The Floral CEO

 

Hello, flower friends. This is Jen, and we're gonna talk about how to flawlessly deliver a experience or deliver a wedding. Really delivering a wedding is delivering an experience, and that experience is part of your brand. We just came this last week, we had the business bouquets and branding workshop, which is one of my fun...

I think one of my funnest workshops from a kind of immersive brand standpoint because we're really digging in. We actually had, kind of round table discussion about what they feel like their brand is right now, where they want their brand to go, what's one of the biggest things that they could change to get themself moving in that direction of having that brand.

And, it maybe just for one, the workshop was absolutely stunning. If you've never been to one of my workshops, I always have some type of styled shoot component. I often, just so that I can maximize for whatever venue, try to have some type of open house for them to be able to showcase everything.

But then all of my workshops are different on kinda like the purpose. And so the purpose here was really diving into branding and having an exceptional portfolio for you to share on your social media, your website, all the things. So we had this beautiful styled shoot, and it was lavender and buttery yellow and, like, a fern green.

It was absolutely stunning. And I always bring in vendors to collaborate to make it as wedding as possible, to make it as beautiful actually looking like a wedding, and so it's not just looking like a styled shoot. And so bringing in all those different components so that we really have a well-rounded picture that somebody just doesn't look at it and think it's not a wedding.

I also... My workshops are really geared more towards you could sell this for a wedding. I know that we could make some epic shit. We could. But if you're putting those things in there and they often are, like, some kind of crazy thing on a castle or, something that doesn't speak to this is a really a wedding, I don't feel that's serving your portfolio as great as making something that for one is an experience that's very similar to how you would execute a wedding.

And two, pictures that you can put in your portfolio that are really, look like something you would execute so that a bride or a couple actually pictures themself having those type of items, and you executing those type of items. But it was absolutely beautiful and stunning, but I brought some vendors in to collaborate, and had, exchanged pictures and did all these things, and a couple of them, like in the end, even though they were absolutely stunning and beautiful, it wasn't what we like really talked about in the beginning, and I felt like the pictures that we shared.

So it was different, 📍 and I do understand if people are donating their time and things look different because they were creatively drawn to something. But I felt like that could have been a communication, and it made me sit back and really think about the wedding experience and making sure that you are setting up your wedding so that there is such clear understanding of what is being delivered.

I don't remember a time that I've ever delivered something and somebody said, "That wasn't the colors that I wanted," or, "That wasn't what we talked about." I, after 1,700 weddings, I, I haven't had that, you guys. Because I deliver a wedding experience that has fueled my brand, that I provide an experience that I'm very thorough, I'm very get it done, I'm very honest.

I actually just had a phone conversation and the bride texts me 'cause the church is having all this problem with what we designed, which I don't understand. But they're like, "There's gonna be a chair there, and you're not gonna see it, and why are you spending the money on something?" Blah, blah, blah.

They sent me these things that are plant stands that they should use at their altar, and I frankly told them that it would look like Michael's had showed up a- at their wedding and that I, from my understanding with interacting with them the, over the last year, like that's just not the vibe that they're looking for.

And so to best suit the vibe, I'm making this s- suggestion. And so I'm really transparent, really blunt almost but not in a way that's just gonna make somebody feel horrible. But I really communicate the vision, what I'm doing, how I'm executing it, any questions like that could potentially down the road complicate anything.

So then I had a, a wedding and it... This is why this episode really came up, because then I had a wedding on Saturday that was a bouquets only wedding, and also boutonnieres and corsages. So I delivered this and, like, when I bride walk in, like, the bride's beaming. And I made a very delicious butter yellow and pinky bouquet for her.

It was so good. It was like, peonies and pink ranunculus that were, like, on steroids, and buttery yellow stock, and candlelight roses. It was just... It was so pretty. But I nailed it, and it made me reflect on the different experiences that I had earlier in that week that I feel like we didn't nail it because I wasn't on the same page.

It doesn't make what they made any less beautiful. What they made is beautiful, but in my mind, I was like, "That isn't what I expected." And so I feel like half of your wedding is making sure that we have super clear expectations. So that flawless delivery that I hope that everyone kind of strives for starts way before your wedding.

