Planning your wedding flowers can feel overwhelming, but today on Wedding Secrets Unveiled!, we have Michelle Botelho from Michelle Jeanne Floral Design to guide you through every step of the process. Michelle will take you from your initial consultation to the transportation of your flowers on the big day, ensuring your floral journey is as stress-free as possible. Whether you’re just starting or deep into your wedding planning, sit back and benefit from Michelle’s 20 years of experience in crafting stunning floral arrangements for weddings!
Meet Michelle.
I own Michelle Jean floral design, and I do a lot of our floral design. We serve Rhode Island, Massachusetts and Connecticut, and primarily work in Newport, RI. But we do travel within an hour of Newport. We are more of a boutique florist where we specialize with under 50 events a year. I just like to provide that personalization for each event and each couple.
How long have you been doing this for?
This year will be 20 years.
Isn’t it crazy how the years just go by so fast?
Completely flies by. It’s amazing how fast it’s happened. I didn’t start off in the floral industry, so we have a funny backstory. I was in the medical field, and I was getting ready to go on my lunch break, my husband gave me a call, and he said, “Hey, there’s a flower shop for sale.” And I was like, “Okay, I have a job. Why are you asking me to go look at a flower shop?”
Fast forward, I went and looked at it on my lunch break. Pulled up in front of this cute little place in Coventry that’s been there forever. I went over and I looked at it then met with the owner, made an appointment, and we went on vacation The following week, and she’s like, “it’s still for sale. And are you interested?” And I said, “Well, if it’s meant to be, it’ll still be for sale when I get back on from my vacation. So, I ended up going back after vacation, and it was still available.” So, I gave my two weeks’ notice, jumped in, literally bought a flower shop. Had no background whatsoever. I was pretty creative, but other than that, I didn’t know how to even make a flower arrangement.
Now look at you.
I self-taught myself how to run a storefront and become a florist in a very quick fashion. And then during the recession, things had to change, and we ended up closing that storefront down. I reinvented the business and we started to just do 5 weddings a year. Then it turned into 10 and kept going. And now here we are.
And now you know how to do some stuff with flowers.
We do some crazy stuff!
We’re definitely going to talk about that when we talk about trends. For now, I want to talk about some of the behind the scenes of what goes into a wedding day. I think educating everyone today about what you do and what happens behind the scenes will really help couples in their process of picking out and purchasing and deciding what to do with their florals and what florals to use.
So, for starters, let’s talk about what happens at the beginning. What do you recommend for couples to prepare before they get on a call with their florist for the first time?
It’s most helpful to have a few photos of what they’re thinking inspiration wise, and then going back to reference those photos during the conversation. I have couples who start talking and I find out they just like the colors – not the blooms. So that happens a lot. I have clients that are heavily researching beforehand and some that just know they want white flowers and know nothing about anything else. But it is always helpful if we have a little bit of a visual in the beginning.
Then we start talking about the big questions: what’s the timing of the day? What’s that timeline look like? Are you at church? Are you at the venue? What do you think your backup plan would be if there was weather? We do discuss these things right up front. I also make sure to ask about the tables you’re using. Are they round, long, or another layout?
Interesting. I never even thought of, and I’m sure the listeners have not thought of the fact that the type of table could affect the arrangement. But also, too, I’m assuming price tag?
Of course. You’re taking round tables and placing a one centerpiece, maybe some candles to accent on it. That’s one price point. It’s different than oh, I’ve got a 30-foot head table where we’re doing several different vase components. The other question I make sure to ask if your venue allows installations. So, we start to understand how we’re going to incorporate the design into whatever space you’ve selected. Lots of questions have to be answered before I can even send a proposal.
I’m sure that this is talked about on the first call too, but all that custom work comes with different prices tags. Are there some things that drive the price in different directions?
Yeah, so in terms of the ceremony – let’s start there, because it’s pretty trendy to have ground florals everywhere. But the questions is, does your budget match that inspiration? Some do, some don’t. So, we have to education. It’s not my first rodeo, but it’s their first time getting married. So, you have to let them know that the floral hanging is a much different price point than a larger one on the ground or elaborate ceremony installations. Like, if. Your arbor has swag in each corner, it’s a different price point than covering it with draping florals. The latter is going to be more expensive. Or trellises – those are trending right now. Couples want to suspend a floral trellis with hanging florals above the head table. But, if their budget doesn’t warrant that, then we can do greenery on a chandelier or something.
