Does anyone know how I would make this?

My guess ould be to use pan glue and glue the wires to the inside of the shells or drill holes and put wires and make stems then gather as a hand tied bouquet...I would use taped wires if glueing wire to shell inside...This bouquet is really ugly, but the bride wants what she wants...

The other thing you could do is make a hot pink tight tulle bow and cutt the loops to make like a tissue flower, then use wire to build up the handle/stem, then glue all the shells into the tulle puff...you could use one of the lace collars made for a junior miss bokay holder t give it extra strength and glue the large fan/scollop shells to the bottom to hide it as you would a greens colar to finish the backing...
 
I agree with Cathy, those shells have got to be pretty small. I would most definitely ask the bride to give you a rough estimate on what size she is expecting. I would guess that little number is no more than 5-6 inches across and even that would be quite weighty. You really need to find out what her expectations are in size before you go any further with it.

If the bride is at all in doubt about your assessment of actual size, have her hold with one hand a bag of shells 5 inches in diameter. The reality may surprise her.
 
Wow, you guys are great. Thanks for all the tips. I am scared to try to make this though. I think I will tell her that this is more than I can deal with and then point her to the Etsy site. It's not just this bouquet; it's everything about this wedding that is a total nightmare that I really don't want my name on. She wants tiki torches decorated with silk flowers. She wants tall vases of hydrangeas with goldfish swimming around the stems. She wants shell bouquets for the bridesmaids as well. She wants fresh orchid garlands for the buffet table. And we haven't even talked about price because I don't have any earthly clue what to quote because I don't do stuff like this. This is a friend of a friend which is why she even came to me I'm sure. And actually I'm not even dealing with the bride (who lives in another state) but with her mother who is the messenger of the daughter. Do you guys ever turn down things like this? I think I have to learn to say no to projects that are not worth my time or that just make me miserable. Especially now that the shop is getting so busy but I don't want to hire another designer. I was certain I would have to do this wedding because it was a friend of a friend but now that we are talking about drilling holes in all those shells I just don't think I want to deal with it. I think I will maybe just nicely tell her that this is not what I do. That's OK, right? I don't want to do her a disservice by doing work I'm not comfortable or confident with.
 
SJ - Any time I've let myself get talked into doing a job I really don't like, want, or one that doesn't represent what I really do, I have always regretted it.

When I turn things down I say something like I don't think I am the best match for their needs. Covers a lot of issues politely.
 
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Sarah, I thinks it's a good idea to turn down things you are not comfortable doing, what ever the reason. Sometimes I turn down weddings because I don't think the bride and I are communicating well and that always leads to problems. With this shell wedding I would be willing to bet she does not have the money for the things she wants anyway. Tell her politley just what you told us and stop worrying about it.
 
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hmmm...if something isn't sitting right, then I definitely take a step back and re-evaluate the situation. I've never turned away a client because of what they ask for, like the above it usually has to do with the personalities. If I see conflict on the horizon, I too will find a way to gracefully bow out. But again, it's more about personalities and not product.

I think a stumbling block here is that you have not talked about budget. It's hard to get excited about something if you don't think you will get paid your worth. For me, the budget is one of the first issues we discuss.
 
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Just a few thoughts from me, if you don't mind.

I think there are a couple of things you need to discover before you send this wedding, ( and the resulting profits, and the long term residual sales, and reputation building opportunities, ) to someone else.

First, you need to know who is paying the bill, and then what their budget is.
For example, if the mother is paying, then does she have absolute decision making authority, or are you still obligated to abide by the bride's wishes? Then, what exactly is mom's budget?
Then, assuming it's up to mom, you can have her see the size of the finished bouquet, by having her hold a 5" orb, as suggested previously. ( And by the way, if you really do not want to make the bride and bridesmaids shell bouquets, you can easily suggest she get them online from etsy, and still volunteer to take care of the rest of the order. Never be ashamed to admit that a colleague has more experience in one area than you.)

If it is the bride's wedding, and her decision, then you need to talk to the bride before you go any further. I can't tell you haw many times I have been sucked into dealing with a third party, only to find out after hours of worry, that they really were not representing the bride accurately.
Then, assuming the bride is paying, you can enter into budget discussions with her before going any further.
Then, the same applies for the bouquets.

Re: the fish centerpeices...I am also not a fan, but it is not my wedding, nor is it yours, and these cp sound easy enough to create... and can be very profitable. I agree that the fighting fish are a better choice than the gold fish for stated reasons. (We "flower people" are pretty spoiled for choice, and it is easy for us to think that we are so much smarter when it comes to tasteful choices, but Martha Stewart and Jeff Lathem are both a lot richer than me, so WTFDIK?)

