- Find Your Style
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Introduction
Holger Thoss
We looked at the work of hundreds of flower designers in every corner of the United Sates, searching for those talented artists and an inspired point of view. The result—our A-list of florists who have the expertise and imagination to translate your dream reception into a dazzling reality.
How florists help brides find their personal style►
Budgeting Tips
Budgeting Tips
We asked our florists to tell us their top tips for brides on a budget. Here's their advice:
I try to show the bride how she can get second uses out of her flowers. Alter decorations can be used to decorate the entrance to the reception; pew decor can be clipped to the skirt of a cake table.
– Custom Design Floral
Prioritize which flowers are the most important to you. For example, for one bride it might be bouquets, for another it might be the centerpieces. Your priority pieces can include your "splurge" flowers.
– Karla Ramirez Floral Design
When we go to the flower market, I ask the bride to bring her father, if he's paying. The bride will say, "Daddy, what do you think?" and he just glows.
– Dale Rohman
Tone down your flowers at the ceremony site. It is normally never over one hour long, compared to the average 4–5 hours for receptions. Let the guests focus on you, the bride, and the beautiful dresses. Also, try using beautiful blooming plants at the ceremony site, which you can also give as gifts to family members.
–Elegance and Simplicity
Splurge on your bouquet; your wedding day is about YOU after all. Save by reducing flowers for the ceremony, approach table centerpieces in a minimalist fashion, or be creative when designing special, cost-effective bridesmaid bouquets.
–Ultra Violet
Be flexible. Some brides walk into my shop with pictures and a list of the names of the flowers they want. I advise them that we can accomplish a very close look with seasonal flowers and save money.
– Elegant Celebrations
Don't spread the money and the florals too thin. For instance, don't put tiny arrangements all over the reception. Try a simple grouping of votives on the tables and a large, high-impact buffet centerpiece.
–Urban Earth
We would rather see our clients create three things that are done beautifully, right, and with flair than do a dozen things that are mediocre and half-baked.
– Avi Adler
We suggest a simpler approach to the maids' bouquets. Instead of labor-intensive bouquets set in oasis holders, we can tie a ribbon around flowers that hold up well out of water, for a savings of $20–$50 a bouquet.
– Flowers and Finery
I stress simple math when it comes to the bottom line. If you have ten bridesmaids, everything you buy for them will be multiplied by ten. The number of guests simply makes the bottom line grow or shrink exponentially.
– David Beahm
Learn to love the flowers that are in season during the time of your wedding, and never underestimate the power of candlelight.
– L'olivier.
Select a space that already embodies your vision rather than transforming a space into something it is not.
– Prudence Designs
Utilize resources provided by the venue. Complimentary votive candles and table linens can be enhanced with an overlay or table runner.
– White House Flowers
A bride who wants specific flowers or colors should consult a floral designer before setting the wedding date. A flower might be out of season—and too expensive for her budget.
– Bob Gail Special Events
To cut costs, stockpile the things you would love for your tabletops, such as glass candlesticks, hurricane lamps, or candles, when they're on sale.
– Laurels Custom Flora & Events
If you have a gazebo or a chuppah, don't think the entire thing has to be covered with flowers. You can always go up one side and do the top.
– Mark's Garden
One strategically placed large arrangement makes a better impression than lots of small bud vases.
– Karla Ramirez Floral Design
Pillar candles with massed fruit or flowers at the base create an effect for a few dollars.
– Max Gill
Spend less on flowers for areas where guests will not linger. Think of it as a little tease of what's around the corner.
– Scentiments Flowers
Use single-species flowers and make bold statements. Consider a few fabulous orchids or hydrangeas to give you a lot of bang for your buck.
– Blumen
To cut costs, I suggest keeping the maids' bouquets small and inexpensive.
– Blossoms
Brides pick the venue, the food, and make a huge guest list—by the time they get to the flowers, they've exceeded their budget. Think about the whole package at the outset!
– Elizabeth Ryan
Tips for Creating Your Personal Style
Tips for Creating Your Personal Style
Brides should listen to their hearts and go with their feelings. Some brides don't realize that they are the ones to set the rules.
– David Beahm Design
A bride who wants specific flowers or colors should consult a floral designer before setting the wedding date. A flower might be out of season—and too expensive for her budget.
– Bob Gail Special Events
When I meet a couple, I ask how they met and what their common interests are. These details spark more creativity than anything else.
