Do you have questions about wedding florals? Let’s talk to Courtney from Cone Flower Designs!// Austin Wedding Vendor Interviews
Finding wedding vendors can be a long, time-consuming process. There so many websites, emails, and consultation calls. It can be overwhelming!
I want to help cut down on some of that by introducing you to vendors that have beautiful work and that I trust.
Today I want to introduce you to Courtney from CONE FLOWER DESIGNS and THE SIMPLE CONE. She is a fantastic florist and an all-around great human. We talk about budgets, DIY vs professional florals, how COVID has affect the floral industry, and lots more!
Let’s get into it!
Can you tell us a little bit about your business(es) and how you got started?
I graduated from Texas A&M in 2018 (whoop!) with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Horticulture with a focus in floral design and a minor in Recreational, Park, and Tourism Sciences. I also was able to obtain my Professional Event Management Certification.
Cone Flower Designs was established in 2018 after I graduated from college. I wanted to create a floral company for brides to have a one stop shop for all things floral related. I have a deep passion for bringing floral visions to life, so after interning and working at several floral companies I decided to take a leap of faith and go all in by starting my own floral business. Working to create someone's dream in real life is what I love to do. Another aspect I work towards is educating clients about the floral industry and what exactly goes into each design. I offer alternative flower choices that work within each clients budget as well as tips and tricks to get the most out of a floral budget.
How far out should a couple book a florist for their wedding?
With 2.5 million weddings this year I would recommend booking a florist as soon as possible. That goes for all vendors as well. We’re already booking for fall of 2023. If there’s a specific vendor you know you want, I suggest you lock them down now!
Why is it better to invest in professional florals than going DIY?
Booking a professional is much better than DIY for many reasons. When booking a professional you don’t have to worry about product dying, keeping blooms in a cooler space, mechanics, product not coming in, etc. The stress is taken out of it and most people who don’t handle florals everyday don’t understand the proper and important way to process and keep flowers alive. When brides choose to DIY 9/10 times I hear that they regret it because it doesn’t come out the way they envisioned it. As a professional we have access to a much broader range of tools than someone who is DIYing.
What is the average budget that a couple should have for florals? (75 guests, 3 bridesmaids, 3 groomsmen, 2 parents on both sides)
Cost really depends on guest count, budget and color palette. I would say for the above items you’re looking at $1,500.00-$2,000.00. We work with all budgets to try and achieve our brides dreams. You could also have a $5,000.00 budget for the above items because they might want a nice ceremony install or over the top centerpieces. I wouldn’t say we have a set average budget that our brides spend because each one is so different.
What if a couple does greenery only? Will they save some money?
If you only did greenery for a wedding, yes, you would probably “save” some money. I have a handful of brides tell me this and the reason being is they have a smaller budget to begin with. This is completely fine but using only greenery isn’t always the answer.
How has COVID, labor shortages, and inclement weather affected the flower industry?
There’s been a supply issue for months now due to the weather affecting the production of flowers on the farms. COVID has affected employees who work on the farms, shipping, growing, etc. Every aspect of the floral industry has been affected by all three of those factors you mentioned.
We ask our brides to be open minded to different florals and greenery. We have to make substitutions because sometimes that’s all we can get. It’s hopefully getting back on the right track but who knows when it’ll be back to “normal”.
Should couples have a backup plan for their flowers? If so, what should that look like?
Couples should always have a backup plan. Once again, being open minded helps this tremendously! Your backup plan should include the adjustment of florals. It would look something like this: If you’re getting married outside and we’re doing an install on a tree we might have to move the wedding inside due to weather. We would create that same install but with different mechanics and build it up on the ground. Or you could have an arch as a backdrop.
There’s many situations to think about and how we can change the design. The hard thing with florals is that we create items ahead of time. Sometimes we can change our set up the day of, but we try to do everything we can to give our brides what they want.
What is floral repurposing and how does it work?
Ahhh I love repurposing flowers! Everything we make for the ceremony we try to make it to where it can be used at the reception. For example, bridesmaids bouquets as centerpieces, aisle markers as centerpieces or even a garland (depending on how they’re made), arch pieces as decor for a mantle, sweetheart table, etc. There’s many ways to repurpose florals and this helps with staying within budget too! Definitely ask your florist how your items can be repurposed.
What happens to the flowers at the end of the night?
We normally don’t clean up after we set a wedding so I’m not sure but majority of the time our centerpieces and florals are given as thank you’s to our couples guests. We create our florals in containers or vases that our brides can keep. We encourage our couples to do this for two reasons. One reason being if you’re investing in florals for your big day we want YOU to keep them for as long as possible and two we want your guests to be able to enjoy them too. Unfortunately, things get thrown away sometimes but that’s the couple's decision not ours.
What is a misconception that people have about the floral industry that you want to correct?
That greenery and baby’s breath is cheap. THIS IS NOT TRUE. Greenery and baby’s breath is expensive and everything you read online isn’t true. Haha
Where can people find you and your business? (Instagram, Facebook, website, etc.)
You can check out our website www.coneflowerdesigns.com as well as our Facebook and Instagram page.
Thank you so much to Courtney for taking the time to do this interview with me! I hope this was helpful for your search for a florist!
If you are still searching for a wedding florist, please reach out to CONE FLOWER DESIGNS. You will not be disappointed!