Question 1

What makes Huldra different from other florists?

Accepted Answer

Huldra Floral is a floral design studio that specializes in Weddings. 
 
Yep. You read that right. Our main service is weddings. Most other florists have 5 or 6 different services they offer, with weddings usually being their 3rd priority. That means they can easily get spread thin and potentially not give you the attention to detail you need for your wedding. 
 
Here at Huldra, we only offer weddings. To go even further, we only book ONE wedding per weekend. That way, we can whole heartedly focus on one couple at a time to make their wedding absolutely perfect. 
 
Another cool thing about us, we don't have a store front. We work out of a studio that is open to the public by appointment. We only buy flowers for specific events. Meaning, we put in a lot of time and effort in tailoring our orders to each and every couple. 
 
We have a strong belief in doing business responsibly. There are many traditional florist practices that aren't that great for the planet. And instead of passing on the problem to our customers and future generations, we take responsibility to be better. Not only for our customers, but for the planet as well. 
 
For more about us visit our About Us page here. 
 
Fore more about our Sustainability Practices, click here.

Question 2

Is there a minimum budget or spend?

Accepted Answer

At this time we have the following minimums: 
- $1,000 minimum for local A La Carte weddings. (Within 35 minutes of our studio)
- $3,000 minimum for Full Service weddings. 
- $6,000 minimum to travel more than 2 hours from our studio.

Most of our couples spend between $8,000 - $15,000 on flowers, but we are flexible and would love to help you with your flowers. No matter the budget.  
 
We've created a Budget Guide to help you get an idea of what things may be included in your budget. You can find our guide here.

Question 3

Do you offer full service or partial packages?

Accepted Answer

Yes!

Every wedding is similar, but different enough that we decided to offer a more A La Carte style menu rather than packages. That way you can still choose what's important to you and your partner, and skip the rest.

A La Carte
- personal flowers
- simple table flowers 
- delivery not included

This option is for those getting married within 35 minutes of our studio and aren't looking for a lot in the way of flowers. You're looking to cover your bases for the bridal party and maybe something for the guest tables. You come pick up the flowers the morning of, and go get married.

Full Service 
- personal flowers 
- guest table flowers
- head table flowers
- floral installations (ceremony, reception, or both) 
- rental items (candles, runners, etc.)
- delivery, set-up and teardown of all florals and rentals on site.

This option is for those who want an IG worthy wedding without all the stress. Still in an A La Carte fashion, choosing what items are important to you and skipping the rest.

** The addition of on site installations and/or rental items take you from an "A La Carte" option to being Full Service. Our standard operating procedure for Full Service weddings include set-up and tear down of all floral installations and/or rental items to prevent injury or damage to all personnel and property involved. Most planners and venues have contracts that state they will not aid in the set-up or removal of floral installations anyway, so we've adjusted our services to accommodate for that.

Question 4

How does this whole wedding flower thing work?

Accepted Answer

Here at Huldra, we're here to help. To take the confusion and mystery out of planning your wedding flowers. 
 
With 4 simple steps, we'll walk with you through the whole process.
 
1. Consultation / Q+A form
2. Design Recommendation / Estimate
3. Planning Session
4. Your Wedding Day
 
We're here to answer all your questions. Even the ones you might be afraid or uncomfortable to ask. We want you to feel 100% secure in what you're investing in. 
 
Find more about our process here.

Question 5

How much do wedding flowers usually cost?

Accepted Answer

If we were comparing apples to apples, this would be an easy question to answer. Instead we are comparing all types of fruit.

Your wedding may be very different from someone else's wedding. What one person would spend on let's say a banana, may be something completely different than what another person would spend on a pomegranate.

Instead of talking fruit, we've created a Budget Guide with real numbers to help elaborate more on what could be included in your price range. You can find our Budget Guide here.

Question 6

What floral arrangements are necessary for my wedding?

Accepted Answer

To answer this question, I must first ask you a question... 
 
What part of your wedding day is the MOST important to you and your partner?
 
Ceremony?
Reception?
Loved ones?
All of the above?
Or just you two?
 
By answering this question, we can really get down to the necessities. 
 
If the Reception is the most important thing, let's focus on the reception flowers. 
 
If the Ceremony is the most important to you, let's focus on making your ceremony special. 
 
If only you two are important, let's focus on framing both of you throught the enitire day. 
 
Only after answering that question can you know what floral arrangements are necessary for your wedding. 
 
You don't NEED flowers everywhere. You don't NEED everyone to have a boutonniere, corsage or bouquet. Ask yourself, what's really important to you and your partner? From there, we can focus on making those areas unique to you both.

Question 7

How do I organize a consultation?

Accepted Answer

The first step is to submit an initial inquiry. We will then be in contact with you to schedule a consultation. You can find that form here.
 
Learn more about our process here.

Question 8

What do I need to know/bring with me to a wedding consultation?

Accepted Answer

To answer this question, I really need to explain what a consultation is for. 
 
A wedding consultation is simply a meeting between you (the client) and me (the florist). Here we get together and discuss the two biggest details of your wedding. 
 