– Michelle Rago Ltd.
We may bring in flowering trees to introduce scale at a more affordable price.
– Renny and Reed
To discover your personal style, walk through a garden in your area to identify your favorite colors, forms, fragrances.
– Rose Story Farm
When the bride has her color palette, I search out the most incredible variety of flowers that fit into it, from the softest to the most intense.
– The Velvet Garden
Brides should think about which flowers they don't like, then zero in on the ones they do.
– Elegance & Simplicity
Don't think the color of the bridesmaids' dresses dictates your palette. Go with what you love, your surroundings, the season—you can't go wrong.
– Ariella Cheza
To help a bride create her own style, we talk about colors and looks—but most of all, the overall feel she wants to create at her wedding, be it dreamy, romantic, classic, formal, semicasual, etc.
– Petals & Pearls
Communication is key to learning about the bride's style. When we pay close attention to her wishes, her style always emerges.
– Beco Flowers
How to discover the bride's own style? I have a meeting with her, sans maman!
– Anthony Todd
We like to learn what inspires the bride: art, fashion, music, food. These are important factors in shaping an overall vision for the event.
– Art Fool
I start my conversation with a bride by asking her to describe her wedding dress. This tells me what kind of wedding style she envisions.
– Belle Fleur
It is just as telling for us to know who their favorite fashion designer is, what their favorite movie is, what their favorite restaurant is… These loves translate readily into where their tastes might lie.
– Avi Adler
We spend time talking about the story she wants to visually tell—and what will make her guests feel welcome and comfortable in the style she wants to share.
– David Beahm
I tell the bride to sit back and close her eyes, and then I ask, "Think back to yourself as a little girl. what did you picture when you imagined your wedding?"
– Dejuan Stroud
Although we spend several hours in discussion, by the first ten minutes I have a good idea of her style, based on her choice of gown and bridesmaids' dresses. It tells me if she's traditional or contemporary.
– Elegant Celebrations
I always start with the shoes. Shoes are a wonderful key to aesthetic sensibility.
– Max Gill
We take the bride and groom on a flower-market trip to see what flowers and colors they gravitate toward.
– Prudence Designs
Tales of Outrageous Requests
Tales of Outrageous Requests
The sky's the limit when it comes to wedding flowers and decorations—these requests prove it!
We added flowers to a cake for a bride and groom who were both clowns. It was lopsided, green, purple, and orange.
-Flowers and Finery
One bride wanted to "walk" down the aisle on the back of an elephant.
–Avi Adler
I designed a wedding for a couple whose wedding theme was Lord of the Rings. Calla lilies and the sleeves of the bride's dress were used to mimic elfin ears. The vows were done in elvish and the focal point of the ceremony was a custom-built archway draped with lush garlands to imitate the scenery in the movies.
– Loves Me Flowers
I had a bride that wanted the roses in her bouquet spray-painted a dark blue!
– Custom Design Floral
I was asked to decorate a framed picture of the bride's dog and place it along with the dog's favorite toy on the altar during the ceremony. I haven't done any flowers for cats yet, but I'm sure it's only a matter of time.
– Karla Ramirez
I covered five dog leashes with rose petals for the bride's Great Danes.
– Elegance and Simplicity
I was planning the flowers for a destination wedding in St. John, U.S. Virgin Islands. The bride had exquisite taste and loved very specific types of roses that we carried as our luggage. Getting 8,000 roses from Ecuador to Washington, D.C., preparing them for travel, repacking them onto a flight to Miami, transferring them to a flight to St. Thomas, then carrying them by boat to the island was a nail-biting adventure. The well-traveled roses created magic in the most magical of settings and oh, what a happy bride. Not to mention an exhausted florist.
– Ultra Violet Flowers
I once had a bride who couldn't decide on the look for her bridal bouquet, so she asked us to make two. It was an unusual request, but practical because it gave her piece of mind, and in the scheme of things the cost was incidental. When the wedding day came, she still couldn't decide, so she switched to the more colorful bouquet at her reception.
– Blumen
A groom wanted us to transform the honeymoon suite. We spread red rose petals ankle-deep throughout the entire space. He spent more on the flowers for the suite than the family spent on the reception flowers. But more important, it was by far the most romantic gesture—and isn't that what it's all about?
– BelleFleur
I once had a bride ask for 3,600 candles to illuminate her backyard.
