Behind the Scenes of a Virginia Florist's Wedding Week
Caroline Lima Photography
This week kicks off the start of my fall wedding season, and I am so excited for all the hustle, bustle, and pretty that comes along with it! I am so incredibly grateful to work with some of the kindest, most unique couples each and every year (see for yourself here!), and this year is no different.
So to kick off the season, I'm sharing a little behind the scenes into my wedding week!
Monday
Truthfully, Mondays are typically my weekend in the middle of wedding season, because I've been busting my booty at weddings all weekend long! But I do typically do small tasks on Mondays, including cleaning out my van, prepping my work space and buckets, and verifying any last minute orders with my flower farmers, if necessary. If I am also designing the full event, I also do a full final inventory of all the special little details we've gathered and prep linens.
Tuesday
I spend Tuesdays packing my toolkit with the correct ribbon colors and supplies needed, print off final floral and/or design plans and orders, and print off and verify my spreadsheets that I use for my floral recipes.
Wednesday
Wednesdays are when the fun begins! Oftentimes, this is when flowers and supplies come trickling in, and I spend much of my day processing these items into their respective buckets! I'll also begin to prep vessels for centerpieces and ensure my supplies is all organized and ready for the bulk of my flowers to arrive on Thursday.
Actual iPhone image of flowers that had just come in and been processed for a wedding!
Thursday
Thursdays are when it gets really exciting! The remainder of flowers arrive and are processed with myself and my assistant, depending on the size of the wedding. Once everything is processed and organized, I create bridesmaid bouquets and however many centerpieces I can complete before the end of the work day. I typically don't work past 7pm on Thursdays, because I want to be well-rested for the remainder of the work on Friday, and set-up on Saturday!
Friday
On Fridays, I get up bright and early and begin making the bridal bouquet while my coffee is brewing. This is such a fun time for me, and has truly become a ritual. Coffee and flowers are two of my favorite things, so I've grown to really love this quiet morning time. Once the bridal bouquet is perfected, I work with my assistant (if the wedding is large enough to require an assistant) to complete the remainder of the centerpieces, plus prep any installation items that will be completed on-site (like arbor florals, hanging greenery, etc.). At the very end of the workday, I create the boutonnieres and corsages. The day ends with a big, "Cheers!" and probably falling asleep a 8pm.
Actual iPhone image of a quiet morning bridal bouquet creation.
Saturday
On Saturdays, I'm nearly almost as excited as the bride, so I wake up super early. I check over all my creations and freshen up anything that needs it. I review my orders and spreadsheets one last time to make sure nothing has been overseen. I begin carefully packing each bouquet and centerpiece into boxes, and I typically pack my van literally minutes before I leave so everything remains in the cool air with little movement as long as possible. Once at the venue, setup begins! This can take anywhere from one hour to several hours with several assistants, depending on the wedding. To me, this is my favorite part - seeing everything come together exactly as the couple envisioned it. It never gets old! When I return home, usually in the late afternoon or early evening, I almost always end the day glued to the sofa with wine and pizza, casually creeping my couples' hashtag for photos of the event.
As you can see, a lot of moving parts have to happen in a matter of days! I like all my flowers I use to be as fresh as possible, so it's important to me that this order of events happens every single time!