Are you talking about the extension pieces above you?
Yeah, so the lighting and the draping companies typically have a structure that they hang a trellis, and we have the florals suspended. So that way, when they’re the guests are at the head table, they’re looking up and they see this massive floral install above their head.
So, what else drives the prices when it comes to florals?
Oh, floral selections can absolutely drive the price tag up. There are higher price point florals than others. There are some that have been around for years, like carnations – they’re making a crazy comeback. But, if you’re looking for blooms that are imported from Japan and Holland, they’re going to be a higher price point because they’re imported – not like if you’re getting dahlias that are grown here in Rhode Island. But of course, farmers are putting in a lot of hard work in their crops, so that can also be a factor in the cost.
Awesome. So, what else happens behind the scenes after that intro call?
We put together a design board for them. It drives the color palette; it gives inspiration of what your bouquet might look like or the style boutonnieres that they prefer. It includes the floral arrangements they’re thinking of. So, I’m often asked to give a variety of pricing to help a couple determine their budget and if it’s something they can include or a spot to pull back. We put that design board together and then ask for their feedback to see if we hit it. I’m not offended if I didn’t. I want to know – I would rather nail it for the day of then find out you weren’t happy with something. Then we work out if it’s a good fit for both sides. At that point, we have them sign and pay the retainer with us and get a temporary timeline for them. I like to forecast out what we need and what’s going on that day. We need to know if we need a van, extra staff, a ferry ticket. We’re doing all that behind the scenes once a couple books.
What happens now in regard to a timeline?
So, if they come in with a planner, we follow a stricter timeline because they have certain appointments with all their vendors. The design board gets edited throughout the process because other decisions might change things – like at the tasting, the tablescape gets decided and may change the layout. There’s lots of things that change, especially the guest counts. The week of the wedding, I confirm the day of timeline and re-check with the couple to ensure that nothing has changed. This is critical with personal flowers – we need to know where you’ll be to get your bouquet. Sometimes they want them to go right to the church. Others might need their flowers because they’re having a first look sooner than that. So, we definitely nail all that down, and then your flower orders placed a month out. The week of your wedding is when the flowers actually come into the building, get unboxed, processed in the water and in the cooler. We start to work on the actual wedding, Tuesday to Wednesday, and start to get everything ready for installations or whatever we need for that event.
On the actual day of the wedding, is there a difference if there is a planner versus not having a planner from your perspective?
So, in some circumstances, yes. If you’re doing a destination wedding or a tented wedding reception, do yourself a favor and get ap lanner. Don’t function without that – or your timeline will not be adhered to. There are also some venues and run like a well-oiled machine and don’t need one. But, if you do have a planner, it’s a dream for us. They run the show and we show up with the flowers and we do what we promised, then they take over the rest – which is fantastic.
In the 20 years that you’ve been doing this, do you have any funny stories or things that have happened where you’ve had to step in as that planner role?
Interesting question. This was something that happened. We were traveling over to the island and one of our rented trucks was the wrong size. When we got to the ferry, the reservation had been made in January mind you, they told us we can’t get on the ferry. We told them we had to get on the ferry, and we managed to by the skin of our teeth. We had to make some tough decisions about what to do when we arrive. If it was my first year, I would have panicked. So sometimes the planner can help take the heat off you to make those logistics and background decisions.
You have to pivot. This is a once in a lifetime event and no event is ever the same.
Mother Nature plays a big role in that with florals. You may order the perfect flowers for your overhang installation, but they don’t always arrive looking good. I had to put in my contract and discuss with clients that I will replace with something in the color palette. We’re not going to put something in an installation that’s not going to hold up for the day.
You’re dealing with live product.
Yeah. You have to keep it watered, cool, hydrated. Speaking of trends, we’re doing a hydrangea cloud installation over the bar at Castle Hill this weekend, which will be really cool. We’re excited about that, but we have to keep them hydrated. There’s a certain process to keep a hydrangea alive throughout your wedding day so we’ll definitely be using those tricks this weekend.