-Glorimundi
A bride who was a Saudi Arabian princess wanted to have snow falling as she went down the aisle in the palace. It was incredibly dramatic, because most of the 2,000 all-female guests had never seen snow before.
–Glorimundi
We did a wedding in Big Sur, California, where we had to scale a cliff to install a flower-covered chuppah. The bride, groom, and guests arrived by helicopter.
–Gotham Gardens
A bride asked me to make a shawl out of flowers to enhance her gown. It was very labor-intensive, but the result was a big hit.
– OSY
I made a 15x5-foot floral sculpture. The wall of flowers was used like a video screen and abstract images were projected on it.
–Volanni
A bride had us duplicate a large Persian carpet out of fresh garden rose petals to stand on while exchanging vows. The incredible fragrance and movement of this living carpet fulfilled this couple's wish.
–Rose Story Farm
A couple who were horror fans asked us to create a centerpiece evoking the style of The Nightmare Before Christmas. We pulled this off with claylike flowers such as black calla lilies. The unusual design, however, was topped by the choice of music for their cake cutting—the shower scene from Psycho!
– Bob Gail Special Events
One bride who seemed very nice wanted a sprig of poison ivy in her stepmother's corsage. We said no! You have to draw the line somewhere.
– Jacob Maarse
Top Floral Designers - Our A-List
Top Floral Designers — Our A-List
From winsome bouquets to sophisticated table arrangements, flower-girl wreaths, and whimsical boutonnieres, these florists can help you create your dream wedding.
Choose a state:
Arizona | California | Colorado | Connecticut | District of Columbia | Florida | Georgia | Illinois | Massachusetts | Michigan | Missouri New Mexico | New York | Pennsylvania | South Carolina | Tennessee | Virginia | Washington
Arizona
WHITE HOUSE FLOWERS, Scottsdale
480-990-7040, whitehouseflowers.com
California
BOB GAIL SPECIAL EVENTS, Los Angeles
310-202-5200, bobgail.com
ROSE STORY FARM, Sherman Oaks
805-566-4885, rosestoryfarm.com
END DESIGN, San Francisco
415-956-1120, end-design.com
FLORAL ART, Venice
310-392-1633, floralartla.com
JACOB MAARSE, Pasadena
626-449-0246, jacobmaarse.com
LAURELS CUSTOM FLORA & EVENTS, Los Angeles
323-655-3466, laurelsevents.com
MARK'S GARDEN, Sherman Oaks
818-906-1718, marksgarden.net
MAX GILL, Berkeley
510-459-5831
MINDY RICE FLORAL DESIGN, Santa Barbara
310-640-7270
SCENTIMENTS FLOWERS, Venice
310-399-4110
SILLAPERE, San Francisco
415-553-7846, sillapere.com
THE VELVET GARDEN, Los Angeles
323-852-1766, thevelvetgarden.com
VERDURE, Berkeley
510-548-7764
Colorado
THE PERFECT PETAL, Denver
800-241-3418, theperfectpetal.com
BELLA FIORI, Lakewood
303-233-5566, bellafiori-events.com
CUSTOM DESIGN FLORAL, Denver
303-341-1513, customdesignfloral.com
Connecticut
KARLA RAMIREZ FLORAL DESIGN, Wilton
203-834-8778, karlaramirez.com
District of Columbia
ELEGANCE & SIMPLICITY
202-625-1470, eleganceandsimplicity.com
ULTRA VIOLET FLOWERS
202-333-3002,ultravioletflowersdc.com
Florida
ELEGANT CELEBRATIONS, Miami
786-488-8591, elegantcelebrations.com
Georgia
THE FLOWER LADY, Atlanta
404-261-3551
MICHAEL EVANS designs, inc., Atlanta
404-365-0200, michaelevans.com
SOUTHERN BOUQUETS, Atlanta
770-377-1689, southernbouquets.com
Illinois
BLUMEN, Chicago
312-666-7304, blumendesign.com
BOTANICALS, Chicago
773-269-3142, botanicalschicago.com
DILLY LILY, Chicago
773-404-0602, dillylily.com