Re: the tiki torches... I do not do artificial flowers, so I would offer a fresh flower and foliage alternative, because the price can usually be the same, and they can be designed in a heart beat, and can also be a great profitable item. I've done lots of them that have turned out really nice, very pretty, and very tasteful.

Re: the leis to decorate the tables, they can be purchased ready made, in various sizes, so that is the least of your worries.

All in all, I don't think this sounds like a project out of your ability...you have shown your determination to succeed, and you definately have the talent to make it work. Most of it can be done days, or even more in advance, and stored in your cooler.
Sometimes just the fact that it is new to you, and big, and different, it can be scary, but when you break it down, it's not really that big of a deal.

If you need help on how to do it, PM me, and I'll walk you through it.

So, long and short...before you pass on this, find out what it is you are passing on.

Then, after knowing what you stand to lose, or stand to gain, then and only then, you can decide if you want to move forward with this wedding.

Oh, and no need to feel funny about saying "No Thanks", ...service providers do it all the time!
Tent companies often give up jobs to other tent companies, as do linen companies, event venues, live music bands, etc.
All you need to say is " I am so honoured that you thought about us for your wedding, but this type of work is a style that we do not normally create, and I don't want you to be disappointed. May I recommend a few colleagues that provide this style of decor? I am sure that you will find their work to be more in line with your vision."

Good luck with your decision.
Joanne
 
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When I first opened, I had a fellow florist refer a wedding to me that I sat with...It was a monster event, not a traditional wedding. It would have been at leasta 25000.00 deal..I had to conceded and send her to an event specialist..The fact of the matter was at the time...I did not have the connections needed to fulfill her needs(contractors, seamstresses, linens, etc), I did not have the ability or the staff to complete such and order, and most of all I did not have the confidence in my abilities to get any of this done at the time of sitting down and pricing it...that was my biggest clue...

Most things I can figure out and will practice, but when you sit down and try to price out a wedding and keep hitting roadblocks on what you would do to the point of being overwhelmed..It is out of your league and only frustration, badwork and disgust will ever be acheived from doing this...know your limitations and abide by them, never be asshamed to say sorry, I cannot do what you are asking me to do for what ever reason...whether it be that you wouldn't put your name on it, you cannot meet their budget for wants without compromising, or you just don't have the staff or knowledge to do what they want...they will appreciate the fact that you didn't bull@@@@ them along and then not deliver...
 
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I would consult Martha Stewart - this seriously looks like some crazy bouquet that she would make :D

Also..just a thought...wouldn't that bouquet be more like a weapon too? Those shell edges have to be sharp.... imagine going in to hug the beautiful bride and being harpooned by her bouquet! :D ha ha ha :)
 
Yes, I think that's the problem. I don't have confidence in my ability to do this type of work (because it's just not in my background) but I feel bad saying no. I don't feel like they are trying to spend a bunch of money on this wedding because they don't talk budget. It's more about the mom trying to fulfill the daughters requests as cheap as possible. They just say to let them know how much it would cost and the thing is that I just don't know what to quote on this stuff. If they were to outline a budget for me, I would know if I could do it for that or not but they don't have a budget. Is that typical or do most brides have a pretty clear budget outlined? Mine never seem to have a budget other than getting something as nice as possible for as little as possible. I think I'm just not comfortable with this type of work but I don't know how to say no. See, it's a friend of mine who owns a business nearby and the mom is his new girlfriend and she is planning her daughters wedding and I know it's a situation where he said to her something like "Don't worry, my florist is awesome and she can do anything. She is great" because he is one of those people who kind of over-brags about people or maybe he really thinks I'm great because his girlfriends always like the arrangements he sends them. So, yeah, it's just one of those situations where I'm not comfortable or confident doing a wedding like this but not comfortable saying no either. Not sure if I should approach him about not doing it or call her (who I've only met once). But I know I have to do something soon. Sigh.
 
I would just say, so sorry I am going to have to pass on this one as flowers are really my speciality but thank you so much for coming to me. I have to admit, I would not touch this with a barge pole, too much myther for what sounds like not a lot of money. You are not going to get spectacular pictures from it, you are not going to make much money from it (work, shopping, drilling etc etc) so it is a lose lose for you imo when your time could be spent on a better job.

Also, if you only attracting the price conscious brides and this is not what you want, you will have to maybe up your image a bit and also have more confidence when talking prices. Sell what you are doing, after all we do have to give a perceived value for our product.

Dont do things just to make others happy, I learned that a while ago.
 
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