We are well into wedding season here in sunny San Diego! It’s June, and that means we are not only executing our summer events, but also preparing and planning for all of our lovely fall and winter weddings at the same time.
We have mock up design meetings all over the calendar for the next couple of months. And, we can’t wait to get the creative process started for each of these clients.

So, what is a floral mock up design meeting?

A floral mock up design meeting is an opportunity for us, along with your other vendors, to collaboratively create a complete tablescape so you can see the flowers, rentals, linens, candles, stationery and other design details all together prior to your wedding. Your planner usually helps to coordinate this meeting so it can include all of the vendors involved. I currently offer mock ups to any client that requests them. However, I don’t always think that they are necessary. And even though they can be a little stressful for me (which I’ll go into below). I do see the benefit of this meeting for certain clients. Especially when there are a lot of design details involved. At the end of the day, it’s your wedding! And we want you to LOVE every little detail of it!!
So, while I don’t always love preparing for a mock up sample meeting. I do see the value in these personalized experiences and love how they can be an asset to my design process. Below are a few thoughts to help you decide if you need one.

Let’s talk more about the floral design mock up meeting.

What about digital floral mock ups?

They are so great! And, a huge part of my creative process includes creating digital floral mock ups within each client’s custom floral design board. I love giving clients this opportunity to better visualize their overall design for some of the bigger installations as well as tabletop details of their event.
These digital renderings are best if you don’t plan on bringing in additional tabletop rentals such as linens, glassware, dinnerware, seating, tables, etc… They will give you a good representation of what your flowers will look like on wedding day without having to spend any extra on a floral mock up sample.

When is it best to order a mock up sample?

I recommend ordering a floral mock up sample if you plan on creating a custom tablescape with specialty linens, tables and chairs, dinnerware, glassware, menu cards, and more. Each little detail is so important to the overall look and this is a great way to ensure the final tabletop design is cohesive for your event.

Other thoughts I have on mock ups…

It can be stressful sourcing the right blooms for a mock up 2-3 months prior to an event, especially in small quantities. At your mock up meeting, we always want to show you flowers that we are mostly sure we can get for your wedding day. But, our signature designs are often full of locally grown and seasonal blooms which can be so hard to find, or not in season yet. So, we do our best to give you the closest representation of what your wedding day design will look like and use substitutes when necessary.
Even when we do find everything we dreamed of, I always remind clients that flowers are a natural product, and nature sometimes has her way. So, there is no guarantee that I can get the exact same flowers for the wedding day. Trust that your floral designer will do their best to replicate the sample. And, if something is not available they will replace it with a similar bloom.
On the flip side; even though this is a stressful meeting to prepare for, creating a mock up sample gives me a better idea of the floral recipe that will be used so I can order product more efficiently for your wedding day. Knowing that you loved the sample, (or maybe didn’t and we tweaked things until you did!) Having this knowledge ahead of time is so useful when ordering blooms for your big day!!

One more thing, mock ups are not free.

Yep, you read that right. Even if your mock up is included in your floral package, you are paying for it in one way or another. It may not be a line item on your invoice, but it’s in there.
Flowers are expensive and designs take time to create, so no mock up is really free. Many florists include a ‘free mock up’ with their services or floral package. But, please know that you are still paying for this service. Some floral designers will include the average cost of a mock up sample into their ‘cost/investment of services’. They want to give you an all inclusive experience without breaking down every little expense. Others may be more up front about the actual cost of your sample and have it as a line item on the invoice or bill you separately for it.
As a boutique wedding floral designer, I prefer to be transparent about all of the costs that go into your wedding floral bill. We usually add mock up samples as a line item to the final invoice. And, knowing that I am billing for the mock up sample, I always give the flowers from the meeting to the client to take home and enjoy.
Side note: floral designers that work from a shop or larger studio should be able to resell some of the product from a mock up so may be able to offer them at a discounted price or maybe even at no charge.

“We are not making money on mock up samples.
But, we see the value in these design meetings and that’s why we continue to offer them.”

Even though we charge for mock up samples (we charge the same price as a centerpiece would be on the wedding day). 99% of the time the amount we charge doesn’t even cover our full cost for materials and time involved.
Here’s why. We use a variety of blooms to create one centerpiece. Each centerpiece may have 10 or more types of flowers. So, this means we need to buy 10+ different bunches of blooms even though we may only use 2-5 stems out of a bunch in the actual arrangement. We’re usually in the negative before we even add in the time it takes to purchase, process, design and be present at the meeting. We are not making money on mock up samples. But, we see the value in these design meetings and that’s why we continue to offer them.

So, is a mock up something you really need?

It’s really up to you!
In my personal opinion, trust in your vendors is everything!!! It means the world to me when a client trusts me with their design and has no doubt that I’ll choose what I think is best for their overall style and vision.
At the same time, floral design mock up meetings do have their benefits. If you are a visual person and want to see everything together before your big day, then absolutely YES, order one!! It’ll put your mind at ease and give you one less thing to worry about on your event day.
But, if you can visualize what a digital rendering will look like in real life, or maybe you have a simple design, or are on a budget, then you may not need one. You do what is best for you. It’s your day!! We just want to make sure it’s everything you’ve been dreaming of!

Thanks so much for following along! I’d love to hear your thoughts on mock up samples in the comments below!
xo,
Laura

All photos courtesy of Mallory Dawn
Florals by yours truly Bluebell Florals