Real or faux? How much are we going to pay? Does a floral artist (florist) do MORE than just put together my bouquets, boutonnieres and arrangements?
Wonder no more!
Not only did the AMAZING and stunning boss babes at Roses+Mint let us ask them the tough questions during a VERY busy time (the end of Valentines Day and beginning of spring), but they allowed me to spend a little bit of time with them to see some super cool behind the scenes work on how each member of the team as an important job THEN how various items are sculpted!
Tell us about yourself!
Hi!! Kira here. I’m the founder of this amazing flower family at Roses & Mint. We spend most of our time creating flower magic for weddings, though we also love designing flowers for all the other days in a person’s life. You can get the basics about me, Sarah, and Cynthia (and our amazing team) on our website…but enjoy a few fun facts below!
What made you take the leap from 9-5 to opening a floral business?
Flowers have been part of our lives for as long as we can remember, but the full-time jump happened when I (Kira) moved to the St. Louis area with my hubby’s job. I went all in about eight years ago!
Have you always wanted to be a floral artist?
I always knew I wanted flowers to be part of my life but I could have never guessed that passion would unfold as it has. I’m super grateful we get to express our artistry through flowers.
Are you a cat person? Dog person? Both?
I love and have them both. Sarah would definitely say DOGS (have you met Giorgio??!!)
What’s your go-to snack?
Sarah’s fave snack is actually coffee. Kira and Cynthia? CAKE ALL DAY.
What are three of your favorite flowers?
For Kira…garden roses! Sarah loves her peonies, and Cynthia is all about mums!
What is your favorite part of being a floral designer?
Connecting gorgeous flowers with couples and handing them something that has been crafted stem by stem JUST for them… it’s an honor of a lifetime each and every weekend!
What is your favorite wedding color combo?
We have several, as you can imagine!
Cynthia is all about cinnamon, toffee, and rust tones (peep her wedding pics on our insta and you’ll see first hand).
Sarah is loving yellow, bright pinks and blues right now though she also loves burgundy and golden mustard tones!
I’ll take any palette that has a mix of peach, mauve, golden yellow, and a hit of something dark like chocolate cosmo. I’ll also take raspberry and red any day!
What are your top two favorite flower combinations?
Oooo that’s a tough one! All three of us love the flowers that “dance” and float above other form flowers. Think garden roses with sweet peas dancing above or mums with butterfly ranunculus.
For the couples:
What are the benefits of real flowers vs faux?
I have big feelings on this one. If you have chosen faux flowers, I totally honor that! We’ve done faux flowers for those with dangerous allergies and for a couple who wanted our work but got married out of the country in a sweet beachfront ceremony. They were all beautiful! However, real flowers are just unbeatable.
We hear this sentiment weekly in some form: “the flowers will just die.” That’s not the point, guys! That amazing meal you are serving your guests also isn’t going to last for the week following. It’s about the experience you are creating to celebrate your I DO’s. The meal will be gone that night but your guests will remember the amazing food and drinks well after the big day. Same goes for flowers and other thoughtful details. We still get notes from past families and wedding guests about the stunning flowers at their table or the bouquet they held in their hands. Their feel, their scent, their movement…it’s something faux flowers can’t begin to mimic.
And simply put, your love for each other is very real. Go for real flowers. Don’t fake it. Your fresh flowers can be preserved in a thoughtful way that you can enjoy for years to come, not to mention they live FOREVER in your photographs!
How can a floral designer help you plan your wedding day?
We are very upfront with our clients about our boundaries and areas of expertise. While some florists offer other goods and services like linens, place-settings and design services, we focus solely on your floral art. Though we don’t handle those other design aspects, we absolutely want to hear about them to ensure your flower story is perfectly woven within the overall design for your day. We love working with other vendors and serving you in the context of a bigger team. We also HIGHLY recommend hiring a wedding planner or wedding management team. They are the experts in planning your day and bringing other vendors along in just the right lanes.
When it comes to planning your flowers, we’re your gals! We’ll help you think through the best places to use florals, how to maximize your floral and decor budget, and how to make the most out of the pieces in your flower plan. With hundreds of weddings under our belt, our expert team will come alongside you and help you bring a gorgeous floral vision to life.
What can a couple expect to invest for wedding day florals? Just bouquets and boutonniere? Bouqs, bouts and centerpieces? The whole shebang (bouqs, bouts, centerpieces and additional decor for the ceremony/reception)?
Our weddings range from $2000 (for personal flowers and perhaps a ceremony piece) to $20,000 and up. Most of our weddings fall between those two ends, of course! We do lots of weddings in the $5000 – $8000 range. Each wedding is unique. After we meet to hear all about your day, we’ll send you a custom flower plan with detailed pricing. We’ll also talk through common misconceptions and give you all the fun facts to make the most of your flowers! (Fun fact: candles can be a less expensive option for centerpieces but they are way more labor intensive than a floral compote, for example.) There’s a direct relationship between the types of pieces you choose and the number of our team members needed to get those pieces where they need to go on your day. Want to re-use your aisle greenery at your reception? You might pay more for the labor to make this transition versus purchasing fresh greenery for the reception. This is one of the key reasons the “budget question” is tough to answer BUT we will help you every step of the way!
How do you tailor each experience for the unique tastes of each couple?
How could we not??!! Each couple’s love story is unique and their own. Each bouquet we make is unique for that person. Each flower collection is built for that couple. We won’t replicate another florist’s work…not even our own!
Can you give us a brief rundown of the process of booking a floral designer to delivery (timeline format is totally fine)?
- As soon as you book your venue and have a set date, you can reach out! We, and many of our flower friends, book up quickly often 9-12 months in advance.
- Next we will schedule the initial flower meeting!
- At the 3 month mark, we’ll reach out to schedule a detail meeting to walk through all the…well, details!
- Between those two get-togethers, keep in touch as you finalize other aspects of your day (linens, guest count, etc.)!
- On the big day, our team will be there with bells on. We’re often there in and out throughout the day. We’ll present personals, set the ceremony, set the reception, then be back at the end of the night for breakdown!
What sets Roses & Mint apart from every other floral artist?
I can’t speak for other artists, but for us, we deeply love what we do and who we do it for. We approach your day with the utmost excitement, respect, and excellence as we would want for our own wedding. We take it personally, in the best way.
Any advice for couples you’d like to share?
Keep your focus on one another. Your wedding is a celebration to kick off your marriage. Don’t get so lost in the planning that you lose sight of planning for your marriage relationship. If your relationship is well-cared for, everything else will fall in place with less stress….including your centerpieces (which will, of course, be real). ; )
So there you have it! (Mostly) everything you could want to know about floral artists and an exclusive behind-the-scenes look at how the pieces are created! We would LOVE to shower Roses+Mint with thanks for allowing us to hang out with you ladies for a bit and taking the time to so thoroughly answer our questions! To inquire about your wedding date, contact these amazing ladies at info@rosesandmint.com and you can also see what they have to offer daily/for delivery at https://shoprosesandmint.com/.
As always, if there was a question you have that we didn’t go over, please comment below or shoot me a message so we can get it answered for you then share the wealth of knowledge!
Love and hugs,
Sonni
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