Choosing the right professionals for your wedding is a personal decision and tends to lean on far more than just their portfolios alone. On a wedding day you spend so much time with your vendors, so having a connection with them makes the whole experience so much more enjoyable. We want you to have a chance to get to know your vendors a little better before you make that tough decision on who to choose. We reached out to our wedding professionals on your behalf so you can become better acquainted with them.

Meet Ashley, A Georgian Bay wedding florist.

Ashley is a florist who loves colour and flowers maybe more than anything. She brings a touch of elegance to everything she makes, whether it be a floral arrangement, gift wrapping, or just an afternoon lunch. Ashley has traveled and lived all over the world, but loves living in a small town, just a short walk from the water of Georgian Bay. She spends her days off in the garden, or tending to her many beautiful house plants and does not go a day without coffee. Ashley has been a full-time florist for 6 years and specializes in weddings. Her style is unique and draws heavily on inspiration from nature itself, with wild lines, textures and pops of colour. Ashley believes in creating something unique for each of her clients.

You can find Ashley online here: www.ashleyelaine.ca
Make friends with her on social media: @ashleyelaineflorals

What's your favourite way to spark creativity and how do you stay inspired?

If I’m feeling stuck creatively, I like to move around and do things that allow me to take the pressure off a bit. Like going for a walk or pulling some weeds in the garden or even doing a load of laundry. Often an idea or two will pop up if I allow my brain to relax and focus on more simple tasks.

How early in advance should clients reach out to you?

I take bookings starting one year ahead of the wedding date. I find most couples will reach out between 1 year and 6 months ahead of the wedding to inquire.

What question(s) do you wish more clients would ask you when inquiring about your services?

I’d love to talk more about where I source flowers from and why being flexible on flower varieties is important. I, like a growing number of florists, place a high priority on sourcing flowers locally as much as possible to reduce our impact on the environment. Getting to know growers and being a part of groups like The Local Flower Collective is a big part of my business. While I do choose to use imported flowers in some of my wedding work, I also feel it’s extremely important to support our local growers. Not just for environmental reasons (those reasons are really important) but also because generally they are fresher and I have more access to interesting flowers and foliage that aren’t typically available because they don’t travel well. Buying local also means that seasons matter and sometimes the flower you really love, might not be available for your wedding. This isn’t a bad thing because I get to know the style you want and am able to make the right choices to bring it to life no matter when you are getting married.

What question(s) do you wish clients would stop asking you?

It’s maybe not a question but something that comes up a lot in regards to centrepiece designs. Couples will often clarify that the centrepieces shouldn’t be too high because they don’t want their guest’s faces to be obstructed. It’s not a bad thing to point out as it is a really important note, but for me it’s something that goes without saying. Unless you tell me you want the centrepieces to be so lush that the flowers are literally dripping onto the table and over plates etc (not opposed to this at all by the way!), then I always make sure that they are designed in a way that is beautiful and eye-catching but doesn’t get in the way of guests and their conversations with each other.

What's the one piece of advice you give all your couples?

Don’t be afraid to be yourselves and let the decisions you make during the planning process reflect that. It’s a celebration of your love for each other and you should be able to share that with your family and friends in a way that is unique to you and not what others expect from you.

What is your favourite wedding tradition?

I don’t think I really have one. I really love hearing how couples choose more non-traditional approaches that really reflect their personalities.

What is your favourite part when designing for a wedding?

When I’ve finished processing all of the flowers and can see all of the different colours and textures that will make up the different arrangements in their buckets. There’s so much potential and that’s when I get the most excited. It’s the calm before the design storm.

Also, I love designing centrepieces. I use a lazy susan so I can easily turn the vase to see how it’s looking from all angles and I kind of just love giving it an extra spin or two to show off all the flowers when I’m done!

Describe your dream day off.

Depends on my mood but I like to keep it simple. Maybe a lazy morning in bed with coffee, putter around in the garden in the afternoon or go wander in some local shops and then dinner and drinks with friends.

If you could go anywhere tomorrow, where would you go?

I’d be on a plane, flying out west to visit my best friend in BC. With the pandemic, I didn’t get to do that earlier this year as I had initially planned. So a visit there is long overdue.

Tell us what's new and exciting with you.

I’ve got a new retail flower adventure going with my friends at The Georgian Artisan Shop in Thornbury. I offer flower bouquets and arrangements for delivery or pickup every Friday and Saturday. I’m almost finished putting together my new workspace, with a flower fridge, in the back corner of the shop. I’m really looking forward to broadening my business beyond just weddings and having an actual space outside of my home studio.