Most of the weddings we do at Violet Floral Designs are in Baltimore or surrounding areas, but sometimes we like to go on an adventure! Kelly and Jason’s city wedding at the insanely cool Front and Palmer in Philadelphia was so much fun. At the wedding, the Temple University marching band and the couple’s amazing dog made appearances, and the photos taken by Tricia Notte Images (tricianotte.com) in the Philadelphia City Center blew me away. I loved that this wedding was so full of personality and fun, and even from behind the scenes it was obvious that this day was resonating with love, meaning, and joy for the couple and their friends and family.
Burgundy and peach might be one of my favorite color combinations for fall and winter wedding flowers, and Kelly’s bouquet featured burgundy winter peonies, peach Juliet garden roses, anemones with navy centers, and navy privet berries. Lots of unique accent flowers and textural elements added interest to this bouquet: like thistles, astrantia, and willowy burgundy foliage. Our copper metallic arch rental also made an outing, and I loved the way the simplicity of the arch worked with the fabulous lights and backdrop in Front + Palmer’s ceremony space. We also added a little bit of wild smilax greenery to the ceiling, framing the dance floor and ceremony space. Smilax vine also adorned the long tables, along with lots of candlelight from eclectic and fun mixed candlesticks and votives.
The following amazing vendors were part of Kelly and Jason’s wedding day:
What a year, friends! 2018 was eventful to say the least, between flowering 20 weddings and 3 events, OUR August wedding, moving, and turning this little floral studio into my full-time job! This work is truly my pride and joy, and it’s been a really exciting year of learning, growing, and designing! Big thanks to all of the couples who chose me as your florist this year–I loved every minute of working with all of you. And most of all I have to thank my wonderful husband, for believing that this could be a thriving business, and for assisting with tons of weddings as we got things off the ground.
As I reflect on this past year, I wanted to share some of the moments this year I am most proud of!
A spring cherry blossom-inspired bridal shoot put together by Katherine Elizabeth Photography captured the trees in Sherwood Gardens in full bloom. I had the honor of contributing a bouquet to this lovely shoot! C’yana’s bouquet was created with eucalyptus and lush pink blooms with foraged blossoming branches and magnolia, and I loved the way the vibrant pink shades brought out the richness of her silver gown.
K+A’s lovely wedding at the Stone Mill Inn in York, Pennsylvania was so much fun: from the lush, colorful bouquets, to the delicate greenery hung from the reception tent, to the staked bottles full of flowers lining the ceremony aisles, not a detail was missing.
I guess there was also that one time I got married…
All told, I kept it relatively simple with my flowers in order to spend time with family and friends during my wedding weekend. (Another reason not to DIY your wedding flowers.) For my bouquet, I was so excited to mix my favorite peach roses with unique local blooms from Butterbee Farm, Hillen Homestead, and Clear Ridge Farm. August is maybe my favorite time of year for local flowers, like lisianthus, dahlias, cosmos, scabiosa, and viburnum berries!
Thank you so much to the wonderful vendors who made our wedding happen despite absolutely horrendous thunderstorms.
This fall I took my business full-time, and I won’t lie, it was a wild ride. It was such a busy and exciting season! In October I designed for seven weddings, and the one that felt most vibrantly like fall was the last one of the month, for Kaitlyn and James. I loved the rich autumn colors of peach, burgundy, orange, and rust red, and the delicate flower crowns the bride and her bridesmaids wore.
Another really fun wedding from this year took us to Philadelphia. At Kelly and Jason’s wedding at Front and Palmer, we set up our copper metallic arch and loaded it up with bright blooms in peach and burgundy. Front and Palmer’s space is the perfect mix of fun and industrial, and for Kelly’s December wedding it was filled with candlelight and smilax greenery. So grateful for the cool places this industry takes me sometimes, and the wonderful people I get to cross paths with.
Excited to share more soon about this fun day, and the copper arch, which is available to rent for 2019 weddings!
I adored all of this year’s weddings and couples so much that it’s hard not to continue, but thanks for checking out this overview of 2018 at Violet Floral Designs. I can hardly believe that 2019 is just about here: we will start our weddings again in March with a growing team, new rentals, and renewed energy for this work. If you’re planning your 2019 wedding, please inquire now so we can get your date on the calendar!
Love and best wishes to all as we embark on a new year!
If you want the what, when, and how of booking your wedding flowers with Violet Floral Designs, here’s some more information about working with me! From booking your date, order changes, to contracts, and more, the nitty-gritty details are right here.
When do I need to select a florist?
6-12 Months Before Your Wedding. This depends on the time of year you’re getting married. Several of my June and September clients for next year contacted me more than a year in advance of their wedding–dates book very quickly in those popular months to get married in Maryland. May and October weddings book up next. If you’re planning a wedding that isn’t in those months, you can most likely book your florals six months before your wedding.
Check the availability of your date by filling out this quick Interest Form or emailing violetfloraldesigns@gmail.com.
What do I need to know before I reach out?
As a florist, this is the information I need in order to start putting together a floral package that suits you and your wedding: Your wedding date and location, the basic size of your wedding, and some details about the colors and inspiration you love. While it’s okay not to be entirely sure of your bridesmaids’ dress colors or the number of reception tables you’ll have, having a general sense of what your wedding is going to be like is going to help a lot during our conversation.
Let’s chat!