That’s my next question! You mentioned some colors and trends earlier, so tell me a little bit more about popular colors right now. What are the staple colors that people ask for?
I am leaning towards conservative, traditional colors this year for florals. It seems like my palettes have been classic whites and greens, heavy on the blue and white – the coastal vibe. People are getting married by the water, so they want to see the blue and white. Heavy greenery, garland everywhere – like the tent installations, is really popular right now. But, I’m not seeing a lot of garland going down the table. Now, I think that’s partly because we’re not showing that in our portfolio – we’re not drawing in the client either.
Interesting. Like you said, that could be clientele or just a trend in the market.
I’m not seeing that so much we did. We did do this past month – baby’s breath and rose, which is trending right now. It’s not something we typically design but I think it came out nicely.
There’s always something beautiful about the classic looks. Whites and blues will never go out of style. We talked a bit earlier about hanging installations being on trend. What else are you seeing?
Yeah, ground florals are my jam lately – you know, the full floral winding path going to the arbor outside. I just love doing it and love how it looks when it’s finished. It’s really a wow factor, so save room for that in your budget! You know, those tend to go and live in other places after the ceremony. We have staff that stays and moves the florals to other locations – the mantle, the welcome sign, and escort sign. We certainly recommend that. That way you can have a beautiful and grand ceremony space, and then no one sees us moving everything – and then your guests get the wow factor in the reception or cocktail hour.
What other areas do you see people reusing their florals in a unique way?
I talked about the bottom of the mantles and the top of mantles – depending on the venue. We always have requests off Pinterest boards – like the flowers on top of a seating chart display. But we have to find out if whatever we’re putting the flowers on can hold it.
I have a really random question for you. Have you seen something that brides have done instead of a bridal bouquet?
I would say the most unique addition to the bride of bouquet that I ever had, and it sticks out in my mind, very, very vividly – would be the father of the bride that brought me sugar packets. The day the bride was born, her dad took sugar packets off the food tray given to mom and saved them for her wedding day. I have goosebumps just talking about. But he asked me to laminate them and put them in her bridal bouquet. I want to surprise her, and she’ll know what they are. So, I did. I’ve also had a piece of a grandparents’ clothing incorporated into the wrap of the bouquet. Oh, the Nantucket baskets too.
Tell me about the Nantucket baskets.
They’re almost like a purse style, and you fill it florals. That’s something different for them to carry.
That’s cute. I like that idea, especially if you are getting married in Nantucket, or you’re bringing that nautical vibe into your wedding. So, what about cascading bouquets? They were super popular in the 80s and have kind of made a weird comeback.
Yeah. I have had probably two or three requests for the cascade bouquets, but they’re not my favorite. You’re actually creating it all with your hands – stem by stem. We start with a form and then build the floral down towards their feet. It’s a constricting design that I think is my best way to describe it. I’ll always make them if someone wants them! But, I’ve had brides change their minds after they change their dress. Especially, if it’s more elaborate. Why would you take away from it?
I have seen them going more simplistic with their bouquet. Floral pattern dresses and a different variety of dresses is trending and I don’t think brides know where to go with their flowers.
That makes a lot of sense. I didn’t even think about that. Oh, a tip from a photographer – lower your bouquet! Your bouquet should be down by your waist – ideally lower than your waist.
I always say, lock your lock your elbows into your hips, and that’s where that bouquet is landing. I try to police that if I’m onsite, because it’s one of my pet peeves. Just like boutonnieres being in the correct spot.
Wrap Up Question
Can you tell us what are some key points that couples should be asking their florists when they’re inquiring to make sure that they are working with a professional company to ensure that their wedding day is absolutely perfect?
How long have you been in business? Have you been to our venue? Where do your flowers come from? That’s a big question!
Ask about a team and how they deliver flowers to you. Will you be onsite with us?
Also, what happens if you can’t get that flower? Find out what their plan is.
What We Discussed
Meet Jeanne (1:15)
Behind the scenes of floral design (6:22)
Logistics of wedding day florals (16:23)
Trends on colors and designs (29:21)
Unique floral arrangements (33:10)
Bridal bouquets (36:58)
Wrap-up question (45:00)
Links Mentioned in the Episode
Find Michelle Jeanne Floral Design at Website | Instagram | Facebook
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