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I discovered Diane of DK Designs and I was amazed!! So amazed that I invited her to tell us more about what she does. She has kindly answered all my questions and you can read even more on the DK Designs Blog. Her clay flowers are so stunning that I hardly trust the photos- but it's true, she hand creates each flower. To see how she does it, you can watch her Martha Stewart video segment.
Q: What are the advantages of clay flowers?
A: Clay flowers are a great alternative to fresh for several reasons: They will not wilt or turn brown due to excessive heat on a hot summer day. It's a keepsake after the wedding and with a little bit of care (no prolonged exposure to direct sunlight/no contact with liquids/water), your flowers will be as beautiful as the day you got married years and years from now. You can customize any color you wish, even if it doesn't exist in nature. You can order flowers that aren't in season or are sensitive to the elements (hydrangeas, lily of the valley, peonies, plumerias, etc.) If you had your heart set on gardenias and they are not in season, it's a perfect solution... clay flowers! Cost - for the most part it's pretty comparable. Price is dependent on size and style of bouquet as well as the flowers you choose. In some areas depending on the complexity or amount of labor involved in making a particular flower, it may be more, but they are handmade by me and it will last you for many years to come.
One thing brides have to understand, it is HANDMADE not by a factory of workers, but by me, petal by petal, not using a production process. It's all by hand. So I even though I try to stay comparable to what they would pay with a fresh floral designer, they may have to pay more just because they are paying for my time to create these beautiful works of art. Plus the fact that it's not going to wilt, turn brown or die on their wedding day! I do have brides often come to me asking me to replicate their bouquet because their preserved one doesn't look good or they weren't able to preserve and now they have a solution to getting their bouquet back!
Q: What arrangements are clay flowers used in for a wedding?
Clay flowers can be used for bridal bouquets, boutonnieres, corsages, hair flowers, flowergirl baskets, ring pillows, centerpieces, favors, cake flowers, etc. Pretty much whatever you can do with fresh flowers can be done in clay flowers. More and more brides are realizing that because these clay flowers look so real, that they spend money once and have flowers to last them well beyond their wedding day. I think it's being considered an "eco-chic" way to decorate your wedding day.
One thing brides have to understand, it is HANDMADE not by a factory of workers, but by me, petal by petal, not using a production process. It's all by hand. So I even though I try to stay comparable to what they would pay with a fresh floral designer, they may have to pay more just because they are paying for my time to create these beautiful works of art. Plus the fact that it's not going to wilt, turn brown or die on their wedding day! I do have brides often come to me asking me to replicate their bouquet because their preserved one doesn't look good or they weren't able to preserve and now they have a solution to getting their bouquet back!
Q: What arrangements are clay flowers used in for a wedding?
Clay flowers can be used for bridal bouquets, boutonnieres, corsages, hair flowers, flowergirl baskets, ring pillows, centerpieces, favors, cake flowers, etc. Pretty much whatever you can do with fresh flowers can be done in clay flowers. More and more brides are realizing that because these clay flowers look so real, that they spend money once and have flowers to last them well beyond their wedding day. I think it's being considered an "eco-chic" way to decorate your wedding day.
They also make great hair flowers - you can wear them after the wedding at a special event or function or just because you want to look a little extra special. So many times I've seen wedding photos with a bride wearing a fresh gardenia flower and the petals have all turned brown.
Cake flowers are another thing that are popular with my brides. They can't afford to do sugar flowers and sometimes would prefer to have something they can take home. I had a bride where we did a custom cake topper to match her wedding flowers in a square shallow vase to match her 5 tier square cake and it looked phenomenal. You almost couldn't tell them from the real flowers at her wedding. Plus it makes a great arrangement to decorate your home afterwards.
Q: How do brides react when they get their clay flowers?
A: My brides are absolutely floored when they see work in progress pictures and they get so excited. They are so anxious to receive the final product. When they do finally receive their bouquets, they are completely satisfied and are so happy they decided to go with clay flowers. Many women who discover me after they already got married, wished they had found me when they were getting married.
If you're interested, definitely book 3-6 months minimum out. I've become increasingly busy with being featured on the Martha Stewart Show , Weddingbee.com (Miss Pineapple), The Wedding Planning Audiocast, TheKnot.com Real Weddings feature, so book DK Designs as you would if you were booking a fresh floral designer. The earlier the better! Depending on the size of your order, it could take 1-3 weeks to create your clay flower creations once I begin the process. I also like to email my brides pictures of the progress which shows them how their bouquets are coming along and makes them feel like they are a part of the process. I absolutely LOVE what I do and I think the end product expresses that. All my brides have been super to work with and so appreciative of my works of art and creating the wedding flowers of their dreams.
Vendors in the Parade may or may not sponsors of Melissa's Smitten Blog, but are strictly selected for the Vendor Parade for their sterling reputation and outstanding work.
Q: How do brides react when they get their clay flowers?
A: My brides are absolutely floored when they see work in progress pictures and they get so excited. They are so anxious to receive the final product. When they do finally receive their bouquets, they are completely satisfied and are so happy they decided to go with clay flowers. Many women who discover me after they already got married, wished they had found me when they were getting married.
If you're interested, definitely book 3-6 months minimum out. I've become increasingly busy with being featured on the Martha Stewart Show , Weddingbee.com (Miss Pineapple), The Wedding Planning Audiocast, TheKnot.com Real Weddings feature, so book DK Designs as you would if you were booking a fresh floral designer. The earlier the better! Depending on the size of your order, it could take 1-3 weeks to create your clay flower creations once I begin the process. I also like to email my brides pictures of the progress which shows them how their bouquets are coming along and makes them feel like they are a part of the process. I absolutely LOVE what I do and I think the end product expresses that. All my brides have been super to work with and so appreciative of my works of art and creating the wedding flowers of their dreams.
Vendors in the Parade may or may not sponsors of Melissa's Smitten Blog, but are strictly selected for the Vendor Parade for their sterling reputation and outstanding work.
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1 comment:
Melissa, You did a fantastic job on putting all the flower images I sent you! Thank you so much!
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