How to plan for your dream wedding flowers.

I help plan around 20 + weddings per year. From elopements to large, full traditional weddings I create my client’s dream wedding flowers.

After meeting with hundreds of clients over the years I’ve come up with some simple and actionable tips for streamlining your wedding flower planning.

In this blog I’m breaking down the wedding flower planning process into four simple steps:

1) Make a list of the items you need.

2) Curate an inspiration photo collection.

3) Schedule a meeting or consult with your desired florist.

4) Book your florals and move on.

How to plan your wedding flowers STEP 1: Make your dream wedding florals list.

Planning your dream wedding flowers starts with deciding what floral pieces are most important to you.

I like to have people visualize traveling through their wedding as a guest in order to help them decide where to place flowers. Dream big here and write down everything.

Write down everything you need for your ceremony and everything you need for your reception. Create a list of “must-haves” and “may-likes” and be open to suggestions when the time comes to talk with your florist.

Not sure what you need or what is customary? Don’t be shy about asking your florist any and all flower related questions. Most florists want to give you exactly what you want - nothing more and nothing less. 

Your bridal bouquet is the centerpiece of your wedding. Take time to decide what you want here and come up with one to three photos of your dream bouquet. Photo courtesy of Joshua Veldstra.

How to plan your wedding flowers STEP 2: Wedding flower inspiration photos.

Creating a curated pintrest board or a select collection of inspiration photos is key when planning your dream wedding flowers.

I suggest honing your inspiration photos to 1-3 photos per piece. For example, if you want an arch, find 1-3 photos that best represent your dream arch.  Fewer is best as it's easier to communicate what you’re looking for if you can narrow your focus. 

Just start searching around for images on the web. Keywords my clients are most recently into include: “garden inspired wedding bouquet”, “unique and boho wedding flowers”, “wildflower wedding bouquet”, “dried flower wedding bouquet”.

In addition, search for your specific pieces like “floral pillar with peonies” or “full floral arch with roses”. You can also include your venue in the search in order to see how others have decorated with flowers.

Don’t get wrapped up in needing to know floral varieties. In fact, I suggest you do not request specific varieties. This will allow the florist to use whatever looks the most amazing when buying or sourcing locally. 

Let your florist pick the flowers. You focus instead on your desired colors and floral style. This will free you up to focus on other aspects of planning your wedding.

Gardenwild Floral elopement centerpiece for an Alaskan destination wedding. Photo courtesy of Turnstone Farm/Gardenwild Floral

How to plan your wedding flowers STEP 3: Your meeting with a wedding florist.

Most florists offer a consultation to talk about your wedding. Some charge a small amount for this meeting and some offer complementary meetings.

Here’s how to get the most out of your meeting with your florist.

Talk with your florist about your vision and the guest experience you want to create. If you’re not sure yet what you want, take some time to sit down and think this through.

Think about how best to highlight flowers at your particular venue. Think about how you want to honor your guests with flowers. If you’re not sure about any of these things, ask your florist if they have recommendations for using flowers at a particular venue. Ask them how best to honor guests at a wedding.

Bring your list of floral items to your meeting. Sometimes florists can give a price range over the phone, other times they will come back to you with a more precise quote later.

I usually give a price range over the phone. Then after our creative call and after I see inspiration photos and exact numbers of all the floral pieces, I can then write up a detailed proposal that includes itemized pricing.

Most often, people come to our first meeting without their inspiration photos organized. If you have your photos, great! Either way is fine.

If you can get your photos ready before your first meeting, then we can look them over together and you can tell me what you like about them. But most often, folks go out and get them after our meeting.

And finally, have a list of questions to ask your florist. This can be anything from pricing, to delivery details to the booking process.

How to plan your wedding flowers STEP 4: Book your florist and move on to the next thing.

Decision fatigue is a real thing. And when planning a wedding, making lots of decisions can wear you down.

I suggest making quick and informed decisions and then having your own back and moving on. What do I mean by having your own back? Make your decision, love it and don’t second guess yourself.

Early Summer Wedding at Alyeska Resort with yellow ranunculus bouquet. Photo courtesy of Corrine Graves.

I’d love to hear from you!

Share in the comments below your biggest concern or question about planning your dream wedding flowers.

And then GO HERE for our first step in planning YOUR dream wedding flowers.

Best Wedding Venues in Girdwood, Alaska

Alaska is one of the most beautiful places in the world. That’s why it is one of the best places to find an amazing wedding venue.

Aside from a longish airplane ride, Alaska it is relatively easy to get to. Once here, the wilds of the Alaskan wilderness are at your fingertips.

Anchorage, our major city, is only a short drive from so many potential jaw-dropping Alaskan wedding venues and elopement locales.

