New York City event designer, Lindsay Landman had a two event Bat Mitzvah the day before she left for India. She recruited help and I happily volunteered. We spent the afternoon cutting roses and carnations and then made 96 flower balls for the centerpieces. While I design flowers and produce arrangements on a small scale often, I leave the large scale flower productions to the professionals. I refer client to one of the amazing florists I work with. Their role is often underestimated and while flower balls are not difficult to create, there is so much more involved than the actual arranging of the flowers. This project was a excellent reminder of the details involved in successfully executing a large flower design especially for a wedding or luxury event.

Ten things to remember when arranging flowers:

1. Type of flower. Consider the season, cost, budget, availability and sturdiness of the flowers when creating the design.

2. Timing. When you purchase the flowers should be determined by how long the flower will take to open, when they will peak and of course the date and time of your event.

3. Temperature. Flowers require specific temperatures of water and air. Know what is right for the flowers you choose. Holding and storing them properly is essential to their longevity. Research this before you purchase the flowers so that you can store your selections appropriately.

4. Vehicle. What will you be displaying the flowers in? a vase, a glass cylinder, mason jar? How tall? What shape? color? Will you be buying or renting them? How will you transport them to the venue?

5. Longevity. What can you do to maximize the freshness of the flowers? Fertilizer? Know where to purchase the flowers from, ask where the flowers are grown? Be mindful of the weather as it affects availability.

6. Logistics. Think about storage, boxes and refrigeration.

7. Transportation. Once the flowers are arranged and in vases they will be difficult to transport as you won’t be able to stack them. Will you bring the vehicles and arrange the flowers on site. Verify this with venue. In this case, bring buckets for water, garbage bags, cutters, and a broom and dustpan.

8. Size. Bloom, stems, tables and vases all come in various sizes, be specific about what you want and need to improve your end result.

9. Color. Pink Carnations is not specific enough. You must indicate if you want pale pink or hot pink shades so you can create the arrangement you have envisioned.

10. Height. Be sure your guests will be able to see each other across the table, often arrangements make it difficult for people to connect with one another and engage in conversation.

Happy Arranging!

Lindsay specializes in non floral design. She was great to work with and her designs were amazing. See how the flowers brought her designs to life:

The details of this event are described by Lindsay here. The day after the two event Bat Mitvah she left for India. Read about her adventures planning a wedding in India here.

Thanks to Lindsay for allowing me to share the knowledge I took from my day with her.

Photo credit: Sofia Negron