One of the most common questions clients have during the wedding planning process is “How will I know what it’s going to look like?” Unfortunately, there is no way for us to show you exactly what your flowers will look like prior to your wedding. This is why it’s important to select a florist who you trust, as well as to provide them with lots of inspiration, and an open dialogue of your likes and dislikes. Anytime we schedule a floral consultation with a prospective new client, we ask that they send us inspiration photos (or their Pinterest board) so we can get a sense of their wedding style and vision. The more photos the better! These photos help us understand what you’re looking for, and we can often pick up on elements that you might not even have realized you liked by looking at all the photos.

When Lisa, Sandra and I put proposals together we utilize inspiration the client sent, as well as additional photos that convey the style, color balance, or flowers we are proposing. While these photos might not be exact, we spend a lot of time looking for just the right photo to convey the proposed design, so our client can get a good sense of what to expect on their wedding day.

When it comes to designing your bridal bouquet, inspiration photos are even more important, since your bouquet will be the most photographed floral design on your wedding day! Describing the style of bouquet you are envisioning verbally or through an email is a lot like a childhood game of telephone; things get mixed up, left out or misunderstood. If I tell you I want a “loose, garden style bouquet with a mix of jewel tones” the image you come up with in your head probably won’t match what I’m picturing in mine. However, if I send you a few photos and describe what it is I like about each one, we will probably be much closer to being on the same page!

One thing to remember is that inspiration photos are always just a jumping off point. Ultimately, our goal is to design a beautiful bouquet that is unique to each of our clients and works within their budget. We don’t want our brides walking down the aisle with the exact same bouquet they saw on Pinterest, because hundreds of other brides across the country have taken that same photo to their florist. Custom floral design should be just that – custom!

To illustrate the process, I’ve selected a variety of bridal bouquets we’ve designed and the inspiration behind each!

Emily’s Colorful Summer Bouquet

Emily’s absolute favorite inspiration photo was full of bold color. Lisa’s goal was to capture the feeling of the inspiration photo, while still staying true to the overall feel we were creating throughout the rest of the day by adjusting the colors and types of flowers used. While the inspiration bouquet had a “color block” feel, our design spread the mix of color throughout the bouquet and incorporated the same textural elements we were using in the rest of the the wedding. Emily’s bouquet is a perfect example of keeping the essence of the inspiration while (in my opinion) improving upon the design and making it unique!

Inspiration Photo: Pinterest | Emily’s Bouquet: Switzerfilm

Jessica’s Structured Cascading Bouquet

Jessica’s early inspiration photos for her cascading bouquet were a bit more organic, but as the planning progressed she refined her inspiration and ultimately realized she liked more structured styles. In the age of Pinterest it’s easy to get caught up in what you’re seeing pinned most often, so it never hurts to dig a little deeper to find images that better fit your vision! (Sorry for the blurry middle photo, we can’t find the original inspiration photo anywhere online so this is a screen shot from the proposal!)

Inspiration Photo 1: Pinterest | Inspiration Photo 2: unknown | Jess’s Bouquet: L Photographie

Shelby’s Garden Style Bouquet

Shelby sent us an image of a specific bouquet she was looking to replicate, which can often be difficult logistically, as well as from an expectation standpoint. Somehow, I was able to track the photo to the original florist via Pinterest, and found a blog post she had done on this exact bouquet. Based on her descriptions I was able to confirm the flowers used throughout the bouquet, and make adjustments based on flower availability for Shelby’s October wedding date. Sandra did a beautiful job bringing this bouquet to life!

Inspiration Bouquet: Pinterest | Shelby’s Bouquet: Ray Prop Photography

Addison’s Textural Bouquet

Addison’s bouquet was a mash up of two inspiration photos. Both were very textural and featured succulents (the bride’s favorite), but one was notably more floral-heavy. The two inspiration photos were combined to create a bouquet that was textural without being too wild, and perfectly complemented her unique gown.