1. Your budget.
2. Your tentative wish list. 
 
These two details are ultimately what the consultation is for. Getting all the information I need to give you a quote. From there YOU get to decide what's right for you. 
 
Everything else, ( color palette, vendors, times, etc.) are also important, but aren't necessary for our first meeting. We know wedding planning is hard, and it's OK to not know everything right away. That's why we have our "Planning Session" about 6-10 weeks before your wedding date. 
 
You're more than welcome to bring all your ideas and questions with you to the consult, but also know that you're not required to bring or know anything to the consult. We love our clients and want to be as helpful as humanly possible. We want your wedding day to be stunning and seamless, just as much as you do.

Question 9

Do I need a theme or vision for my day?

Accepted Answer

No, not at all. 
 
We do suggest that you do a little research about the types of flowers and designs you like. Everyone's tastes are different and there are hundreds of options when it comes to wedding flower design. Even one or two inspiration photos can point us all in the right direction.
 
You don't need to have thought through every detail. We're always happy to provide suggestions and options for ceremony and reception styling ideas as well.

Question 10

How far in advance do I need to book?

Accepted Answer

We suggest a minimum of 6-12 months in advance, but we can easily work within a shorter planning timeframe. 
 
We do recommend paying your deposit as early as possible as we only take ONE wedding per weekend. 
 
After your deposit is paid we can easily sort through changes and revisions to the order details, nothing needs to be firmly set in stone until 6 weeks prior to your wedding day.

Question 11

Are some flowers only available during some months of the year?

Accepted Answer

Yes, we are at the mercy of Mother Nature and weather conditions have a significant impact on availability of flowers. 
 
For example, Peonies are only available for a few weeks in mid-Spring (most often end of May - early June) but the specific availability often changes from year to year, depending on how cold the winter has been and how wet the early weeks of spring are. 
 
We're working on a list of our favorite blooms per season so follow us on Instagram and Facebook for updates.

Question 12

Where are you located?

Accepted Answer

Our studio is based in Plum City, Wisconsin. 
 
We coordinate flowers for couples getting married all across the Mississippi River Valley and surrounding counties. Both Minnesota and Wisconsin.

Question 13

Do you travel?

Accepted Answer

Yes!! We love traveling! Our studio is based out of Plum City, Wisconsin. We flower all along the Mississippi River Valley, both Minnesota and Wisconsin. Listed below are some of the cities and towns we frequently serve. 
 
Minnesota - Cambridge, Cannon Falls, Duluth, Forest Lake, Goodhue, Hastings, Lake City, Red Wing, Rochester, Stillwater, Twin Cities Metro, Winona, Zumbrota and more. 
 
Wisconsin - Alma, Baldwin, Hudson, Eau Claire, Ellsworth, Maiden Rock, Menomonie, Milwaukee Area, Mondovi, Pepin, River Falls, Somerset, Spring Valley, Stockholm, Superior and more.

Not sure if your venue is within range? Get in touch and we'll happily let you know if we can make it work!

Question 14

Will you deliver my wedding flowers on the day?

Accepted Answer

Absolutely, we'll deliver all your flowers personally. We'll coordinate the time, location and cost of delivery with you during the planning process.

Question 15

Does your Delivery Fee include Set Up?

Accepted Answer

No, it does not. Set Up will be charged separately from the delivery.

Question 16

Do you offer rental items or do I need to supply my own vases?

Accepted Answer

We do offer rental items - vases, candle holders, ceremony archway. 
 
If you would like to supply your own vases, we ask that you drop them off washed with the stickers removed.

Question 17

Why don't you recommend flat lay foliage or foliage garlands?

Accepted Answer

All those beautifully styled photos of delicate foliage strewn 'just so' on a table - I know it's got you dreaming of creating a similar effect for your day. And my guess is you're assuming it's a cheaper alternative to flowers. 
 
Here are a few things to know about flat lay foliage: 
 
- Most of the images you see on Pinterest are heavily styled photoshoots and not easily replicable in real life. 
 
- Creating the same effect as those photos is REALLY EXPENSIVE because it's (1) time consuming, (2) uses a lot of foliage and (3) the foliage is expensive. 
 
To give you an idea of $$$: Let's assume you have 90 guests, to be seated at 3 banquet tables. Each table seats 30 guests, measuring around 32 ft in length. You want to run foliage from one end to the other. To do that, we need to allow about $330 in foliage for each table x 3 tables = $990 in foliage alone. Allowing 1 person 1 hour to do the set-up brings the total up to more than $1100. That cost would be even higher if it's a room flip, to cover the cost of a designer(s) waiting for the ceremony to finish and complete the design in the designated time window. 
 
That's a lot of money to spend on something that will not be featured in any of your favorite photos and end up in the bin at the end of the night. 
 
Our recommendation is to go with something really simple and stunning:
 
1. An abundance of candles - reinforces the romantic vibe of the evening. Oh and when we say abundance, we mean like 200 tea lights or 80 pillar candles and 120 tea lights. It's beautiful. 
 
2. Delicate bud vases scattered down the center of each banquet table - featuring a mix of premium blooms coordinating with the color palette of your other florals. The best part,  your guests can take the flowers home at the end of the night! 
 
