Dear Readers,
I could not resist blogging for you this week. This letter just came in, and I wanted to respond in a timely manner.
Dear Preston:
I am a planner who was hired by the sister of a former client who recommended me by commending my good taste. I am working with a florist who does not respect my talents. While working with this floral designer, I made a few suggestions as to what style of flowers my client might like. He was quick to point out that he does not tell me how to plan, and I should not instruct him on how to design flowers. Am I being too sensitive or is he just an egotistical fool?
Disrespected
Dear Disrespected:
I have been in this situation before. Having worked with planners in the past who tried to tell me exactly how to design my flowers. It used to drive me crazy as I felt the planner in question did not respect me enough to allow me to interpret my clients’ dreams in my own way. I would like to think I have grown since then and would like to share what I have learned in the years that have followed.
1. Even if I were the best floral designer in the world, understanding the needs of brides is not always easy.
2. Most of the time, planners have a much closer relationship with clients, so why not rely on their opinion?
3. When working with an outside planner, I have learned to embrace their feedback and opinion as long as they allow me to do my job which is to create an exciting arrangement.
Please remember that you are working with an artist, Disrespected. As a planner, you might want to make careful suggestions but do allow him to do his job. Most florists are in this business because they truly love what they do. Try not to crush that creativity with your own. Collaboration is the name of the game.
Question:
As a florist, are you open to receiving creative input from your planner?
As a planner, do you feel you should have the right to tell your florist what to design
Blessings,
Preston
(Photo courtesy of Imig A/V)
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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.
Meliana blubells
September 4, 2012
Love this blog and thank you for sharing about this!
I do agree that planners can give some input from the Bride’s.., but letting the expert (for this case is florist designer) is a big help for both of them.
Planners can make the best of his/her job, also the florist designer.
Every experts must be love..I mean LOVE their job! They will always (try) to came with great ideas which also meet with Bride’s request. That’s why they became experts!
So, don’t feel worry and let the creativities begin!..
Joyce
September 4, 2012
As wedding planner, Its very important for me and the florists to work together as a team, since at the end of the day we both have the best interest for the bride.
We always make suggest/ideas to each other on how to get things done to perfection.
communication is the best policy.
Nishaka Proctor
September 4, 2012
Great blog. I do believe it’s important for me and the florist to work well together. The one that I currently work with appreciates my ideas and I hers. I never tell her what to do or how to do it. I just may provide some additional ideas that could be interesting. This is very helpful for my Brides who are unsure and at times has asked me to work with the Florist to come up with a design inspiration board.
Jean Neuhart
September 4, 2012
Giving suggestions, and sharing what we know appeals to the bride is one thing. Telling the florist HOW to create and express the bride’s wedding vision is another. Part of our job as planners is to be collaborative with the rest of the vendor team. But then we need to step back and let them do their magic.
Divine Events in Panama
September 6, 2012
I think as planners we can suggest some ideas to be incorporated but with good approach. Also when we planners ask things is keeping things in all clear for the bride.
I was hired by a client who did not believe what the florist promise, so they wanted me to revise the contract and it was terrible it did not say what you will receive.
It was very general, I had to ask him many things about how many flowers he will include here and there…but at the end it was an uncomfortable situation for me.
As a result the day of the wedding he did not even remember how the bride wanted his bouquet, so in this case I had to be on him…checking things were as we discuss.
kennady
September 7, 2012
It is unfortunate to happen things like this. But some of the weddings will happen and it is the time that the couples will have to take the decision. Whether to continue with the florist or not. The wedding resources can be easily find out by the wedding app and it is helpful in planning the wedding and useful tools available for the engaged people.
Monica
September 8, 2012
I think the only one who have a complete vision of the event is the planner. He has to define in agreement with the client the mood and the creative concept of the event, and than guide the several suppliers through that vision. That’s the only way to get the result. Planners must be able to transfer a quite detailed brief to the suppliers as I do not feel this way we limit their creativity, we in fact put them in the best conditions to do their job. Creativity does not mean to find the cool idea, but to find the coolest among the right ones. It’s also easier and time efficient for the supplier itself.
I worked 7 years in advertising: the agency always give a detailed brief to the production house/photographer and within that brief the supplier has to come back with his own proposal and possibly surprise the agency with his own interpretation.
Deb
September 21, 2012
It’s unfortunate that this happened because I think that the person that might really suffer in the end is the bride. If I read correctly she mentioned that she suggested styles of flowers that the client would like and not on how to design the overall floral arrangement. Yes, I think he’s been an egotistical fool.