Vendor Interview
Florists
Interview Transcript
What makes a professional florist?
Golden Gate Studios
A professional florist should have experience, knowledge and a passion for their craft
Cherry Hill Flowers
You have to love what you do every day. A florist has many different job descriptions.
Rose Bud Florist
Great customer service skills, that’s number one.
Lola's Floral
You have to know how to design. You have to have an artistic eye, pay close attention to detail.
Bloom Back Flowers
And then you also have to be the master of scrubbing buckets, driving box trucks on cliffs and working late nights, weekends, holidays. So it’s a culmination of things.
How should you personalize your work?
Rose Bud Florist
A professional florist takes the time to understand the vision of each customer.
Bloom Back Flowers
Getting to know the client, asking the right questions. Learning their likes, dislikes, which is very important, especially if you need to create the vision if they’re indecisive.
Lola's Florals
We make each wedding unique, picking out different flowers, different colors, just different designs that will go with our client.
Golden Gate Studios
A professional florist should be able to combine their artistic skill with the client’s vision.
How far in advance do you prepare for an event?
Cherry Hill Flowers
Each event is different and each wedding is prepared for differently. It depends on the venue. It depends on the couples’ choices.
Golden Gate Studios
Then at the two month point we offer a complimentary sample centerpiece to make sure we’re on the same page.
Rose Bud Florist
Flowers come in, we process and check for quality – make sure everything’s good. That way we have enough time to replace anything that isn’t good.
Bloom Back Flowers
So, it’s really a process and preparation is key.
Do professional florists often work with other vendors?
Cherry Hill Flowers
Professional florists work with a lot of professional wedding vendors.
Golden Gate Studios
Photographers, DJs, videographers.
Bloom Back Flowers
And I believe firmly that it’s one team, one goal in our professional field.
Lola's Floral
There’s a lot that’s going on behind the scenes even after a ceremony we have to flip a room. There’s a lot into that and everyone is just kind of shuffling and working together.
Rose Bud Florist
We are in contact with all our vendors up until the day of the wedding just to make sure that everything goes smoothly for your special day.
Lastly, how important are social skills?
Cherry Hill Flowers
Social skills are very important to a florist and you have to be able to work well with others, since you’re working with other vendors all the time.
Lola's Floral
You know I want to get to know what they like, what they don’t like, what colors they don’t want to see.
Bloom Back Flowers
There’s mothers and in-laws wanting to pull one way; you have to be able to professionally pull them back another way or go chase granny down the hall and give her a corsage and corral the groomsmen together.
Golden Gate Studios
My most important social skill might be listening. I offer input and ideas, recommendations, then I have to listen carefully to what the client wants.
Rose Bud Florist
Weddings tend to cause a lot of stress and anxiety. Being able to interact with the customers comfortably eases the process.
