As a wedding planner I’ve attended several floral meetings with my clients over the years.  However it wasn’t until I took a floral arrangement class Sunday that I had a whole new appreciation for their skill and time.  While I understood their talent to come up with the perfect arrangement for a couple’s wedding vision, I didn’t realize just how long it takes to create an actual arrangement. 

During the class I created ONE arrangement which included hydrangea, roses, spray roses, peonies, ranunculus and orchids.  I think I did a prettty good job for a first timer but once I was done I just couldn’t wrap my mind around having to do 19 more (a total of 20 for a 200 guest wedding).  That doesn’t even include bouquets, boutonnières or ceremony and cocktail hour arrangements.  And don’t forget about the time it takes to clean, strip and prep the flowers for use.  Now of course it would take an experienced florist way less time than it took me but I’m sure it is still very time consuming.  And if that wasn’t enough, most florist have more than one wedding in a day and/or weekend.

My work station…I was eager to get started

We started with the basics…a glass container and oasis (also known as floral foam)

Making progress…

Me (and my finished arrangement) with Shawn Nocher (owner and our instructor)

I couldn’t wait to get home and show off my handy work to my husband.  I proudly placed it on our dining room table

Although I only took the class for a better understanding of the process I just want to say to all the florist we work with…I doubt you’ll ever have to worry about us adding flowers to our list of services.  A big thank you to The Floral Studio for opening their doors and my eyes to the floral design process. 

If you’re interested in taking one of their classes, you’re in luck.  Another one is being offered on April 18^th. 

I came across a beautiful photo vase that I thought would be great for a wedding. It could be used for your centerpiece and table numbers combined…hence the title “double duty”. Many couples use pictures of pets, of themselves as kids or of their travels to denote the table number for their guests. Wouldn’t this be a perfect way to display them? For those of you that want a more traditional look, the vase can incorporate stationery with the number printed or spelled out (7 versus Seven).

They will also engrave a maximum of 24 characters at no additional charge. What a great place to add your new monogram.