Um, a wedding is not delivered flawlessly because you hustled harder that morning. It c- it starts when you start interacting with that client. It starts with a clear proposal. It starts with making sure that you're accurate on your recipes to match your pricing structure and to match what you have sold.

It matters with the correct counts of items, understanding all the installation logistics, knowing the venue, knowing the timing, and having a clear production plan. A flawless delivery is built days before you are in a loading tuck, you guys. And I think that that is one thing that we really struggle with, 'cause most people are like, "On the day of is what matters."

And you need to know all the details of what to be doing that day before the day starts. So, things like where to park, how far the walk is, the stairs, the elevator, the load-in rules, the time restrictions, if there's room flips, if there's candle policies, what times tables, chairs, linens, et cetera, are set.

If you don't know the venue logistics, period, the most beautiful flowers can turn into absolute chaos. So understanding those details are something that I always, if I know it's a really tricky venue, I'm, like, starting to ask those questions- sometimes even during the consult, because some venues give ridiculous set-up timings, you guys.

And I'm gonna be straight up, and if I don't book that wedding off of being the honest florist that understands the real pla- problems with their venues, then that wasn't my wedding. So I wanna understand where to park, and if I, if I don't know the venue, I would even happily discuss that, because there is a wedding venue in here in Minneapolis at the IDS Tower.

It's called Windows Of Minnesota. The shittiest parking and load-in, you guys. So not only am I going into a, especially on a weekend, a security kind of an underground parking garage, I then have to find a security guard, which for some reason is really hard for anybody to be available. I don't know what they're doing, but they're doing shit other than their job.

It drives me crazy. Then I have to back into this loading dock, and then I have to get in, find carts, which is also a very hard feat. And so I'm often having to bring some type of cart, which then I'm having to budget for having that loaded in and taking up space. Then I have to go in, down a hallway to a f- a elevator.

Then I have to go up to the 50th floor, you guys. 50th., It's just, it's absolutely crazy. And maybe I'm not remember the 50th, but it, the 50th seems correct, 'cause I've been there so much, and every time I feel like I'm gonna throw up in this elevator. And then one time, I accidentally got out because I thought I was where I was supposed to be because the door opened.

And I got locked. It was like The Shining. I was locked in this white room that all the doors were locked in, and it's concrete painted brick, and I was stuck in there for an hour. An hour. So then I had to call security and had to have them come and get me, and that, that's why it took an hour, 'cause it was...

I didn't even know what floor I was on. It was so crazy. So understanding, like, all these logistics is so important to make sure that you're delivering a wedding, because I have also seen people get so behind that, other vendors so behind because they didn't understand that. A DJ is so behind getting his equipment in because load-in was so bad.

So understanding that is a key, because if you can't make sure that you're delivering in a timely manner, you're gonna get behind, then there's gonna be all sorts of angst and stress and, and just feelings. And Then the bride's gonna be nervous, or the planner's gonna be nervous, or the couple's gonna be nervous.

The mom is gonna be all up in your shit. You just need to make sure that you are really prepared, and I would rather be over-prepared than under-prepared. All right, then your production schedule matters so much. Flower delivery day, processing day, design day, load-in day, installation timelines. Y- you can talk about how your backward plan from delivery time, so "I'm doing this, and I'm doing that, and then I'm doing this."

A florist who wings that shit will always feel more stressed, and it's funny because that is one reason why some planners want to work with me. That is one reason why I think clients book me, i- because I tell them with utter confidence that I will not bring stress to their wedding day. There will be nothing stressful about their florist.

That is confidence that sells. Because I know logistics better than anyone in my market for the majority of venues. Because with the volume of weddings I've done, I've been there, done that, and I can, reduplicate it and make magic happen very easily. All right, the next thing to really consider is labeling things.

This is such a good practical point, but rarely executed. Personalized labels by role or name on, on your boutonnieres and corsages. If you have floor pieces that needed to go, or arch pieces that need to go in a certain order, making sure you label them accordingly. When you're unpacking, making sure the boxes that you're unpacking are going to the ceremony area, the reception area, so you're not moving shit a million times.

