Thursday, September 09, 2010

Some wise advice...

For those who know us at Lavender Hill..you know we do flowers. But what you may not know, is we do, and have always done more than that. We also have our own line of rentals, invitations and do offer planning and coordinating services. We have always done these things. Many of our clients get these additional services from us, especially our rentals. We are thrilled to create your florals, and we are very excited when you do ask us to help with the planning and execution on your big day. We also happily work, as a team, with other coordinators and event planners to make your day wonderful.


Whether we do one thing for you or a few, our goal is that you are a guest at your own event. This is recent post from a fellow florist friend, Jodi Duncan Cfd Aifd. She too, is a florist. A very talented one. She too, has been in the business for quite a while and has also seen a lot over the years. I read a recent blog post and thought I should share.......

From Jodi---
This weekend I had the privilege of providing decor for a lovely bride and her family. Bride was out of state, so I dealt mostly with mom. Both were sweet, down to earth, straightforward, and good communicators.

When I met with them at our very first consultation, I always ask:What services are you interested in?
Ceremony decor? Wedding Party Flowers? Reception flowers and rentals? Co-Ordinating? Or all of the above?

They just wanted the flowers for wedding party, ceremony and reception--they were taking care of everything else themselves. And that is always fine with me! I am glad to be the lowly florist and not service the event.
I am ala carte: my clients are free to choose as much or as little of my package as they are comfortable with.

Sooo, fast forward to the wedding date:

The chairs arrive 3 hours late. And they are dirty. And that set my clients back on their set up time that they were under contract to provide me. They were supposed to have it all ready for us when we arrived. They did not.
Thankfully, we were ahead of schedule and kind enough to set it up
(at no additional charge) so they could get their hair and makeup.

BUT...
The hair and makeup people were running late.
And taking entirely toooo loooong.
And young inexperienced divas.
And they did not realize that their grandstanding and showboating was derailing the day for the bride. And the MOB was afraid to "say anything to upset them..."
I wanted to get things back on track SOOO much!

But it was not my job.
I was the florist.
And they were their own co-ordinators.

I, as the lowly florist, just watched the wheels come off.
It was painful, for me and them.

It gets worse:

The flatware that the mob and fob were setting the table with was terribly spotted, so they were scrubbing all the flatware.
They also were setting up plates and glassware.
Then they discovered they were shorted by the rental company.

They then discovered that the desert favors the bride had made
had gotten left in the freezer at their house.
And it was too late to do anything about it.

And they were already terribly behind from the late delivery of dirty chairs.
And starting to get stressed.
And were getting snippy with each other.
And it was all unnecessary.

But they LOVED me, and LOVED their flowers.
And I hated to see such nice people in such a predicament that could have been totally avoided.

The mother of the bride did not get to be the mother of the bride.
She worked like a dog.
She did not get to enjoy her daughters wedding day.
She was too busy polishing flatware, setting the tables and fussing at the rental company.

And it made me sad.

As I left she said "Why, oh WHY did I not hire YOU to take care of ALL of THIS?!?!"
I said "I am so sorry it turned out this way for you"
She said she wished she had it to over again.
But she doesn't.

She thanked me for my extra help, and for the beautiful flowers.

And I thanked her for choosing us to be a part of their special day.

I just wished they had chosen more of me.
And so do they.

So remember, just because you CAN do it all, does NOT mean you SHOULD.

There is a saying "Whatever you are, be a good one"

You are not a planner. You are a mother/sister/friend of bride. Be that.

Let planners be planners.

Florists be florists.

Friends and family should get to be friends and family.

Its a cautionary tale.

Be a part of that wedding in your future with a smile on your face and a spring in your step.

Your heart should be full of joy, not regret, on the big day.

So here's to joy-filled wedding days!
Leave the angst filled days to the planners. We know how to handle it.
And we love our clients.
The most important thing is to look back on Your Day with no regrets.


Please remember, be a guest at your own wedding or event. We just want you to be happy. We really, truly do!! Work with a professional.

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