Inspiration Photo 1: Pinterest | Inspiration 2: Pinterest | Addison’s Bouquet: Laura Ann Miller

Liz’s Bold Cascading Bouquet

The journey to Liz’s stunning cascading bouquet was a long one, and a perfect example of how important communication is when it comes to floral design! Liz knew she wanted a cascading style bouquet from the onset, but had difficulty finding inspiration photos that matched her exact vision. Because of this, her inspiration photos were a wide mix of “I like this style but ignore the colors” and “I love this palette but in the style we discussed”. When you have a unique vision, it’s often extremely difficult to find inspiration to match what’s in your head! Over time we were able to extract what it was she liked from a variety of different photos and come up with a plan. I had SO many notes written up when it came time to design the bouquet, and I know I probably drove poor Sandra nuts with my hovering. But in the end the vision came together perfectly!

Inspiration Photo 1: Pinterest | Inspiration Photo 2: Pinterest | Liz’s Bouquet: Mike Cassimatis

Kathryn’s Soft Textured Bouquet

Kathryn’s bouquet was designed based on the feel of several bouquets she had pinned. When clients don’t have a specific design in mind, we like to look at all their inspiration and pull the common elements to create their unique bouquet. In this case, soft white and ivory floral, touches of greenery and a bit of texture!

Inspiration Photo 1: Pinterest | Inspiration Photo 2: Google | Kathryn’s Bouquet: Your Story

Amanda’s Colorful Fall Bouquet

Amanda selected an unique color palette for her wedding flowers; mustard yellow, peach and slightly muted shades of pink made up her inspiration bouquet. Something to note: the colors in the inspiration photo appear extra muted due to the photographer’s filter and editing, which is why Amanda’s bouquet seems so much more vibrant. This is often an issue when it comes to inspiration photos, since so many photographers edit in a way that drastically changes the look of the flowers, and clients often don’t realize that the flowers appear differently in nature. Moral of the story: talk to your florist before getting your heart set on a certain flower color and make sure it really exists!

Inspiration Photo: Pinterest | Amanda’s Bouquet: Shadow & Light

Lisa’s Cascading Orchid Bouquet

Lisa’s wedding flower vision evolved over time – her initial color palette included burgundy tones, and the bouquet inspiration in her first proposal couldn’t have been further from where she ended up! Ultimately she decided to move away from the darker colors and chose a palette of white/ivory, greenery and pale blue. When her color palette changed, her bouquet inspiration changed to a cascading design with orchids and greenery. Lisa’s bouquet design included multiple types of orchids, and the same greenery used throughout the rest of her wedding. I love how the bride in the inspiration photo is wearing the same dress – but I definitely think Lisa wore it better and had the prettier bouquet!

Inspiration Photo: Google | Lisa’s Bouquet: Kairos Photography

Allison’s Lavender & Peach Garden Bouquet

Allison’s lavender and peach color palette was quite unique, so her inspiration photo represented more of a general feel for the final bouquet. Our proposals always include images of the individual flowers used in each design, which helps to give our clients a sense of how everything will work together. In this case, the individual flower images provided the true feel of what the final product would be, since most of the flowers were different from the inspiration. I love how Allison’s garden style bouquet came together, and think it’s a perfect example of trusting your florist!

Inspiration Photo: Pinterest | Allison’s Bouquet: Will Jackson

Kyla’s Modern Orchid Bouquet

Kyla’s bouquet inspiration was a modern, cascading orchid bouquet with dramatic greenery. The orchid portion of the bouquet was essentially the same between the inspiration and the final design, but the greenery was changed to fit in with other elements of the wedding’s floral design.

Inspiration Photo: Pinterest | Kyla’s Bouquet: Kristen Hendricks

I hope this has been a helpful look into the floral design process! We understand that it can be stressful to not know exactly what your flowers will look like on your wedding day, but please know that we try our best to paint a picture and put your mind at ease! As with all your wedding vendors, the most important thing is selecting a florist who you trust and connect with - this can really make all the difference in communicating and making sure your vision comes to life in the way you pictured. And don’t forget… there is no such thing as too many inspiration photos!