A (Wedding) Day In The Life Of: The Blue Daisy Floral Designs

You are aware of my passion for do-it-yourself projects and saving money. The flowers, however, are the one wedding task that I would strongly (read: very, very strongly) advise against doing yourself!

Please don't do it, people. Don't even attempt it. There isn't enough time in your life to make your wedding flowers unless you're a florist already, can clone yourself, or have a Hermione Granger-style flair. You'll agree after reading about the day in the life of Stephanie, the proprietor of The Blue Daisy Floral Designs!

In addition to requiring a significant amount of time, it requires great talent and floral knowledge. You can't just go to Trader Joe's and build lovely centerpieces with flowers. In other words, you could. For my bridal shower, I did this. However, the centerpieces you wind up with will resemble those I had at my bridal shower, and nobody wants that.

In any case, I hope you're taking the time to read this because a lot of work goes into a florist's planning and execution of a wedding day order. Otherwise, reading about how much Stephanie works to make one bride happy could make you feel exhausted.

The florist's work starts long before the wedding day. We'll go back to last October for this specific adventure, when I got a call asking me to meet with the bride, Marissa, and her mother to discuss her wedding on August 1, 2015. When we met at The Blue Daisy studio, we discussed Marissa's vision for the day and all the options and specifics. Following our discussion, a proposal was written and submitted for approval. After we made a few adjustments via email, I danced joyfully when Marissa expressed her desire to make a reservation! Over the following few months, we kept in touch with counts, updates, and modifications.

I review the final order three weeks before the wedding, determine what materials and flowers will be required, and place my vendor orders. The week of the wedding, they will show up.

About which... We should begin on Tuesday, July 28.

• To process flowers with Patti, my store helper for the day, get to the studio early.
• After that, it's off to Oakland to retrieve the containers the bride had hired from the previous weekend.
• Returning to the studio to tidy and store them will free up space for this week's design.
• I got all the supplies and containers I would need for the week.
• Await the delivery of flowers that include the wedding's locally grown sage. While I wait, catch up on emails.
• Come home with my spouse, Patrick, for supper and a dog walk.

Wednesday, July 29

• At 7:30 a.m., leave the house to go to the Strip District to get the materials and candelabras. Patrick's SUV, which I borrowed for the day, just about fits everything.
• After returning to the studio to unpack the car, I'm heading to a nearby flower grower to pick up the bridal dahlias.
• After picking up our dog, Thor, who enjoys coming to work, we returned to the studio.
• I begin to design with Patti. We wrap up at about 4 p.m., and I continue to organize and get ready for the following day at the studio until around 5:30 p.m.

Thursday, July 30

• The studio had to start early again on Tuesday to collect the remaining flowers not included in the initial shipment. Janet is helping out in the studio this time. After processing, the fresh flowers are placed in the cooler.
• We work on the tall centerpieces.
• Angie from La Candela Weddings (BB: Hey, I featured her too!) visits us in the afternoon to photograph us at work. Having photographers in the studio is always entertaining.
• I will stay at the studio to arrange and get ready for Friday after work until around 4 p.m.
• Since I don't like cooking, meet the hubs for supper at Noodles & Co.

Friday, July 31

• It's personal flowers day! Every corsage and boutonniere must be created. We also set up four sizable churches in the morning, and the remainder of the afternoon is spent wiring, gluing, and taping.
• In addition, I had the opportunity to create a dog collar wreath for Marissa's puppy, Ellie! It takes roughly two hours and uses the same physics as a floral crown. All of the designing is finished by the end of the afternoon, even if our fingers are numb and coated in glue!
• We put as much as possible together for ease of loading and keep counting and recounting everything. Since we only had one event this week and worked effectively, we finished before 5 p.m., which is not always the case. I get to sleep tonight, woohoo!
• Dinner is tacos, and I doze off on the couch while watching an episode of Mad Men with Patrick (don't tell me what happens, please!). We're just in season five.

Saturday, August 1 – Wedding Day!

7 a.m. – Get up! Breakfast and coffee with the dog and the hubs.

8 a.m. – Take a shower and change into your daily attire. Avoid wearing shorts to setups, yet cringe at wearing jeans on a hot day.

9 a.m. – When Patrick and I get to the studio, we place the flowers in crates and boxes for transportation, count everything once more, and wrap the ribbons on the bride's bouquet. I send Patrick to get some emergency glue from the hardware shop.

10 a.m. – Janet and Amanda show up to assist with loading. Engage in a "floral Tetris" game and carefully arrange every candle in Janet's Jeep. They fit perfectly. Play Tetris with the remaining items in the 9' cargo vehicle and the flowers afterward. Wow, everything fits!

11 a.m. – We're going! Janet and Amanda go to the West Overton Barn, about an hour away, to start putting the candelabras together. Patrick and I are traveling to Greensburg to transport the bride's grandmother's house, where they are getting ready.

