First, 3 weeks prior to your event, we spend hours choosing and sourcing the highest quality flowers and foliage in all the perfect shades and textures.
Have you ever wondered about the journey of your flowers prior to their spectacular display on the center of your tables? The countries from which your flowers arrive are quite diverse: Holland, Columbia, Ecuador, New Zealand, and Israel… just to name a few. And of course we do also source some product out of California.
Hard good supplies are also ordered, and any other decor items handled by us are also finalized (lighting, draping, linens, chairs, etc.).
Our staff begins the mission of bringing your vision to life as soon as all the flowers arrive in many, many boxes. We sort through, double check quality, and immediately fresh cut and hydrate all of your stems.
We prepare the containers, supplies, and rental items needed to produce your designs. We gather and label all items that we’ll need to load and transport to the venue. Depending on the size of your event, this may be a colossal accumulation as you can see above!
Our staff continues to tend to the flowers that are opening; we leave some, such as roses, out of the cooler because we want them to open as large as possible and be in their showiest, most picturesque state on the event day.
We spend the two days before your wedding designing everything from your centerpieces to your personal flowers. We house all completed designs in our large cooler so everything remains nice and fresh.
We also coordinate and review our event day timeline as well as communicate with your venue and/or wedding planner regarding our arrival and load-in.
Our team is dedicated to our clients for the entire day and evening. We load our trucks and carefully transport all of the arrangements and décor items to your ceremony location and/or venue. Once there, we move all of it inside, which is often challenging depending on the location and setup of the loading area.
Next, we organize, unpack, and prep décor items and floral arrangements to be placed on the tables. As soon as linens are dropped, we begin placing floral and styling the tablescapes so they are ready for your photographer.
There is nothing more rewarding than seeing our clients overcome with joy the first time they enter the room and see their vision come to life. This is why we love what we do!
When the clock strikes midnight and the last song is over, our breakdown team will swoop in and gather, pack up, and load out all decor items rented through us. For reference, imagine moving your apartment full of things twice in one day…
Avant Gardenia officially launched in 2009 for a new generation of clients seeking a more custom and unique approach to wedding floral design. Events are our passion, and we pride ourselves on exquisite taste, attention to detail, and using only the finest, high quality blooms from all over the world.
Keep up with our blog for some real Chicago wedding inspiration + our tips, advice, things we are inspired by, and any other floral musings.