Here I’d like to highlight two wedding venues in the cozy resort town of Girdwood, Alaska that get you worlds away from the hustle bustle and into the remote-feeling wilds of Alaska.

Weddings Venues in Girdwood, Alaska

Girdwood is a very popular wedding destination for locals and out-of-towners. It is a 45-60 minute drive from Anchorage and is situated at the base of our largest downhill ski resort.

It’s a resort town so there are many Airbnb and hotel options for guests. That said, it is a small community, so booking early is always recommended.

Weddings at The Alyeska Resort

A fabulous location for a larger and more formal wedding would be the Alyeska Resort.

Folks often take a tram ride to the top with their guests and hold their ceremony on the mountaintop overlooking the Chugach Mountain range, Turnagain Arm and the cozy, woodsy town of Girdwood.

Receptions can be held inside the hotel at the base of the mountain in one of the banquet halls. It is formal, classy and absolutely gorgeous.

In-house catering is available, which makes that part of your planning a breeze.

A tram-ride makes the mountains completely accessible to guests that may have a harder time getting around.

Above left: bride at the top of Alyeska Resort. Above right: couple on the mountainside, a short tram ride from the Alyeska Hotel. Alaskan wedding photography courtesy of Corrine Graves. Alaskan Wedding Flowers by Gardenwild Floral/Turnstone Farm

Above left: indoor elegance in the banquet rooms of Alyeska Hotel with bud vases from Gardenwild Floral/Turnstone Farm. Above right: the grounds of Alyeska Hotel offer gorgeous photo opportunities. Alaskan wedding photography courtesy of Corrine Graves.

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Weddings at Raven Glacier Lodge

If you’re planning a smaller wedding and want a cozier feel you must book the Raven Glacier Lodge. It is a classic Alaskan establishment.

You can host around 50 guests, outdoors, under their magical porch. Kathy, the owner, and her team cater your meal. All you have to do is bring the guests, flowers (book a call with me for that HERE), music and a planner if you desire.

I’ve created florals here on many occasions and I can say weddings here are pure magic.

Go here to view a magical and enchanting summer wedding at Raven Glacier Lodge in Girdwood, Alaska: Magical Summer Wedding Raven Glacier Lodge

Above Left: Gardenwild Floral/Turnstone Farm floral arch and altar flowers using all Alaskan Grown flowers. In front of the tranquil Raven Glacier Lodge Reflecting Pool. Above Right: Raven Glacier Lodge lit up at night. Alaskan wedding photography courtesy of Lauren Roberts

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One of my favorite things about weddings in Girdwood is that the coast is a short distance away. You can definitely schedule time to grab some breathtaking photos on the rocky and rugged beach of Turnagain Arm.

Go here to view another fall wedding at Raven Glacier Lodge in Girdwood, Alaska: Rebekah & Chaz Fall Wedding

When thinking about your decor and flowers for Raven Glacier Lodge, think about adding bright pops to contrast the darker woods and dark, moody coastline.

I love how Danielle’s bright autumn bouquet stands out against the striking backdrop of rocks.

Above: couple getting some pre-ceremony photos on Turnagain Arm, just a 5 minute drive from Girdwood’s town center. Alaskan wedding photography courtesy of Lauren Roberts.

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Above: couple getting some pre-ceremony photos by the banks of California Creek on the grounds of Raven Glacier Lodge. Wild and colorful garden-inspired Gardenwild Floral/Turnstone Farm bridal bouquet. Alaskan wedding photography courtesy of Joshua Veldstra Photography.

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Above: The magical temperate rainforest surrounding Raven Glacier lodge makes for a stunning, romantic and magical wedding. Above right: reception area under the Raven Glacier Lodge porch. Alaskan wedding photography courtesy of Lauren Roberts.

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Wondering what your wedding flowers may cost? Go here to read my blog all about it: What Do Wedding Flowers Cost?

MaryAlice Beauty - Interview with an Anchorage hair and makeup artist.

I first met MaryAlice in a photoshoot I organized for my business, Turnstone Farm. 

After my last shoot I learned a lot: get a haircut the day before, hire a professional to do my makeup. 

Because, seriously it is quite possible that you will break out the day of your photoshoot, wedding or other special event. Plan ahead!

After working with MaryAlice, I knew I wanted to work with her again and refer all my clients to her. 

She is warm-hearted, calming and has a soothing way about her that puts everyone at ease. 

Her energy is just a perfect fit for a hectic wedding day. 

I was so thrilled to talk with her more in depth about her business and more importantly, beauty.