Noon – My favorite part is when Patrick and I show up to present the personalized flowers. When Marissa first sees her bouquet, I watch her face light up. This is why I do what I do; it makes me feel butterflies. As Marissa "tries on" her bouquet, I give her and the maids instructions on how to hold their flowers as they walk down the aisle (don't put your belly button too high, ladies!). While photographer Alison Mish takes a few pictures of the groom's boutonniere, we try on Ellie's dog flower collar. Grandma and the bride's mother insist that we bring some cookies. When my poor husband was waiting in the van, cranking the air conditioner, I finally gave in and said I couldn't deny him. And they tasted great—many thanks! We go to church.

12:45 p.m. – Get to the church. Set up the altar decorations and cover the pews with 28 bouquets of baby's breath in silence. The space isn't quite large enough, so the priest and I decided to move a little table to make room for the back of the church flowers. When the family arrives, arrange the corsages and boutonnieres near the rear of the church. Make sure everything is ready for Marissa's walk down the aisle by walking the church and silently carrying the toolbox and all the boxes back to the van. To check on the situation at the Barn, give Janet a call. Send her an SMS telling her to go ahead and take a lunch or McDonald's order.

1:30 p.m. – Proceed in the direction of the McDonald's drive-through. Even though we don't usually have time for lunch, we thought it would be a good idea because of the heat, the amount of work that still needed to be done, and the fact that we were passing a McDonald's and the fries sounded so delicious.

2 p.m. – It was a little colder when you got to the West Overton Barn and unloaded the flowers from the van. Devour your lunch. I'll have to wait for the other six of my 10 McNuggets.

2:15 p.m. – Work swiftly with Patrick, Janet, and Amanda to position the candelabra toppers, the 28 mercury glass flower containers, the 12-foot foliage garlands, and the buds. One hundred forty tea light candles were then placed throughout the room.

3:15 p.m. – We all go around each table, paying special attention to check that the silverware, menu cards, and favors are still in their proper positions. We scour for loose petals and dirt, check that no candles are in danger of burning flowers, and adjust seats to be correctly aligned. In essence, we ensure that every table is flawless.

3:45 p.m. – The only things left to do are arrange the flowers for the cocktail hour (which is outside at 5 p.m., and it's too hot and sunny to do so yet) and decorate the cake (which hasn't come yet), so I send the girls back to the shop. We continue to check tables and make any necessary adjustments while we wait. I consume some of the leftover nuggets and french fries.

4:15 p.m. – We take the flowers to the garden and arrange them because there is still no cake, and I am concerned that visitors could come before cocktail hour.

4:30 p.m. – We should have departed to return to the church, but there is still no cake! When I checked in with the caterers again, they informed me it was en route.

4:45 p.m. – The dessert finally shows up! To embellish it according to the sketch from our last session, Patrick and I swiftly insert toothpicks into the flower buds. After placing the topper, we'll head to the church to tidy up.

5:20 p.m. – Since mass will begin at 5:30 and we are too late to clean up, we choose to go to church so that we won't have to wake up early the next day. And tidy up afterward. As we carry the flowers to the vehicle and set the ones to be placed on their assigned pedestals, the priest and church women tell us how much they loved the flowers after church. Quite fulfilling

7 p.m. – We return for some homemade meatloaf (my mom's is the finest!) as Patrick and I are staying at my parent's house in Irwin, closer to the event. And a quick rest.

10:45 p.m. – The alarm sounds! After the reception, which ends around midnight, Patrick and I enter the van and return to the Barn to clean up.

11:30 p.m. – We may begin tidying up immediately because the reception ended early. When I spoke with the bride's mother and the bride herself, they told me how much they loved everything. Melt your heart! Hearing that the bride's vision was realized at midnight after a demanding day or week is incredibly satisfying. Happy florist, happy bride!

12:40 a.m. – After packing the van and showering at my parent's house, we collapse about 1:30 a.m.

Post Wedding

We drive back to the studio and unload everything from the van on Sunday after spending time with relatives. Monday is spent making up for missed phone calls and emails from Friday and Saturday. Most of this occurred in bed because I felt a little under the weather. On Tuesday, the leased candelabras must be returned, and everything from the weekend must be cleaned and stored. There won't be any flowers this Tuesday because we don't have a wedding this weekend, but ordinarily, a fresh delivery of pretty things would have arrived by now, and we'd be working hard on the next one!

For a florist, every wedding weekend and week looks a little different. We may host several events; occasionally, there is one bigger one. We alternate between Oakland's venues occasionally, and on other occasions, we spend the night at Seven Springs to clean up the following morning. Sometimes, the journey starts when we meet with the bride two years before the wedding, and other times, it's a short four-month trek (or less!) to the aisle. Whatever the route, it's always enjoyable, full of fresh challenges, and contented couples!

Here are some stunning pictures from Alison Mish's Photography of Marissa and Nate's wedding day!

Stephanie, you are a machine! Talk about it constantly! However, the blossoms turned out brilliantly, so you should be proud of all your hard work! I appreciate you describing what a typical day in your life is like. Go ahead and take a rest now.