Interview with Louann Shenberger

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Home Decor Interview:

Louann Shenberger

louann-shenberger

Louann Shenberger is the true definition of someone who gives back to her community.

That's because Louann's website, Wedding-Flowers-and-Reception-Ideas.com, gives thousands of couples around the world ideas and information on wedding flowers, wedding cakes, and overall wedding decor. Her site is jam packed with informative content, and if you're planning on getting married, or planning a wedding for a friend or loved one, you definitely need to pay Louann's site a visit.

Louann has been a wedding florist since the early 1990s, and she uses her vast knowledge and experience to write useful articles on her website. It's her way of giving back and helping people who need advice on their special day.

So please sit back and enjoy as we pick the brain of Louann Shenberger!

1. Hi Louann, it�s a pleasure to interview you and we thank you for sharing your time with us. Please briefly introduce yourself, tell us about your website, your store, and any other services you�d like our readers to know about.

Hello, my name is Louann Shenberger and I've been a wedding florist for well over 16 years. I retired as the Office Manager and Head Wedding Designer for a busy flower shop a few years back. I decided to keep my hand in the trade by creating an online site about wedding flowers.

My site, Wedding-Flowers-and-Reception-Ideas.com, includes hundreds of photos of wedding flowers and cakes, decorating ideas and step-by-step floral designing tutorials.

2. You�re a florist by trade, but throughout your career you learned a lot about wedding decor.

In your experience, have you found that the two go hand in hand?

That is, how much of wedding decor involves flowers, and how many of your clients used your floral arrangements strictly for decorative purposes?

You definitely want to let your florist in on your decor plans - including color swatches, gown colors, table layouts and your overall theme.

Remember that color names vary widely and don't always match flower colors. It is wise to ALWAYS match your color swatches to satin ribbon in flower shops. Those color names are common names and both the florist and wholesaler will know instantly what they are trying to match.

3. In the United States, the season of Autumn has just started. Your website offers floral piece ideas specifically for Fall weddings. Do you find that arranging flowers by season breaks up the monotony of your job, and how keen are your clients on seasonal floral arrangements?

Although hothouse growing has made a wide array of flowers available all year round, seasons definitely have an impact on price. It's wise and more cost effective to find out what flowers are readily available during the time your wedding is scheduled and take advantage of seasonal discounts.

Certain flowers DO have a growing season. It's wise to listen to your florist's advice regarding this, otherwise the size and beauty of the flowers may be disappointing and not measure up to the ones pictured in the display books.

4. On your website, you talk extensively about church decorations for weddings.

In your experience, do families put more consideration into church decorations or reception decorations?

And do you think it is a mistake to focus too much on one or the other, or both?

I actually encourage brides to try to incorporate flowers that can serve a dual purpose for both church AND receptions. If you can arrange for someone to discreetly remove and swiftly transport some arrangements to the reception hall, the beauty of the flowers can be enjoyed for both.

This should be done AFTER the formal portraits have been taken. A foyer arrangement for the church can be enjoyed on the banquet table at the reception. The key is for the people who are transporting to know EXACTLY what they are to move and where the arrangements are to be placed.

Florals at the church should be large and filled with "inexpensive" flowers. They are usually viewed from a great distance away - therefore
carnations and gladiolus can make a huge impact for a fraction of the cost of roses or calla lilies. From a distance many people do not distinguish between flower types as much as color and bouquet size.

If I had to choose, I would emphasize the centerpieces at the reception hall more, because they will be a focal point for each of your guests while eating. This is where you can "focus" your flower budget. Place clamps or special vases at the bridal table for the bridal and attendent bouquets. This gives a lovely way to display your flowers and decorate the table at the same time.

5. You love to write about wedding themes, which is an excellent idea. What are your personal favorite themes to work on, and by contrast, what themes are favored most by your clients?

I adore themes - especially when they reflect the personalities of the bride and groom. Flowers have definitely changed over the years to reflect personal tastes instead of "what is proper and customary". Brides years ago almost always carried white - now anything goes!

I've had a lot of fun incorporating special touches for brides - yet keeping the arrangements tasteful and gorgeous. I've done peacock weddings, baseball weddings (complete with striped popcorn boxes and peanuts incorporated into the arrangements!), butterflies, and hunting.

My favorite was my daughter's special day. Her fiance had presented her ring in a circular tray filled with turtles - complete with a turtle ringbox!
(He explained it was because he was so slow in giving her a ring . . .). We didn't go overboard, but we did buy tiny turtles and had fun tucking them here and there among the shower arrangements, wedding bouquets and reception centerpieces. It gave a chuckle to everyone who heard the significance, and sent a special message of love to each other. She still prizes those little turtles.

6. Many wedding guests, unfortunately, skip the church ceremony and just go to the reception. As such, do you like the themes of the church and reception to be related? Or do you advise clients to give each one its own distinctive feel?

No . . .unless there is no restrictions on the budget, I would advise that they keep the flowers in the same theme. Florists have to order flowers in certain quantities. Roses come in bunches of 25, callas in 10 and so forth. If you start having one theme at the church and one at the reception, you should expect your costs to go up.

If money isn't a consideration - then, as far as I'm concerned - I think anything goes!

7. Louann, thank you so much for spending some time with us today. There is no shortage of questions on wedding d�cor and I�m sure our readers would love to hear more.

For our last question, do you have any general advice for young couples about to get married who are thinking of hiring a florist? In other words, if you could give everyone just one or two bits of advice before they begin to plan their wedding floral arrangements, what would they be?

My best advice is to SET A BUDGET. Regardless whether it is flexible or not, it can always be adjusted later. My first question to a bride is always "What is your budget?" A good florist should be able to work within a realistic budget. If you shrug your shoulders and say "I don't know" . . ., then expect to be shown the higher end of the scale first!

The next is to SHOP EARLY. Wedding (especially summer) dates do fill up quickly. There are only so many weekends in a year. So start looking early to get a feel for prices and so you aren't pressured into making a decision on the spot unless you feel comfortable with both the shop and the designer!

We want to extend our thanks to Louann for spending time with us and sharing some of her wisdom from all her years in the wedding business.

If you like what you read here, please visit her Wedding-Flowers-and-Reception-Ideas.com site for a true treasure trove of information. It's one of the best wedding sites around, so please do check it out, even if you're not getting married! And if you know someone who is about to walk down that aisle, please tell them about Louann's site... trust me, they'll be thankful!

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