The wedding flower business evolved over several years from small affairs, which I could do myself, to larger ones for which I had to hire additional designers.

For a flower grower who is not a florist, the wedding flower business can be daunting. It is certainly stressful but most of the time rewarding. Merely selling bouquets or flowers to an individual for a wedding is not what I mean when I talk about “wedding flowers.” It means the entire floral process – the wedding site, the bridal party, the reception etc. For us, since we serve a “destination wedding” area, often this includes the rehearsal party.

After 10 years of weddings large and small, I can offer insights and practical advice.

First consider the time involved. As a flower grower and retailer, I don’t have much free time; brides and mothers of brides demand time. Expect an initial wedding conference to last an hour minimum. Be prepared to be a diplomat when the bride’s taste is “high style” and the mother’s is “garden.” One of the most important questions to ask is “What is your floral budget?” We’ve learned from experience from carefully writing a proposal including exactly what the bride desires pricing it for $1,800 only to be told by a shocked bride, “But I only wanted to spend $400!”

One must also designate a place to meet, which is a problem we still have not solved. Our conferences are held in the farm office, attractive enough but it also houses the restroom and the bookkeeping department, so it’s not an ideal situation.

The time element I have partially solved by hiring a full-time floral designer, Terry Hawkins, who holds most of the conferences. Terry also visits the wedding site, the rehearsal party site and the reception party site – more hours. Often he meets with the rental company representatives to design layouts.

A very recent wedding entailed five conferences, untold telephone calls, faxes and then a four-hour site consultation. The wedding was on the beach, which was very beautiful and everyone was pleased, but Terry and I were very stressed. The bridal flowers were pink tulips – in South Carolina’s June temperatures. The bouquet was to be loose and floppy – sounds simple, but executing the design was exasperating. I made the bouquet three times!

The actual designing of flowers, bouquets and site pieces (altar flowers, centerpieces, etc.) is also very time-consuming.

I usually do the bridal party work with the help of one assistant. This means I begin work at 6 a.m. so that I can be finished by 10 a.m. Then I can concentrate on farming and managing our retail business.

Terry and another designer do everything else. We offer for the beach or garden sites an “altar” of either a palm frond arch or a wooden trellis. Both take two men to load, unload, and reassemble the sections. Then the floral design must be completed on site, so there’s another labor cost. After the ceremony, all must be picked up: vases, candelabra, altars, plants, etc. The reception site also must be broken down – often after midnight.
For some weddings, one vehicle will transport everything. Larger, more elaborate affairs require more. Recently one wedding required morning delivery to set up countless plants for the reception. Then a delivery and set up for the ceremony on the beach. Another delivery of bridal flowers to one home, where the bride was in hysterics over the length of her veil. Then delivery of boutonnieres to another home where naked men paraded in front of the delivery person (a woman). Meanwhile, a third delivery vehicle and personnel went to the reception site to install buffet flowers and centerpieces. The cake must be decorated, too – add 20 to 30 minutes – that’s if the cake has arrived.

Now, where am I in this wedding madness? Oh, then the weekends when there are two weddings…should I continue?

You must be a Martha Stewart fan and have a copy of her book Weddings. Brides and mothers of brides come with Martha. The book does offer many ideas that we have replicated. The most recent Martha wedding we created is pictured on page 42 of the book.

Here are some prices:
•Bridal bouquets average $100-150
•Bridesmaid bouquets $40-75
•Boutonnieres $10
•Nosegays $25
•Corsages $20
•Altar flowers $50-300
•Centerpieces $40 and up
•Decorated trellis $300-350