A day in the life of a Brighton Wedding Florist. Wedding flowers Brighton.
WEDDING FLOWERS BRIGHTON
Exciting, demanding, surprisingly logistically & admin heavy! Excel sheets are a florist’s best friend. Here’s a day in the life with our Head Designer & Florist Hannah, let’s imagine it’s the day before a wedding…
6:00 AM: Wake-Up and Prep
Hannah starts her day early to get a head start. It’s not hard because her young children wake her up at 5am or earlier because they are insane lunatics who are so excited about life that they cannot go back to sleep 🙂
After everyone is fed and dressed and finally engrossed in an episode of Peppa Pig, she enjoys a quick breakfast, and mentally goes through her schedule for the day. She makes sure she has all the necessary tools, equipment, and lists for the weddings she'll be working on.
Once she arrives at the studio then it’s prep time. Containers need to be cleaned and prepped with chicken wire, wax, & pin frogs and structures will need to have moss and chicken wire cable tied onto them. Bouquet boxes and vases need to be prepped as do buttonhole boards and boxes for personals. Every item has its own way to be packaged and transported so they arrive in the best condition possible and are presented in the best way possible.
7:30 AM: Visit the Flower Wholesaler
In the Freesia & Fox whip, Hannah zips down to the local flower wholesaler to pick up fresh flowers and greenery. The car is branded so she drives really politely and carefully. She once had someone pull up by the side of her car in traffic, roll down the window and ask 'does your car say Free SIA?' Clearly they'd somehow never heard of a Freesia, and we're all still wondering WTF an SIA is and is it weird to be giving them out for free? If anyone can enlighten us please drop us an email!
24-48 hours before this she carefully orders the best blooms based on the wedding themes, seasonality and colour schemes.
8:30 AM: Conditioning Flowers
Back at her workshop, Hannah starts preparing the flowers. This includes cutting stems, removing thorns and leaves, and placing them in freshwater to ensure they re-hydrate and start to open. They need at least 4 hours drinking before being used so today Hannah will use flowers that she has already conditioned previously today. (For weddings most flowers need about 2-3 days conditioning as we want flowers to be open and at their most glorious, although some flowers that don’t ‘open’ can be used on the same day. )
9:30 AM: Bouquet and Boutonniere Assembly
Hannah begins assembling the bridal bouquet and bridesmaids' bouquets, carefully arranging the flowers to match the wedding theme and the bride's preferences. She also creates boutonnieres for the groom and groomsmen. These are stored in a hydration chamber to firm up the petals and keep them as fresh as possible. It also makes them last longer on the day.
11:00 AM: Flower Ordering for Next Week's Weddings
At 11:00 AM, Hannah takes a break from her current wedding preparations to focus on her upcoming projects. She needs to order flowers for the weddings she'll be working on next week. This process can take up to an hour as she has to carefully make the most of the flower budget to cover all the items needed. Flower availability changes on a daily basis, so she carefully plans her orders to ensure she gets the best blooms while staying within the budget.
1:00 PM: Lunch Break
Yeah right, no time for that! Hannah normally grabs anything available to eat while in the midst of wedding chaos... being completely honest its usually a can coca cola (strictly ice cold) and chocolate. No judging pls.
2:00 PM: Delivery Prep
After lunch, Hannah starts packing the floral arrangements, making sure they are properly secured and will travel well. She loads them into her van, ensuring everything is organised for easy setup later at the wedding venues.
3:30 PM: Wedding Venue Setups
Hannah and her team head to the first wedding venue to set up the floral arrangement structures. They carefully arrange the structures, ensuring they complement the overall decor and ambiance of the venue but also health & safety. Everything must be reasonably secured and checked with the venue. Actual flowers are usually installed at venues on the morning of the wedding.
5:00 PM: Second Venue Setup
Depending on her schedule, Hannah may have another wedding to attend on the same day. After completing the first setup, they quickly move to the next venue and repeat the process.
7:00 PM: Final Touches
Back at the workshop or on-site, Hannah makes any last-minute adjustments or touch-ups to the floral arrangements. She ensures everything is perfect for installation the next day. She will separate out the flowers into groups for different items on site to ensure smooth running and efficiency the next day. She also videos all of the bouquets to check for balance of aesthetic and makes any adjustments needed.
The last thing she does (maybe 11pm by the point) is make a super detailed plan for the wedding day with timings for deliveries and installations. It’s hard to believe but just packing a van with flowers can take 1+hours!
Being a wedding florist requires careful planning, creativity, and the ability to adapt to changing flower availability and client demands. Despite the challenges, the joy of bringing beauty to weddings and making couples' dreams come true makes it a truly fulfilling profession.
Are you getting married in Brighton / Sussex and need a wedding florist? Fill out an enquiry form on our website and we’ll get back to you within 24 hours.
Wedding Flowers Brighton