Getting out of the Rose Rut

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WinkDesign

WinkDesign

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Oct 7, 2006
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Princeton
www.winkdesigngroup.com
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MN
Hi everyone,

Not sure if anyone else is having this problem, but I'd love to hear some feedback.

I'm a new business, and as such, I'm definitely interested in any opportunity to expand my portfolio. I love experimenting, I love a challenge, and part of the reason I started back on floral design was for the variety...

I'm really finding it frustrating how many brides are ordering nothing but roses for their weddings! All red, ALL white.. whatever. All the same hand tied style, too. I'm usually pretty good at selling / upselling / etc, making alternative suggestions, but everyone seems really stuck on the 'simple look' of plain roses.

I actually found myself excited when the weekend's wedding decided on MULTICOLORED roses (!!!!!) and added stargazers to the brides bouquet. Yes, this is the closest to "variety" I'm seeing on my horizon!

Anyone else experiencing / experienced this before? Any advice? I did do some really varied designs for the wedding show I was at a week or so ago, and they went over real well, so I'm hoping that'll help spark some imagination and individuality!

Also, in the meantime.. ANY advice on jazzing up single rose boutonnieres? I'm feeling pretty uninspired in that area :(
 
:) All things are cyclical in this business. I got soooo sick of "Martha" bouquets too.

Unfortunately alot of brides come in to the florist dead last, after they have picked out everything else and seem stuck on a picture or a bouquet like their friend Herminone (just bigger). That's when I figured out Bridal shows were a general waste of time and money. All the accolades for out of the ordinary bouquets were heaped on our heads... then at the time of booking... out comes Martha's book and we're halfway to snoring. ;)

Boutonnieres can be jazzed up with the coloured aluminum wire, berries, all kinds of things.

V
 
Sorry Wink, In our area if they are just using roses they won't pay me to do it, they DIY. *GAG*

As far as the bout thing, here are a few things that we have put/used in our bouts...
Wire of all types, gems, bouquet jewels, seasonal berries, ribbon wrapped stems, fern curls, shells, beaded garland, lights (whoops that's more for prom), bear grass, colored corsage pins, raffia, wheat, and bark covered wire.

I guess I should have listed the things that we haven't used ;)

:) Heather
 
You know, I wonder if there's any way to promote specifically against DIY? Would it make sense for florists to approach media against it?

I got married a month ago, and of course did my own flowers.. but if I'd had my time back, I would have hired out. My problem was that I micromanaged the whole wedding, knew exactly what I wanted, didn't trust anyone else to understand / follow through on it, etc. I ended up with exactly what I wanted, but the day was soooo rushed and stressed. I honestly hadn't considered that it'd be that way, figured I knew what I was doing and was efficient, etc.. but I really wish I could have enjoyed the day.

I wonder if the floral associations and local wedding mags would go to bat for their members/advertisers, and do an article on it? Reasons NOT to DIY? It'd take a bit of effort to not make it look blatently self serving, but could be done!
 
Wink:
You began this thread as stating, the brides come in and want roses......

If there is ever a case for the selling technique of K.I.SS., this is it.

Don't oversell. If the bride wants roses then sell her roses. Do what they want.

Time is money, and the less time you spend in consultation with her, the more profitable your business will be.

There is another thread going right now here at FC with the same theme.

High style, unique, trendy, progressive, etc. styles are fine for the customer that wants that style.

If the customer wants traditional, clumpy, mussy, etc. then by all means sell that style.

Remember this is a business, not playtime. You are a designer to turn a profit not to be entertained.

The most successfull florists I know are the ones that listen to their customers and ignore their own or their designer's need for artistic expression.

Joe
 
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Joe Mioux said:
Remember this is a business, not playtime. You are a designer to turn a profit not to be entertained.
Click to expand...
Another excellent point, to go on the job application for designers!

tracy
 
Joe Mioux said:
The most successfull florists I know are the ones that listen to their customers and ignore their own or their designer's need for artistic expression.

Joe
Click to expand...

Right, Joe!

Wink, keep pictures of your work available for your brides. You'll get some non-rose weddings. We're doing one this weekend in which the majority of the flowers are red tinted sunflowers, hypericum, gerberas, freesia, daisies, and wheat. There will be a few Leonidas and other flowers mixed in.