Having your installation mechanics, your flowers pulled for that, whatever, separated so that it's clearly, s- a freelancer walking in knows where to bring stuff. Rental items clearly grouped together so that... or the boxes, the return boxes, aren't under five tables. Putting them in a pile, telling the planner, telling the mother of the bride, "This is what is used to pack up the items at the end of the night, since you did not opt for me to come back and tear down everything."

Really easy. Labeling reduces dumb mistakes, 'cause dumb mistakes happen when everyone is tired, you guys. All right. The next thing is pack like an absolute psycho. This would be it is so easy to do, but so many people screw this up. I have this thing called an emergency kit. It is a tackle/toolbox looking thing, and in there I have everything on God's green earth.

I have tape, I have scissors, I have pins, I have lighters, I have Tide pens. I have extra ribbon, I have floral tape. I mean everything. Zip ties, whatever, it's all in there. A flawless florist is literally a over-prepared florist, because I often am saving another vendor's ass because I have all of these things magically in my toolbox.

All right. The next thing is personal flowers literally need their own system. I have, for my labeling system for my personal flowers, I get Vistaprint address labels. I remove all the content other than my logo. So I put my logo in like it was the initial or whatever. I keep them in a kind of tote or tray or, Target kind of plastic container, and they're in my cooler after they're done, labeled with the role, so groom, groomsmen, grandmother ring bearer, whatever.

And then I put them into a bag, and the reason why I put them into a bag is the most easily carryable from, for a planner to go from person to person, and also it takes less space up than a big box. I am transporting them carefully by hanging them on a hook in my van or putting them somewhere that they're not getting squished, but I have these craft paper bags that I stack them into.

In the morning when we load it up, we double-check counts, that we should have 17 plus an extra, and five corsages, whatever it would be. We're matching those counts up with what's loaded to make it as easy as possible. This is... There is absolutely nothing that makes you look less buttoned up when there's chaos around personal flowers, 'cause that is where the human interaction.

You're not interacting with someone as much as you are with a s- a centerpiece or a tablescape. You are creating an experience for every single person that you touch. Okay. Then build for transport, not for beauty. And this is, like, why I'm so a Nazi about my mechanics, because I do 90% of my installs- are made in my studio.

So that really comes down to the vessels, the cages, the trays, everything that I'm using. That stability the water, the mechanics, the proportions, how they're packed in a box, everything matter. So if a wedding cannot surpri- survive the drive, it is not designed well enough. If you break a ton of shit, it is not designed well enough.

From a mechanic standpoint I've also had I've had newer freelancers and they've only put their stems in an inch of foam. That is also not going to travel well. They will easily have the stems be pulled out if anything bumps them. So making sure that you are really designing for transport and fluffing on-site for beauty is really, really critical.

Then when you arrive on wedding day, and this is a huge one, you guys, a flawless delivery coming into wedding day means you are not coming in hot like you are cr- fricking crazy person and frantic. I call them tornadoes. People who arrive on-site like they're bringing a tornado into the venue is not fun for anyone.

There are a couple florists in my market that are absolutely like tornadoes in their weddings because they're doing too many of them. They're rushing, they're half-assing it, and they are just like go, go, go because they have to get to the next one. Y- you need to come in calm. You need to know what you're doing.

You need to have communicated clear and asked the right questions ahead of time. You need to calmly direct your team, have the assigned jobs to make sure that this person is doing the votives and they are taking it from the beginning to the end because then one person is accountable. I have, w- before I started a one-person job rule, I would have three pe- three pa, tables missing votives, and I had two people doing it, so nobody would take accountability that they fucked up.

So really making sure that we have an accountability structure so that then they're prompted to go and double-check their own work. This mel- helps make a planner feel relaxed. That energy just makes everybody feel relaxed. So remember, your energy matters just as much as your flowers. All right.

Then knowing what matters most on that day is also super important. Really prioritizing, like you know the bridal bouquet is going to be heavily photographed. You know the ceremony focal moment is going to be heavily photographed. The guest-facing impact areas, the head table, anything that's highly photographed, you need to make sure that if something goes sideways for whatever reason, you know that it's, it's not going to fail because you have thought through, if it's a weird installation and you're like, "This isn't working," you've already thought through what's going to work.

