There are many different floral suppliers out there, but how do you decide which purchasing avenue is right for your business? As an experienced wedding floral designer, there are a few key things I look for when finding floral suppliers.
First, I look for someone I like! I like to find a supply company with employees who know the ins and outs of design, know what ingredients I can substitute to save money, and know how those color combinations will look after processing! It's important to find a supplier that sees the vision you see, and can help you make the most informed purchasing decisions! Last minute issues with wedding supply is every florists nightmare! We want the best of the best for our brides and there is nothing more defeating than having to deal with wilted supplies, unexpected colors, and no heads up! Having a personal connection with your supplier can help to alleviate some of those unexpected issues!
Second, I look for variety! As a wedding designer, we know we are not here to fulfill our design dreams; but our clients. We need suppliers that keep the shelves stocked with on-trend supplies that make my clients hearts melt! Floral suppliers with design industry experience and research tend to stock the ingredients wedding florists use most often and that makes the shopping less of a chore! Working closely with farms and growers to ensure the freshest, on trend supplies is not something event florists have the time to do, so who provides that industry research to the growers? A good supplier might be the solution!
One of the most important (and often taken for granted) aspects of suppling weddings is the in-person shopping experience! Eye-candy is everything to us creative designers, and I love to see what new ingredients I have to play around with! I love to see the textures, look at the stem length, be able to visually see what that plant or flower might look like incorporated into my designs - it fires my creative mind up and gets me excited about designing. In-person shopping is something florists enjoy more than shopping photos online from farms around the world.
Besides the personal connections to the trade that are enhanced by a great floral supplier, another aspect that is an important consideration is, who is suppling your supplier? Imports are a huge part of the floral industry and certainly unavoidable in winter months. But, as cut flower farms grow in popularity across the United States, a push towards reducing imports and relying on local farmers certainly reduces the floral carbon footprint. A push towards locality is exactly what the floral industry needs! However, some florists avoid buying straight from farms for multiple reasons; convenience, pests, quality might be inconsistent, stems might be too short, etc. So, in order to avoid these issues, we tend to just rely on the imported goods! A farm to florist supplier takes the quality, convenience, and pest issues out of the question. A good supplier performs quality control, provides a centralized location, making purchasing convenient, and can help with pest control before the flowers get to you- the florist!
As the push for community engagement and activism rises, the creation of co-op or collective style purchasing outlets increases across the nation. Our mission, at In Bloom Floral Company, is to create that "hub" for farmers and florists alike! In Bloom is a farm supplied wholesale company focused on providing a space that benefits all in the wedding industry here in NWA. My time as a floral designer has greatly influenced my decision to transition away from wedding design and into wedding supply. As an Ozark's native, keeping business local is a passion of mine - I love this area and care deeply about promoting small businesses like my own.
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