How to Pick the Perfect Floral Designer with Whitney B.

From SMP blogger bride, Whitney B.... If you are anything like me, when it came to envisioning my wedding day, I knew I wanted an abundance of flowers, but I had no clue where to begin with searching for a floral designer. After researching several different designers and looking through hundreds of pictures and websites, I finally narrowed it down to my #1: Shawna, owner of The Wild Dahlia. Below are some of the reasons why and tid bits of advice for all you future wives:

Find Someone With an Aesthetic You Love When picking a floral designer, look at their use of color, their signature style, and their featured bouquets within their portfolio and on their social media accounts. As a bride, one reason I chose The Wild Dahlia is because I loved the look and feel of Shawna's centerpieces and bouquets that I had seen featured on Instagram feed, on wedding blogs, and in portfolio pictures. I also loved the fullness of her signature bouquet style and her use of large statement blooms – such as garden roses and peonies mixed with greenery to create a full and romantic look – which is exactly what I was looking for.

Find a Floral Designer Who Understands Your Vision Also consider a potential floral designer's ability to understand your vision and run with it, while also making it unique and a little bit outside of the box. While I love flowers and had very specific blooms that I wanted incorporated, I also really wanted to lean on my selected floral designer and trust her to take my tastes and preferences and create a floral plan that not only fit our personal tastes but also felt unique and different than everything we had been seeing. I also took into consideration that The Wild Dahlia was a vetted vendor on my wedding planner's (Always Yours Events) vendor list, and that it was very evident that Shawna could be entrusted with our vision and to be an integral part of our wedding vendor team.

Find a Floral Designer Willing to be Creative Finally, consider his or her ability to be creative with your floral AND your ideal budget. During our first consult with Shawna, we loved her can-do spirit and ability to be creative with not only our vision but also our budget. We had a specific floral budget in mind, and Shawna helped us find creative ways to make our design work within our ideal budget while never sacrificing the aesthetic or design from day one. For example, we will have gorgeous arrangements at our ceremony that we wanted to see incorporated for more than just 30 minutes of our day, so we have worked with Shawna to take those florals and repurpose them for spaces later in the evening where they will be impactful and continue our design throughout all the reception spaces. I hope some of these tips help you find the perfect floral designer for your own wedding day! I cannot wait to share with you all the design and floral from our wedding at the Wequassett very soon! Happy Flower Picking- Whit B.

Photography: Carly Michelle Photography | Cinematography: Brighter Lights Media | Event Planning + Design: Always Yours Events | Floral Design: The Wild Dahlia | Stationery: Amanda Day Rose | Makeup: Natalie Lelless | Hair: Jennifer Tawa | Wedding Venue: Wequassett Resort and Golf Club | Bride: Whitney Bischoff