How Many Weddings Per Week?

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Joanne Plummer AIFD,CAFA
Apr 11, 2007
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www.millstreetflorist.com
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So, we pride ourselves on providing the freshest, finest flowers, artfully arranged for any event you can imagine.
As a result, I limit the number of weddings or events for any one day, to one or two, depending on the man hours required to complete the project on the day ( or sometimes 2 days) before the event.

But I have spoken to many florists who complete their weddings or parties days in advance, and keep them in the cooler, so as to accept more business. Some of them have told me that they prepare wedding bouquets as early as the Tuesday prior to the Saturday event.

Just curious....how many weddings do you accept for each weekend?
How do you ensure that they will be in pristine condition for the day of the event?
JP
 
one only per day....no more no less....
 
We only take 3 per week, but not all large weddings, definitely we would research it first, especially the delivery and set up . we are also very fanatical how our wedding work looks like when it leaves the shop. (any thing we do has to be fresh and done perfectly) We are a small shop , our families help us out with delivery and set up. They have also been trained in the care and handling. I usually work a lot of extra hours on those weeks.
 
I try to limit the number of weddings I take.

Why? Because I reaaalllyy don't like doing them.

My time is already stretched so thin that I just don't enjoy it at all. With that said I will usually won't take more then one per weekend, sometimes two if I have a good feeling about the bride or if the wedding is on the smaller side.

For tomorrow, I have one smallish wedding (bride's bouquet, maid of honour, 3 bridesmaids, a 24 year old flower girl, a bunch of corsages and boutonnieres, plus a few more items). I just got home from the shop about 10 minutes ago. All that has to be done tomorrow morning is the final check and delivery. I usually don't start working on the wedding until the day before, unless it seems more logical to do it another way..

This is the last wedding I have until mid September, and I couldn't be happier!
 
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Good question Joanne... I can't wait to see the responses. I have done up to 3 weddings in a weekend, but if that happens, they all have to be on the small side (mostly personal flowers). If I book a large wedding that includes centerpieces and decor, I try to limit those to one per weekend. I *may* squeeze in another very small one if it doesn't require delivery. I'm the only designer, so I'm limited to the amount of time I personally can spend. Although I have on occasion subbed out the corsages and boutonnieres or hired an extra hand for one day to do those.

For a Saturday wedding, I traditionally do most of the work on Friday. If I have a lot of hand-tied bouquets that can remain in water, I will sometimes start those on Thursday... or start the corsages and bouts on Thursday to get them out of the way.
 
haha shoot me now, i have 5 today. 2 small and 3 average. More later about logistics as i am just having a coffee to keep me going through the day, think I am gonna need it. :)
 
I take as many as I know can be done well.
So it depends on how much staff I have and how big the weddings are.

Last year when we did that $20,000 wedding we did a total of 4 weddings that week. Plus we had rehersal flowers and brial luncheon flowers, and flowers to hotel rooms, the whole house had flowers, everything delivered at different days and all of it different themes.... And we rocked it all!

I would never take that on where I am now
 
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depends on the size of the wedding, logistics, and amount of service the event requires.

As the wedding are booked in we have to judge how much time will each event take and can we fit in another event.

As for doing bouquets. Last week we did most all the bouquets on Wednesday (we had two larger weddings, but one required very little service, the other medium service) One wedding was hydrangea and A. lilies hand tied, the other garden flowers (sedum, tansy, hydrangea, gerbs) hand tied. What was the difference if the flowers were all sitting loose in buckets or hand tied in buckets. No difference. On the other hand if they were in foam holders, I wouldn't have done those that far ahead.

So you have to be the judge, you know your store and its employees and how much work you can accomplish.
 
Like Natalie, I hate weddings.

But I do them if I'm forced to as long as they are not going to interfere with regular shop customers or holidays.

I have loosened up a lot on my stance since the advent of hand-tied being the thing to do. I agree with Kristine to a certain degree on how soon you do those. As long as the flowers are open and looking good, I might do them on Thursday.

I've also been known to do bouts and corsages on Thursday depending on the flowers to be used. Roses, carns, poms, orchids; with no delicate secondary flowers such as hydrangea. If it is flowers such as hydrangea or gerbs, they are going to get done on Friday because I don't want to take the chance of water stress.

For my oldest daughter's wedding, I did her bouquets on Wednesday. They were large white callas and purple alstro in arm bouquets. I could not see any reason to wait, and that way the intricate wraps we did on them were done without my stressing out too bad for time. I also did the vases that were for the altar. Again, why not? The flowers were there anyway and they had a constant source of water.

I think it also depends upon the time of year. Summer is so slow otherwise, that I can pretty much count on no problem getting it all done on Friday. I never leave on Friday until the whole thing is done, down to the wrap. I don't use any acetate ribbons so even bows get finished and put on. (I used to do those as I packed for delivery). For May weddings, I won't even take any unless the proms will be done.

