Tagged Okanagan Floral Designer

October 28, 2019

Wedding Floral Designer -Commonly Asked Questions

As a Wedding Flower Designer based in Kelowna, BC we do things a bit differently than a retail flower shop as our focus is fully on designing and creating beautiful flowers for weddings. Over the past 10 wedding seasons we’ve created & designed wedding flowers for over 300 incredible clients, during this time we’ve been asked the same questions regularly by our clients & potential clients. We thought a blog post might be helpful in answering some of our most commonly asked questions all in one place!

http://www.meghanhemstra.com

How far out from my wedding should I be booking a floral designer?

– Booking your wedding florist far enough in advance, ensures that you get your chosen designer for your wedding day. Currently we are booking 9-12 months in advance for our full wedding clients, and 3-6 months for bridal party flower only clients. As our busy wedding season in the Okanagan is from May-September, the weekend dates during these months do tend to book up faster. If you are planning a wedding between October-April, or during a weekday in the peak months less time is required for booking.

Do you have set packages and pricing?

– Everything we create and design is custom for each and every one of our clients, so we do not have set pricing or packages. As every wedding & every couple we work with is unique – we tailor the design concept & overall floral experience to suit you and your wedding. Set packages and pricing doesn’t feel right for us and the service we prefer to provide.

Do you have a minimum order requirement on wedding flower orders?

– We have a suggested $3000.00 minimum on full wedding designs, and $1000.00 minimum on bridal party flowers during our peak season between May-September. However, as not every client and their wedding requirements fit those suggested budgets, if we are the right style & fit for your wedding we are happy to make the exception.

Do you offer free consultations to discuss wedding flower requirements?

–We offer free in person consultations in our Kelowna studio to discuss your wedding flower wants, needs and requirements. After our meeting we will provide you with a price estimate, at which point you can choose to book with us & dive deeper into a concept, design and detailed quote.

We are planning our wedding from out of town and aren’t able to meet in person – how can we get a quote?

-This is not a problem! The majority of our clients are planning their wedding from afar, and so we are very used to doing the consultation process over email and by phone.

How many weddings do you take on per weekend?

– After a few very busy wedding seasons, we now try to limit to one full wedding design per weekend, and occasionally we will do 2-3 smaller wedding designs or bridal party flowers if it works within our schedule. With 10 wedding seasons under our belt, it is most important for us to provide the highest quality product and best service for our clients, and limiting the work we take on per weekend allows this.

Do you sell buckets of greenery & flowers for us to make our own arrangements & designs?

– Unfortunately, as we are not a retail flower shop, we are not able to sell loose flowers and greenery for designing your own arrangements. We want to make sure that everything we provide for your wedding day is perfect, and as stress free as possible and achieve this by providing our full wedding floral services.

What flowers are in season at the the time of my wedding?

-Most varieties of flowers & greenery that we use in our weddings are greenhouse grown in the Lower mainland or world-wide and are available year round, but there are some varieties of flowers that are very seasonal and available only certain times of the year. One such flower would be the Peony with a local growing season in the Spring between May & June. Unless you are booking your wedding date around your favourite flower availability, we are happy to suggest flower substitutes for what is in season at the time of your wedding.

Do you have any rentals available for weddings?

-We have a wide selection of high-quality vases & containers in our own inventory that can be used to design your wedding flowers within. We also have a selection of votive & tea light holders that compliment our vase collections, and clear cylinder vases that are perfect for pillar candles or floating candles. If you are looking for a specific style vase for your wedding, we can also help source that out for you.

Do you provide Delivery, Setup & Take-down services?

-As we are a full service floral design company we provide delivery & setup for all of our full wedding design clients with optional takedown service at the end of the night – which is particularly helpful when using our rental vases & containers. We want to limit your stress on your wedding day, so we ensure that every detail of our services are done perfectly & professionally. For our clients choosing just to order Bridal Party Flowers from us, we offer delivery or they can be picked up from our studio on the morning of the wedding.

