Why Choose Wedding Floristry?

September 15th, 2015 Career AdviceDesign Careers

If you have a passion for flowers and enjoy making arrangements for your own home, becoming a wedding florist might just be the perfect career choice for you. While wedding florists often have to work long hours before a wedding to get everything done, they also have greater flexibility in their working life and have the opportunity to be creative every day, helping people make their dream wedding come to life.

The wedding florist industry is unwavering and will continue to remain so, as people will always want to declare their love for one another and flowers will always play an integral part, not only during the ceremony but also at the reception.

The different types of wedding flowers

There are many ways that flowers can be featured at a wedding. A few examples include:

• Decorative arrangements for the ceremony venue.
• Petals for the aisle.
• Boutonnieres for the groom, groomsmen, father of the bride and father of the groom.
• Corsages for the mother of the bride and mother of the groom (sometimes also both grandmothers).
• Bridal bouquet – There are many different styles of bridal bouquets, from cascade to posy, nosegay and arm sheaf.
• Bouquets for the bridesmaids.
• Arrangements for each table at the reception.
• Arrangements for the main bridal table and additional areas in the reception venue.

Couples may choose to have a selection or all of the above and more.

Like any career, it’s important that you start with a solid foundation of education. This is necessary regardless of whether you want to work for a wedding florist, or to start your own floristry business. Getting some on-the-job training and experience is extremely beneficial too.

The important things you’ll learn

When learning to become a wedding florist, the essential aspects you will need to learn are:

• The best flowers for each season – Depending on the time of year someone is getting married, certain flowers will be in season and at their best. As a wedding florist you’ll be able to guide the happy couple to select in-season flowers that suit their style, colour palette, and theme.
• A variety of flowers and plants – Different plants are also used in wedding floristry, and so it’s important for you to know what they are and how to use them to best effect. The same goes for certain flowers that always seem to remain a popular choice for bridal bouquets and wedding arrangements. Different arrangements require different floral elements, and every florist needs to know what sort of flowers will look best to use for boutonnieres, bouquets and table centerpieces.
• How to make each type of wedding flower arrangement – While artistic ability and creative flair play a major role in wedding floristry, you also need to know the basic elements of design required for each different type of arrangement.
• How to store flowers – Different species of flowers need to be stored in specific ways to remain fresh and to prevent them from wilting. This is one of the more technical aspects of your course, and so will require a good education-basis.
• Dealing with clients – As a wedding florist, your job is to bring the vision of the bride and groom to life. It’s therefore important for you to learn the important skills needed to ask the right questions to find out exactly what your clients want, as well as how to deduce and negotiate the price.
• Setting up and taking away your floral designs – As a wedding florist, you’ll be required to deliver your flowers and set them up at the designated venues. You’ll also need to return and take them down in some cases, and this will require liaising with venue staff or the wedding event planner.
• The importance of having an online presence, and how to go about setting this up – Today it’s absolutely essential to have an online presence that allows you to showcase your work to customers, and give them ideas about the type of wedding floral arrangements you can offer them. Most couples will start their search online when looking for their wedding florist, so having a searchable website is of paramount importance.

Your course should cover all of the points above and more to give you a thorough understanding of wedding floristry, so you can kickstart your career with confidence. The courses in Floristry offered by ICI will also offer advice and knowledge on how to market your business.

Why choose wedding floristry

If you would consider yourself to be a creative or artistic individual, floral design is a great choice. While it often involves early starts so you can select your flowers from the markets, it’s also extremely rewarding to create new and beautiful floral pieces every day that people will enjoy on one of the most important days in their life.

The wedding industry survives even when all other industries may suffer, and this is because no matter what is going on in the world, people will always want to get married. Studies also show that no matter what the economic climate may be, most couples won’t cut down or compromise on cost when it comes to their wedding.

For a creative career in an unwavering industry, floristry is an exceptional choice. Once you’ve completed your ICI course and have had some hands-on training and experience, you’ll soon be on your way to working for a major floral designer or starting your very own wedding flower business.

by Gladys Mae

Gladys Mae serves as the General Manager and Head of Student Services at the International Career Institute. Gladys holds a degree in Mass Communication - Broadcast Media from the University of San Jose-Recoletos. She joined ICI in 2010 and has over the past 12 years been instrumental in providing leadership and guidance to staff and students alike. Prior to joining ICI Gladys led a multifaceted career with key roles in the banking and business process outsourcing industries.