I worked at a shop that took FIVE weddings for Mother's Day week-end. One on the Friday, three on the Saturday, and one on Sunday. I was VERY PO'd. That was unfair to me and the one other designer who was just being trained and was also a mother. (The owners were childless). My point is that staff has to be taken into consideration on this, too. If it can be done early with guaranteed freshness, then you can push the envelope.
 
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FIVE weddings and Mothers Day!!!!!
I would never subject myself, my staff, or my customers to that. Sounds like a disaster waiting to happen.
How on earth did you do it?!?
JP
 
The only weekend we WON'T take a wedding is Mother's Day weekend. It's just too crazy.

We don't do a TON of wedding work and because, around here, everyone gets their centerpieces from their decorators or just floats candles in a bowl all we do are personal flowers.
We have three designers, so we can comfortably do up to six weddings in one weekend. The most we've ever had is 5.

I don't see the problem with doing a bouquet on a Wednesday or Thursday as long as it is hand tied. We generally wait to do the ribbon until friday.
One supplier put it to me this way: It can either sit in our cooler until Thursday and THEN we'll deliver it to you, or it can sit in your cooler.
To me, that made so much sense. I love getting the product in on monday or tuesday because then you have tons of time to inspect it and if it's less than perfect there are many many more options open.

Generally: Bridesmaids bouquets done on thursdays, bridal bouquets, corsages/bouts are done on friday as well as finishing touches, like ribbon, etc.
 
This year we limited it to three a day, but that went well and we have the space and staff so next year, it will be 4-5. 90% of our work is weddings so everything here is designed to handle large events and we don't have as many interuptions as a retail shop.

We have a 7 day a week schedule.

Mondays: clean and put away vases from the previous week and pull out and prep this week's items. (I try to get most of my paperwork done this day too), contact venues
Tuesdays: The week's flowers come in with plenty of time to get replacements if needed. We usually spend the whole day processing with 2-3 staff. Place orders and create timelines for next week.
Wednesdays: Bouquets and anything else that is a vase style arrangement that can be checked off the list
Thursdays: Oasis centerpieces, vase arrangements
Friday: Corsages, bouts, altar decor, wiring and taping and anything else. We cannot leave until every last item is done (been here well past midnight several Fridays)
Saturday: Pick up truck if needed, try to set up receptions first and then ceremony, transport ceremony decor to reception if needed
Sundays: Tear downs (if not required on Sat night)

This is with 4-5 staff and between 80-130 hours a week. (Very thankful to have a flexible staff)

I cannot even imagine waiting to start wedding work until Fridays! That would terrify me!
 
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The only saving grace was that we had absolutely NO proms, NONE.

Honestly? I did not go home, I did not sleep. The garbage stems from the flowers were in the largest floral boxes all over the place because there was no room in the dumpster. When I finally got home Mother's Day afternoon, I cried myself to sleep sitting up with a cup of coffee in my hand.

I wonder if this has anything to do with my dislike of doing weddings?
 
We have done as many as 7 on a weekend typical is 3. We have 4 walk in coolers 3 of them at main shop so we have the space and the dessingers to handle the larger numbers when they occur.
 
Weddings will be an important aspect of the new floral store that I will be opening in the near future. However, Like Joanne, the focus ill be on quality, style, and profitability.

In keeping however, with the brand's image I am franchising off of.......Most likely a minimum event budget will be established.
 
We have a store that has plenty of space and I am lucky to have designer friends that like to help out now and then! We are able to accept quite a few. (Last weekend we had 6) Quality of product and design are the main draw for our weddings. The only problem for me is the end of summer burn-out!
 
Three weddings, a funeral, Mother's Day and a stupid prom... dam n near killed us all. I suggested to the owners they should rethink that kind of strategy in the future.

The most I ever booked for one weekend was three (small to medium in size). Any more than that would have most surely courted disaster.

V
 
The most I've ever done on one weekend is 8. But typical will do 3 to 4. But now that I had to size down my shop,I don't have my largest cooler so now it will change the amount of weddings I will do. Until I can find another space I have to get use to leaving somethings out of cooler now.

Usually get flowers in on Tuesday and Wednesday,start bouts,corsages. Then centerpieces,church flowers and bouquets.I never wait until Friday for a Saturday wedding unless theres an availability problem getting the flowers. I have started things on Tuesday for a Saturday wedding depending on the type of flowers or style of bouquets/centerpieces.
 
I typically due one or two wedding a weekend. However, just finished a 3 wedding weekend. They were mostly personal flowers, with two of them decorating an arch and one with a reception centerpiece. So it seems the smaller they are the more we can handle. I usually have help when it gets to be two or more.
 
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