Here's some inspiration here.

Question 18

I'm thinking about DIY wedding flowers...

Accepted Answer

Firstly, I want to ask the reasoning behind wanting to do the flowers youself.

Whether it's because:
- You love flowers, love being creative and have a DIY soul
- You / a family member / a friend is a florist

~ OR ~

- You're hesitant because of the cost of hiring a professional.

No matter what you decide, I'm here for it. I'll be cheering you on no matter what you choose. I'm here to equip you with the knowledge to succeed and help you acheive the most beautiful wedding.

Here are a few things to keep in mind when DIYing your flowers.

> Cost - One thing to keep in mind about DIYing your flowers is cost. 
Fake flowers are always more expensive than fresh. The average cost of a silk Hydrangea is $9 - $15 / stem. For fresh, it's usually about $3 - $9 / stem. I hear over and over again, DIYing a wedding with silk flowers ends up costing more than just hiring a professional. AND you still have to do it yourself. 
Fresh flowers have their own set of costs. If you don't have the right tools, water sources, and environment for fresh flowers, your timeline gets significantly shortened and you run the risk of wilted flowers before the ceremony even starts. Wasting a lot of time and money.

> Where are you sourcing them from? - Grocery stores won't be able to match your color palette and their flowers aren't well taken care of, so for best results you'll want to buy them NO EARLIER than the day before your wedding. If you're buying them from a flower farm, you'll likely get flowers that are delicate. They don't hold up well out of water and need to be kept cool (in a cooler) to prevent them from wilting before you walk down the aisle.

> Do you have a space in your home / venue for flowers? - You'll want a cool space to store your flowers once you bring them home, while you're arranging and storing them before the ceremony. Depending on how much you're planning to DIY, you'll need a fairly large space to deal with flowers. A space that can get wet and very messy. I often wonder, how on earth something in my studio got wet or how leaves/stems ended up getting into something I never though it would, but here we are.

> Who is going to help you arrange your flowers? - Since you'll be getting your flowers at the earliest the day before your wedding, before your rehearsal dinner, you'll likely be arranging the day of. As you are already aware, the day of you'll be really busy with hair, make-up, getting dressed, and photos. You won't have much time for designing all your centerpieces, bouquets, etc. So having as many pairs of hands as possible to help design is important. It can take a professional florist 8 hours to design 30 centerpieces. (Beware though, your bridesmaids aren't going to be super thrilled about helping design flowers. Especially if you've already asked them to help decorate the venue too.)

> Transportation - How are you going to transport all your flowers to your ceremony and reception locations? Do you have a big enough vehicle to safely drive all your centerpieces, bouquets, etc. without them getting damaged in route? Will you have time to fix / replace damaged blooms once you get there?

> Allergies - You also should keep in mind, any allergies you or someone helping you may have. I didn't know I was allergic to Eucalyptus, Cedar, Amaranthus, and so many other flowers and foliages until I became a florist. You don't want to be broken out in hives or have a trip to the emergency room a couple hours before you walk down the aisle...

> Partial DIY - Let's say you have decided to have a professional florist make your bouquets and ceremony arch, but want to DIY your centerpieces....

Firstly, it will be incredibly difficult to match the DIY flowers. Regardless if they're real or fake. We cannot guarantee our flowers will match the DIYed flowers unless it's 100% provided by us. If you decide this is the route you'd like to take, we do offer DIY buckets of fresh flowers. These will match the rest of your wedding, and we'll take care of everything until we drop them off at the venue for you to design. We do not offer silk/fake flowers.

Secondly, beware you can also get into legal trouble if you DIY part of your wedding without telling your florist, as this breaks our contract under the 'Exclusivity of Services' clause. Purchasing real or fake flowers from another florist or pre-made items like garlands from Costco also break this section of our contract. So be sure to talk to your florist in depth about all your planned decor.

.  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .

All that being said, I strongly suggest the only reason you're doing your own flowers is because you LOVE it and it's something you absolutely adore. I know many florists who hire out their own weddings to other florists and if I were to rewind the clock, I would have as well.

If price is ultimately what's stopping you from hiring a professional, maybe flowers don't need to be a big part of your day.

Maybe allocate your budget to something else and skip flowers all together. Or only focus on flowers in the really important areas. I often recommend skipping guest table centerpieces and pew ends, because you likely won't be hanging a photo of your centerpieces above your couch or sending a photo of your pew ends on a Christmas card.

Question 19

Are there specific flowers you recommend?

Accepted Answer

Absolutely, we are currently working on a list of our favorite seasonal blooms. 
 
In the mean time, some of our favorites are:
Ranunculus
Roses
Tulips
Lisianthus
Amaranthus
Blue Thistle
Dahlia
Cremons
Limonium / Statice
Waxflower

Question 20

Don't see an answer to your question?

Accepted Answer

We LOVE questions! If you're question wasn't answered above, reach out to us! We'll gladly help in anyway we can. 
 
Send an email to Lisa and she'll be able to answer any question you can think of. 
 
lisa@huldrafloral.com