Before the installations. Before the ballroom glow. There’s this - buckets, stems, the quiet rhythm of preparation.

#weddingfloral #dcweddingflorist #weddingfloraldesign #dcwedding #floristlife #behindtheblooms #studiodays

Amanda & Jack’s Woodend wedding drew its inspiration from a William Morris print - lush, romantic, and rooted in nature. The florals carried that spirit through every detail: moss runners lined the tables, dotted with petite brown bottles of chamomile, blush spray roses, and wisps of greenery that felt as if they had grown there overnight. Cloche domes held tiny blooms like keepsakes. Brass animals cradled florals as though part of the garden itself, a perfect nod to the nature sanctuary venue. (Which ones can you find?) Even the greenery-lined staircase framing the cake echoed the same story. Every bloom was chosen for texture and movement, bringing that painterly, botanical world to life in three dimensions.

📍 @woodendsanctuary⁣
📷 @amypaperbird⁣
🍽 @purpleonioncatering⁣
💐@petalsedgedc⁣
📋@lotusevent_co

We call it the creep…

Everyone talks about the rising cost of flowers, but there’s another story behind the numbers: time. Over the years, wedding timelines have stretched. First looks, detail shots, getting-ready portraits, ceremony and reception setups starting hours earlier than before, and more complex with event breakdowns. Florists are often still paid by the piece, not by the hour, yet the hours have multiplied.

What was once a 2 to 4 hour delivery day has quietly turned into a 12 to 16 hour production days with setup, standby, and late-night breakdowns. And flowers are still perishable, so they cannot sit out waiting for the photography timeline to catch up.

When couples ask why flowers cost more now, this is part of the answer. It is not just about stems or supply chains. It is the labor, the logistics, and the reality that perfection takes time, often a lot more than it used to.

Cover @masonphotography