Ask a Wedding Florist: Frequently Asked Questions Vol. 1
I'm pulling back the curtain! If you’ve ever wondered what a wedding and event florist REALLY does besides playing with beautiful flowers, this series is for you! This post covers questions like "What does a wedding florist actually do?" to “How much do wedding flowers cost?” to “Where do you get your flowers?” and more.
If you’ve ever wondered what a wedding florist REALLY does (besides playing with beautiful flowers all day — because spoiler, there’s more), this series is for you!
Over the next few weeks, I’ll be answering the most common (and surprising) questions I get about my work as a floral designer for weddings and events in the San Francisco Bay Area. From pricing to logistics to design process, I’m pulling back the curtain on the sometimes-illusive career of floral design.
I’m kicking things off with the basics. If you have any burning questions, drop them in the comments and I will answer them in an upcoming post!
1. What does a wedding florist actually do?
A wedding florist conceptualizes, sources, designs, delivers, and installs all floral elements for weddings. This includes everything from bouquets and centerpieces to larger-scale installations like a ceremony arch. While a lot of the hands-on work happens the week of the wedding, 6-12 months of pre-planning involves proposals, design decks, supplier orders, budgeting, logistics and timelines, sourcing other rental items like vases and candles, and staffing.
2. How much do wedding flowers cost?
It varies! A common guideline is to allocate 10-15% of the total wedding budget to florals. My clients typically spend between $20-45K on florals. And if you’re curious what goes into the expense of wedding flowers, check out this blogpost I wrote here.
3. Where do you get your flowers?
I source my flowers from the San Francisco Flower Market (one of the largest wholesale flower markets in the US!), as well as a few local Bay Area flower farms. I prioritize small growers and collectives when possible to source the freshest, most unique seasonal blooms while supporting sustainable floristry.
4. What’s the hardest part about wedding floristry?
I’d say the physical demands (early morning market runs, long hours on your feet, lifting heavy buckets, climbing ladders for installations) paired with the unpredictability of the business (perishable product, time constraints, sourcing surprises, tricky weather). Lots of coffee, flexibility, and problem solving!
5. What’s the best part of wedding floristry?
Of course, being surrounded by beautiful flowers is a dream—but what truly makes it rewarding for me is the ability to take a vision, refine and elevate it, and use color theory and design to transform a space in ways my clients never imagined. I also thrive on the teamwork and collaboration with planners and other vendors, the energy of a fast-paced event day, and delivering a seamless, thoughtful client experience. That’s at the heart of my business and where I shine the most!
6. What are your favorite flowers to work with?
I cannot possibly pick one but here are some favorites by season. All photos via GC Collective.
WINTER & SPRING
SUMMER
FALL
If you have any specific questions, drop them here as a comment :) I will answer in an upcoming post!
Let’s Bring Your Floral Vision to Life!
Wedding flowers aren’t just a line item; they’re a work of art that powerfully sets the tone – transforming your venue and creating lasting impressions for your guests.
Inquire here to schedule a consultation, and we can start a journey together that will elevate your vision beyond the imaginable.
Romantic Berkeley Hills Backyard Wedding
A foggy fall day in October served as the perfect setting for this backyard wedding in the Berkeley Hills. Read on for how the bride’s grandmother’s gardens inspired a ground-up floral installation.
Look no further than the bride’s grandmother’s Berkeley Hills backyard for an intimate wedding! Celeste and Mark exchanged their wedding vows on a foggy fall day in October, with their closest friends and family gathered by their sides.
For their floral design, I drew inspiration from the beautiful on-site gardens meticulously looked after by the bride’s grandmother. Their garden-side ceremony centered around a focal ground-up installation of antique hydrangea, roses, and autumnal foliage. Dainty centerpieces, bud vases, potted herbs, and plentiful candlelight lined one long family-style dinner that sat beneath market lights. I still can’t get over that powder blue linen table runner from La Tavola.
Apollo Fotografie captured their day so well. Here are some of my favorites.
VENDORS
Photography: Apollo Fotografie
Planner: KLDC Events
Floral Design: Anastasia Andenmatten
Rentals: La Tavola Linen
HMU: Marisa Perel
Catering: Anaviv Catering
Anastasia Andenmatten is a floral design studio based in the San Francisco Bay Area with a modern approach to customizing florals for weddings, businesses, and events.
Intimate Summer Elopement at Lands End
A few selects from Taryn & Jeff’s elopement. One of the more adventurous setups for me and my crew -- we hiked the ceremony floral installation, piece by piece, down the hills of Sutro Baths in some crazy winds! So worth it.
When Taryn and Jeff were forced to postpone their original wedding plans, they were bummed, of course. But then they got the idea to elope at their favorite beach not too far from their home and have their best friend officiate. They felt a lil rebellious and were excited for their day all over again!
