Recap of Apple Brides Podcast Episode Three With Rose And Blossom
This week Doyle and Carri are joined by wedding flower expert Terri O’Conner, a local florist and owner of Rose and Blossom here in Spokane. With over 30 years of experience, she explains the many ways flowers should be used at your wedding, reception, and more. Listen wherever you podcast and stay up to date on our socials, @applebrides.
How Rose and Blossom Began
Rose and Blossom have been in business now for 30 years. When she first started her business at only 22 years old, it was just called ‘Roses’ and she literally just sold roses. Then about ten years into it, she began doing weddings and found her niche. That’s when they decided to rebrand the name to ‘Rose and Blossom’, and after that, the business blossomed.
Rose and Blossom provide florals for around 275 events and weddings of all sizes every year. They can do anything from bridal bouquets, and boutonnieres, to a full cathedral wedding with a huge reception hall. Just like Apple Brides, they love all things weddings. Rose and Blossom have two locations in town, one in the Valley at 219 North Pines Road and a new one at 913 East Sharp. They are not limited to Spokane however and have done weddings all the way up to Priest Lake, Coeur d’Alene, and another in the Northwest.
Terri shares that she utilizes a bride’s Pinterest board in order to get a good feel for their personality. It helps her understand what they are after, and how she can bring their vision to life. She can also work with your budget and provide alternatives here and there to create your vision at a reasonable price. She loves making dream weddings come true.
The History of Wedding Flowers
Doyle and Carri share the history of wedding florals and how that trend came to be. It started with the Romans in 500 BC. Back then, brides would hold a bushel of wheat as a sign of fertility. Over the next 2000 years, they began foraging for and making flower crowns for the bride with berries and wildflowers. As time progressed, it became Victorian, and having a huge bouquet, of beautiful hats, was a big deal. In today’s society, a wedding doesn’t feel the same without some kind of flowers or greenery. Flowers are inspirational and bring beauty to the entire event. Not to mention they bring such vibrance to your photos as well.
Preserving Flowers
There are ways to preserve your wedding flowers and bouquet, including drying them and pressing them into picture frames. Both are great methods of saving your flowers and having them as a memory of your special day. If you do choose to press your flowers or bouquet, make sure to allow enough time for the flowers to fully dry out before putting them into a picture frame. Find a great demonstration on how to dry your flowers here.
Rose and Blossom Floral Process
When working with Rose and Blossom on your wedding bouquet, she first has you come in for a consultation because the bouquet sets the stage for the rest of the wedding and what that decor will look like. Terri recommends that the best time to get started with a florist is anywhere from 6 months to a year in advance, however, if it’s a smaller wedding they can accommodate a month in advance or possibly less.
You should have a venue and colors by the time you meet with a florist so that you can use those details when choosing florals. The colors and venue will also help you to determine what style you are going for. Do you want chic? Or simple? Maybe rustic/glam? Terri will show you pictures of other bouquets for inspiration, and gather as many details as she needs to create the bouquet of your dreams. They offer free consultations as well! She recommends doing it in person because there are usually a lot of questions and it’s an excellent opportunity to look at fabrics and samples. You can do a phone consultation as well if you don’t live in the area.
Your florals don’t have to be elaborate or fancy, but they definitely set the tone for the wedding. Her favorite thing to do is to double purpose. For example, if you have an arbor, take the flowers that are up on the arbor and bring them to the head table. They will bring the flowers from the chairs in the aisle to use with the centerpieces. They call it ‘Flip the ceremony to reception’ and they can do it for you as well. They enjoy repurposing because it makes your budget go further. Another thing Terri enjoys is giving the photographer a few complementary floras for them to photograph such as the ‘flat lay’.
Book a consultation directly from their website: Roseandblossom.com
Wedding Flower Etiquette
Her advice for floral arrangement etiquette at your wedding is to remain thoughtful of your choices. As a bride, you have to decide whether you want a timeless bouquet, or something fun and unique. Ultimately the choice is yours as a bride. Some choose to do corsages for mothers or family members of the bride and groom which can be a special way to include them. Corsages and boutonnieres can be expensive and certainly aren’t required if they don’t fit into your budget. If you choose to make your own corsages while working with a florist for your other arrangements, it’s a good idea to let them know so that you can coordinate your colors/designs.
Pro or Con Wedding Bouquet Toss
The trend of tossing your bouquet to your bridal party is sadly losing popularity. Along with the garter toss, we are seeing more and more couples leave these traditions out of their big day. We agree with Teri that if you have a large bridal party of girls who are willing to participate in it, then it’s a fun activity to include in your reception. A lot of times brides will have another smaller bouquet made for this reason specifically. That way they can toss the smaller, less important one and keep their big beautiful one from walking down the aisle intact. The more special touches you put into your wedding, the more memorable the day will feel.
Wedding Flower Trends For 2023
We got to hear from the flower expert herself about upcoming wedding flower trends for 2023. She told us that she’s been seeing a lot of deconstructed flower arrangements, which can look very clean and minimalist. Deconstructed flower arrangements are where you separate the flowers by their type and place them into different vases, usually of varying sizes. This unique method has become really popular amongst wedding decor and we predict that it will continue into this year. Another trend she predicts is having a lot of greenery, baby’s breath, and unique touches like succulents in wedding floral arrangements.
Some Advice From The Flower Pros
We gathered advice from Terri regarding working with your florist for your wedding day. Here are some of the tips that we compiled.
Don’t buy unnecessary items for your wedding
In the past, she’s had brides who purchased 20 vases to hold the table centerpieces, without realizing that Rose and Blossom supplies vases, free of charge. You don’t always have to purchase all of your supplies outright. Go to your vendors first and find out exactly what they provide. Sometimes florists carry vases, decor, candlesticks, etc. so don’t be afraid to ask!
Communicate and ask questions frequently
For many brides it is their first wedding, but not for Terri and her team at Rose and Blossom. Ask questions when you have them. Your florists want to work with you as a team and do everything that they can to make your experience less stressful.
Flowers on a budget
If you have a tight budget for your big day, you can still afford gorgeous flowers. The least expensive flowers are the ones that are produced year-round like roses, and carnations. Let your florist know that you’d like to incorporate some of the less-expensive flowers and share your budget upfront so they know what materials to work with.
Are you looking for the perfect wedding flowers? Be sure to check out Rose and Blossom for your wedding florals or any other occasion that you need flowers. Check out their website for a gallery of their previous wedding arrangements and book a free consultation with them online. Tune into the Apple Brides Podcast, wherever you listen, for more wedding planning tips and advice from local vendors around the PNW!
