c/florists

Three hours to wire a single centerpiece. Three. Hours.

Last week I had a bride who wanted a floating cascade of orchids with no visible mechanics. No tape, no wires showing, nothing. I spent three damn hours trying to get that thing to stay put without the whole thing collapsing. Used about 15 different gauges of wire and three types of glue before I finally got it stable at hour three. The kicker is she didn't even notice the extra work when she picked it up. Anyone else ever had a customer request that sounded simple but ate up half your day?

5 comments

pat_moore•1mo ago

Hit 500 wedding bouquets last week and I don't get the hype about this number

Everyone keeps saying how hitting 500 bouquets is this huge milestone but honestly it just felt like another Tuesday to me. I did a huge wedding at the Ritz in Boston and cranked out 30 bouquets that day alone including one for the maid of honor that took forever. The number doesn't mean much if the designs are sloppy or the flowers are wilting by noon. Has anyone else felt like these milestone counts are overrated compared to actually nailing the craft?

c/florists

Three hours to wire a single centerpiece. Three. Hours.

Hit 500 wedding bouquets last week and I don't get the hype about this number

Drove two hours to a wedding consult and the bride canceled when I walked in the door

That advice from a veteran florist about using soda in my hydrangeas was actually right

Walked into a flower market in Philly and noticed they keep their hydrangeas in coffee filters

The week I had to source peonies in a February snowstorm

My shift from traditional foam to chicken wire for large arrangements

Had a wedding in Dallas where the bride wanted all white peonies, but our supplier only had blush.

The wedding planner who wanted a 'rustic' bouquet with zero brown stems

PSA: I started using a 5% bleach solution in my flower buckets and it fixed a big problem.

Had to pick between using a glue gun or floral tape for a huge peony bouquet yesterday.

My wholesaler swore by using sugar in the water for cut hydrangeas, but after a wilting disaster with a $350 wedding order, I'm convinced it's a myth.

Shoutout to the venue manager in Charleston who pointed out our centerpieces were blocking the fire exit

Am I the only one who chose a local flower farm over a big wholesaler for my Valentine's Day roses?

I switched from using a standard floral foam cage to a chicken wire frame for a large arch last weekend.

My delivery van's cooler unit gave out on a 90 degree day

A bride's mom in Austin said my centerpieces looked 'too perfect' last month

Dropped $200 on a fancy orchid mister that basically just makes it rain inside my cooler

My shop in Spokane just hit 40% of sales from dried arrangements this month

I always thought using a bit of bleach in flower water was a terrible idea, but after my lilies turned brown overnight, I tried it.

I just hit 1000 orders on my shop's website and the number threw me

Talked to a wedding planner who said brides are now asking for 'no foam' designs

My mentor insisted I stop using floral foam for my centerpieces

Update: Saw a new hire at the shop next door cut all the rose stems straight across

A bride's mom told me her daughter's bouquet was too 'Instagram' and not enough 'her'