FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTION
A few of the questions that we get asked the most often...
I’M GETTING MARRIED AND I’M LOOKING FOR MY FLORIST...
Congratulations!
Finding the right wedding vendors can seem like a pretty big task in the beginning of the planning process. How do you choose the right florist for you? The answer is of course different for everyone. For some, reputation or a recommendation from a friend is crucial, for others price will play an important role in the decision.
Most of the people who decide to work with us are charmed by our distinctive style, which differentiates us from other Montreal designers. We specialize in a natural and organic look, and it’s the main reason our clients choose us. We try to depart from the overly trendy, predictable or copycat weddings and craft curated flowers that will move and transport your guests.
Unforgettable flowers are what make our reputation, but client experience is just as important to us.
Starting with our first meeting onwards, we'll guide you through the different steps of our process. From choosing a mood for your flowers and focusing on a style and colour palette, to managing the floral budget in a smart and cost-efficient way, our approach is human and centred on your needs and inspiration, not ours. Our years of experience working with many different types of budgets, venues and size weddings enables us to minimize the amount of stress that can come with the planning process, and effectively reduce the time needed without compromising the quality of the end result.
DO YOU HAVE A MINIMUM BUDGET?
I decided a long time ago not to impose a minimum budget on my clients (especially in the wake of the pandemic, everyone’s needs are different and ever evolving). This means we do small orders of bouquets and boutonnières as well as complex weddings with extensive budgets.
DO YOU DELIVER?
We can do delivery and installation for weddings starting at 3000$. The base price is 250$ for weddings in Montreal and goes up from there depending on distance, complexity of installation and personnel needed if applicable.
For weddings under 3000$, you’ll have to plan for a friend or family member to come pick up the flowers at our studio on the morning of the wedding. Installation for arrangements in this price range is usually quite simple and doesn’t require any special skills, most often only consisting of placing centrepieces on tables.
We proceed this way for about half of all our weddings, so we’ve developed super efficient ways to pack and protect the flowers. When packed this way most orders fit in a regular car, not necessarily a van or SUV.
I’D LIKE A QUOTE, HOW DOES THAT WORK?
To start, I have a look at your inspiration images to see if we’re a good aesthetic fit for your wedding. After that, we’ll meet for a consultation, either on Zoom or in person. I always meet my clients before preparing a quote. Because our clientele is very eclectic and we don’t have a minimum budget, we have no set packages or prices… It all depends on what you have in mind. When I meet with my couples, we confirm three elements: their needs (quantities and priorities), their inspirations and ideas, and their budget. With this information I’m able to suggest the best way to divide and spend the budget allotted to flowers.
YES BUT I ALREADY KNOW WHAT I WANT, HERE’S A PICTURE...
It’s extremely hard for me to quote based on images, mainly because a photo can serve as inspiration in many different ways. For example, if you fall in love with a picture of a 500$ centrepiece but don’t have that budget to spend, we could very well use it as inspiration for a 200$ centrepiece that will make you swoon. However, it would be hard to make something similar for 50$. It’s almost always possible to adjust the size of an arrangement, the type of flowers used or the quantity of foliage to create something similar in a lower or higher price range.
I SAW YOU OFFER A CARTE-BLANCHE SERVICE...
The Carte-Blanche service was created for couples who want to be minimally involved in the choice of their wedding flowers. We agree on a global budget, a list of needs (number of tables, etc.) and a loose colour palette (warm, cool, neutral...) and after that I make all the decisions. That means the clients don’t know what type of centrepiece they’ll get, the style of vase, the shape of the bouquet; everything is a surprise! Definitely not for everyone, but my couples who go for it absolutely love it. The Carte-Blanche option isn’t necessarily less expensive, but because I’m able to take advantage of deals when I see them you can get more for your money.
OUR AVERAGE PRICE LIST
The prices for wedding party items fluctuate less, but can still go up or down depending on your needs.
Bride: 250$ to 350$ (average 300$)
Bridesmaid: 100$ to 200$ (average 150$)
Flowergirl, bouquet: 50$
Crown: starting at 50$
Boutonnière: 20$
Bracelet: 30$
Prices for decorative elements vary immensely depending on the needs and budgets of our clients, but here are our average prices.
Bud vase: 25$ to 50$
Centrepiece, small/medium: 75$ to 150$
Centrepiece in a footed vase: 150$ to 400$
Elevated centrepiece: starting at 350$ (average 700$)
Large arrangement (ceremony, bar, escort card table, etc.): 300$ to 600$
Arch or chuppah: starting at 500$ (average 1500 - 3000$)
DO YOU USE LOCAL FLOWERS?
Sourcing local and seasonal flowers remains a huge passion for us, and still one of my favourite facets of my work. We collaborate with local farmers each season to grow new and original varieties. It’s actually a huge part of what makes our bouquets and arrangements so unique. From May to October, we buy as many stems as we can from Québec and Ontario. The quality, freshness and originality of these flowers are an essential part of what makes an Atelier Carmel arrangement different. There's nothing quite as fun as surprising our clients with varieties or colours they've never seen before, offering them flowers that are grown in small quantities in a sustainable way. Production is still small, quantities limited and susceptible to the weather, so we also use imported blooms, blending the best of both worlds. Every week, we forage our own branches, greens and grasses, which personalized our creations even further.
HOW WILL CHOOSE MY FLOWERS?
Flower selection works a bit differently at Atelier Carmel. Our main focus is on color palette and style, and we put a lot of work into developing a design that suits our client’s vision perfectly. Which specific flowers we’ll choose to achieve this is often a decision that happens very close to the wedding. Part of what makes us unique is our ability to find local and seasonal flowers that most clients don’t know about, making the arrangements all the more special. This way of working enables me to find, often at the last minute, exceptional flowers at amazing prices. There are even times when we drive out to a flower farm a few days before the wedding and make our selection at that moment based on what’s blooming in the field!
We do however want to make absolutely sure that we’re on the same page when it comes to the colours and style, so I compose for them a very edited design board. Here are a few examples. Each of them is very specific in terms of colours and style to ensure there are no misunderstandings in regards to the aesthetic direction.
WILL I GET TO SEE A DEMO OR MOCK-UP?
The short answer to this question is No.
There are a few reasons for this…
Over the years I've realized demos are not compatible with the way we design, so I've stopped doing them. They can be useful for very simple designs such as a ball of white roses that is replicable all year, but since we specialize in seasonal and local flowers, we’re not able to source these at any other time than the few weeks before and after the wedding. For this reason, the demos not an accurate representation of what the bouquets will look like on the day of the event and become more confusing than anything else. Most of our final flower choices are made during the 2-3 week period before the wedding because that’s when we can get our hands on surprising and unique flowers. In order to make a realistic demo, I’d have to limit myself to flowers that are available year round, and the end result just wouldn’t look like one of our creations.
Having done hundreds of weddings, I have a large bank of images that I use to convey information about size, shape, or colour.
And our reputation speaks volumes to our ability to deliver exactly what we promise.