By Frangelica Valdez | September 2013
One thing that would surely give an indication as to how your marriage will be is when you both plan for your wedding. And to make things run more smoothly between both of you, Kasal.com starts this year with a series of articles that would help you make informed choices. By presenting you insights from people who are in the know—those people whose businesses cater to your needs.
Since weddings primarily feed on the sense of sight, this article will start off with one of the most eye-catching elements in a wedding—flowers. Here are three flower designers who are here to give you the help you need.
The Perfect Flower Arrangement
For those couples who aspire to have that perfect flower arrangement, 1816 Flower’s Robert Blancaflor believes that there is no such thing. According to him, various elements come into play to produce a certain effect. He offers these considerations, “…the personality of the couple, especially the bride. Number two is that you should look at the color concept, the trend which, of course, for me is secondary. Third would be the budget which is very important.” So why is the bride’s personality a primary consideration? Mr. Blancaflor states it quite simply, “…because really the wedding day is for the bride.”
Robert Blancaflor of 1816 Flowers has ideas and designs that come from years of experience in the flower business, making his start way back in 1997 at his brother’s wedding. He decided to help out by scouting for florists, but couldn’t find anyone that appealed to what he had in mind, having been exposed to Tiffany parties at The Plaza when he was based in New York, working for a multinational bank. After his brother’s wedding, word spread of what he did, inquiries started to come in, obviously liking what he had produced and that started it all.
Bestsellers
For rising floral designer Dorothy Albert-Cuña, who is going on her third year in the business, the bestsellers in terms of floral arrangements would be the mums because of its affordability. “There are several varieties of mums, we have the button mums, there’s that big Malaysian mum, the spider mum…but a very popular one is the regan because it’s common. Our growers grow these and they come in a variety of colors. But personally I try to shy away from what is common to have that uniqueness. Other florists tend to group thesame colored flowers together but what should be considered is that you have the focal flower, meaning the biggest one, a medium-sized flower to be your secondary flower then your fillers, then it looks interesting.”Dorothy Albert-Cuña is certainly on her way to becoming one of the country’s premier flower designers with her mother, who is into the care of bonsai trees, as her mentor. She started in her teens arranging silk flowers but found flower designing and arranging for weddings a more interesting avenue into which she could exercise her artistry and what she considers her craft.
Going Beyond the Flower Arrangement
Newcomer Nana Abello-Estrera of Sonata Floral Masterpieces believes that a lot goes into designing an arrangement than just putting together the flowers. Starting out as a landscape artist and eventually moving into designing for weddings, she found that she always opted to have that “natural look” reminiscent of garden weddings. To augment some of the bareness of the venue, a lot of other materials can be utilized like for example a fountain, plants or trees. An arrangement set on a pedestal looks far more interesting than one without. Flower designing is an artistic task that must be done in such a way that it complements the other elements of the wedding as well. Sonata Floral Masterpieces is a collaborative effort of husband and wife team, Ernest Estrera and Nana Abello-Estrera, both came from the corporate world but find it more fulfilling to be where they are now. They expose their two children to flower designing and hope to be growers of their own greens and blooms.
Scouting for that Designer
- Common to these three designers are the following qualities that they themselves possess and what they suggest you look for when scouting for your floral designer.
- Will not compromise quality -Your designer should know how to look for alternatives that would suit your budget yet still have the same quality and effect you look for.
- Dependable – Due to the delicate nature of flowers, little mishaps may occur. Be sure that your designer can come through and is prepared for any incidents that may disrupt delivery or quality of the flowers.
- Can give you what you want – Make sure to get a designer that pays attention to what you want yet has the good sense to enlighten you with his/her professional opinion when needed.
- Treats you like a friend rather than like a customer -When planning for a wedding and you are confronted with this business-like, no nonsense designer—think twice. The last thing you need is for something so personal to you, be treated as a business deal.
In retrospect
There you have it, the first of many articles about wedding resources, that will surely be of great help to both of you. There will be more articles on flowers and other wedding-related businesses. The people behind these businesses are also behind you to help you come up a wedding that will be truly unforgettable.
