Weddings, I LOVE THEM, as a florist and as a guest.

As a florist you will inevitably end up making all the wedding flowers for every single person you know and I would be seriously offended if this wasn’t the case. However, it can be quite the juggling act. At any wedding I’m not attending as a guest I’ll set up pretty much all morning and it often goes right down to the wire. Just getting ready as a regular guest is a push but what if you’re a bridesmaid too? Luckily I have A LOT of experience in this area! 

The trick is to get as prepared as humanly possible the day before, you don’t want to be making bouquets in the morning or you’ll be setting your alarm for 3am. Of course, some things you just can’t do the night before so it’s always an early start regardless. Inevitably you end up missing out on some of the mornings festivities and feel like a bad bridesmaid for not being able to spend the morning being part of the hype team, but I know every time I’ve been a bridesmaid, the bride and groom have been immensely grateful for the hard work and have totally forgiven my dishevelled appearance! That’s what Photoshop is for! 

I try to get all the heavy lifting and installations done before I attempt any kind of beautifying - I do love a late wedding but if the ceremony kicks off at 11am this all needs to be complete by 9.30am at the latest. There will always be last minute touches that will have to be done dressed in full-on ballgown, like scattering petals down the aisle, lighting candles, adding any delicate florals that won’t be in water. I am eternally grateful to my sister for choosing December to get married, it was wonderfully cold so I was able to dress the church hours before the ceremony! Of course, I still did the church to venue change over in full length slinky dress, moving giant urns full of flowers, but I am committed to my roles both as bridesmaid and florist! 

Truth be told I wouldn’t have if any other way, I love being part of a happy couple’s big day, it’s why I became a florist. It sounds soppy but it is genuinely such a special feeling…plus I would also be mightily disappointed if I attended a wedding and didn’t get a mention in the speech! Event floristry is physically exhausting, you have to be here, there and everywhere in between. There is a lot of heavy lifting, running around and clearing up, things not usually associated with a relaxing, glamorous morning. There are moments when I have thought ‘today would have been a lot less stressful if I wasn’t a florist’ but I absolutely love it and it’s worth every single bead of sweat and sleepless night.

So yes I’ll wear the puffy sleeves and ruffles, make sure your glass is full all day, fluff your dress and be a human glitter ball, but you better cry big fat happy tears when you see your flowers!