If you’re looking for the best insider wedding advice from two amazing wedding professionals in the DC area, this is the RIGHT place to be! Avery and Amy are two of our favorite wedding pros and they generously are sharing everything our engaged couples need to know about florists and hair and makeup artists! Keep reading to get the inside scoop!

Avery Snipes of Ash to Oak Floristry Shares Everything You Need to Know About Working with a Florist

Flowers have the ability to set the aesthetic tone of your entire event and tie together the story you are telling on your wedding day. Knowing this, we consider it an honor when a bride trusts us with her wedding flowers. When we arrange for a wedding, we know we are playing an important role in completing the dream and vision for that day. 

Choosing a Florist

Unless you have experience in the world of floral design, it is hard to grasp the amount of thought and time that is dedicated to each client. Behind the beauty and creative design is a lot decision-making, planning, research, and even mathematics! Being a florist is hard work, but we couldn’t love it more. We want you to have an incredible experience with you florist, too!

First, how do you know if a florist is a good fit? Choosing the perfect florist for your day involves a mix of personality and creativity. Look for a florist who cares about your vision, listens to you, and is honest with you. We recommend avoiding vendors that do not value your vision, or that are heavily commercialized. We are bigs fans of the small business community and have found a more professional and personal touch with smaller or boutique venders. 

At Ash to Oak, we strive to work with integrity, honesty, and we always bring our A-game. We seek to provide beautifully crafted floral arrangements that are uniquely tailored to the vision of each client. We love dreaming alongside our clients and discovering how we can make their day everything they had hoped for. Taking time to understand our brides matters immensely in our design process. We want each bride to feel heard, understood, and celebrated as they work with us. Be sure to find a florist that cares about you, your priorities and your vision!

This also works conversely – be open and honest with your florist. We work for you and we value your style, ideas, and opinions. Any thought, concern, or question is something we are happy to work through together!

If you’re wondering when to book your florist, the answer varies. Most clients book our services between 6 months – 1 year in advance of their wedding. Those looking to take advantage of our à la carte services have more flexibility and tend to book closer to their wedding date. 

Floral Style

Personally, we do not hold fast to one particular style of floral design or wedding. Instead, we create by learning about who you are and what you love, and we work to emulate that unique beauty in your wedding flowers. Some of our favorite styles include whimsical, romantic weddings, classic, elegant weddings & English garden-style weddings, but again, we welcome any and all ideas from our couples!

Finally, we love the way photography works in conjunction with floral art. Have you ever seen a photo of a flower arrangement or a bouquet that makes your heart skip a beat? There is something whimsical and heartwarming about a bouquet of full, lush blooms. The photos of your wedding day are visual memorabilia that you keep for years to come. Ash to Oak seeks to honor and enhance how precious these memories are by providing stunning and uniquely designed wedding flowers. We think there is something magical about how flowers do not last forever, but are there just for a brief time to bring you joy. In wedding photos we see that magic last just a little bit longer. 

Top Tips from Amy Hyson of Vintage Veils

Everyone wants to be a happy, glowing bride in her wedding photos, and hair and makeup is a huge confidence booster! Polished bridal hair and makeup fill you with confidence that shines through your smile. You will feel like the best version of yourself and you will be completely flawless in your most special keepsake, your wedding photos!

Choosing Your Hair & Makeup Team

You’ll want to choose wisely when selecting your hair and makeup team for your wedding! Skill and personality is the winning combination, and a great professional will have both. Our company has high standards for the artists that work for us: both for their technical skills, but also for their attitude and character. We pride ourselves on being joyful, punctual, professional, kind and innovative. You can depend on us to ease any tension and bring a light-hearted atmosphere to your wedding day. Steer clear of vendors who lack social media or online presence, a great portfolio or that have low (or no!) reviews.

It may surprise you, but it’s most beneficial to book your beauty vendors a year in advance! This is the most common mistake couples will make. We book quickly and also want to work with you on timing, details and style. Be sure to book us as soon as you can!

Understanding how to work with your beauty team

The most common misperception that our clients make with us is setting their expectations high in regards to hair & makeup inspiration photos on Pinterest (google, etc.). Inspiration photos can be a wonderful and helpful, but often times details like hair lengths, face shapes, eye color, etc. can be deceiving. Be sure to schedule a hair and makeup trial with your beauty team so they are able to asses your desires/photo references, leaving you stress free! Vintage Veils truly works well with all styles and we constantly crave wedding diversity, so we’ll work together to find a style perfect for you!

As you’re working with your photographer and planner on the schedule, don’t forgot to leave plenty of time for hair and makeup! This is one of the most important aspects to remember when you are deciding whether or not to use a professional beauty team. Be sure to leave enough time so that you are able to enjoy a stress free getting ready process. You will also want to consider time for adjustments, touch ups and for getting into your gown before your first look or photos!

On the day of your wedding, we’ll want a great space to work in to give you the best results. We love natural light and lots of space! Large windows, sufficient outlets and room to get your bridal party ready in are so important! When it comes to bridal beauty, lighting plays an integral role in how your beauty team styles your hair and makeup.

One final note: it’s your wedding! Have fun! Make sure you take time for yourself, and enjoy special days with your friends and family without the stresses of wedding planning to bog you down. And don’t forget to simply relax with your significant other, after all, you’re in this together. Planning a wedding should be fun – no matter how big or small – and the memories you make leading up to the big day, are just as important as the day itself.