(I love these fall colors!!!!!)
 
dont forget feathers..........

feathers of all colors look great in bout.
As for the brides..........the wedding show will get your name out there, but not change the brides mind on style.
 
I agree with Joe but Wink brought up a greet point...
How do we get the message across that DOY weddings are not a great idea!
Maybe we should bring it up at our State association meetings and maybe someone will hear us.
In our very rural area we have quite a few DOYers!
If they would only realize that by the time they drive 45 miles to the big box store and purchase way to many "plastic" flower bushes try to stuff them into a bouquet holder look at it and say " I just don't know if it's right" then drive to our store for one of us high dollar designers and ask us to make them look " purdy " they could have purchased beautifully designed bouquets from us for about the same price as all those bushes from the big box store!:soapbox:
DOYers you get what you pay for!!!
 
dzynrprincess said:
I agree with Joe but Wink brought up a greet point...
How do we get the message across that DOY weddings are not a great idea!
Maybe we should bring it up at our State association meetings and maybe someone will hear us.
In our very rural area we have quite a few DOYers!
If they would only realize that by the time they drive 45 miles to the big box store and purchase way to many "plastic" flower bushes try to stuff them into a bouquet holder look at it and say " I just don't know if it's right" then drive to our store for one of us high dollar designers and ask us to make them look " purdy " they could have purchased beautifully designed bouquets from us for about the same price as all those bushes from the big box store!:soapbox:
DOYers you get what you pay for!!!
Click to expand...


Does DOY equal DIY?

I am assuming so.....

if you are going to get into the wedding business, promote yourself and forget about re-educating some of your customer base.

re-educating on a local level takes too much time. Teach by example.

Show you community what you do.

Joe
 
WinkDesign said:
Hi everyone,

Not sure if anyone else is having this problem, but I'd love to hear some feedback.

I'm a new business, and as such, I'm definitely interested in any opportunity to expand my portfolio. I love experimenting, I love a challenge, and part of the reason I started back on floral design was for the variety...

I'm really finding it frustrating how many brides are ordering nothing but roses for their weddings! All red, ALL white.. whatever. All the same hand tied style, too. I'm usually pretty good at selling / upselling / etc, making alternative suggestions, but everyone seems really stuck on the 'simple look' of plain roses.
Click to expand...


I am new to FC, but I can offer a little advice to you on this matter. I too have had a string of brides this year wanting plain rose handtied bouquets. While you don't want the Bride feeling bombarded with too many choices, (especially if she has already set her mind to this one style and may already have another florist more than willing to quote her pricing on it), it doesn't hurt to gently suggest another option. Keep it simple though, don't show her the rose handtied and then switch to a crescent shaped with mixed florals.

The majority of the time Brides go with a certain style b/c of what they see in magazines, and the web sellers tend to take the latest trend and splash it all over the internet. So before the Bride even enters your shop, (usually her last stop), she has already been "sold" on that style.

It never hurts to broaden the Brides choices, but only if it is in the same style catagory. One appraoch that works is - show her the exact style she requested, then show her the same style in mixed colors (maybe w/ some of the attendant's colors mixed in) , then ask her how she feels about the arrangement with the slight altering. Even if the only alteration is adding a tulle backing for a softer effect, (great for photographs) or satin ribbon wraps on stem in the attendant's color instead of the traditional white.

I also have one "special style" bouquet that I show Brides who are stuck on this rose train. I call it the Neverending Rose Bouquet. Brides are instantly intrigued by the name and are more than willing to look at it without feeling committed or forced to change their mind. This is KEY in selling the product. The bouquet in question still has all of the same elements that they wanted in the first place: simple, elegant, stylish, not overly large, not made in a bulky holder, and completely made from roses!

I sell this particular bouquet for around $100 - $150, it is easy to make, takes around 30-40 mins (with practice) and only uses about 8-9 roses.
It is also a big hit @ V-Day when used with a long graceful vase. I have sold quite a few of these and booked 3 weddings based on guests who attended a ceremony featuring this bouquet and were awe struck at its beauty. 2 of the 3 did not even want the bouquet, but were excited about the unique possiblities that my shop offered.

I got the idea from a John Henry book and tweaked it for my own use.
You can even offer to personalize it for your Bride by adding Fairy Dust, (glitter), or Glistening Dew Drops, (rhinestones). I have listed a few pics of the finished product for you. Happy selling!
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