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HappiLife Wedding Process

meredith250

Updated: 5 days ago

Flowers are at the centre of wedding celebrations and photos which creates a lot of pressure! In 2021 I made the leap into designing and delivering flowers for weddings and learned how the perishable blooms have to survive hours of photo shoots in extreme outdoor environments, transportation through the mountains, and a lot of handling by people who are new to handling flowers.


I've taken the opportunity as a flower farmer to land on a collaborative approach to wedding florals which is somewhat unique. My goal with this blog is to help set expectations so all of our on and off farm wedding flowers can be both beautiful and fun. (living our 'happi life' values)


Rachel and Forrest September 2024
Rachel and Forrest September 2024

Here's a look at the process behind a wedding from September of 2024. First a note from the bride:


 "Meredith went above and beyond for our wedding florals! Her attention to detail and creativity are top-tier! We loved the experience of visiting the farm and picking out our flowers. We cannot recommend her enough!" Rachel and Forrest


Rachel had found us at happilife.ca and completed the enquiry form and uploaded and inspiration pic. She had set out a fair budget for everything she wanted and was flexible to work with the local seasonal flowers we would have in bloom. A one-hour conversation was enough to know we wanted to work together.


I put together a detailed quote with her inspiration pictures and notes, then with all the details nailed down they put down a deposit to secure their date.


apricot lisianthus
apricot lisianthus

A week before the big day I started looking at what was in bloom and potential colour combinations. The original design called for white with possible pink touches BUT these apricot Lisianthus cried to be in a wedding bouquet.


I sent Rachel a pic and she had a resounding YES to shifting to this in-season palette. Lisianthus generally bloom a first flush in August and a second flush in September. The rose-like blooms are also very tough.






first look at flowers
first look at flowers

Flowers need to be harvested in cool early mornings (or evenings) and are cut right into clean buckets of water. Sometimes I add a little preservative depending on the weather and types of flowers. They then get 'conditioned' or hydrated for a minimum of 2 hours in a cool shaded location.


I laid out all of the flowers I harvested for the wedding and the whole family showed up to have a look at the process. I'm a bit protective about making sure the couple gets clear input on the design decisions, but most couples are happy to have a key person to bounce decisions off of. And its fun to create with others.


In the flower field
In the flower field

After reviewing flowers and vases, we visit the flower field. Occasionally people want to add something I missed harvesting, or delete a bloom they don't love. (It won't hurt my feelings). Next we get down to business designing the most important focal pieces for the wedding couple.





Here's me at my fussiest making sure the size and style work for the main bouquet, and that everything of course is picture perfect. I try to wrap the bouquet right away to secure it - although flowers like to do there own thing and move around!


if there's time we'll design at least one other wedding party floral and one centrepiece or bud vase grouping. I also have a DIY option where the wedding party create all of their own flowers if they have time. It can save a bit of time and money on my end, but I highly recommend to let us handle packing, delivery and set up the day of the event.


Of course I can also manage the full design process based on your input.


ceremony flowers
ceremony flowers
reception flowers
reception flowers











Many couples I work with are trying to get a really stunning wedding and still manage the costs. One way we did this for Rachel and Forrest was to move the ceremony flowers to the head table and the seating chart while cocktails were being served. I'm happy to do this but I have to account for the extra time on site, which can be a few hours.


For a full wedding like this plan for a budget starting at $3,000 including tax. I will look at 'a la carte' ways to keep the flower budget lower if needed, but if you want a full story board quote, and farm design and local delivery think about $1,500 as your minimum starting point. Also if you want more flowers, or to bring in your own designer I'm happi to talk!


Just know that if you ask for specific flower varieties like ranunculus 'almandine' and snowdrops in August, or peonies in September, I'll likely reply:


"we have a wide variety of colours and types of seasonal blooms that we will use to create your beautiful unique design based on your vision."


Working with seasonal farm fresh flowers is not less expensive or less work BUT it is far more sustainable for the planet; and I happen to think locally grown flowers have a unique quality that is a perfect match for our beautiful relaxed brides!



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