Flowers can have such a powerful impact on the style of the day. We only see the flowers perfectly arranged and ready to go, but I wanted to get my hands dirty and learn the process behind it all. So, roll up your sleeves, we are going to spend a day in the life of a florist! Ride along and meet the heart behind Array Design and the process behind creating the stunning bouquets you hold on your wedding day.

All about Allison

Before we drool all over the stunning bouquets on her Instagram grid, let’s meet the gem herself-Allison, owner of Array Design! Allison is a total go-getter and her handle on flowers is unbelievable. If you spend any time with her, you will immediately sense her curious spirit and her desire to deliver a quality product to her clients.

Our favorite part about Array Design is that Allison always incorporates some sort of unique aspect, such as kale, an onion bud, or classy piece of wheat! (Can wheat be classy? I say so!) Now without further ado, let's dive into Allison's process!

1. Order the Flowers

The first step in the florist process is working with the bride and groom well in advance to decide what color palette and style they want for their wedding. Allison then works her magic choosing the best buds for the arrangement and orders the flowers from her stellar flower source.

2. Clean the Stems

A couple days before your wedding day, Allison gets the flowers from the wholesaler and starts the long process of preparing each flower stem. When you walk into the room at this time in the game, you will see lines of buckets filled with countless flowers. At this time, Allison cleans each individual stem by taking off the unnecessary leaves and any pedals that looked smudged at all.

3. Style the Arrangement

After hours (yes, hours!) of cleaning each individual flower stem, your fingers WILL be sticky and smell like eucalyptus. It comes with the territory, ladies. I can’t even guess how many stems go into an entire wedding of bouquets and centerpieces…let’s just say it’s A LOT. Now comes the fun part when Allison gets to arrange her flower stems and mix and match the different kinds of flowers to create your stunning bouquet. It’s actually a lot easier said than done. I had a difficult time holding all of the stems in the right place!

4. Complete with a Ribbon

This last step is my favorite part! After Allison has all of the stems arranged in the bouquet, she zip ties them together, so they will stay in place. Then, she ties a beautiful ribbon around the stems. This ribbon is like the cherry on top of your ice cream sundae. It completes the process and literally ties it all together!

5. Deliver and Install

After Allison has made all of the bouquets for your bridal party, centerpieces for your table, and every other flower need you could imagine, she delivers them to you for your wedding day! Everyone always gushes over the flowers at weddings, but I definitely have a new-found appreciation of the process it takes to get there!

Final Thoughts

Flowers are such an essential piece of your wedding day! Take the time to consider which styles and color palettes you like. Allison actually made a guide and checklist with all the tools you need to determine your perfect bridal bouquet style; head over to her website and check it out for yourself! Trust me, you don’t want to miss this!