Opinions
for wedding florists. Working as a wedding florist is a fun and fulfilling profession, but it can also be stressful and difficult at times. That is why it is nice to get tips from fellow professionals who have been putting together wedding creations for some time. In this blog, Annemarie Hoekstra, owner and founder of Bloemenservice Nederland, shares her experiences and advice as a wedding florist.
'Gain experience'
After Annemarie completed her Interior Design & Flowers course, she immediately started her own flower shop. A great step, but also one that brought challenges. "In hindsight, I might have been better off gaining more practical experience first by working for florists," says Annemarie. "Especially the personnel and sales side was really difficult. You have just graduated and then, with little experience, you have to convince people that they should buy their flowers from you. I would therefore advise anyone in a similar situation to gain the necessary experience by working for a florist first, so that you are well equipped when you start out on your own.”
Focus on wedding
Initially, Annemarie focused her business mainly on selling flowers to companies, but after about six years, the entrepreneur wanted something different. "I wanted to do something closer to my heart; create really beautiful things that people remember. So from 2013, I started focusing on weddings. Soon after, we entered the Dutch Wedding Awards, where we immediately came second in the category 'best bridal florist in the Netherlands'. The following year, we finished in first place. For us, that was the decisive push we needed as a novice wedding florist."
Networking
"So that is directly my second tip: keep close contact with your colleagues from the wedding industry. Personal contact with colleagues within the industry is very important. Make sure you are top of mind. After all, you don't do a good wedding on your own from your own discipline, you do it together. It really is teamwork."
Calculate your prices
A third tip from Annemarie is to carefully calculate your prices as a wedding florist and whether they cover all costs. "Many beginning wedding florists charge too little for their services because they want to show what they can do. You then actually charge too little when you consider the purchasing costs and the many hours you put in. I had that myself when I was just starting out. Therefore, calculate your prices well. If you do serious bridal work, a lot of time goes into the preparation process, even before you touch the first flower. Then you should actually say 'I work from a minimum amount'. For me, for example, € 2250, excluding transport and styling, is the minimum. This way, I can be sure that jobs are profitable and that clients consider the flowers an important part of their wedding."
Moving along
"Of course, it can happen that something goes wrong," Annemarie explains. "For example, a flower variety may not be available after all, or the flowers you have bought turn out on arrival not to be of the quality you should expect at a wedding. In such a case, we contact the customer in good time and help think of a replacement flower that meets the customer's wishes. Make sure you always mention in your quotations that you deliver flowers based on availability. It's important to move along, but also to manage your customer's expectations in advance. After all, you can only do it right once."
Trends
For this year's wedding season, Annemarie sees that bold colours are a bit more in demand. "Pastels and white will always remain, but this year I also see some brighter and garish colours coming by. Think of combinations of orange-red, all kinds of shades of pink or more contrasting colours with dark flowers combined with light flowers. We are daring a bit more. I also see that we still do a lot with Gypsophila. The base then consists entirely of plasterwort with some folded roses and orchids as filling. So the Gypsophila seem to be completely back from the past!"
Enjoy
A final tip for both novice and experienced wedding florists from Annemarie is to also enjoy your work. " The wedding season is a busy time and it can be easy to get lost in all the work. Therefore, during this time, don't forget to also enjoy putting together those great creations and working with the most beautiful flowers. Also look carefully at what you yourself can handle in terms of orders. Consider taking on fewer orders and opt for the bigger ones that excite you. If you yourself get excited about a specific project, chances are good that something really beautiful will emerge."