“Dave Mansfield, our lead floral designer, loves it when brides-to-be contact us with photos of floral styles and colors they want to use. Personalized items they would like included in their bouquets or for the groom are always welcome. It’s even better, says The Plant Professionals’ President and Owner Kathy Valentine, when the bride makes an appointment to come to our design room, so Dave can discuss her wedding floral wishes in depth.
“There is so much detail that goes into wedding planning. We welcome brides-to-be to come in six months or more ahead of their wedding date. Dave and I ask a lot of questions so we can customize all floral pieces to create the mood and look she desires.”
Depending on the bride’s interest and budget, The Plant Professionals can use live plants to highlight the wedding venue and reception, whether inside or outdoors. The season of the wedding, the bride’s colors and budget are perhaps the most important aspects that determine what will be suggested to the bride.
“We design floral bouquets that hold up under heat and humidity, and sometimes travel from the wedding site to other photo locations before the bridal party reaches the reception,” adds Kathy. “In a wedding we worked on a few years ago, the bride wanted an ancestral antique locket, a keepsake from her grandmother, incorporated in her bridal bouquet.
In another wedding, the bride 
is marrying an outdoorsman, and her future husband and groomsmen will wear Baby’s Breath emerging from an empty shotgun shell. Men can be hard on boutonnieres, so we select hardy, sturdy flowers and natural flourishes, like Dusty
Miller or Bear Grass, that hold up over hours of celebration.
We encourage brides to express their personal style, and we make recommendations based on seasonal availability and the bride’s priorities. “For the reception, the bride may have a well-developed idea for her table centerpieces, and we use her colors to interpret her theme. It’s quite popular to do mirrored vases or canning jars, or to use succulent bowls or lanterns as centerpieces, which can be rented, rather than purchased.
“We welcome the bride to come in the afternoon before her wedding to look at what we’ve created to ensure her approval. We always provide a written quote in advance to ensure we meet her budget. Set-up and take down are included in our quoted price. We don’t want her to experience any floral surprises on her special day.
“We also create centerpieces and provide plant rentals for corporate and social occasions throughout the year, including charitable events. “Dave Mansfield owned Norm Kesel Flowers for over 20 years, and brings a creative imagination and wealth of experience in designing floral arrangements for any occasion. Our goal with any floral piece is to create exactly what the client imagines, providing we can get product in preferred colors and within budget.