A WEEK IN THE LIFE OF A WEDDING FLORIST: PART 1
{Image by: Graham Murray Photography}
Quite often in our profession we hear the question “what is it like to be a wedding florist?”. And on many occasions it has got me thinking; how do I even begin to describe what this job is like? It is so much more than playing with flowers (which, of course, is one of the greatest parts of the job!). So I thought the best way to give people a bit more of an insight into what we do would be to put together a day-by-day account of life in our busy little studio. So here goes! This is the story of a week in the life of a wedding florist at Willow Bud.
THE BEGINNING:
Well, I guess the best place to start is Monday! Ahhhh Monday; the day of the week that everyone seems to dread. Usually for me, having worked the weekend, this is the only day of the week I am able to keep to myself. I catch up on some sleep and spend some time with my young family. However, when the peak wedding seasons are upon us (which feels like all the time) I find myself once again getting up with the birds to start my working day.
{Image: Graham Murray Photography}
MONDAY’S TASKS
During this brief one-day period where the busy weddings from the weekend have finished and before we start the physical preparations for the next, I can finally get to my admin. And that means – emails! Emailing our bride’s is a non-stop job and one that is constantly on my mind. I love getting to know our couples and hearing their thoughts and their inspirations for their wedding day. Being able to put together a beautiful floral brief full of colour, shape and texture, even fragrance that suits each couple is one of the most fun and rewarding parts of the job.
I will still get to some emailing later in the week, but during these parts of the year Monday’s are the day I can sit down with no distractions and be completely focused on my future brides. More often than not, I will get in the groove and end up working later into the night. Even though I try to stick to regular working hours, my passion often gets the better of me!
As well as responding to briefs, last minute questions and inquiries and putting the finishing touches on the weddings for the week to come, it is essential that I get our flower orders sorted. To source the most premium quality flowers for each wedding, our orders must be made well in advance. So I am always thinking ahead and planning weeks into the future to make sure the flowers are just right!
Each wedding brief is meticulously thought out, from flower varieties, to colour palettes, to textural elements. Even additional florals we think will complement and enhance the wedding are ordered in. As flowers are seasonal, ordering can become tricky and we correspond back and forth with our multiple suppliers, both local and interstate, countless times each week until the final order is placed. So Monday’s are the day I make sure our ordering is finalised and ready to be picked up the following morning! During our busiest times I get some of my staff to come in on these days and assist with the admin tasks, otherwise there is just not enough time in the day!
{Image: Graham Murray Photography}
WHAT’S EVERYONE ELSE UP TO?
While all this is going on I have the rest of my wonderful team in the studio cleaning and prepping our work space for the week to come. This is a HUGE job! Each vase/container from the weekend (big or small) is washed, wiped, polished and re-stacked, all the surfaces of the studio are wiped down, our cold room and fridges cleaned and prepared, our tools maintained, our vehicles emptied and washed…the list is (nearly) endless! Starting the week clean and fresh is essential in our field of work as it allows us to get properly organised and lets the creative juices flow without interruption!
So, for a day in the life of a wedding florist, this is just some of Monday! Our least busy day of the week (did I say least?). Once the day is over and my team and I have prepared all we can for the busy but fun week ahead, it’s time to hit the hay so I can be up early to collect our flowers before the sun is up in the morning…
Written by Courtney Browne – to be continued soon in PART 2.
{All images of Jaz and Tim’s real wedding beautifully captured by Graham Murray Photography}