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*This post was written for wedding creatives in the wedding industry.

Let’s talk business, wedding creatives. Stylized shoots. Raise your hand if you’ve done one. You’re raising your hand, right?! Now because you are reading this alone, you’re realizing that we can’t actually see you and should probably lower your hand. Because in all honesty, we already know that you’ve done a stylized shoot. We’ve ALL done at least one at some point in our career and we’ll probably all do at least one more!

We are huge fans of stylized shoots. Why? Well, as wedding creative professionals, we are allowed all the creative freedom to design the things that our souls crave while not having the stress of pleasing a paying client. As florists, we are asked to do styled shoots a lot. Creatives in the wedding industry know that an important part of a styled shoot is a dreamy bouquet, and we love being a part of these shoots! We get asked to make arrangements with different color palates, different shapes, try new ideas, and work on perfecting our craft, but I think our favorite part of participating in a stylized shoot is meeting all of the other vendors. It’s extremely rewarding to put time and effort into something alongside other wedding creative professionals and then meet together to see the magic unfold. So much work goes into a shoot, and it takes multiple vendors to pull it off. You have a wedding planner who plans it. A photographer who captures it. Models who create emotion. And other multiple vendors; florists, cake artists, paper goods, HMUA, etc; who bring their talents and services to make it come to life and become a reality. It’s the work of the whole, not a single vendor, who creates the complete image and brings it to life.

A styled shoot bouquet by The Potted Pansy. Photo by Haley Nord Photography

A real wedding by The Potted Pansy. Photo by Emma Vidmar Photography

We, as florists, have vendors we love working with again and again. We love working with anyone, but we have certain vendors that are our go to. They just seem to get us as designers. They understand our style and what we are trying to achieve. They ask us to provide flowers, we ask them to photograph or enhance our blooms; and the cycle of back and forth shoots continue in this blissful stylized shoot circle.

We get photos back and we are mesmerized! It is just EVERYTHING that our brand stands for. We feel giddy and so excited, because this is what makes our heart sing. We hear a lot of “You guys are the dream team!” and “You guys make incredible work together” on our photos when they are posted on social media. (And we thank you!!! We will never tire of hearing positive compliments about our work!) We also completely agree with you. We love it too.

“We are the dream team right?!”

A styled shoot bouquet by Roots Floral Design. Photo by Emilie Ann Photography

A real wedding bouquet by Roots Floral Design. Photo by Burlap and Blossom Photo

A real wedding bouquet by Roots Floral Design. Photo by Rachel Lindsey Photography

So…what if we took this “dream team” and actually worked together? We don’t mean on another shoot. That’s right, we’re talking about actually working together at a real wedding. We each have different goals and dream., but we think that the odds are high in that we all have one common goal; and that is to make money doing the thing that we love.
Doing a creative business can be a very lonely journey. So, why don’t we help each other? Do you ask your brides who they have booked, what vendors they haven’t booked, and if they would like any suggestions? We ALWAYS ask! Part of our initial questionnaires include these questions! Who are you working with? And what do you need referrals for? Planning a wedding is stressful and most brides are lost at finding a vendor or two. So, what if we as vendors could take some of the stress from them by referring some of our wedding creative friends? Then not only have we helped our community, but we’ve helped our brides, provided them an additional service (bonus!), and best of all, have that killer wedding dream team that they (and we) want.

A real summer wedding bridal party by Roots Floral Design. Photo by Shannon Elizabeth Photo

A real wedding by Roots Floral Design. Photo by Shannon Elizabeth Photo.

Why do this? Why take the time to come up with a list of preferred vendors for your brides? We feel we’ve already answered this but if we haven’t convinced you yet here are some more reasons.

• You Scratch my Back I’ll Scratch Yours

Most likely if you refer a particular vendor again and again, they will return the favor and start referring you. In our opinion it is the easiest and best way to make money. If a bride trusts a vendor with the most important day of her life, she will probably trust the vendor’s word that you are a must hire.

• 5 Star Rating

Reviews are an easy way brides can check to see if they should inquire with a vendor or not. By going the extra mile in assisting your brides with vendors, we are sure you’ll be on your way to receiving 5 out of 5 stars.

• #communityovercompetition

We’ve all heard this phrase before and we all seem to jump on the bandwagon whenever it rolls by. But, do we actually live by that phrase? Being a creative entrepreneur is sometimes a scary and lonely adventure. We can all lighten the burden of this journey by supporting one another. By having this community of support we can ask questions and help out each other’s businesses.

• Last But Not Least…

We already want to do this! We created a poll and asked 400 creatives to tell us where they currently get most of their business and where they wished they got most of their business. I bet you wouldn’t be surprised that the majority WISHES they were getting their business from referrals. The reasons why this is are endless, but it’s what we all dream and want.

A real wedding bouquet by The Potted Pansy. Photo by Emma Vidmar Photography

A styled shoot bouquet by the Potted Pansy. Photo by The Hickenloopers

A styled shoot installation by The Potted Pansy. Photo by Mariel Hannah Photography

So while we’ll continue to do stylized shoots, create the dream team, make some fabulous magic, and enjoy every moment of it, we’ll also let our brides in on the deal. We like to think that a dream team wedding is nothing more, or less, than a fantastic stylized shoot with a REAL couple…and income. Not a bad deal, we’d say!

This post was written by Kaytee Stice from Roots Floral Design and Mandy Ogaz from The Potted Pansy

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Getting married in Kentucky? Reach out to Roots Floral Design!

Florals and greenery can make your special day stand out in a unique way that you’ll remember for years to come. Whether you already have floral ideas in mind for your wedding or you are hoping to achieve a specific look and feel, reach out to Roots Floral Design for elegant bouquets, ceremony backdrops and more for a truly romantic wedding! Roots Floral Design also provides flowers for newly engaged couples in Lexington, Louisville, and Cincinnati.