Planning a wedding? Then you’re probably feeling pretty overwhelmed right now. I mean, there’s The dress. The venue. The cake. The bonbonniere. And then, there’s the flowers…
Kate Hill, from Melbourne’s Kate Hill Flowers, has been a florist for 16 years – so it’s safe to say that when it comes to weddings, she’s a bit of a pro.
She recently spoke to The Motherish about bridal trends, extravagant ceremonies and the most unusual request she’s ever received.
And she had some excellent advice for brides-to-be.
“I would say try to plan for seasonal flowers that are reflective of the season you are getting married in. I get approached by brides who are getting married in the middle of summer asking for peony roses…and I can’t pull them out of the air. I encourage brides to plan for seasonal and locally-grown flowers, so start planning in advance,” she said.
Mrs Hill said she still gets emotionally invested in her clients’ weddings. She clearly remembers one wedding in particular where she worked with the bride for over a year to create a perfect, unique bouquet.
“On the day I personally delivered the flowers and I had an overwhelming emotional reaction, I was shaking and teary, and as soon I saw her we started crying and laughing,” she said.
“A few years ago I also did a big wedding that had 18 flower girls. It was a beautiful wedding with over 400 guests and the little flower girls were running around just looking like little ballerinas fluttering around. That was probably the most extravagant bridal party," she continued.
And the most unusual order she’s ever had?
“I had a request for a black bouquet. As much as I love black, it was probably the strangest request for a wedding I’ve had. And it wasn’t just flowers; she wanted black fabric with lots of textures. We do tend to attract more classic, elegant brides so for a bride to actually want a pure black bouquet was unusual.”
As a perfectionist, Mrs Hill said she put a lot of time into planning the logistics to avoid any wedding day disasters.
“Occasionally I will deal with stressed out brides who are overwhelmed for whatever reason. My role as a florist is to make it a really positive and calming experience. I’ve never had a bridezilla; some stress is quite normal though so I try and make it as fun as possible,” she said.
So what does a florist choose for her own bridal bouquet?
“Masses and masses of individually-wired white gardenias – more than 50 blooms. It was really simple at the end of the day. My mother carried gardenias and I wore the Gardenia fragrance by Chanel so was very matchy-matchy,” she said.
Her number one piece of advice for any bride is simple: Relax.
“Just relax and enjoy the planning process. There’s going to be stress along the way for whatever reason but the journey is just as important as the day itself, because it’s over so quickly. Try not to get too overwhelmed…because you will get back on track.," she said.
What was your bridal bouquet like?
TAP on the image below and scroll through the gallery to see some of Kate Hill's designs...