KEHOE DESIGNS, Chicago
312-421-0030, kehoedesigns.com
Louisiana
URBAN EARTH, New Orleans
504-524-0100, urbanearth.com
Massachusetts
ARIELLA CHEZAR,
518-584-8798, ariellaflowers.com
FLOWERS & FINERY, Boston
617-327-9724, flowersandfinery.com
PETALS & PEARLS, Quincy
617-770-3778, petalsandpearls.net
WINSTON FLOWERS, Boston
800-457-4901, winstonflowers.com
Michigan
BLOSSOMS, Birmingham
248-644-4411, blossomsbirmingham.com
Missouri
DALE ROHMAN, St. Louis
636-532-7862, americasflowerman.com
BECO FLOWERS, Kansas City
816-472-4242, becoflowers.com
New Mexico
SANTA FE FLORAL, Santa Fe
505-982-4143, santafefloral.com
New York
ANTONY TODD, New York City
212-367-7363, antonytodd.com
ART FOOL, New York City
212-253-2737, artfool.com
AVI ADLER, Brooklyn
718-243-0804, aviadler.com
BELLE FLEUR, New York City
212-254-8703, bellefleurny.com
BLOOM, New York City
212-832-8094, bloomflowers.com
CAROLYN GREGG FLOWER DESIGN, New York City
212-786-0589, carolyngreggflowers.com
CASTLE & PIERPONT, New York City
212-244-8668, castlepierpont.com
DAVID BEAHM design, New York City
212-279-1344, davidbeahm.com
DEJUAN STROUD, New York City
212-431-9099, dejuanstroud.com
ELIZABETH RYAN, New York City
212-995-1111, erflowers.com
FLORALIA, New York City
212-759-6910, floraliadecorators.com
FLORALIES, New York City
212-755-3990, floraliesinc.com
GLORIMUNDI, New York City
212-727-7090, glorimundi.com
GOTHAM GARDENS, New York City
212-832-9809, gothamgardens.com
JAMES ABEL EVENTS, New York City
917-399-4552, jamesabelevents.com
LMD, New York City
212-614-2734, lmdfloral.com
L'OLIVIER, New York City
212-255-2828, lolivier.com
LOTUS WEDDING AND EVENTS, New York City
212-463-0555, lotus212.com
MAGNOLIA, New York City
212-243-7302, magnolia-nyc.com
MICHAEL GEORGE, New York City
212-883-0304, michaelgeorge.com.
MICHELLE RAGO LTD., New York City
212-736-0195, michelleragoltd.com
MIHO KOSUDA, New York City
212-922-9122
MILLE FIORI, New York City
212-714-2202, millefioriflowers.com
PHILIP BALOUN STUDIO DESIGNS New York City
212-307-1675, philipbaloun.com
PLAZA FLORIST, New York City
212-472-7565
POLUX FLEURISTE, New York City
212-219-9646
POSYFLORAL STUDIO, New York City
212-744-7788, posyflowers.com
PRESTON BAILEY, New York City
212-691-6777, prestonbailey.com
PRUDENCE DESIGNS, New York City
212-691-1356, prudencedesigns.net
RENNY AND REED, New York City
212-288-7000, rennyandreed.com
STONE KELLY, New York City
212-245-6611, stonekelly.com
STUDIO SWEET PEA, New York City
212-684-6333, studiosweetpea.com
VSF, New York City
212-206-7236
WOLFGANG THOM, New York City
212-279-9066, wolfgangdesignny.com
ZEZE, New York City
212-753-7767
A FLORAL MOTIF, Portland
503-772-3324, afloralmotif.com
Pennsylvania
BEAUTIFUL BLOOMS, Philadelphia
215-736-9100, beautifulblooms.com
ROBERTSON’S FLOWERS, Philadelphia
800-242-6002, robertsonsflowers.com
South Carolina
BECKY DAVIS, Charleston
803-485-3375
TIGER LILY, Charleston
843-723-2808, tigerlilyflorist.com
Tennessee
ILEX, Nashville
615-385-2800
Virginia
VOLANNI FOR VESTA, Arlington
703-807-1106, vestahome.com
DISTINCTIVE FLORAL DESIGNS, Great Falls
703-430-0312
Washington
BELLA SIGNATURE DESIGN, Seattle
206-352-6628, bellasignature.com
LOVES ME FLOWERS, Seattle
206-229-2446, lovesmeflowers.com

- This content originally appeared in Elegant Bride magazine. Prices and other information in this story were accurate at press time, but are subject to change. Please confirm details with individual designers and vendors.






