Ask the Fargo – Moorhead Wedding Florist | Wedding Planning Series

Part 7 – Ask the Fargo – Moorhead Wedding Florist
Abby Anderson Wedding Planning Series
for Fargo – Moorhead Brides

Earlier this winter I planned a shoot for my brand film. (More on that soon!) I needed a bridal bouquet, so I  reached out to a few dear friends and talented vendors who do wedding flowers in the Fargo-Moorhead area. In the process, I gained a lot of respect for what florists do! It also became clear to me how challenging it can be for brides to choose flowers for their wedding. There are so many different colors and textures, in-season, out of season… how is a girl to choose? This month, I’m interviewing three talented ladies who design for weddings. They have a lot of wisdom to share, and I’m excited for you to learn from them! Maybe you’ll even gain some wedding flower inspiration from the images in this post! (SO. MUCH. PRETTY.)

Flowers by Ranee
Ranee Nash
Garden, Texture, Color

From Ranee: My first official wedding with my own business was December 2010.  I’ve always had a passion for flowers but wanted to take some community class(es) to increase my knowledge of how to arrange flowers.  Long story short, I ended up going to Koehler & Dramm Institute of Floristry (Mpls) for a week long basic design class. After the first day of class I was so excited I could not sleep that night!  I found my passion and after several years of taking vacation days to go to week long classes, I graduated with a Diploma of Floral Art Sciences. I worked for a floral shop and then eventually built a studio and started my own business. My style definitely leans towards a loose garden style but I love all styles as they each have a wonderful way of connecting with individuals.

Budget, Color, where do you want the most “bang for your buck”?
What is your favorite current wedding trend?
Greenery is a big 2017 trend along with oversized loose bouquets & vibrant color schemes.
What is your personal favorite flower and why?
Too many favorites, but I love the light fragrance of Stock.

Give me your best tip for creating a BIG impact without a big budget.
Pick areas where you want the “wow” factor and spend the majority of your budget there. Height always adds drama.

Love Always Floral
Christy Tehven
Whimsy, Natural, Joyful

From Christy: Love Always Floral was founded through a passion to help spread joy and love in our community!   We get to take natural elements and create them into a beautiful piece sent to loved ones. The name Love Always is based off of my grandmother’s enclosure to every card.  “Love Always” ,  Grandma Lois. Our logo is her signature. I couldn’t image a better way to found a company,   but out of love + joy for others!

When a bride is choosing her wedding flowers, what are the first things she needs to decide?
Find a theme,  picture or art piece that inspires you!    From there it is fun for your florist to help you land on types of flowers,  shapes, sizes and color palettes that best fit your style.    Our favorite thing is meeting with brides and developing floral themes that describe who they are as a person!  

What is your favorite current wedding trend?
I am in love with the natural monochromatic color tones and designing pieces with different depths and textures. Pick a couple colors in the same palette and really let your florist play off those tones to design a piece specific to your style!

What is your personal favorite flower and why?
Oh gosh!  This is always a hard question as it varies almost monthly! Currently,  I am in love with lisianthus! They are so natural and bloom out in multiple color tones giving your arrangements more depth and dimension in the same color palette.

Give me your best tip for creating a BIG impact without a big budget.
Put your dollars where pictures are going to be taken or where people’s attention will be focused! Instead of trying to make your entire venue spectacular,  make your head table absolutely incredible! Or design an entrance piece that will completely “wow” your guests!
What are some flowers and styles that are getting “tired”?
Hmm,  this is a tough one to answer as each bride has her own style.  I would say the one style that you seem to see less of is “rustic”  the mason jars combined with the burlap.  It seems to have moved onto more of a vintage mixed with modern elements, which we love!

Blue Barn Event Floral
Allison Lunde
Lush, Thoughtful, Garden

From Allison: I  have been in business for three years. I got started running my own business after working in Minneapolis at Sadie’s Couture Floral and Event Styling, some weekends we would have 15 weddings! I love the hustle and how busy it was, but I wanted to go out on my own and be able to meet the brides I was designing for. I designed from my house in the cities and then we moved back to Fargo about a year ago. I have moved into a studio (hopefully opening it soon) and I can’t wait to see what happens this year!When a bride is choosing her wedding flowers, what are the first things she needs to decide?
Colors are a number one, then probably the style of the day, i.e. modern, elegant, clean… The style of the bouquets can vary from garden-esque to a roundy mound.
What is your favorite current wedding trend?
Textures. I love using all different textures, from soft ranunculus, to dried elements like mushrooms, I love using out of the box elements to make the bouquet fit the style of the day. Greens are also a great way to play with textures.
What is your personal favorite flower and why?
My favorite flower is Ranunculus, they are so sweet and adorable. They have a ton of texture and so many layers involved! They are the best when they are in season in the spring, and get better with age.
Give me your best tip for creating a BIG impact without a big budget.
The best tip I can give about creating a big impact on a budget would be: be honest about your budget when meeting with us. Florist can create amazing works of art, and we know what is in season and what will get the big impact. Also another great way to get a big impact is to reuse ceremony décor in the reception, taking the arbor greenery down and moving it to the head table.
What are some flowers and styles that are getting “tired”?
I think that the traditional cascade and “perfect” rounded bouquets are getting tired. There are so many different flowers and greens out there, instead of the tight cascading bouquet, do something lush and draping with similar flowers.

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Thank you to Ranee, Christy and Allison for sharing their perspectives! I’m no florist, but I have one tip for you: add some hand dyed silk ribbon to your wedding bouquet! For my shoot, I ordered some silk ribbon from Frou Frou Chic online (color: Meil) and for $35, it added a touch of luxury to my bouquet. I’m obsessed.  Here’s a photo! (Thanks to Flowers by Ranee for the incredible design!) Have a Happy Wednesday!

This is the continuation of our Wedding Planning Series. Check out other posts in the series here:

Part 1: Five Tips for Choosing a Wedding Dress
Part 2: Tips for Your Engagement Session
Part 3: Night Wedding Photography
Part 4: Creating Timelines
Part 5: Heirloom Wedding Albums
Part 6: Where to Find Your Prints Charming

Abby Anderson is a Wedding Photographer in Fargo, ND + Moorhead, MN
Visit her website here: www.abbyanderson.com