Your wedding is approaching, and you’ve got to hire a florist! I completely understand how overwhelming it can be to navigate the sea of wedding vendors and bring together your perfect team. My words of wisdom? Pinpoint a couple aspects that are important to you for each vendor.
Mkay...but how do you figure out what's important to you when you may not know much on the subject?
Well, sometimes it’s helpful to look at the things you know you don’t want in order to help you zoom in on the things you do.
When it comes to floral design, I know what's important to me, and at Studio Foliage we have 4 non-negotiables that will never make it into your wedding blooms.
- We don't copy designs
Creating unique and one of a kind floral arrangements is at the heart of what we do at Studio Foliage. While I get the appeal of replicating a stunning arrangement you've seen on Pinterest or Instagram, we won't recreate work for a few reasons.
First, while we use our past work and the work of others to help illustrate ideas, we don't believe it's honest to plainly copy and take credit for another designer's original work.
Second, it's rare that the replica looks exactly like the original inspiration. Since flowers can be so seasonal, unpredictable, and even regional, even if we did attempt to recreate another design, the chances are low it would turn out exactly the same - leaving you potentially disappointed. And we certainly don't want that!
Third, we embrace creativity and imagination. Designing original arrangements gives you access to our expertise and artistry, flaunts your personal vibe and style, and allows us to create custom pieces that highlight your venue, ensuring that your flowers stand out and leave a lasting impression on you and your guests.
Trust us to create something truly original that enhances your vision and exceeds your expectations!
- We don't use floral foam
Green Oasis floral foam is made from plastic and contains toxic chemicals such as formaldehyde and phenol. Floral foam is widely used in mainstream floristry and poses serious health and environmental risks. The dust from the foam inevitably becomes airborne and creates carcinogenic risks to human and animal health when inhaled, and environmentally it contributes to bioaccumulation and microplastics pollution which contaminates our waterways and food chain.
Studio Foliage officially became foam free in 2019, and in those 5 years we've experimented with all types of reusable and eco-friendly floral design alternatives. Our creations take form with the help of sustainable mechanics like moss and branches, chicken wire, Agrawool, and flower frogs. When you work with us, you're not only getting stunning floral arrangements but you’re also supporting a commitment to sustainability.
- We don't use fillers
We’re all about creating unique and refined floral designs that truly shine, and despite our name, we’re not really the biggest fan of foliage. You certainly won't find us padding out your designs with excessive greens or inexpensive fillers just to bulk them up.
Every stem we choose serves a purpose, and every stem is carefully selected to fit into your colour story and to create a specific effect. And unless your colour palette includes shades of green, we probably won’t be incorporating much greenery.
By keeping your flower selection super curated and focusing on quality over quantity, we ensure that your floral arrangements are a cohesive and impactful masterpiece that's sure to turn heads.
- We don't let you pick / guarantee specific flowers
Choosing the perfect flower varieties for your wedding is a task we take to heart. It’s arguably the most important thing we do. While I fully get why you may want to choose all of your favourite blooms yourself (trust me, I do!), there are a couple good reasons why we don’t make exceptions on this rule.
As florists, Alithia and I have spent years acquiring an intimate knowledge of flowers—knowing which varieties are in season, which flowers come in your colours, how to care for tricky and fragile blooms, how to tend to them so they’re perfectly open on your wedding day, and more. This expertise allows us to present you with unique ideas, and create designs with the best visual impact.
On top of that, flowers are highly perishable materials relying on Mother Nature’s cooperation, as well as multiple levels of transportation before we get our hands on them. Meaning that sometimes (more often than you would think) we receive blooms that aren’t in good enough condition, or we may not receive an order at all due to shipping delays. When issues arise, we need the freedom to quickly source beautiful alternatives that fit the creative brief without bringing it to your attention.
When you trust us to take care of all the floral decisions, you're opting for a completely stress-free experience. And trust me when I say that nobody will care more about your wedding flowers than we will!
So there you have it, 4 things we'll never do for your wedding flowers.
I hope you'll reach out to get the ball rolling on your custom flower proposal!
xo Andrea