In an effort to partner more frequently with some of our preferred wedding vendors, we are excited to kick off our latest journal series highlighting them and their businesses! We’ve also asked them to include some of their favorite wedding panning tips and answer some of their most frequently asked questions and concerns.

First up on the journal is Evergreen Flower Co., an incredibly talented florist based in the Columbus area. We had the opportunity to work on a wedding together last year and have loved following them ever since. Heather and her team truly turn flowers into art; always thinking of natural movement, thoughtful texture combinations, and unique color schemes.

We asked Heather about her background and how she got into floral design and then asked her to take us through her team’s design process. You can read the full interview below. 🙂

How did you get into floral design?

After my husband and I graduated from college, we moved to Iceland. Something I loved so much about Icelandic culture was their sweet ways of gift-giving! Very often people will take their gifts to a florist to be wrapped, and sometimes they will add on greenery and flowers to the wrapping. Also, very often people will give flowers as a gift, and I loved the way they were wrapped. I tried a LOT on my own to wrap bouquets, and realized I just loved having my hands on some fresh cuts.

I began working for a florist in Reykjavik, and she became my mentor and someone I looked up to so much. From there, I took a hand-tied bouquet course in London at Jane Packer. I also flew back to my hometown in Ohio to take a 3 week course on floral design at the David Curtis School of Floral Design. That part was so helpful for knowledge of processing cut flowers, learning the basics of design and all that good stuff. I’ve always had a love for the arts, so that has certainly helped along the way!

What does the design process look like to you?
When designing for weddings, we have an Initial Consultation where we discuss the overall vision our client has for their wedding. We discuss their favorite flowers, and flowers that have sentimental value and hold those in high regard when it comes time to order the product for their wedding.

Once our client has booked, we meet a second time for our Design Consultation, which can sometimes be lengthy, but we really try to dive into what our clients vision really looks like. Typically, clients are attracted to Evergreen Flower Co. because they love what they have seen us produce! If I can give any advice at all to couples looking for their florist: check out the work that has already been done—if you can imagine yourself holding a bouquet they have created, or a centerpiece on a table, or if the overall vibe fits your personal style, then you’ve found your florist!

When we are designing bouquets, centerpieces, boutonnieres, etc.. we look back at our detailed notes and throw on some good jams! I’ll use the bridal bouquet as an example here… I ask questions during the design consultation like: how dense or airy do you imagine your bouquet? (followed by some photos for examples of the differences), how round or angular do you imagine your bouquet? (more examples…) and how full of flowers or greenery do you imagine your bouquet to be?

How do you work your brides’ unique styles and personalities into the designs?

We ask a LOT of questions and really try to dive into our clients’ mindsets! We ask for favorite flowers, sentimental flowers, and disliked flowers—this alone gives us a ton of information! We love when our clients bring us abstract inspiration for their wedding vision—such as a painting! or a movie director! or a room!

We’ve have clients inspired by Wes Anderson, painters… and one of my personal favorite inspirations that a client brought to our consultation was a photo of a room at their venue that is an very ornate library with dark green walls, tons of bookshelves, floral patterned ornate furniture, and wood floors. 

What are your favorite flowers? What are your favorite flowers to work with?

Let’s divide that up between sentimental, current favorites, and favorite to work with!

 – Sentimental: cosmos and irises.

 – Current Favorites: sweet pea (love the delicate folds and silky texture) and pansies (so underrated! these little guys are so amazing!)

 – Favorite to work with: sweet pea, cosmos, parrot tulips, foxglove!

How far in advance should brides book their florist?

We start booking 6 months to a year out from the wedding date! 

What’s one piece of advice you would give to every bride? (Flower related or general?)

I would say the biggest piece of advice would be to focus your budget on quality over quantity. For example, you don’t need a ton of signs for decor. 

Venue: The Columbus Athenaeum | Stylist: Events Held Dear | Floral Artist: Evergreen Flower Co. | Hair & Makeup: The Bride Bar