Floral Tips from your photographer: Featuring Karrie Michelle Floral Design

You may remember Karrie Michelle Floral Design’s Vendor Highlight post from last year. Today I want to chat a bit more about my numerous experiences with her and give you a few of my own tips for working with a florist!

Vendor Review: Karrie Michelle Floral Design

I’ve made it pretty obvious that I already loved working with Karrie. Her skill level is impeccable and she’s so easy to work with. I’ve been blessed to work with her on numerous occasions. She provided the florals for my 2020 Wedding Show Booths, Jazmin + Dominic’s Elopement AND the Altimeter Winter Styled shoot. Working with her so many times in the past couple years, makes it hard to nail down a favorite thing about working with her. There’s just so much goodness that comes from the experience.

It’s just so dang easy.

Working with Karrie has been a breeze. She can take the most vague visions (like mine) and work them into a beautiful bouquet. For the Altimeter shoot, I had seen a bouquet on Pinterest that I loved. It brought together pine cones, loads of white roses and greenery for a perfect winter vibe. I sent this single image, along with the note “I’d like a pop of red in it” and let Karrie work her magic.

The bouquet she provided was GORGEOUS and I tell you, it lasted almost a whole week in my workspace. (And now, the majority of it is in my compost bin, because of the eco friendly elements). The best part was, I knew I didn’t have to fret at all. She totally handled everything like a pro, even when I had a meltdown on the phone with her a few days before the shoot. (I blame pregnancy hormones). I met up with her the day of the shoot to pick up the florals and they were PERFECT.

My tips for working with a Florist

First up: Meet with your florist of choice to discuss options. While we’re still in a pandemic, this can be pretty tough, but even a zoom call works here! Bring your vision board, especially if you’ve included colors or ribbons on it, and photos of bouquets you love.

Second: Keep an open mind. Sometimes things don’t quite go as planned. For instance, the Altimeter shoot was a winter wedding at the very end of the winter season. Florals and greenery we’d normally associate with winter (pine boughs, deep red roses, Christmas berries, etc.) weren’t available due to the timing of the shoot. However, Karrie was able to come up with some awesome alternatives like rosemary and bay leaf.

Third: Trust your florist. Floral is their specialty. If they tell you they can’t get a specific floral (like pine boughs in March), don’t argue the point and go all bridezilla. It won’t make any difference how much of a fit you throw and they’re not telling you these things to be difficult. They want your wedding florals to be perfect too! If you’re dying to have a specific floral in your wedding, ask your florist what season they can get those and consider changing your date.

Lastly: Ask questions. Your florist wants to make your dreams come true, and no question is a stupid question. Should you want to make sure you can compost your florals after the wedding, ask if your florist uses anything special to preserve the florals in advance. Your florist may also have connections if you wanted to donate your florals to a nursing home or care facility. (This would obviously depend on any COVID restrictions at this time). The most important thing to ask: Do I need someone to pick up my florals or will you deliver?

I highly recommend Karrie and her business. To see more of her amazing work, check her out on Instagram and her website.