What are brides and grooms going to see from you at the February event? I will be talking about choices and creativity in flowers at the mini-sessions of the wedding bootcamp! I will be taking a creative concept and creating a few bouquets at different price points to show some of the tradeoffs and opportunities involved in creating your ideal wedding floral plan.

Why Weddings? I love the planning!! I love knowing what details are on the invitation, how they met, their favorite place to visit, etc so we can come up with bouquets and centerpieces that are unique to the couple. Perhaps the vessel the flowers are in is a cigar box, vintage tea canisters or milk glass from their grandmothers collection.

What should people know about what you do? I only take on two weddings per weekend so each couple gets personal attention on their big day!

What is your favorite part of a wedding? Seeing the bride when they see their bouquet for the first time!

What new wedding tradition do you want to get more love? Harvest tables. I LOVE when couples opt for the large oval table in the middle of the room for their wedding party and their guests to sit around. This table is also a great place for two large floral statement pieces.

How does your style differentiate you? What sets you apart? I love clean, classy, sophisticated style but with a twist. I tend to take that style and always add a little something that makes a personal statement for the couple as well.

What do you wish you had known when you started working with weddings? That you aren’t allowed to put flowers directly on the altar in Catholic churches. Still to this day I can see the little church lady shaking her fists at me as she barreled down the isle. FLORIST…..FLOOOOORRRIST she was screaming. I’m pretty sure God forgave me for not knowing.

Are your clients mostly from Minnesota? Definitely. But we get a few Chicago and Wisconsin brides every year too. This year we have both an NFL and an NHL groom on the books. Both brides are from Minnesota but they live in the cities where their fiances play.

Cake or cupcakes? Neither. I’m a huge salt person and never was much for cake. (BUT I’ve never passed down the adorable cake pops Cocoa & Fig make;  They are delish!)  If I did do a dessert it would probably be an array of desserts and snacks. ….including the cake pops of course.

How does your style differentiate you? What sets you apart? I am a complete package of knowing fashion, flowers and flow of a wedding, along with modern practicality of budget conscious brides. What really counts?! Where should you put your money? In the wedding party! not the reception. What sets me apart? as I mentioned, grow a lot of greens and flowers for a wedding during the growing season, creating a truly exceptional bouquet and other floral for my brides.
And, I am super fun to work with. Many brides tell me I am their favorite vendor of their wedding. That means a lot to me. (Elise said so, bride, July 2009)

What should people know about what you do? I will create a design with the bride in mind, not my own agenda. I love color, texture and movement within a design. I use flowers from my own garden and the wholesaler to create a truly one of a kind design for each bride. I get inspiration from the bride’s dress, her vision of the style, color choices and her flowers “likes” and create a one of kind bouquet for her.

What is your favorite part of a wedding? Seeing the bride’s dress. For me, it is a huge fashion show and also watching what others are wearing.
An extremely close second is: Eating the cake. Whether I am the one getting married or a guest, it has to be the cake/sweets part.

What new wedding tradition do you want to get more love? A dress color other than white or ivory.
More texture, more color. See Tara LaTour, she is from Chaska!

What do you wish you had known when you started working with weddings? Once I signed with a bride because she had a big budget and I wanted her business, but we were not suited for each other style wise or personality wise. It was a tough wedding to get through. Now, Knowing other vendors and having good repor is very important. Wedding vendors are a close community. We should support each other! I like refering other floral designers if I know they are going to be a better fit for a bride.
A bride should never rush into a contract, go with your gut but also she should do her research for a vendor. Do research, meet with a vendor, then sign a contract. Always feel comfortable with your vendor, they should be honest, real and fun and most of all, have good history with other clients and vendors in the biz. Do your research.

What are brides and grooms going to see from you at the November event? At my table, I will be showing my best work from the past 2 years via a look book also, I will have a vintage circus decor with a crisp modern edge = navy and white stripped tablecloth with a mauve 20′s parasol and a few small, simple, colorful and texture filled (of course) flower arrangements. (Just enough to show my skills  … Of course, I will come dressed to impress…

Distinctly Debbie Florals
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Distinctly Debbie grew out of a lifelong passion and talent for floral creations. Since 1999, I have been creating exceptional designs for Twin Cities clients. It is important the pieces I design captures who they are. I love that the detail no matter how small it is, shows the bride that it is their one of a kind.

I make it my goal to listen to your vision and design flowers that are uniquely yours, defined by dedication to quality and a singular sense of style.

Debbie participated in our “meet the members” Q&A – her answers appear below

What new wedding tradition do you want to get more love? This would be more a trend than tradition, but I would like to see more brides do an inspiration board. They are so helpful to refer to when planning their florals. It is a quick refresher of their style.

How does your style differentiate you? What sets you apart? Using unique floral material throughout the pieces, and the detail of how it is used. I love giving that element of surprise!

Why weddings? Weddings allow me to be creative. Each wedding is unique to the bride and groom so no two are alike. Every floral piece within a wedding is a one of a kind.

What should people know about what you do? I don’t take on multiple weddings a weekend. I like to immerse myself in the planning and designing of a wedding.

What is your favorite part of a wedding? Presenting the bride her bouquet. When she is happy and expresses it, that is the ultimate compliment.

Cakes or Cupcakes? Cake, you get more frosting.