Click here to book Mary Alice: https://www.instagram.com/maryalice.beauty/

MaryAlice is the star in this Alaskan Wedding Flowers photoshoot. Flowers by Turnstone Farm. Photo by Lauren Roberts.

How long has she been in business?

MaryAlice has been in business doing hair and makeup for over 10 years. She’s always had a passion for it and has completely fallen in love with the power of the beauty industry.

How long does it take to get someone ready (do their hair and makeup)?

Set up can vary based on the type of wedding.

Elopements are more relaxed and can take less prep time depending on the look.

For large wedding parties, she often starts at 7:00 or 7:30 am to make sure the whole wedding party has time to be prepped.

Even without a big wedding party, couples often do first looks which can take an hour and a half of time with a photographer. So it’s best to plan for plenty of time to get ready.

Does she have any advice to couples getting married?

MaryAlice wants to encourage you to get really clear about the vision for your wedding. In fact she offers Creative Strategy Sessions for couples wishing to nail down their dream vision.

She’s noticed that the people who are the clearest about their vision are the happiest. MaryAlice’s interdisciplinary career has given her opportunity to build a lot of skill as a creative problem solver.

As a start, ask yourself why - why are we doing this? How do we want people to experience this? There is no right or wrong answer. It’s just important to be clear. With clarity, all the decisions you need to make will become easier.

What exactly is a Creative Strategy Session?

It’s a conversation without a custom end goal for each person. It’s a process of guiding and reflecting back the vision that is emerging and being heard to create clarity for everyone involved. It’s finding patterns in your thoughts. It’s finding your why for your event and most importantly creating space for what you actually want. 

Having a guide to help you figure out what you want can be incredibly powerful.

MaryAlice loves weddings because they are already a creative endeavor. Artful gatherings, traditions, logistics and a ton of emotional meaning are always involved in weddings. Design sprints. Creative process. Disguised in different names: sprints, accelerators. Merge the two to support people creating their vision. Helping people have a creative vision who can bring that together. Having a crystal clear vision. There’s a thousand different ways they can go.

MaryAlice in a beautiful Bateau Boutique wedding gown with Alaskan grown floral install by Turnstone Farm.

How far out do people need to book her for a wedding? 

People start booking around December for summer weddings. Each wedding party gets a custom quote for pricing as it varies depending on time, size of groups and desired looks. 

To determine this custom quote you can fill out an inquiry on her website in order to find out more. GO HERE to do that: https://www.instagram.com/maryalice.beauty/

I have my own story about why to outsource makeup and hair! But I wanted to know in her words… why should someone hire MaryAlice and not just DIY it?

Makeup is such a felt sense, wearing it's a sensory experience.

A professional can use makeup to transform you into many different moods. If the tool is not used in a way that supports your desired feeling, it can become an experience that doesn’t honor your goal. It’s really all about an experience.

Hiring a professional can also create a buffer between relationships. If your best friend offers to do your makeup, yes this may save you money but if you are not happy with the end result or the process it may create added relational tension. No one wants this added stress on their wedding day.

MaryAlice has heard so many stories of this happening and it makes sense to give yourself clear boundaries with important wedding details. 

You tie things to people and you want to enjoy each moment and boundaries are a great way to keep it uncomplicated. There is so much psychology in the art of beauty. 

She strongly recommends doing a trial run for folks that aren’t used to wearing makeup. It can feel weird, whether you’re wearing fake lashes for the first time or just putting on a thin layer of lip gloss. Everyone has a different comfort level for makeup.

To some people it can feel dramatic like putting on a costume. The most important thing is making sure you feel comfortable with your choices so that you don’t have extra discomfort during an already energetically charged social situation. 

I always like hearing about other wedding vendors. What vendors does she like working with?

MaryAlice loves Lauren Roberts and Megan Freeman for videography and photography.

As for planners, she says there are so many great options. We both agreed that communication style and personality really matters when hiring a planner. If you have the chance to interview a few by all means do it!

On another note, MaryAlice gets excited when people find ways to use more small businesses for the in-between experiences/gatherings that happen around weddings. 

Is there a way to incorporate some of our favorite small businesses into your special day or weekend?

Like Wild Scoops, Fire Island Bakeshop, Cynosure Brewing (or any other brewery in town). The Spa at Alyeska, etc. Get creative!

There are so many options for creating fun and new experiences for friends, family and guests who visit Alaska to be a part of your day. 

MaryAlice with Alaskan Grown Wedding flowers by Turnstone Farm. Photo by Lauren Roberts.

I love giving my clients cool ways to wow their guests, and transform their event.

Is there a story that stands out in her mind of a couple going above and beyond?

She loves when families personalize their weddings. One couple canned their family’s smoked salmon and gave it to guests. Those small personal touches make events so special.

