I’ve spent the past couple of weeks trying to connect with more wedding vendors. In doing so I meet had the honor of meeting Cori, who attends the same church and runs a stunning flower shop that specialize in wedding flowers. I haven’t had the opportunity to work with Cori on a wedding yet but I have spent a lot of time looking at her work and I am just baffled.
I’ll be straight up honest with you all, I am not a flower girl at all, but her designs make me want more flowers around and wish we had done more floral designs for my own wedding. Now, that is true talent. 😉
When I first meet up with Cori and Liz, the other lead consultant of Cori Cook Floral Designs, I felt at ease with them. They both are super adorable, creative and well just, hip. haha. I hope that through working in the industry together I well get to know both of these very talented ladies.
Sadly, when I did the interview with Cori, Liz wasn’t present so I only have a photograph of Cori. Below is Cori’s answers to my little questionnaire that I hope will help you in planning your wedding. 🙂
Can you tell me what your job title is and what that means to brides?
I am the owner and lead designer of Cori Cook Floral Design. I am the face of the company. I have an awesome team of designers and most design work for weddings is done in a team setting. We split our weddings between myself and Liz, my other lead designer, so depending on the weekend, a bride may work with myself or Liz. We have a very similar design aesthetic and work together on all weddings.
What makes a good florist in your opinion?
Creativity. Part of being creative is giving yourself space to “be” and also having healthy work/life boundaries. I believe deeply in making space for life outside of work. This is where I believe creativity is inspired.
Floral design for weddings is actually a very demanding job, the by-product often being burnout. So we work hard not to burn out because that is when creativity is zapped!
What is one thing that separates your business from other similar businesses?
We specialize in weddings only and take a limited amount of weddings per weekend. We don’t have daily shop work that distracts us from weddings. Our world is weddings, weddings, weddings.
By being selective about the weddings we take on per weekend, we can be more caring and attentive to our brides. We want each bride to feel special and like they have made a friend in the process of hiring us. We always encourage brides to ask other florists they may be meeting with about how many weddings they plan to book on their wedding weekend. We feel like this is an important question to ask because we feel it greatly relates to quality of work.
What is your favorite part about being a florist?
Being involved in creating beauty for somebody’s most important day. I think the beauty we bring to a wedding through floral design is powerful and of great value.
I also love marriage and believe deeply in its meaning and feel honored to be involved in the start of new marriages.
What is the most common mistakes most brides make in planning their wedding?
Most brides don’t have realistic expectations in terms of what wedding flowers cost and what their budget can afford. My advice to brides would be to set their floral budgets after they’ve meet with a few florists and have a more realistic idea of what things actually cost.
Is there one aspect of the actual wedding day that could go smoother? If so, how would you suggest changing the traditional format?
The wedding day time line. When you have a more relaxed timeline, the day always goes more smoothly. Having tables and décor set early is always helpful to your vendors so they can spend more care and attention setting up. A rushed timeline creates unnecessary stress.
What’s your best advice for brides working with a tight budget?
Do a few arrangements really well, rather than doing lots of little arrangements poorly. Nix things that aren’t as important, like toss bouquets and décor for the ceremony and spend the money where it really counts like on bouquets and nice centerpieces. Spend the money on spaces people will actually spend a significant amount of time in versus spaces that don’t get noticed. Simplicity is key!
In finding a florist, what are three things brides should look for?
- Someone they can trust to carry out the vision they’ve discussed.
- Someone they naturally get along with and can respect.
- omeone with a proven record. Check reviews and years of experience. Ask your florist how many weddings they have done. This will give you a really good idea of who knows what they are doing and who is still learning.
If you could give one piece of advice to every bride what would that be?
To remember that their wedding is about the start of their marriage. While the wedding day is important, preparing for a lasting marriage is so much more important than planning a fabulous party!
Feel free to check out Cori Cook Floral Design’s website! www.coricook.com
We’d love to work with you as your Colorado elopement photographer and guide!
