Conversation Counts: Making the Most Out of a Consultation with Your Wedding Florist

You Inspire Us...Pt. 2 - Eric & Jasen

At Starbright Floral Design in New York City we're inspired by the stories clients share with us. This season, roughly one in every fifteen weddings we get to participate in crafting are for same-sex couples. This is the second in an ongoing series of profiles highlighting some of the folks we've gotten to collaborate with in New York City's queer community, so you can get a better picture of how to tackle this beast of a day!

Conversation counts!

"My husband Jasen and I have been married for 3 years now. When we began to plan our wedding back in April 2011, a very small and intimate affair - I knew Starbright would be the best choice for us. When I first started to plan, I had met with Team Starbright in their studio - we sat and discussed different options and ideas. They were very patient and engaging during this process which I very much appreciated.

We were to be married in Connecticut as this was April 2011 and New York did not recognize same sex marriages. Being that we were getting married out of state, Starbright was great to recommend flowers and arrangements that would transport well and keep fresh overnight.

The day before our big day, Starbright delivered our beautiful flowers - the were packed well and remained fresh. Looking back on my wedding pictures 3 years later, our flowers were the perfect accessory to make the day really pop.

Thank you Starbright!"
- Eric Strauss

Eric is a man with vision, charisma, and a keen eye (seriously, check out his something-blue and the coordinated black and white patterned accessories). When Eric began to plan his wedding, team Starbright was psyched to be involved and dedicated themselves to making the experience great. We were lucky to have known, and have worked with, Eric well before his wedding, but for people who may be less familiar with their florist - here are some thoughts on how to make the most of your experience.

Making the most of your consultation

Consultations come in all shapes and sizes. Whether you're planning on your own, or working with a professional, there are a couple of things that can help guarantee a really excellent floral consultation experience.

1. Bring Research - Your style is unique and we know that you do you best. Help your consultants understand what that means. Gather up your visual research - texture, color, patterns, magazine clippings and printouts. If you're working with a florist, the goal is to have an idea of your preferences for shape and size as well as color and flower types. If you would like a specialty tape, trim, or detail, this is the best time to mention it. And at Starbright we love the extra details. Check out how Eric and Jasen play with patterns. Wrapping the boutonniere in a coordinating pattern really speaks to the personality of this fun-loving couple.

2. Understand Mother Nature - Some of the reasons we love flowers so much; color, shape, and seasonality, can also causes challenges. Some flowers are only available during certain seasons. Others will be more expensive when they are not in season. If you're looking to use seasonal flowers, this will affect how far out it is possible to see samples. Talk to your consultant about what will be available for your big day and when a consultation should be scheduled.

3. Have a plan - Let your consultant know the size of the wedding party, the decor needs, and if you have a budget. This helps your consultant steer the conversation towards certain floral varieties. In particular, let us know if there's any "icebergs" - these are details that can sink your ship. Eric let us know that the flowers would have to keep overnight - events can be a madhouse when it comes to deliveries. If you get everything shipping-wise get squared away along with the "fun stuff" you'll be much, much better-off the day-of. You don't want to have to literally choose between the (catering) lady and the tiger (lily)...

4. It's not so bad - We're sure you're looking forward to it, but just in case you've seen one too many episodes of "Bridezilla" - planning your event is going to be fun. You've successfully navigated the dating scene, you're killing it in the City, and all of your supporters want to be a part of your special day. When you're staring at your binder and the weight of all of it is bearing down on you - remember that everybody helping you put this thing together just wants to help you have a great time of it. We're here for you and we bet that's true of your decorator, your caterer and your tailor, too. The community of wedding vendors loves y'all, and we want to see y'all smiling at every step of the process.

Happy planning!

To see more photos shared by Eric and Jasen, check out our blog.

This story is part of our special report: "Gay Marriage". Want to read more? Here's the full list.