The couple chose a cove tucked into the cliffside for their ceremony spot. Here I drew inspiration from the blooming hillsides to create a grounding element. A low floral installation of rudbeckia, geranium leaves, queen anne's lace, honeysuckle, yarrow, and bunnytail grasses framed them in a semicircle shape, and danced in the ocean breeze as they exchanged their vows. The installation was entirely foam-free and designed with blooms locally sourced from Bluma Farm. This was one of the more adventurous setups for me and my crew -- we hiked the ceremony floral installation, piece by piece, down the hills of Sutro Baths in some crazy winds! So worth it.
For Taryn’s bouquet, I used bright and airy ingredients to keep the bouquet light and delicate. Buttery butterfly ranunculus, cheery queen lime orange zinnias, dancey white cosmos -- plus yarrow and hydrangea for dynamic texture. One of my favorite bouquets of 2020!
Nat & Co Events put together the sweetest picnic for the two tucked into a eucalyptus grove at Lands End, complete with champagne, a charcuterie board, and a cake by Blooms End. For their tablescape, I created an ikebana-style arrangement of rudbekia accented by a fruitscape of blackberries, apricots, and citrus fruits.
One of my favorite parts about Taryn & Jeff’s elopement was that they invited friends to join them beachside that evening for a bonfire party, where they repurposed their ceremony installation florals for added decor. I love how sustainable design gives in so many ways!
Ellie Koleen Photography captured Taryn & Jeff’s day beautifully. Here are some of my favorites!
VENDORS
Photography: Ellie Koleen Photography
Planner: Nat & Co Events
Floral Design: Anastasia Andenmatten
Cake: Blooms End
We’re currently booking 2022 weddings and events! Inquire here.
A Wintry Wedding at Cavallo Point
An intimate elopement, breathtaking views, and soft, wintry blooms at one of my favorite Bay Area venues — Cavallo Point Lodge in Sausalito.
Cavallo Point Lodge in Sausalito is easily one of my favorite venues in the San Francisco Bay Area and Northern California overall. Breathtaking views of the Golden Gate bridge, the bay, the San Francisco skyline, AND the Marin hills -- all from one spot. The setting is historic, and accommodations are pure luxury (I love that couples and their guests can spend the night here, so convenient). All of this to say, this was a super sweet spot for Maria and Matt’s intimate elopement celebration.
For Maria’s bridal bouquet I started with panda anemones (her favorite!) as a focal flower, then incorporated softer wintry tones. I used autumn eucalyptus as an ode to the many eucalyptus trees found around the Cavallo Point property, brown lisianthus, white sweetpeas, scabiosa, and a pop of berry-like elements for texture. Light and airy bud vases and centerpieces in warm metallic pedestal vases added the perfect amount of warmth to their al fresco candlelight dinner.
California elopement photographer Natalie N captured their day so well. Scroll tot see some of my favorites!
VENDORS
Photography: Natalie N
Floral Design: Anastasia Andenmatten
Venue: Cavallo Point Lodge
Anastasia Andenmatten is a floral design studio based in the San Francisco Bay Area with a modern approach to customizing florals for weddings, businesses, and events.
A Parisian-Inspired Autumn Wedding at Filoli Gardens
Paris meets California for this autumn wedding at the iconic Filoli Gardens.
Filoli Gardens in Woodside, California is hands down one of the most magical and iconic wedding venues in the San Francisco Bay Area and beyond. With perfectly manicured grounds, vivid gardens, old world architecture, and winding brick pathways, a wedding day here has guests traveling gracefully from ceremony, to cocktail hour, to dinner and dancing.
When I was tapped by luxury wedding planner Erica Estrada Design to create florals for an intimate autumn wedding there, I couldn’t wait to get started. For the day’s design we aimed to bring Parisian influence to the California garden setting. The bride’s custom Vera Wang gown very much added to that inspiration, and Erica curated a stellar team of luxury wedding vendors to bring the rest of the vision to life.
For the bride’s bouquet, I chose a monochromatic palette of creamy white blooms to complement the bride’s luxe gown and limited the number of ingredients to add a contemporary twist. The bride and groom chose to celebrate with their guests over an intimate meal in the lush ‘Yew Alley’, which is beautifully lined with Irish Yews, apple and peach trees. So for the tablescape, I incorporated rich copper tones as a nod to California’s autumn season and to bring warmth to the vivid greenery of the grounds. The old world-inspired stationary suite by Casa de Perrin juxtaposed with new world tabletop items brought an unexpected element to the design. Parisian-inspired furniture from The Copper Rose was the prettiest final touch to bring everything together.
Fine art film photographer Sean Thomas Photography perfectly captured the day. Below I’m sharing some of my favorite moments. See the full feature on Style Me Pretty here.
VENDORS
Wedding Venue: Filoli Gardens
Photography: Sean Thomas Weddings
Cinematography: Hugo Film Co
Event Design: Erica Estrada Design
Floral Design: Anastasia Andenmatten
Wedding Dress: Vera Wang
Cake: What's More Cake
Invitations: Epoch Designs
Wedding Bands: Cartier
Hair: Bridal Buns
Groom's Attire: Suit Supply
Rentals: The Copper Rose
