I’m so jazzed to bring you this West Texas florist spotlight post with Tori! She shows up on social media with her glorious work and hilarious, unabashedly-herself takes on weddings and floristry. She’s full of great tips and is a joy to follow. You can find her on instagram here. She shared some knowledge and information about her business with me and here it is in all it’s glory!
What is your favorite bouquet?
At the time, each bouquet is my favorite I’ve ever done. So currently this is my girl right now. I LOVE the texture. I love that it reminds me of Bridgerton! I love that the pastels are so vibrant and contrasting and there is something new to look at in every area of the bouquet. This bouquet includes lavender Roses, blush Garden Roses, Snow Berries, Spirea, Butterfly Ranunculus, Majolica Spray Roses, Sweet Pea, and Lisianthus.
What’s a tip for couples who want to make the most of their budget?
Best tip!!! This I have learned from many very large scale wedding florists across the country! Your budget is your budget. And that is TOTALLY fine! But if you have a limited budget, instead of trying to break it up and get a whole bunch of smaller, mediocre pieces, let your florist create large statement pieces! A floating installation in the reception hall instead of tiny bud vases on every table, a large arch instead of twenty $15 aisle markers and a medium okay-ish arch. People will always notice large statement pieces more than they will tiny arrangements all over the place that aren’t that great.
You share about your faith and how it’s such a huge part of how your operate your business. How is it woven into your every day work?
Oh man. Everything I do is for God. I don’t care who that offends or bothers, my business was created by Him. Every client is hand picked for me by Him. I pray favor for every single client’s wedding. I pray blessings over every single couple. I pray over the flowers, before and after they arrive. I pray that we have favor as we design and set up. And I hope that knowing this, my brides feel so loved and taken care of when they hire me. That someone cares so deeply for them and their wedding day that they would go to their God (whether you believe in Him or not) and ask for His favor and blessing in the creation of their day. That’s not something you find in every vendor.
Who is your ideal client?
My ideal client is A. Someone who trusts me entirely. Someone who knows that at the end of the day I’m an artist and the less boxes and checklists of how you want everything that I’m given, the better your vision will turn out. B. Someone who actually wants different. I am not a grocery store. I don’t do cookie cutter. So if floral is not really a priority (and that’s ok!) then I am probably not the best option for you! I want couples who love floral, love color, love originality!
Where do you recommend your couples look for inspiration images?
Go look at event florist’s instagrams in other COUNTRIES! European florists are always ahead of the trend. They are the ones creating these amazing pieces that do not look like weddings from your typical west Texas florists. This will give you the opportunity to see just how many different wedding styles are out there! Take yourself out of the box and OFF of Pinterest!
You seem fearless in your use of color. How do you translate a couple’s color palette into your use of color in their florals?
Color is your friend! Always and forever! It gives dimension, depth, character. Once we find out what the couple’s palette is, we find a focal color. I always have my clients give me percentages of what they hope for. For example, we have a bride this weekend whose colors are blush, peach, terracotta, cream, and baby blue. Her percentages would translate to:
-40% cream/white
-30% terracotta
-20% blush/peach
-10% baby blue
This is great because it helps us figure out what colors you want to be more prominent and eye catching and which colors you would rather have as the base, background color! If you have colors that don’t go well together, I will absolutely tell you! But 90% of the time, if designed the correct way, any color in floral is good color!
I will say that something people don’t realize is that flowers are NOT paint. We can NOT color match. Don’t ask us to match exact flowers to the color of the bridesmaids dress or say you need an exact shade of burgundy.
We will get as close as possible but we are working with live objects. We can work in the color scheme but not an exact replica. For example, if I order burgundy flowers, I will get 9 different shades of burgundy. Why? Because a burgundy Ranunculus looks like black velvet. A burgundy peony is more of a wine color. A burgundy snap dragon is more purple. As long as you are okay with not matching exactly, we are good to go!
With all the flower craziness, shortages, increased prices, etc. — what would you want couples to know coming into the wedding floral booking process?
BE FLEXIBLE!!!! Be very very flexible. Not in the way where you say you trust us but if one thing doesn’t go as planned you’ll get mad. Actually actually trust us. We are doing EVERYTHING in our power to make your day perfect. Like, trust me. We are. But the farms are still experiencing massive staff shortages. The prices have increased since the last time we quoted you. Shipping prices are so bad you would probably have a heart attack if you knew. Certain colors will be available one week and not available the next week. You will order something and it will say it’s going to be delivered before the wedding and then get held up for 12 days in Wisconsin. Being in the floral industry right now is HARD!!!! So go with the flow when things go slightly different than you expected. Because 90% of the time, I will figure out a way to give you something way better than what you were going to get anyway if you just trust me.
Thanks, Tori! Follow her on instagram and feel free to reach out to her with booking questions at floralbyva@gmail.com.