What can be done with our flowers after our wedding day?

– There are many charities and non-profit groups within the Okanagan that will happily accept your wedding flowers to be able to keep the flower love going after your wedding day. Normally our flowers will last up to a week after your wedding with proper care, water & being kept away from direct sunlight. If you aren’t able to keep or share your flowers with friends and loved ones , donating your flowers after is a great option.

April 26, 2019

Childhood Dreams

It’s been so long since I last blogged (gulp… Feb 2016) and three full wedding seasons have come and gone with another about to begin. Our family has also added a third little boy into the mix in the spring of 2018 – so to say we are busy is an understatement. It’s hard to know where to start after all this time, but I’m going to use the extended time off of blogging as a fresh slate and start off from the beginning.

I often get asked why and how did I decide to become a floral designer? The truth is the seed was planted when I was a little girl. When I was asked what I wanted to be when I grew up, my answer would have been veterinarian, but secretly I also dreamt of being a florist and owning my own little flower shop. The vision of this flower shop was very clear – a white brick building with a cute white & yellow awning over the front window. I used to love visiting the flower shops, picking and choosing from the selection of stems in their coolers, and taking the time to smell each flower.

Every spring I was so excited by the flowers that appeared in our garden; from the beautiful tulips, the forsythia, the purple clematis vine, the yellow day-lilies, our neighbours pink magnolia tree, the garden roses, the poppies and the pink peonies to name just a few. I remember grabbing the kitchen scissors and a small basket, and snipping off blooms from the plants and bringing my colourful haul inside. I’d carefully trim the stems and remove the leaves, followed by stuffing them in every crystal vase my mom owned. I’d also carefully press fresh blooms in-between sheets of paper towel, computer paper (the type with the perforated tear-off sides) and my dads old engineering textbooks. I would later use these flowers to create small pressed flower frames for gifts – I think my mom still has a few in her home to this day. I loved flowers, I loved being creative with them, but most importantly I loved sharing them with others.

We lived in walking distance to the Rose Garden at the Royal Botanical Gardens in Burlington, Ontario (RBG) and during our summers I recall many after dinner walks with ice cream in hand from Easterbrook’s and a stroll through their roses and pergola. I’d stop and smell almost every variety of rose, one of my favorites was a soft pink climbing variety planted on the end of one of the Pergolas – it smelled just like Pink Lemonade. I appreciated the beauty in every bloom and individual petal, which is where my deep love of roses came from – it’s hard to find an arrangement I have created without roses.

After graduating highschool – I was determined with my first choice of profession to become a Veterinarian – and I headed off to the University of Guelph to study Animal Biology with hopes to apply to the Ontario Vet College upon graduation. Halfway through my first year I got a part-time job at an animal clinic, to get some much needed job experience in the field. Two weeks into the job and I absolutely HATED it, I started questioning my why and I didn’t know what I wanted to do anymore! I had a sit down with one of my professors and he gently nudged me towards a general science degree. At the time it felt awful like I was failing/giving up on my dream, but in reality it was opening new doors.

From that point on I took courses that truly interested me in Plant Biology, learning so much about the Genetics, Nutrition and Pathology of plants. In my summers off from University I ended up working as a student gardener in the Rose Garden at The RBG – the very garden I used to walk through with my family when I was a little girl. Working alongside the horticulturalist’s in the garden – I happily soaked up every ounce of information, knowledge and care about all the different plant species. Most importantly I’d help tend to the roses, learning how to plant, grow and prune them properly to maximize their blooming potential.

Going into my final year of university, my hairdresser let me know of a cute little floral shop nearby that was looking to hire. I updated my resume and dropped it off to the shop – thinking that it would be a lot of fun to work at a floral shop. A few days later I was offered the job and little did I know that it would shape my entire future. Glenys; the owner, lovingly taught me everything I needed to know from the basics of floral design, to cleaning & maintenance within the shop, to the unpacking and processing of flowers, wiring and taping of flowers, repotting of plants, wrapping bouquets, and her favourite – creating the perfect bow. She tested me weekly on my round and triangle designs, boutonnieres & corsages and hand-tied bouquets using the previous weeks left over flowers. I will forever be grateful for the time in that shop and all the knowledge she passed onto me during the time I spent there.

