With another wedding season fully underway I am reminded how a little extra planning can provide a tremendous amount of support and ease during the height of summer.

The documents reproduced on pages 22 and 23 are what I carry with me to each bridal meeting along with a stack of my favorite wedding books (listed at the end of last month’s article) and a photo portfolio. While I always seem to think I will retain every detail of an upcoming wedding in my head, it takes only a few days for the specifics to fade. I often refer to these documents to refresh my mind while planning, scheduling help and ordering in any wholesale flowers. Without them I would be lost! These documents include:
• A data sheet for recording details of the event;
• A price list;
• An estimate;
• A contract for the bride to sign.

Price sheet
Prices will inevitably vary from city to city and from grower to designers. I have provided mine merely as a general jumping off point.
On the price sheet there is a pretty generous range for each item. Basically the more blooms I have to order in, the more the price increases. If a bride wants a Garden Roses bouquet in September when my own patch is in a lull, I must order these blooms from the wholesaler, often at $2-3 apiece. On average I find most bouquets fall somewhere squarely in the middle. While most of the ingredients come from our garden I do normally order in about 20-30% of the material used for each event.

One item not covered on the price sheet is a delivery and set up fee. I typically charge 10-20% of the total before tax. If the wedding is a long distance away or requires a crew to set up I err on the higher end. But for sweet, simple, local events the standard 10% is applied.
I also have a number of brides who opt for “purely seasonal” bouquets. This simply means we use only what’s blooming locally. I usually can provide 100% of these flowers but on the off chance that I can’t, there are a number of growers in my area to call upon. Throughout the season we all, at some time or another, seem to end up trading blooms.

Data sheet
On the data sheet I’ve left an ample amount of space for Bridesmaids, Bouts and Corsages. This is because I like to have the name of each attendant on file. With a large wedding we’ll often label each item with the recipient’s name to avoid confusion. There’s nothing worse than an empty tray of bouts, 3 groomsmen left in line and no idea who’s who!

Estimate and contract
After the bride and I agree on an estimate (sometimes it take 2-3 rewrites)  I have the bride print and sign a copy for her file. By including a lot of details in the estimate, I ensure that we’re all on the same page. Knock on wood, but to this date I have never had any trouble receiving full payment upon delivery. Usually by the big day I have a strong relationship built with the bride and don’t have any concern for dishonesty. If wedding and event work is something you’re considering adding to your operation, I would highly recommend spending a little time putting together a client packet. While it may seem daunting at first these documents make the crazy world of weddings a whole lot simpler!

Erin Benzakein runs Floret, a small organic flower farm in Washington state; Erin Benzakein runs Floret, a small organic flower farm in Washington state.