After you fill out the contact form, I’ll reach out to you within 24-48 hours and confirm whether your date is available. We’ll set up a time to consult, and I’ll give you a short form to fill out about your wedding so I have some more information about your wedding before we meet. During the consult, we’ll talk about your wedding, the flowers you like, and basic pricing.
Reviewing Your Proposal
Within five business days after your consult, I’ll send you a proposal for your flowers which will contain detailed pricing information and notes on the flowers and style we discussed. This way you can review it and think over the details before booking. When I send your proposal over via email, I also put a temporary hold in my calendar for your date. The hold lasts two weeks so you’ll have plenty of time to make your decision and you don’t have to wonder if somebody else is going to book your date during that window.
During this time, you can reach out to me by phone or email to discuss details of the proposal, or review details of the contract.
Ready to Book?
You’ll submit the signed contract, along with a 25% deposit. When you sign your contract and book me as your florist, the details of your floral order aren’t written in stone. It’s okay to contact me anytime in the months before your wedding to make creative changes, tweak the numbers, talk through details, or add in new colors.
Then what?
Six to eight weeks before your wedding, I’ll get back in touch with you to review your order and make sure everything still looks good. This is a good time to make sure you have enough corsages and boutonnieres, your wedding party numbers are accurate, and that I have an updated table count from you. I ask that you finalize these numbers with me four weeks before your wedding so I can accurately invoice you for your 75% balance (that’s due three weeks out from your event.) I’ll also request contact information for your venue, wedding coordinator if you have one, and a member of your wedding party, so I can set up a timeline for delivery and setup.
The Best Part? Your Wedding Day.
While you’re finishing up final preparations and starting the celebrations of your wedding weekend, I am hand-picking your blooms at local farms and wholesalers, designing your bouquets and arrangements in my studio, and making sure every last detail is perfect. I’ll coordinate with your planner, bridal party, or venue for delivery (one less thing to bother you with!) and when I deliver your flowers to you on your big day, I’m thrilled because I know I’ve done everything I can to ensure I’ve brought your vision to life. I hope you’ll be thrilled, too!
Planning your Maryland wedding and ready to check FLOWERS off the list? Send a note right here to get started.
Today I wanted to talk a little bit about Pinterest–everybody’s favorite place for wedding inspiration pictures! As a florist, I LOVE the beautiful wedding inspiration I see on Pinterest, and when I planned my own wedding, Pinterest was a great help to me in planning out the style I wanted for my big day. When my clients share their Pinterest boards with me, it really helps me get a sense of their vision for their wedding. However, when it comes to Pinterest, I have a ground rule: I won’t duplicate another florist’s work, for a few reasons. In short:
A florist CAN:
Look at your inspiration photos to better understand the look and colors you’re going for.
A florist CAN’T:
Recreate every detail of an inspiration photo, down to the last stem.
As a floral designer, my job is to mesh my design aesthetic with your preferences. Pinterest is a great tool for communicating about your taste and preferences to your florist. However, though Pinterest is a great jumping off point for floral inspiration, remember a florist can’t carbon-copy a look. This is because…
Dani Leigh Photography
1) Flowers shift in availability–a lot. For example, peonies are a gorgeous late spring flower, and very popular for weddings, but they go out of season for several months of the year. Dahlias are a beautiful late summer and fall flower, but because they are so delicate, it’s hard to import them at other times of year. I might be able to purchase spray roses in a perfect shade of peach at my supplier one week, and then it’s not available the next. Fortunately, for every flower that goes out of season, there’s another flower that can add just as much beauty to your wedding flowers.
2) Because florists are artists at heart: we don’t want to plagiarize each other. No two florists will design a bouquet exactly the same, and while we can look to each other for inspiration, most floral designers will not want to cross the line of copying or duplicating a photo of another florist’s work.
It’s always great to see my clients’ inspiration photos, because it tells me a little more about their style and wedding vision. But the way I see it, it’s better to design with the client in mind; not just a photo.
All told, using Pinterest as an inspiration is a great way to communicate with your florist about the flowers, styles, and color palettes you love. Then it’s our job to create your dream bouquet: something entirely original, customized and personalized for YOU.
This was such a beautiful wedding! Liz and Max both grew up in Maryland, but never met until they attended Princeton University together. Their wedding at Overhills Mansion, in Catonsville, Maryland, was the definition of classic elegance. Everybody looked so sharp in the blush and navy color palette the couple selected, and the flowers featured white Playa Blanca roses (one of my absolute favorites, with a perfect hint of blush pink) and delicate greenery. Ever witty, the couple added touches of ivy into their decor, calling back to their alma mater.
The laughter, joy, and elegance of this wedding was captured beautifully by Dani Leigh Photography.
Karen and Anthony are a Maryland couple who chose the beautiful Stone Mill Inn in York, Pennsylvania for their romantic countryside wedding. I loved working at this beautiful historic venue, which had beautiful locations for the ceremony, cocktail, and reception. The couple chose to lightly accent their green outdoor ceremony space with flowers and requested wispy strands of greenery to trail from the ceiling of their cocktail tent area, accenting the romantic string lights. Inside the beautiful reception room with wood beams, the couple placed handmade monogrammed coasters at the tables for their guests, and on the dessert table colorful and funky flowers adorned a naked cake.
I really enjoyed talking with Karen about all of the different details of her wedding, and I loved the way this couple’s personality and wedding vision came through in their flowers.
Photos by the fabulous Katherine Zell Photography: www.katherinezellphoto.com
The following wonderful vendors contributed to Karen and Anthony’s wedding:
