Pieces, Parts & Priorities

Those of us in the wedding business are in the business of details. No matter what part we play in helping a bride and groom realize their wedding day dream - in the end - we take a certain amount of responsibility in helping to manage the details and pull it all together so that things go off without a hitch. The end result is a seamless wedding day; one in which the guests - and even the bride and groom themselves - are unaware of how much truly went on behind the scenes. It's all any of us - as wedding vendors - want at the end of the day.

As wedding florists, we are entrusted by our couples to manage the details that go into creating the most beautiful floral design - and to work in tandem with other vendors to make sure that our part complements and supports the overall theme and tone of the wedding itself. And when it comes to floral design, there is more to it than just the flowers.

We're talking vases, cylinders, mason jars, bubble bowls, arches, crosses, chuppahs, pedestals, urns, candles, and the endless variety of pieces and parts that go into pulling together the overall floral design; the details that can't be overlooked.


InTandem Photography

After all, these pieces and parts really speak to the personality of the wedding - the ghost candelabras for a sleek contemporary feel, hanging mason jars for rustic elegance, milkglass for vintage chic - and the list goes on and on.
What we've come to find over the years of working with many brides and grooms - with all manner of budget - is that these details are often their first focus when it comes to saving money. We're often asked by couples if they can supply their own vases, candles, jars, and more. The short answer is always, yes. We always welcome couples providing us with their own pieces and parts - especially if they wish to use something that is particularly special to them or something specific that we don't currently have in our stock. We only ask that our brides and grooms bring these pieces to us - completely clean and ready to be used - the week before the wedding so that we can design accordingly.


Tara Welch Photography

Geoff Duncan Photography

The long answer is that - while we're happy to do this - it doesn't save couples any significant amount of money; maybe a couple of dollars per table at best. The truth is that once these pieces are in our stock, they are ours to rent. We don't choose to ask for extraordinary rental fees. The money spent with us is largely based on the flowers themselves, our design capabilities and labor, and our delivery and setup.

Additionally, many brides and grooms find that while they may, at first, want to provide these pieces and parts, when it comes down to the final days before their wedding, they would have been happier to let us manage those details. After all, enjoying your day - from start to finish - should be the priority of all couples.

AJH Photography

Our priority as a wedding florist is to help couples achieve their wedding dreams within their budget and to manage the details for them so that they can relax and enjoy their day!

Murphy Mondays: Wedding Season, Cousins, and Sunbathing

Hi everyone! So you may have noticed that I took last week off from my blog. Hey! It was President’s Day. I’m not allowed to take off on President’s Day? You took off! And they’re my presidents too. I spent the day enjoying my NEW, FLUFFY BED!! Thank you to everyone who took the time to listen to my very serious complaints about my completely inadequate, un-fluffy old bed.

As you can see from this picture, my concerns were addressed and I now have the bed that I so utterly deserve. Also, I look super cute on it.

Other things that have been going on in my life include the official start of wedding season. This is the time of year when things really start to kick off in the shop and we’re back into the full swing of weddings, weddings, weddings after the holiday/winter season. It’s great to see the wedding flowers again and I love being in the middle of the excitement. It also means that more people are in and out of the shop to meet my people and plan their weddings. Which means more people for me to meet (and my potential for treats multiplies). I love wedding season because of the people and also because the back door of the shop is open on a more regular basis.

What does this mean for me? Well, let me tell you. We have a big door in the back of the shop that rolls up like a garage door; and when we’re doing a lot of building and designing, we will roll up the door. This means more sunlight for me and there’s nothing - I mean nothing - that I love more than sunbathing. It is truly what I was born to do. This is the best time of year because the weather is perfect and I am able to lounge around and get my Vitamin D. Check me out in these awesome pictures.

Ahhhhhhhh, is there anything better than this?

In other news, my cousin Whiskey has come to visit for a while, which means that I have an awesome playmate. He came rocking his awesome sweater (which, by the way, totally matched his mom’s outfit. I’m not judging.). Here’s me greeting Whiskey when he arrived (and not judging his sweater).

It’s going to be a great few weeks and I’m totally excited to share it with you. Get out there and enjoy the sun! I know I will!

Have a great week,

Murphy

Murphy Mondays: Open Letter Regarding My Bed

Dear Humans,

This is an open appeal to all people in my general area. You may know me - having met me at Bouquets of Austin. Or you may not have met me face-to-fur but you’ve gotten to know me a little through my blog. Either way - whoever you are - this letter is for you. I’ve had no luck getting the proper attention from my in-home partners so I am putting out the word to any humans who may be able to help me rectify this gross injustice. And to what does this very serious issue pertain? Quite simply, it’s about my bed. My bed which, at this moment, is leaving much to be desired.

Let me be blunt. I am not a petite flower. I am a full-figured dog who needs bed support. Not just any bed is going to hold up for the likes of me. I like it big, I like it supportive, and I like it fluffy. Currently, I am most unhappy with my bed’s lack of fluffiness.

And so, as I am known to do in all situations that don’t please me, I made my discontentment clear (at least it was clear to anyone who was listening hard enough)!

I turned this way.

I turned that way.

 I harrumphed.

I whined as audibly as possible.

And when that didn’t work, I took things into my own paws and scrunched the bed up beneath me so that it was as fluffy as it was going to get which still wasn’t nearly fluffy enough.