In a few short weeks I will be starting my tenth wedding season since starting Classic Creations in 2009. In this time my amazing team has completed over 300 events and weddings, and I am just as excited to share my love and passion for flowers with others now as I did when my business started and when I was a little girl playing in the garden.

Now that I’m back into blogging I will be looking forward to sharing more of my journey, some floral tips and tricks, and of course some beautiful weddings I have been so honoured to have been a part of.

– Christina

Photography by Karla Rosalin Photography

February 14, 2016

Kalie & Adam’s Coldstream Barn Wedding

Kalie & Adam’s beautiful barn wedding was held at the stunning outdoor wedding venue Silver Sage Stables in Coldstream, BC. From the gorgeous wheat fields surrounding the property to the stunning spacious barn, their wedding was truly beautiful from start to finish. Their day was beautifully captured by Kevin Trowbridge Photography. Their theme of Vintage Romance was accented with touches of gold, pastel colours, lace and stunning decor from Vintage Origami Weddings & Events. We designed and created the romantic & vintage inspired flowers in colours of peach, pink, cream, blush & lots of eucalyptus greenery. The centrepieces were each a bit different and designed in assorted milk glass vases. A favourite piece we created for their wedding was the 4th floral tier for the stunning 5 tier cake designed by Kakes by Kathie. Check out the swoon worthy ruffle fabric backdrop created by Yuriko of Vintage Origami. Congratulations Kalie & Adam, and thank you for letting us be a part of your beautiful day!

Venue – Silver Sage Stables

Photographer – Kevin Trowbridge Photography

Decor – Vintage Origami Weddings & Events

Makeup Artist – Jenny McKinney Makeup Artist

Wedding Consultant – Top Knot Events

Stationary – Dandelion Willows

Flowers – Classic Creations Floral Design

November 25, 2014

Sara & Marc’s Rustic Wedding at the Cove Lakeside Resort

Being an Okanagan destination wedding florist I often don’t get the opportunity to meet my clients in person before their wedding day, with details being planned over email & phone. Sara & Marc were no exception – planning their wedding from out of country with quite a time change. Luckily I had the privilege to plan the floral arrangements for this beautiful wedding with the help of Sara’s mother Susan – who really brought their wedding vision to life. The result was a gorgeous Rustic Chic affair, held at The Cove Lakeside Resort in West Kelowna. Sara & Marc wanted to have very soft & simple designs so we used babies breath in the bridesmaids bouquets, filled in our hobnail jars down the aisle, and as accents on the tables & in white wood painted boxes. The brides bouquet was stunning, with the last of the seasons White Peonies, Spray Roses, Lisianthus, Freesia, Hypericum Berries, Hints of Babies Breath & Eucalyptus Greenery – I think it complemented Sara’s amazing dress perfectly. Hints of fresh lavender purchased from the Okanagan Lavender Herb Farm were added throughout the reception room. The centrepieces were simple mercury glass hurricane holders provided by the couple with groupings of water picked roses & babies breath around. The highlight was the transformation of the Cove’s wooden arbor, which we covered in Curly Willow Branches & Hanging Amaranthus accented by a crystal chandelier – providing a perfect backdrop for their nuptials. The day was beautifully captured by the incredible Jessica Zais Photography. Congratulations to Sara & Marc & thank you for letting us create these flowers for your day!