She remembers one of her first wedding experiences as a teenager of attending a beautiful pre-reception night. It was an elegant backyard party an evening before her cousin’s wedding. 

Most of the guests were invited to this casual and classy dinner. People told stories about their relationships with the bride and groom and gave toasts. 

An event like this makes the actual wedding day so much more cohesive. People have already had the chance to meet and to put each other in context. This allows everyone to feel more involved in the many different connections. 

It also gives your most beloved people the chance for friendships and new relationships to spark. What an awesome gift.

I wanted to know what one goal MaryAlice has for her business this year or next?

She says she is really excited to launch her new website.

And as always, she is excited to do more weddings. MaryAlice loves being a part of weddings. She likes being a part of intimate moments and joy while helping people feel their best.

At a wedding you are part of a collaboration and that group energy is contagious. She gets super energized with all the love that is shared and learning about families and how all the relationships were born.  

It can be such an intimate experience with people. She loves hearing stories and hearing about all the different ways people come together in life.

I wanted to know the one thing MaryAlice wants her soon to be clients to know?

MaryAlice likes to make people feel comfortable being seen in these special moments. 

She wants you to know that your vision is unique and there is no one right way to be a “bride”, there can be a lot of societal stories that come pouring in once you start planning a wedding. 

She wants to help build a vision with you that you’ll love. 

Click here to learn more about Mary Alice: https://www.instagram.com/maryalice.beauty/

MaryAlice. Photo by Lauren Roberts.

The Exact Questions I ask my Clients and Why

Taking the first step to explore wedding flowers means hopping on the phone with me. Don’t worry! While this is my job and I want to make sales, my main goal is to determine if you and I can work together well.

If so we can go to the next step (yay!).

In our initial free phone call I want to get to know you and what you care about. I am not here to sell! I am simply here to listen and take in all our dreams and challenges in planning your special day.

So to give a little snapshot of what we’ll talk about, here is a list of 10 questions I may ask you. If you don’t have all these figured out yet, don’t worry! I am here to help. It’s my job after all!

1) How did you two meet?

I love hearing about how a couple met. It gives me a snapshot in time of one of the most beautiful moments in your relationship. These stories stick in my head for a long time and it makes me feel like I really know you (even though we just met).

2) Tell me a little about you two.

This is an open ended question I ask in my initial inquiry on my website. Although it is not required I usually get an answer.

Folks talk about where they’re from, what they do for work, what they like to do together. They talk about their pets or kids. And again, it helps me get to know you right away!

3) How do you want your guests to feel?

This is my favorite question. And honestly it is a question I wish I would have asked myself when planning my wedding.

It’s important to remember that while this is your wedding and the start to your marriage your guests are there to support you and celebrate in the creation of a couple. Remember to honor them. Remember to set the stage for an intentional feeling. This could be “loved”, “honored”, “welcomed”, “enchanted”, etc.

I challenge you to do a little brainstorming here! And then let that feeling guide you as you plan every detail.

4) What kind of floral pieces do you want?

Floral pieces include the following: bridal bouquet, bridesmaids bouquets, corsages (pin-on or wrist), boutonniere, ceremony flowers and reception flowers.

If you’re unsure what some these mean or which ones you “need”, don’t worry - we can talk through all this on the phone!

5) What is your floral color palette?

Usually folks have colors in mind based on bridal party attire, favorite colors, seasonal colors or some amazing inspiration photos you’ve found.

Sometimes folks don’t have a color palette and just want me to use what is beautiful and in season. I can work with almost anything! And I can help you narrow your color ideas into something you love.

6) What is your budget?

Most customers have a wedding flower budget of between 10% and 20% of their total wedding cost.

More often than not, couples have no idea what flowers cost, thus don’t really know what their budget is. And not surprisingly! This is after all, probably your first time planning a wedding.

I can do two things here - I can tell you what you can get with your desired spend amount OR I can give you a proposal based on your desired floral pieces and vision.

7) Who are your other vendors?

I have a few vendors I love working with. And I’m always learning about more!

If you don’t have a certain vendor booked yet I am happy to refer some of my absolute favorites.

The vendors you choose also give me a little more info about your style and overall vision.

Oh wait, what is a vendor?? Venue, chapel, caterer, photographer, videographer, hair stylist, make-up artist, musician, DJ, etc.

8) Do you have any questions for me?

I always save a few minutes for you to ask me anything!

I’ve designed for dozens of weddings and have planned my own wedding. Plus, I’m a flower farmer! It’s safe to say that I know flowers. I also am obsessed with kindness, connection and love. I want you and your guests to get the absolute most out of your wedding day.