You would think SOME people could take a hint. But obviously I need to be a bit more aggressive in my tactics. So here it is. I need a fluffier bed. Can someone please pass that along to my people?

I am an executive dog with a lot on my professional plate. I have people to greet, flowers to guard, and overall merriment to spread. I need my rest and a proper fluffy bed is necessary for the best rest that I can get.

Until the word is spread and my (very minor) demands are met, I will continue to voice my unhappiness as loudly as I can muster. I never shy away from a challenge. Bring on the fluffy bed and peace will settle in our lives once again. So while I’m struggling with my situation, I wish you...a great week!

Murphy

When, Where and All the Rest

Wedding planning...priorities, priorities.

Planning a wedding is not for the faint of heart; anyone who has ever done it can tell you that. Saying yes to the big question is a happy occasion to be sure, but the months that follow can easily become stressful for even the strongest of relationships. There are a lot of details that go into planning this most important event and when brides and grooms wind up in our consultation room, they are often overwhelmed by all that they have on their plates. As anyone knows, stress of this kind can overshadow even the happiest of occasions and can easily cloud decision making when it comes to ironing out the details of a wedding.

We’ve been doing this a long time and our advice to our brides and grooms is always to take it one step at a time. There is very much an order to wedding planning and putting one foot in front of the other - in the correct order - can do much to keep the stress at bay and support a more relaxed wedding planning experience. So what’s most important when it comes to planning? For the bride and groom - and even for our purposes - the most important aspects are the when and where.

When? Where? These are the first questions that we always ask our brides and grooms. The answers to these questions drive absolutely everything else. The date will obviously determine our availability. Once we know that we are available, we can begin talking about the details surrounding your chosen venue. Almost every venue - whether it’s a church, private event space, hotel, public facility, museum, etc. - has rules and regulations attached to renting the space. It is within these specific guidelines that we design our part of the wedding. As wedding professionals - and because our team has had the enormous honor of working often at so many of these venues - it is our responsibility to know these rules and regulations intimately. These rules - whether it’s the option to use aisle petals and open-flame versus LED candles or height/width restrictions and setup/teardown guidelines - allow us to do our job most effectively and, better still, make things easy and stress-free for our brides and grooms because we’re handling these details instead of them.

Intimate knowledge of these venues affords us the ability to help our couples beyond the restrictions that these spaces put in place. Because we know these venues, we also know what colors will look best in these spaces, what flowers will work their prettiest magic, and the sizes of flower arrangements that will best fill a particular room.

Most importantly, don’t be afraid to ask questions. Flowers are our specialty and our job is to create the most beautiful wedding arrangements for your special day; but we’re also happy to answer any questions you have about planning your dream wedding. We’re here to help!

Murphy Mondays: Glossary of My Noises

I love writing this blog for y’all every week. I have a lot of important information to share but, as you may have noticed, I’m not so good with words. Just be sure you remember that, just because we dogs don’t have the power of speech, doesn’t mean we don’t have a lot to say. If you perk up your ears and listen just a little closer than you probably have been up until now, you’ll find that your dog friends are telling you everything you need to know about them. Now, because I’m a dog on an executive level, I have a little bit more to say than the average dog. I am able to see a lot more than regular dogs get to see because I work at Bouquets of Austin. For instance, I get to meet lots of humans who are planning their weddings and see firsthand what kind of flowers they choose for their big day. It’s very exciting to be able to be in that position but it would be even better if you people could hear me. There’s so much assistance I can offer - like what kind of flowers would look best. If they would only listen to me, I would tell them that peonies would look better than roses for their bouquet and, why oh why did they go with that color? What are they thinking?

I know you can’t hear me but, I promise, if you are just the littlest bit patient and pay just the slightest bit more attention, you can and you will understand me. Now I’m a busy shop dog but I felt that it was important for me to take just a little time out of my schedule and put together something that I think will help my people - and the visitors to Bouquets of Austin - quite a lot. So here’s my glossary of noises so that you can brush up on the most important things about me. Take your time...study them...and soon you will have the keys to getting to know me better!

Harrumph....This is the noise I make most often when I lay down. Let’s not mince words...there’s a lot of me. You think it’s easy to take myself from standing to a prone position at a moment’s notice? So the noise you hear accompany this motion is well-justified. It can also very easily mean that I don’t want to lay down but you’re making me. And while, I’ll do it, I’ll also make sure you know how I feel about it.

Whine....I do this a lot and it’s meant to show my displeasure at my circumstances and general lack of attention you’re giving me. You need to look around and let the environment dictate what I’m currently unhappy about. Am I sitting on the cold floor and whining? I need my bed brought to me immediately. Am I behind a closed door? I need to be where you are (and where you are is where the food is). Am I staring at you intently? I need food and water. And also food.

Nose sigh....A big gust of wind coming from my nose signals that I am feeling left out. You’ve kept me out of the consultation room, you’ve not let me pet the visitors enough, and I’m underfoot in the design room. I have been ousted and I am bored. Feel bad for me.

Underground turkey noise....This is important so listen up. When I am resting, I need warmth and I need quiet. This disgruntled noise is telling you to STOP TALKING. You are disturbing me and, most especially, I am not a part of the conversation.

Thank you for taking the time to get to know some of my noises. I can assure you that these are not all of them but this is a very good start. Keep your ears open (like we do) and you’ll do just fine. Maybe you’ll even get a treat if you’re really good! Have a good week!

 
Murphy