Eventful: Floristry 101

Here it is: our first Eventful interview! We are so excited to share this new series with you guys. Eventful will be an ongoing video podcast through which we explore industries that are key in the event planning world. We will be asking industry professionals insightful questions, and filming our interviews with them in various venues around Southern California. Eventful will provide helpful advice for planning your special day—and entertain along the way.

In our first Eventful interview, we sit down with Lauren Harper, an Event Specialist with Jay’s Catering, and Sussanna Davidson, Florist + Owner of French Buckets, to get the 411 on floristry. In this first installment, Sussanna shares her expertise on floral trends and offers some goldmine tips to brides. Check out Lauren + Sussanna’s interview below, filmed at none other than the Loft on Pine.

A bit about the Loft: The Loft on Pine represents the outcome of a transition that occurred in New York circa 1993. Before this time, warehouse/loft spaces were cold and slightly dissolute, inhabited by Bohemians and artists. The ‘90’s, however, brought a sudden shift. People began making lofts warmer environments that were suitable for families who wanted to live and work in open spaces. Uninhibited and sprawling, this venue is also markedly welcoming and homey—a true culmination of the move from niche to trendy that lofts underwent 20 years ago.

While we are filming here, I realize that I wouldn't change a thing about the ambiance. Except, perhaps, adding some flowers.

What is it about flowers that please, mystify, act as a relief, even? The richness of the Loft—accented with gold-sequined pillows, boutique mauve furniture, + warm gradients of wood—hits the perfect atmospheric note between down-home + urban. Yet, somehow, floral arrangements would make it ‘more perfect’. And this could be said about nearly every venue or space. Flowers brighten up and lend sweet aromas to anywhere they are placed. We tend to miss their presence when we suddenly find them absent.

But, whatever the basis is for our collective desire to have flowers around us, everyone knows that they’re nearly synonymous with weddings. People equate flowers, and the floral industry at large, with weddings. In fact, floristry is a multi-billion dollar business because of weddings. So, what’s the scoop on the industry? What’s the process for a florist when s/he is designing floral arrangements for a wedding? Thankfully, we have the Sussanna's expertise handy to alleviate our burning questions.