Photography – Jessica Zais Photography

Venue – The Cove Lakeside Resort

March 10, 2014

Meredith & Ryan’s La Punta Norte Wedding

Meredith & Ryan’s La Punta Norte Wedding was daydreamy from beginning to end. When I met with Meredith on a rainy spring day she had such a beautiful vision for her day; Rustic Elegance (my favourite!) using shades of coral, peach, pink and soft green. She had brought along paint chips for me to have so that I could find the best flowers to match with their colour scheme & theme. She had some great ideas for what she wanted for flowers but allowed me to be completely creative & come up with something unique for her – floral designers thrive on this! Succulents were the main aspect in all of the décor, so I included them in every piece I created for them. Thanks to Kevin Trowbridge Photography for sharing all of these beautiful images from their special day.

Mother’s Corsages of Blush Spray Roses, Seeded Eucalyptus & Succulents with a pretty 3 strand pearl wristlet.

Simple boutonnieres of Succulents, Seeded Eucalyptus, Rosemary & Ruscus Greenery.

Meredith was stunning and her dress was perfection! Her side swept hair was elegant and loved how the succulent & spray rose comb turned out.

Groom’s boutonniere of Blush Spray Rose, Succulent, Seeded Eucalyptus, Rosemary & Ruscus.

Her lovely maid of honour & her bouquet. She had a smaller matching hair comb as well.

The bouquets consisted of Hydrangea, Locally Picked Dahlias, Spray Roses, Garden Roses, Hand-grown Succulents & Seeded Eucalyptus.

The beautiful bride and her bouquet.

Beautiful Bride & her Maid of Honour.

My favourite part of a wedding.

Congratulations Meredith & Ryan!

Photographer – Kevin Trowbridge Photography

Floral Designer – Classic Creations Floral Design

Venue – La Punta Norte, Summerland, BC

October 16, 2013

Bryony & Jason’s LaStella Winery Wedding in Osoyoos

With the Okanagan being a popular destination wedding location the majority of my couples plan their wedding from a distance. Sometimes I never meet my couples until their wedding day when I’m delivering. Bryony & Jason planned their beautiful wedding from a distance & sadly I never had the pleasure of meeting these two, but by judging from the photos I can see that they are both full of love & happiness. They were married at the beautiful LaStella Winery in Osoyoos, BC – such a beautiful drive for delivery. When we arrived the dark clouds were hanging overhead, but I was so happy to hear that the rain stayed away for their entire day. I worked through the details with Bryony for a few months over phone & email and absolutely love how all the flowers turned out – especially LOVED the floral crowns for the adorable flower girls. Thank you to Tacey Photography for sharing these images with me – I’ve been a fan of Tacey’s for a while so was super excited to finally work together on a wedding.

Enjoy!

Christina

Ceremony Floral Arrangements of Mini Green Hydrangea, Blush, Cream & Coral Standard Roses, Seeded Eucalyptus & Curly Willow. Arranged in our tall hobnail jars.

The beautiful bride Bryony!

Her bouquet consisted of Standard Roses, Dahlias, Spray Roses, Lisianthus, Hypericum Berries, Freesia & Seeded Eucalyptus.

Closeup of the Maid of Honour’s bouquet. Coral, Peach & Pink Roses, Green Hypericum Berries, Pink Dahlias, Mini Green Hydrangea, Pink Lisianthus & Seeded Eucalytpus.

The Groom’s boutonniere was very simple – Blush Standard Rose, Seeded Eucalyptus & Variegated Pittosporum

The adorable Flower girls! Their crowns were created with Spray Roses, Lisianthus, Hypericum Berries & Seeded Eucalyptus.

I love watching a bride walk down the aisle with her dad, and is usually the most emotional part of a wedding for me.

Look at this incredible view at LaStella Winery.

The flower girls are so cute I had to share a few more images!

The Bridal Party

The reception centerpieces, created with Mini Green Hydrangea, Standard Roses, Hypericum Berries & Seeded Eucalyptus. Arranged in a medium sized hobnail jar.

After the ceremony the large pieces were re-purposed in the room. I always suggest to create pieces that can be dual purpose!

The gorgeous cake by Sugar Sweet Cake Company. Love the coral coloured sugar peony & green hypericum berries.

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