AKA your wedding week from my POV! I love sharing the behind-the-scenes of floristry because I think people are often surprised that designing is really just a portion of what I do. I’m a studio-based wedding florist, meaning I don’t operate a retail shop and weddings are my bread and butter. During wedding season, I have a team of freelance designers and studio assistants that work with me to create all of the magic!! Here’s a rundown of what an average wedding week looks like for me + the HQS FLORAL team:

Monday/Tuesday

Studio tidy:

Wash buckets if I’ve left any from the previous weekend’s wedding
Tidy up the cooler
Sweep/vacuum/mop

Prepping containers/mechanics: the more I can get done before the flowers arrive, the better!

Cutting chicken wire, taping vases etc
Boutonnieres/corsage bases
Arch flowers mechanics
Installation mechanics and other large structures

Other prep work:

Packaging and writing out labels and cards
Finalize design schedule for the week and setup schedule for the day-of
Last minute supplies run if needed!

Wednesday

Flower day: pick up BC flower order from shipping depot and local flower order from market in the morning

Process flowers:

Fill buckets with water
Clean stems, strip leaves, cut ends
Special conditioning and treatments: different water temps, soaking flowers, among many other techniques
Flowers hydrate for a few hours and sometimes overnight before they can be used

Count and sort stems for recipes, picking out the best blooms to set aside for bouquets.
I’ll usually do some designing before the end of the day

Thursday

*a mix of bud vases and ikebana-style centrepieces resting in the cooler*

Design day #1! I’ll prioritize:

Personal flowers (bouquets, wearables like corsages, boutonnieres, flower crowns)
Centrepieces

Friday

Design day #2 usually involves:

Statement arrangements
Arch flowers (either design them in studio or prep to build on site)
Finish anything we didn’t get to the day before
Prep for delivery/setup:

Flowers that I’m taking with me to design on site
Package personal flowers (bouquets, boutonnieres, anything to hold/wear)
Make sure toolbox and other supplies are ready to go

Saturday

Delivery + Setup: finally we get to see it all come together!

Finish packing and load up for transport
Deliver personal flowers (bouquets + wearables)

I’ll usually do a quick bouquet holding demo and pop the wearables in a fridge

Ceremony and reception install:

Timing things just right so the ceremony flowers aren’t baking in the sun for 2 hours, the personal flowers arrive in time for the first look, the venue is clean and we’re packed up well before guests arrive, etc!

Quick studio cleanup:

consolidate leftover blooms
empty + wash buckets
put away tools, etc.

Bonus: Return to venue to flip the ceremony pieces for the reception, and/or return to the venue for teardown at the end of the night

Of course, this doesn’t include the hours of work in the months leading up to this week, including creating design recipes, sourcing flowers and hard goods like vases and ribbons, communicating with wholesalers, other vendors like venues and planners, and many meetings and emails with each client to ensure a seamless and thoughtful experience. Some hard goods need to be sourced months in advance, and the flowers themselves are ordered a month or earlier before the wedding date. Sometimes I have to think through how to build something, like a custom structure for a hanging installation, so I’m doing research, making sketches, and accosting my dad and home depot employees to figure out what will work best. It’s hard not to go the extra mile for weddings and other once-in-a-lifetime events! Though I like to think that I put this much thought and care into all of my work <3

If you’d like me to put this process into motion for your wedding, I’d love to hear from you! Check out our Weddings page for more info and to inquire :-)

About HQS FLORAL

Hey! I’m Hannah, owner, lead designer, and the hqs in HQS FLORAL. I’ve been working in the floral industry since 2013, mainly in retail flower shops before starting my own business in 2021. My focus is on creating artfully arranged florals for weddings and special events in Edmonton, Alberta and beyond, specializing in elevated colour palettes and texture-forward details, always with sustainability in mind. I also love sharing my skills and the joy of floral design through workshops! Read more about me here <3

Just a little disclaimer that I don’t use generative AI on my website, socials, or blog. So please disregard any typos :-)