Exclusivity. Maybe you’ve heard about it while talking to various florists about your wedding. What is it and why do florists, photographers, videographers, and other vendors have it in their contracts? Sweet Ginesta’s wedding & event contract includes a clause with some stipulations regarding the concept. We try to be flexible with some planning and written consent prior to an event. Despite that, it is difficult to explain the reasoning to potential clients.
Think of it like this: after finding the perfect photographer for your wedding, you skim through their contract. You come across a clause that sounds something like this “The photographer will be the exclusive photographer. Family and Friends of the bride or groom may be asked to cease any flash photography when asked to by the photographer. They shall also not interfere with the photographer’s duties.” You may wonder why this included? Time and time again, I see posts from photographers about problematic guests ruining a shot. In all likelihood, the guest didn’t have ill intentions. They probably just wanted to capture a precious moment. Even so, them stepping out in front of the photographer ruined a professional shot. The guest has a cell phone quality picture that they will probably never look at again and you have a DSLR quality photo of someone’s arm and cell phone ruining a precious moment.
The same concept is applicable to florists. Another florist I admire once wrote about exclusivity in floral design. I love how she addresses the issue and couldn’t say it any better myself. So, in the words of Alexa Johnson:
“Let’s chat about exclusivity. What is it and why would your florist have this clause in their contract?
Florists are artists. We work hard to showcase our style while providing you with unique and gorgeous wedding flowers. And one of the most not-so-great feelings is when we show up to your wedding venue to start decorating and there are sad looking flower arrangements your venue's wedding planner threw together for your centerpieces. They aren't even in the right color scheme and look as though they haven't been properly cared for. Now the bouquet and ceremony backdrop your florist created for you won't match with the centerpieces. Your wedding doesn't flow and looks a bit tacky.
It is your florist's number one priority to not only showcase his or her best work, but to make you, your bridal party, & reception space look incredible on your wedding day. Please allow him or her to do so by giving them full reign of all the floral designs. The number one backlip I've experienced while discussing exclusivity is that a bride wants her aunt or friend to design this or that of the flower order in order to save money. Well, let me fill you in on something… most florists can work within your budget and know how to make your dollars stretch. It never hurts to share your budget with your florist. They can either say, "I can work with that" or educate you on why XL centerpieces filled with peonies and garden roses in them cost $350 a piece.
We don't expect every client to have an unlimited floral budget. Maybe smaller centerpieces in a similar style to the XL ones you've fallen in love with will do. Or maybe your wedding cake really doesn't really need as many blooms in it so you can afford your dream oversized bouquet. There are more options than you think for cutting down cost. All you have to do is ask.
And back to you mother, aunt, or friend wanting to design flowers for you. Let them enjoy your wedding day with you. It's most likely not worth the stress to them to design one or two of your wedding designs. Especially if they aren't used to designing wedding flowers. I'm not saying your aunt or friend aren't good at designing flowers, there are just so many things that could go wrong that unless you have years of experience under your belt, it could end in a disaster. Buying the flowers from a reputable source for one. Properly feeding and hydrating the blooms for two. Constructing sound and solid designs so your bouquet, boutonnieres, and corsages don't have flowers falling out of them for three. And the list goes on.
So leave all the floral designing up to a professional florist. I promise you, your friends & family members will be less stressed and very impressed with the end result. And not to mention, you'll have a much happier florist designing your wedding flowers. Which, will definitely result in incredible designs.”
The exclusivity clause of my contract is not meant to be malicious. The clause “protects the reputation and professional integrity of Sweet Ginesta and the visual continuity of all flower varieties and colors being used for the event”. It is in the best interest of you and myself. I do try to be flexible with specific requests from my clients. Please, if you do have any questions, please reach out! I’m happy to discuss this policy, take suggestions, or address any questions you might have.