Good Morning, Everyone
Because of the impending Fourth of July holiday, I’ll be continuing my blogs on Pricing and Transparency next week. This week, I thought we would have some fun and play a game where I would test your event knowledge.
Each day this week, I will give you few questions and multiple answers for you to choose from. Today, we will put my florist friends in the hot seat.
If you are like me, figuring out the right amount of time to allot to set up flowers (and not have them being assembled when the guests arrive) takes a bit of practice. It took me years to find the right window for myself and my team to set up and break down.
As a florist, how much time should you request to set up a wedding for 200 guests? Before you answer, I want you to imagine that you are being asked to present the most elaborate floral presentation you have ever done.
A. The night before the weeding
B. Starting at 9am the day of event
C. Five hours before event.
D. None of the above.
Now, how much time should you request for breakdown?
A. One hour after the event
B. Five hours after the event
C. You’ll breakdown the morning after the event
D. You plan to leave everything behind
Since it is common practice for venues to book more than one wedding at a time, it’s essential that we request the appropriate amount of time for both set up and break down. Though many venues will accommodate our requests, there are times when we must gently and firmly insist.
What is your opinion?
(Photo Courtesy of Visualize Us)
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George Bernard Shaw once said: “You see things and say, ‘Why?’ But I dream things that never were and say, ‘Why not?’” That quote embodies how Preston Bailey approaches every event.
Bucktown Guy
July 2, 2012
As early as possible on the day of.
Ricardo Rivera
July 2, 2012
To Set up I would prepare as much as could few days before the event on my warehouse ( 2 to 3 days before ), and start at 9:00 a.m. On the venue, and for breakdown it will depend on how many people you have, but forsure it has to be the night of the event, I would send five people to break down and pack everything in 3 to 5 hours.
Pam Archer
July 2, 2012
We prefer to be able to get into the venue the evening before to do everything except the flowers. On the day of, we ask to be in by 8:00 a.m. We work 8-10 people all weekend.
We don’t normally have a set limit of time for break down after the event, but it takes a team of 6 anywhere from 2-3 hours.
ARJ
July 3, 2012
I’m not a florist and I don’t know what time the event start late afternoon, early evening but for elaborate designs I would say the night before. Especially if you are talking ceremony and reception. Even if the even’t starts at 6 p.m if you started at 9 a.m. you only have 8 hrs to get it all done. Time flies faster than you think when your busy.
Ayana Kinnel
July 3, 2012
I would definitely ask to start the day before the event for setup and five hours after the event to breakdown. I have an amazing crew and they are excellent at breaking down decor. I also would like to add that I am so grateful to you for this series of blogs as well as all other dealing with the business. I have learned so much!
Angie
July 3, 2012
There are so many variables I would need to know before answering this question…what type of flowers are we using (some flowers don’t hold up that well for very long), how much can be done ahead of time, how will we be transporting, how far are we transporting, so many questions. The easy answer is I always try to assembly my centerpieces ahead of time at my shop so that I don’t need as much time on site…around here, it is very hard to get venues to agree to more than 2 hours set up time and some don’t even allow two hours, but only 1 hour. I love when I can go in the night before and get everything just right without the pressure of the guests arriving and the wedding starting. The only problem with that is I am such a worrier, that I worry about the flowers still looking good when the guests arrive. Hydrangeas are so unpredictable! And I love to use them for high end centerpieces! Seriously, most people have no idea about how much we go through to make their events so pretty!