like and the overall formality levels but remain just a little flexible.

Hopefully this spontaneous event is on the skirt or off season for weddings. This will be so helpful. Finding vendors a year out is tricky enough, but a month out? Well that’s a whole new can of worms. Remain flexible and open to recommendations from vendors who might be already booked but know someone with a similar style or budget.

Find a venue ASAP. You have to get invitations or you won’t have any guests. And it’s rather difficult to send out invites if you don’t have a location. Most weddings planned on such a short notice have a smaller guest count and tend to be more casual, so consider what’s really important to you. Will a restaurant or bed and breakfast do? Do you need a place for a DJ and dancing? Can the ceremony and reception take place in the same spot?

Stay away from diy projects. They’re tricky enough when you have 9 -18 months to complete them, but on such short notice you’re just asking to be stressed out.

Find a planner. Seriously. I’m giving you a sales pitch here but they can save you so much wasted time and frustration. If for nothing else, hire them on an hourly basis for consulting and let them steer you in the right direction.

Pray that you can find a dress off the rack. We can’t have you walking down the aisle in your pj’s. However lots of department stores also offer bridal selections, or at least formal white or ivory gowns that can be ordered and arrive within a weeks’ time. You’re going to have to give up the dream of a custom, couture gown. Sorry.

So what do you think, is a quick engagement right for you? At the end of the day, you’re married and that’s the most important thing. You’ve found the man of your dreams now you just have to figure out how to pair the perfect wedding with him.

My Bucket Runith Over…

0 · Oct 21, 2014 ·

Sometimes life hands you a few extra blooms (or perhaps I ordered a few extra due to my extreme paranoia about being out of town and extra far from my usual “back-up” plans), but either way, I have some happy looking buds that still have a couple days’ worth of life in them and sadly they’re spending that life in a dimly lit garage. It’s tragic.

I would love to share them with anyone in need. Whether you’ve got a case of the blues, need to cheer up a friend or are a photographer with a fun photo session in the works within the next day or two, I’d love to create a hand-tied bouquet just for you! You must be local to the Grand Rapids area and able to come pick them up but if this works for you, send me an email to hello@eventsbythedaysdesign.com. I’d love to brighten someone’s day!

Telling Your Vendors “No”

0 · Oct 9, 2014 ·

Photography: Ashely Slater Photography / Floral Design: The Day’s Design

Wedding inquiries for me seem to go in spirts. One week my inbox will be flooded and then I might have a drought for the next three. And while I’d love to turn all those inquiries into clients, it just doesn’t happen – I’ve never done the math, but I’d wager to guess that over 50% of those I never hear a peep back from. But it’s that other 50%, the ones that follow up, have questions or even take the time to meet with me that I’d really like to address. Some of these lovely ladies share their wedding fantasies, their dreams, expectations, so much of their life stories and then…

Silence.

I hear nothing more.

So today’s post is all about telling your vendors “no.”

Be Honest. If you’re shopping around and talking to several vendors in my category, that’s perfectly fine. You’ve probably never planned a wedding before and so you might want to explore all your options. You definitely need to find the right fit for you. But let me know your intensions right up front. Let me know if you’re trying to decide if you even want a wedding planner or not. Let me know if you have meetings scheduled with 3 other florists/designers as well. I promise I won’t be offended and you don’t have to share their names.

Be Realistic and Respectful. Enter that first consult with reasonable expectations, most times it’s more of a “meet and greet” not a wedding planning session. I put food on my table by providing wedding services. Please don’t just inquire and consult with me to see how many free tips you can get me to share. Please don’t ask me to draw up a design proposal or hand you a list of recommended vendors for your day if you haven’t signed a contract and sent a deposit.

Tell Me No (bonus points for a brief explanation). Your wedding is all about YOU. While I may have wanted to be a part of your celebration so bad I could taste it, chances are if you decided that I wasn’t a good fit – I felt that too. Some people just click. At the end of the day, my main goal is to make you happily married and sometimes that goal is better achieved by me not being a part of your celebration. But don’t be afraid to tell me that. Please don’t leave me hanging, wondering what happened to you. Was I too serious or silly? Were my ideas a little too far out there for you? Was it my pricing? Telling me “no” is great but if you can give me a little insight as to why, well that helps me better myself and could also help future brides as well.

It would not be physically possible for me to be a part of every wedding that inquired with me. Even if I really loved everything you said, sometimes it’s a relief to have a weekend off. But remember that really great first date you had with no follow up phone call? Sometimes I feel like that. Don’t make me feel like Josie Grossy. I’m a big girl, just tell me the truth.

Wedding Color Palettes

0 · Aug 7, 2014 ·

Photo by Eliza Jean Photography

There’s this old way of thinking that some brides still fall prey to when it comes to choosing wedding colors. Pick 2 colors that you like and that go together. 2 colors – that’s all you get. For everything. Flowers, linens, dresses, ties – everything!