You are, are pre-planning for any potential little speed bump because you are a planning badass. You came in calm, collected, because you knew the plan if anything happened coming into that moment. All right. Then the next thing is really understanding I did everything that I was supposed to do. So this is more like your checklist before you leave.

So walking the space and don't just have your team... You need to do it. Are all the personals delivered correctly? Is I've even had it that the planner went and set all the personals out and two fell off the back of the table 'cause it was a skinny table. Well, those people would have thought that I didn't do something correctly.

No, somebody was a dumbass and didn't put it on the correct table. And then clarifying, hey, this is done beforehand by, by the way. The candles, who is lighting them? How are they getting lit? Because if you have to come back, you need to charge for that. Is the room fully styled or are there pieces that look half-ass?

Is there any trash left? Are there any stems? Have you explained where are the boxes for any rentals potentially, if they are return them are? Did you personally take photos and videos on site to make sure that you have it in case the bride or the planner or somebody in the future is saying that you didn't deliver accordingly?

Have you checked in with the planner? Have you checked in with the bride? Have you checked in with the mother if you had a relationship with her? Are all the family flowers accounted for? Like, all of these little things you should not... Don't leave a wedding like you are escaping. Leave it like you're the CEO and that you did the damn thing and you should be proud that it turned out this way because you are a rock star.

The, that is, that kind of confidence will start seeping in your business. I can flawlessly deliver a wedding, and I have super happy clients, and they love my work. I left and w- When I even arrived, I was calm, clear, and just on a mission to make this wedding as beautiful as possible. That is going to ha- really lead you down a path of a more fulfilling business, a more fulfilling life, because you are a rock star, and that is truly what is important, you feeling good at the end of the day.

So, some other things to really lessen the chaos is, and these are really five reasons why, a wedding can feel chaotic, is that you went into it with no timeline. You went into it with poor recipes. You went into it with bad mechanics. You went into it with really weak communication with your team.

You went into it not knowing your venue or the logistics and not asking any questions. You can avoid the chaos. You can... And this chaos that could ensue on wedding day will not just affect you that day. It can follow you, you guys, because then when that planner has another client and they're like, "We're considering hiring ABC Florist.

Do you have any expertise or experience with them?" If they had a shitty wedding day experience with you, they are sure as shit going to talk about it. There is no way in my mind. I went, I think it was, like, a week ago. It was about eight days ago. I picked up the rentals, and I met with a client for a design planning session for their linens and things like that, and at the end they go, "Jenny would love to ask your opinion on some things."

And I'm like, "Sure." They asked me my opinion on a bunch of wedding planners. They asked me my opinion on rental companies. They asked my opinion on stationery people. So if I've had any negative interaction, like, there was a, a planner that when they asked me about, I said, "Absolutely not. She," I said, "is not as detail-oriented that I feel that you guys would be looking for.

So that's problem number one. I think she does this very, very part-time, so she's not as invested in delivering an exceptional event, which is what I'm, I feel like you guys want, and she doesn't have an Instagram to support and look at any social proof of that she's actually doing weddings or what her weddings look like currently."

So to me, that's not a good fit for these people. You, that impression that you made with the cake person, the photographer, the planner, that could follow you for years, you guys. So that's why this game day go time is so important. So make sure that you have your CEO hat on. Make sure that you are going into your wedding day like the CEO you are with a timeline, with a plan, with perfect mechanics, solutions in case something doesn't go, the correct team to support.

That's another thing that often happens is you don't have the correct support team, so things just take longer. Make sure you are prepared. And if you're like, "I am really struggling with this. I have no idea where to even start," join the CEO, Floral CEO Mastermind because we talk about these important things.

And when you have a wedding setup come up, literally you have so many ways to get one-on-one advice about that exact wedding from, direct from me and other florists in the group that are in the trenches doing all the things. And you can get like, "I don't know how I'm gonna do this. I don't know how I'm gonna do this mechanic.

I don't know how I'm gonna make this thing. I don't know what this three-hour timeline should look like. I don't know what this..." any of those things you can ask. So this is a game changer, you guys. Go check it out at floralceo.com/mastermind. I wanna help change your business in 2026 and make you more successful with less stress, making more money, and just having a more fulfilling life.

Thank you so much for listening, flower friend, and you have an amazing flower-filled day.