Wedding Talk: Spotlight on B Floral Event Design

With the big day about a week away, I thought it would be fun to spotlight a few of our fabulous vendors. I feel incredibly lucky to have booked such wonderful wedding vendors—true professionals who have been a pleasure to work with and are helping me bring my vision to life.

Floral design for my wedding was important to me, but I also couldn’t afford to break the bank. Usually the first question a wedding vendor asks a bride is “what’s your budget?” It’s so important to be honest and upfront with vendors, but at times I felt embarrassed. A good vendor won’t make you feel embarrassed but a great vendor will be willing to work with your budget.

I first discovered B Floral Event Design, a full service floral and event design firm, through a word of mouth referral (when the former editor in chief of Washingtonian Bride & Groom recommends them, you know they have to be good). Shelly Bagdasian, creator of B Floral, immediately put my budget concerns at ease when I asked if she had a price sheet. She responded with, “I don’t have a standard price sheet but I am a firm believer I can work within any realistic budget.” I knew I wanted to book B Floral as my official floral wedding vendor when Shelly said that. Shelly has been working in the wedding industry for 12 years and her creative aesthetic is what set her apart from all the other floral vendors I researched. Not only is she a talented artist but she’s been wonderful to work with and quick to respond to all my questions!

I thought it would only be fair to turn the tables and ask her the questions this time. Read on to learn more about B Floral and a peak in to our floral vision for my wedding!

What inspires you when it comes to your floral design process?
Inspiration is everywhere. Sometimes it is an element that my client has on their Pinterest board or an object that is meaningful to them. Sometimes it is the bride and groom’s story. Sometimes it is the venue or the season or a particular flower that speaks to me. Floral design has trends, much like the fashion, and sometimes it is a new trend or technique that inspires me.

What is your typical process like when designing arrangements?
When coming up with a new design my process isn’t really a process, but more of a long thought process followed by a fast and furious production. Once I have the idea and the mechanics figured out in my mind, I can’t wait to create it. It then becomes a bit like a scene from Edward Scissorhands in my studio.

Let’s talk about the inspiration and vision for my wedding.
The vision for Kara’s wedding started with a color scheme of berry against a backdrop of navy with gray accents and a touch of metallic gold. We will be creating lush arrangements filled with textural flowers and seasonal berries giving a fall feel to the designs. A personal and fun accent of various vintage keys will hang from the escort card table incorporating something special to the bride.

What advice do you have for brides when they are in the process of finding a floral designer?
I would suggest starting with asking your friends and associates for recommendations. Wedding Wire and other review based online sites are great resources for finding a vendor. Do your research online. Check reviews, look for a florist that is in the vicinity of the wedding, and choose three whose designs you love. It’s really important to meet with the designer face to face. Look through pictures and your Pinterest board together, discuss budget and the options within your budget. Make sure your designer is licensed and insured and has proper refrigeration to keep the flowers fresh.

Aside from centerpieces and bouquets, what other wedding floral details could you incorporate in to the ceremony or reception?
There are so many ways to incorporate unique design elements into the overall design of a wedding. Lighting makes a huge impact on the overall look and feel of a wedding. Whether it’s candles, up lighting or custom designed gobos you should always try to incorporate some type of accent lighting. You can transform a space with draping, lounge furniture or tree rentals. A simple linen or chair upgrade seems like a simple accent when you’re standing in front of one table, but when you walk into a large ballroom with a sea of tables and chairs, it becomes a rather important part of the design.

What tips & tricks do you recommend for a bride on a budget?
Be honest and upfront with your florist about your budget. A good florist will have ideas for flowers and designs that work within your budget. My recommendation for any DIY projects is to use candles, pictures, paper flowers or any other design elements that don’t require the care and attention of fresh flowers. You want to be able to focus completely on the wedding, on being the bride, not worrying about your fresh flowers that need to be created, cared for and delivered. A few years back I received an emergency call from my clients at 4:00am (we were proving the bridal party flowers and chuppah) the day before the wedding. All of the DIY centerpieces they created were dead! We were able to pull together last minute arrangements, but they had spent all of that time and money on centerpieces they couldn’t use and spent the day before the big day fretting over the disaster.

Check out Shelly’s full wedding portfolio here. Follow her on Facebook & Twitter!

Images provided by B Floral Event Design