What to Know When Choosing Your Floral Vendor: An Interview With Flowers by Michelle
Bride: Stephanie Cabrera
Dress: Viero Bridal
Venue: Rainbow Gardens
Bouquet: Flowers by Michelle (including Playa Blanca Roses, Majolica Spray Roses, White Ranunculus, White Hydrangea and Parvifolia)
You just got engaged. You’re full of emotions. The planning starts whenever you decide it does, and the familiar feeling of overwhelm is creeping its way in. You want everything to be absolutely perfect, and you know that all comes down to picking the right vendors to make your unique vision come to life.
One thing is for certain: the right artists can make any dream a reality, and not only that, but they can take your inspiration and make a final product that will blow your mind and then some. They will help you create a dream day that is uniquely yours.
As a professional Las Vegas wedding photographer, I feel it is part of my duty to equip you with as much useful information as possible regarding your special day in my city, and today that means discussing the process of finding the right florist in the area, and the ins and outs of the process in general.
I’ve been lucky enough to work alongside some really solid vendors, and I am honored to have had the chance to interview Michelle Jones, owner of Las Vegas-based Flowers by Michelle (voted Best of Las Vegas by the Las Vegas Review Journal 5 years in a row), to help answer some of your pressing questions about the floral vendor process.
Q&A:
Q: I want to assure my readers that the advice and information they are about to be given is from an absolute florist “guru.” How long have you been in business?
A: Since 1992, it will be 30 years in April!
Q: What are the services your business provides?
A: We are a full-service florist. That means plants, flowers, and anything that encompasses that. We do fresh flowers for every day occasions, sympathies (funeral work) and weddings, and we also have an extended gift boutique.
Q: What makes you stand out from other florists in the area?
A: We have years of experience combined with our wedding designers and styles. We have all different styles and different age groups in our designers, so we can combine styles and knowledge of experience to make everybody happy. We love what we do, and our wedding designers are so invested emotionally and are always staying on top of everything and communicating with the brides so they know exactly what to expect.
Q: What are the main pieces of advice you have for brides when choosing a floral vendor? What are the main things they need to consider?
A: It’s so important if a bride has an overall vision and color scheme to bring in inspiration photos and let us make suggestions for types of flowers that will work best for that season and color scheme. I would say, with social media like it is, to do their research, look at different florists’ social media platforms and make sure their style fits with the designer’s style, because some designers have a style of their own and each bride has their own vision, and you want to make sure that the designer they choose fits their vision. You also want to take into consideration what their venue looks like, so that the arrangements they choose fit with the style and personality of the venue, whether it be traditional or more modern.
Q: What is your process from start to finish with brides?
A: We’ll meet with them through email, Facetime or Zoom, they’ll send in their inspiration photos, we work up a quote for them and send it over, they’ll make their 20% deposit, and as it gets closer to the day they’ll set up the delivery time frame and make payment two weeks before the delivery day. It’s pretty flawless.
Q: What questions do brides typically have for you?
A: Typically brides wonder about what flowers are in season/available, and pricing.
Q: Is there any flower you can’t get your hands on?
A: We get flowers grown and flown in from all over the world every single day. If they are growing in a commercial setting, then we can get them.
Q: What is your price range like?
A: The average for ceremony and centerpieces for a bridal party is $3,500-$6,000.
Q: How far out do brides need to book with you?
A: It depends on the size of their wedding, some book out a year and a half in advance, but I would say at least 6 months before, especially since next year is supposed to have the most weddings in history since 1984. This is a record high for this next year for sure.
Q: Who do you recommend brides to if you’re all booked up?
A: Blossoms by Gayle, I Do Wedding Flowers, and Flora Couture (for mid-high-end weddings)
Q: Any final thoughts you think I should share with my brides?
A: The best thing they can do is bring their vision to the florist and ask for advice on areas they can adjust to work within their budget.