FAQ

I am interested in hiring The Flower Lab for my wedding!  How do I proceed?

Wonderful! Make an appointment for a consultation either by email or phone and come by our studio in Santa Monica to talk about your floral needs.  You can request a consultation by email here or call us at (310) 592-3588 and leave a message.  We are available for consultations:

Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Fridays 10:00 am – 6:00 pm

Wednesdays 8:00 am – noon

Saturdays 10:00 am – noon.

Do I need to prepare anything for the consultation?

You don’t have to prepare anything special, but many brides will come in with inspiration pictures they found in magazines or online to help illustrate what they like.  It might also help to look through the pictures on our blog for arrangements and flowers that catch your eye.  Usually we begin our discussion by talking about your wedding colors and any particular themes you may be going for.

How far in advance do I need to book?

We are busiest with weddings from May through mid-October.  If your wedding date falls within these months, it’s never too early to start planning your flowers!  We have had brides save their dates with us over a year in advance, and some brides contact us 2 weeks before their wedding!  About 3-6 months in advance is the average with our clients.

Who will design and make my wedding arrangements?

At your consultation, you will speak to me, Una, about your floral wants and needs.  I will be the one who creates the designs for your wedding flowers.  On the week of your wedding both Tweeny (my assistant) and I will make all the wedding arrangements together – the bridal bouquet will be made by me.

Can I see a sample centerpiece?

One sample centerpiece is included free of charge with your wedding floral over $ 2000 order.  If you would like to see additional centerpiece samples, we charge the cost of the centerpiece.  It is important that you schedule your sample centerpiece viewing about one month before your wedding date so the flowers are in season and we have at least two weeks to make any changes to the flowers or special orders to our suppliers.

What venues have you had experience with?

Here is just a partial list of venues and hotels we have been to:

The Victorian

Fairmont Miramar Hotel

Casa Del Mar

Shutters on the Beach

Loews Hotel Santa Monica

Le Merigot

Adamson House

The Four Seasons, Westlake Village

Calamigos Ranch

Calamigos Equestrian Center

Saddlerock Ranch

Westlake Village Inn

Sherwood Country Club

Marvimon

SmogShoppe

Dorothy Chandler Pavilion

Castle on the Green

The Anthenaem

Malibu West Beach Club

The Sunset Restaurant

La Chiquita Ranch

Cypress Sea Cove

… and many others!

What is the deal with candles?

It seems like every venue has their own special rules about candles.  Many are becoming more strict when it comes to open flame candles. They will ask that either you, your coordinator, or florist procure a fire permit.  For the fire department to grant a permit,  the candles need to be enclosed within a container such that the flame is at least 2 inches below the lip of the holder.  Hanging candles (such as those on manzanita branch arrangements) almost never pass because many times the structures they hang from are not fire retardant – such as a nice dry wood manzanita branch with flowers and greens hanging all over – very flammable.  For these reasons, we and most florists recommend using battery operated candles.  These actually look like the real thing – they even flicker.  You may have noticed a lot of restaurants these days using battery operated candles more and more.  They come as tea lights, pillar candles, as well as floating candles.

How much do wedding flowers cost?

Please check out our pricing guideline here to see how much we charge for the most popular wedding floral items.

What’s that furry white thing at your studio?

That’s Betsy, our 8-year old Samoyed.  She loves people and eating rubber bands that have fallen onto the floor.  She is a sweet dog, but does have a lot of white fur that clings tenaciously onto dark clothes.  She also can be a little clingy and shamelessly tries to get free pats and rubs. Just ignore her!  :)