I don’t know where this originated from the 80’s or 90’s or maybe sometime before – all I can say is it was long before I became a wedding planner and I remember thinking this rule was true when I was a little girl playing dress up. Friends, I think it’s time that we abolish this rule FOREVER!

Actually, I know this rule is on it’s way out the door, no doubt. But I still come across the occasional bride that tells me she’s having these two colors, end of story. So you’re dreaming of a blue and white wedding. That does not mean everything has to be blue and white. I will not dye flowers into an unnatural shade of blue for you. It’s just not meant to be. Consider adding some natural purple blooms, a pop of blue thistle and maybe a couple of white buds with some greenery. Create a color story. Consider not focusing exclusively on the colors themselves, but the overall feeling of the event.

And then consider you’re space. Like it or not, the room, venue, or area you decide to get married in, take pictures in, and dance the night away in will have a HUGE impact on the overall color scheme and the mood that is set with your event. That hideous burgundy carpet – you will notice it. Find a way to make it work and blend with your scheme. Sometime ignoring it will make it stand out even more. It’s like those pictures where one of these things is not like the other…

Trust your designers to make everything flow together and be open to slightly “outside of the box ideas”. They know the touches that make the biggest impact and have an excellent eye for color – or at least I like to think I do! Colors just make me happy and I want you to be happy too!

Destine to Bloom

0 · Aug 6, 2014 ·

Photo by Heather Payne Photography

I think it’s really funny how life turns out sometimes. I mean you head down one path and completely turn and do a 180, finding were meant to be on another all along. And the answers really were simple, and right there in front of you – you just never knew it.

My great grandma was a lover of flowers. She had beautiful gardens and knew every variety. Sadly I just recently learned this and I never had the opportunity to meet her. But here I am, unknowingly following in her footsteps. It’s like all along this journey was there, it’s in my blood, and all I had to do was reach out and accept it.

Do you believe destiny is in your blood?

Preferred Vendor:: Once Wed

0 · Jun 27, 2014 ·

Oh my stars have I had some excitement happening over here! The last couple months have simply been amazing — from attending flower workshops to making flowers for Bloom the Workshop — I’m living on a beautiful high! Plus wedding season officially starts for The Day’s Design TOMORROW!!

As an added bonus (as if I needed something else to be excited about!), I met Lauren from Once Wed at Kelly Perry’s workshop and this sweet girl invited me to become part of the Once Wed preferred vendor guide. Eek.. how exciting is that!? So now it’s official and you can see my listing on their beautiful blog.

I would also recommend you check out my new flower friend’s gorgeous new business, Stone House Creative. I can’t wait to see the magic Lauren’s sure to create.

A Blank Canvas

0 · Jun 17, 2014 ·

We just sold our huge dining room set. It was a solid maple Ethan Allen table which easily expanded to seat 10 people, along with a huge matching hutch. It was pretty – but it wasn’t right for me. It was so nice that I was scared to touch it and would panic every time guests came to dinner. Considering Hubby is a chef and we love to host dinner parties, this is pretty ridiculous, right?

It’s funny how having an empty dining room is a huge weight off my shoulders. It seems so airy and bright, open to new possibilities and full of freshness.

So what’s next? Well that’s the thing, I don’t have to have it all figured out just yet. Possibly a new office space which could then easily be turned dining room when the occasional presents itself? Or maybe a better place to craft, put together awesome event details and florals? I don’t know.

My previous visions of a new creative space for me aren’t falling into place exactly as planned. There are some hiccups in the scheming of the basement remodel. As a planner, this is sometimes hard to swallow. Sometimes it’s hard to admit that I don’t have a plan or my plans changed. But here’s what I’ve come to realize – first off, it’s a woman’s prerogative to change her mind. And secondly, I plan ALL THE TIME, it’s just what I do. I don’t think there’s ever a moment in time where some sort of creative vision isn’t floating through my head. But I don’t bring them all to life. That doesn’t make me a failure and I’m still awesome with my craft. It just makes me human.

I was reminded of this last Friday as I sat in a room with about 35 other woman who are just trying to figure out their craft, hone their visions and find the right fit and purpose for them. They don’t have it all figured out yet, some are searching for website and social media answers while some are still trying to figure out what they were put on this earth to accomplish. Just because they haven’t figured it out yet doesn’t mean that I don’t respect them or think of them as less of a person or business woman. It just reminded me that this is a constant journey for everyone and I don’t have to feel 100% on top of my game every single moment in time. I should probably cut myself some slack.

For the moment I have a big blank canvas in front of me. And I love it.

Just a little sneak peek from Ashley Slater Photography of Bloom the Workshop last Friday — the styled shoot portion was so much fun, I loved creating these florals for Michaela’s beautiful tabletop.

Grand Rapids wedding flowers

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