Wedding Q&A with Kate Stone Wedding Flowers & Design

Local florist Kate Stone is sharing her passion for wedding flowers and design on the blog today. One of my favourite bridal details of a wedding day is the flowers - there is something so beautiful about lovingly crafted bouquets & boutonnieres that just completes the look of a bridal party! And I've seen florals flow beautifully through to many other parts of the day; decorating the ceremony venue, on the cake and of course on table centrepieces - all adding to the style of the wedding. When I first started this Q&A series it was predominantly to bring advice & tips from other wedding vendors to brides-to-be that read the blog, but in the process of doing these blogs & interviewing these awesome vendors I am absolutely loving hearing their stories, how they found their way into the industry and what they're passionate about. Thank you so much Kate for taking the time to do this Q&A with me! x

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HOW DID YOU GET INTO FLORAL DESIGN KATE?
Growing up my Mum always had a gorgeous garden and she would do up posies to take to her friends. We always had flowers in the house. Then I volunteered at a florist after I finished school and I loved it. I then went on to study Floristry in Christchurch, going on to work for my tutor which was a fabulous opportunity. I've been doing wedding flowers throughout Otago and Southland for the last ten years now. In addition to wedding flowers I also offer a wedding & event design service; from styling ceremonies to reception venues. I love what I do.

WHAT IS YOUR VERY FAVOURITE PART ABOUT WEDDING FLORALS?
Ahhh so many different parts. A bride giving me her ideas and just going for it, then seeing the excitement and happiness on the brides face on the day is just fab!

DO YOU HAVE ANY ADVICE FOR BRIDES TO BE WHEN IT COMES TO CHOOSING FLORALS FOR THEIR WEDDING DAY?
I recommend deciding on your wedding style and colours first (dresses, invitations, etc) and then choosing your flowers from there. Usually brides will come to me with ideas and a style in mind of what they are wanting. We then bounce ideas off each other and decide on a final design for florals.

HOW DO YOU DEAL WITH SEASONAL AVAILABILITY?
This can be tricky but I source all of my flowers from the top markets in Christchurch and Auckland so they can usually get me most things. Most of the more common wedding flowers are grown in a hot house and can outlive their season.

WHAT ARE YOUR TIPS FOR GETTING BOUQUETS TO LOOK THEIR BEST ON THE DAY?
I try to deliver the bouquets as close to the ceremony as possible so they remain fresh. I recommend the brides bouquet to be delivered when the photographer arrives as they will want to photograph them with the bridal party and on their own. Keep the flowers in water in a cool place on the day, usually in the kitchen, scullery or garage is good. And dry the stems with a towel once taken out of water to avoid any stem stains on your dresses.