Fall Flower Festival: Recap

Our Fall Flower Festival was a day filled with beauty, creativity, and inspiration. The response to our Fall Flower Festival and the wealth of knowledge shared by our talented experts - Gilberto Espinoza, David Dahlson, DeAnna Marriott, and Alison Ellis - has been absolutely incredible. For those who were not able to attend our live event, don't worry! We've got you covered. We've recorded every moment of our Fall Flower Festival and we're excited to share it with you right here. Dive in and relive the magic of our event!

Enjoy & let us know what your favorite moments were in the comments!! This is a very long recap, so please feel free to use the links to jump to the section you are interested in:

FLORAL DESIGN     |     PRODUCT SHOWCASE     |     ORDERING W/ PREBOOK     |     PROFITABLE WEDDINGS

SESSION 1: Autumnal Floral Design Demo w/ Gilberto Espinoza

Welcome to our first segment of our Fall Flower Festival! Gilberto Espinoza of Dogwood & Fir is my first guest and will be creating a large autumn inspired urn arrangement perfect for weddings. While he is designing, we are going to be chatting about floral design and answering your questions! 

SHOW NOTES

• How did you get started as a floral designer?

• For the design that you are creating today:
  • Can you tell us about some floral techniques you use for large scale designs like this one?
  • Can you highlight some of the specific flower varieties you've used and explain how they contribute to the overall aesthetic?
  •  
• Would you say that you have a signature style? If so, how would you describe it and what do you think led to developing that style?
  
  
• As you know, I love your work and it does have a distinct style. Where do you get your inspiration from? 
  • From Laura: Where do you find your inspiration? Are there any non floral related books/podcasts/websites that you follow that help to stir up creativity in your floral design work?
    
    
• Your work is always beautifully photographed. Is this something that you do in-house?
  
  
• How important is social media in driving new customers to your business?
  • It's your live portfolio and where you engage with people.
  • It's important to have a strategy.
    
    
• We’ve been talking about sustainability this year. What is your philosophy towards sustainability for your company?
  
  
• Anything new coming up?
  • Upcoming floral design workshop: From Still Life to Real Life 
    going back to Nantucket (next year), Mexico City (Spanish), France (French)

• Laura:
  • What types of finishing "floaters", "dancers", finishing "wonky stems" do you like to use in the fall and winter for your floral arrangements?
  • Any trend alerts for 2024 you are seeing?

• Deborah:
  • I trained in pattern-based floristry and am just beginning my journey on design. I've been diving into the elements and principles and understanding what each are, but, I'm finding it overwhelmingly difficult in trying to implement them into my work. 

What should I focus on to begin with? 

Should I try to implement as many principles as possible to each element?

How do I know if an element is out of balance? 

I would love to know a good tip on each element and principle. Eg. What's one good tip when working with colour, line, form, texture etc.. 

• lizdunn391: Is everything seen today available to purchase through Mayesh? I've never seen the Japanese Maple before and it's beautiful!!!
  
  
• alexasfloraldesign: Where did you find your niche/ style to fit ur clients preference?

Connect:

https://dogwoodandfir.com/

https://www.instagram.com/dogwoodandfir/ 

SESSION 2: Fall Flower Showcase w/ David Dahlson

David was my second guest for our Fall Flower Festival and provided a tour of some amazing flowers perfect for the autumn season. You will get to see the stem length, bloom size, and color. In addition, David provided great tips and advice on how to properly care for and handle these specialty cut flowers to get the most out of your blooms!

FLOWER LIST

SHOW NOTES

• Leah - How long will those types of dahlias be available into the fall?
  • • https://www.mayesh.com/blog/annual-dahlia-availabilty
      
      
• Stephanie: What's the typical amount of time from when the product is cut to when it's shipped from Mayesh and into the florist's hands?

• What are some expert tips you can share for extending the lifespan of fall blooms?
  • • for more tips: https://blog.mayesh.com/mwm-wholesale-flowers-shortages-processing 

SESSION 3: Reduce Stress with PreBook w/ DeAnna Marriott

Mayesh offers a range of online tools designed to save you time, money, and reduce wedding season stress. During this session, DeAnna will be focusing on our PreBook program available on mayesh.com. Discover how effortlessly you can place your fall wedding orders well in advance, giving you a competitive advantage. Learn all the tips and tricks to make the most of this program for your business.

SHOW NOTES

• Ok, let’s talk PreBook - can you tell us about this online program and how it can help reduce wedding season stress?
  
  
• Customers see hearts on each product listing - what does the heart mean and how can it help our customers?
  
  
• We have a new Web App - can you show us how to get that set up?

SESSION 4: Pricing Weddings for Profit w/ Alison Ellis

Welcome to our fourth and final segment of our Fall Flower Festival! Alison offered up invaluable business insights into the process of pricing weddings. With a keen understanding of both artistic excellence and fiscal sensibility, she delves into the balance between materials, artistry, and client expectations. By factoring in the unique demands of fall weddings, such as the availability of specific blooms and the prevailing trends of the season, Alison gives you the insight you need to price accordingly!

SHOW NOTES

• Alison, can you explain your pricing process to ensure a profitable wedding?
  
  
• How do we make sure we aren’t over buying?
  • -pay attention to extras
  • -follow recipes
  • -don’t buy based on a gut feeling
    
    
• Ok, so we did the pricing, sent in the order, but a box of very important flowers were confiscated by customs and now we need to make subs. How do we handle this last-minute situation to ensure we remain on budget and profitable?
  • The Every Stem App - https://www.everystem.com/ 
  •  
• When figuring out how many flowers to order, do you recommend padding the order to cover possible flower issues?
  
  
• Should florists set a minimum on weddings?
  
  
• After things opened up after shutting down for Covid, weddings and events were happening all day long and every day, now things are getting back to normal. Any suggestions for florists in dealing with this new normal?
  
  
• Building strong relationships can lead to referrals. How does your pricing strategy factor into fostering long-term relationships with clients who might return for future fall weddings or recommend your services?
  
  
• Anything new coming up?
  • https://realflowerbusiness.com/floral-education/ 

AUDIENCE QUESTIONS

• _maria.27__: Hi I need advice for types of florals to use in a dusty pink pallet for a wedding
• floraadorastudio: Do you itemize your quotes showing price, quantity, tax etc?
• cari_onn: Does Alison have a peer equivalent who works in retail, not weddings?

Connect:

https://realflowerbusiness.com/floral-education/ 

https://www.instagram.com/realflowerbusiness/