Our Conversation With: Kris McKee Floral Design
Kris McKee Floral Design takes great pride in working closely with couples to ensure their wedding flowers reflect their unique personalities. Kris was drawn to wedding floristry because it provides the opportunity to tell a meaningful story for someone’s special day. As one of the newest members of the THEODORE family, we had the pleasure of gaining a glimpse into Kris’s world of wedding floristry.
“I was drawn to wedding and event floristry because of the opportunity it provides to tell a story for someone. Working with a concept or a theme and incorporating a couples personalities into designs brings me so much joy creatively. ”
Can you share what motivated you to pursue a career as a wedding florist and how you initially entered the flower world?
Floristry has been a massive career move for me over the past few years. I have moved from a very successful nursing career working for almost 20 years in a very specialised field, contributing to nursing research which I have presented internationally, to pause and realise I was missing something really important to me, creativity and a desire to run my own show.
It was while we all navigated how to cope during Covid that I made the decision to listen to my heart and jump straight into a new challenge. Life truly is short, and you never know what’s around the corner, so when you have a dream or a desire to explore something new, then you owe it to yourself to see if you can make that happen. I understand this is a very privileged outlook, and I also know how very fortunate I am to be in a position to do just that, so I don’t take this for granted.
Before I studied nursing, I studied music, and I am a trained opera singer; I have always had creativity in my bones, but I suppressed it in favour of a reliable nursing career path. Eventually, the creative urge wasn’t able to be suppressed any longer.
I was drawn to wedding and event floristry because of the opportunity it provides to tell a story for someone. Working with a concept or a theme, and incorporating a couples personalities into designs brings me so much joy creatively. It’s a challenge, and it’s so fulfilling. And let’s not forget the utter joy of being around people in love and all of the happiness and wonderful energy that brings.
There is also an element of relief it brings me too. I have spent so many years as a nurse looking after people at their most vulnerable, and this fulfilled me on many levels, but it’s exhausting work physically and mentally, and wedding floristry is like a breath of fresh for my mind.
How do you work with floral trends and how do you include them in your designs?
I tend to ignore many of the trends we see popularised across social media, I aim to make every wedding unique for the couple I am designing for, and that isn’t possible if it’s just the same as another hundred weddings. I also have an incredibly strong focus on sustainability, so I dismiss any trend which doesn’t align with my sustainability values.
However, there are some design elements that have become a bit of a trend, which can be incorporated into larger design concepts, and I’m okay with that. Things like big, bold, bright colour pallets, adding other organic elements to floral designs, such as fruits and vegetables.
Focussing on key designs is a real strong point at the moment, really showcasing something big and beautiful like an amazing hanging install for your photos.
What advice would you give to couples who are trying to choose the perfect flowers for their wedding day?
Start by acknowledging the season your wedding date falls in and familiarising yourself with what’s in season at that time.
Think about some flowers that might have sentimental meaning to you both. Perhaps flowers that grew in your grandparent’s garden, or a flower that reminds you of an exotic destination you visited together.
Find a way to bring your personalities and your story into the florals.
Be okay with the fact that flowers are seasonal, and even seasons can be temperamental, and this means it’s best not to set your heart on a specific variety because mother nature may not be able to deliver. But a good florist will always be able to offer a wonderful substitute option.
Can you walk us through the process of designing and creating a wedding floral arrangement from start to finish?
We start by narrowing down the most important items for the florals, how many bouquets are needed? How many guest tables are there? Are there key designs like arbours, or hanging installs? What’s on the wish list?
This information then allows me to provide a rough quote. And I usually discuss budget at this point too. It’s really important to be upfront about the money discussion. If your budget is small then we need to know that in order to provide the best options that will give you something that you are happy with, but that’s realistic too. If you have a bigger budget, then that allows us to talk about those premium flower options and incorporating more complex designs and abundance.
I don’t have a minimum spend. But I will be honest about what things cost and what is achievable within each of the most common price brackets. I want to provide something that a couple is happy with and keeps them feeling financially comfortable too.
Once we have agreed on the quote, then I ask for inspiration images, colours, words and themes, and this starts to build an idea. I’ll put together a mood board and provide some sketches of designs as required.
Then about 12 weeks before the big day, I’ll have a chat with the couple about any potential changes to our designs and we’ll settle on the final plan.
Flowers are ordered from growers about 2 weeks before the wedding and I buy them and start processing (preparing and providing them some TLC) about 3-4 days before the wedding. This allows flowers to bloom to the perfect point so they are at their very best for the main event. Depending on the designs required, I will start arranging flowers the day before. I try to do as much in the studio as I possibly can so that bump in is focussed on finessing and ensuring everything looks perfect.
Designs like arbours and hanging installs need to be arranged onsite, so this has to be factored into the bump in time and the amount of staff required to make it happen within that time frame.
After the party wraps up, it’s time for bump out, usually around midnight.
Early on in the process, I ask couples what they would like to do with their flowers after the wedding. I offer options such as wrapping stems into posies for guests to take home. Adding vases to the cost so that guests can pick up a table centre and take that home as a momento. I also offer a service to bundle stems into bouquets and donate them to a local aged care service, womens shelter or childrens hospice on behalf of the couple. It’s really important that we don’t just throw them into the garbage, that’s not sustainable and a massive waste. There is always a way to breath extra life into the flowers after they have done their job looking beautiful on your big day.
How do you ensure that your floral designs complement the overall theme and style of a wedding?
Easy, we talk about the theme during the entire process from start to finish. I provide a mood board with a colour pallet so couples have a reference point for my plan and can let me know early if they change directions. It’s all about communication, and no unwelcome surprises.
What are some unique or unconventional floral arrangements you’ve created for weddings in the past?
Hanging branches, almost gnarly and fungi covered, with native foliage, big bright bold and unexpected colour themes, a coral reef-inspired theme. And I’m very excited about an upcoming wedding where we are creating a “tree” as the ceremony backdrop – keep your eyes peeled for that one.
How do you help couples stay within their budget when it comes to choosing wedding flowers?
By being honest about what is possible, and providing alternative options when required. It’s as simple as that.
What do you think sets your floral designs apart from others in the industry?
My desire and drive to do things differently. To give each couple something that is unique to them. Being brave with colour. Trusting my creative instinct.
How do you source and select the freshest and highest-quality flowers for your designs?
I head to the flower markets in Sydney nice and early to ensure I can get my mitts on the best stems. I pre-order certain florals from trusted growers ahead of time and then take my time selecting fresh bunches in person. I aim to buy as much as possible from local growers or Australian-grown produce whenever I can, it’s going to be the freshest, and it’s also supporting our local industry. I avoid imported florals as they don’t align with my sustainability values. However, there are some stems that we need to buy imported, many orchids, for example, but I keep this to an absolute minimum. If there is an alternative, I will always use that first.
What do you love most about working with couples on their wedding day, and what’s the most rewarding part of your job as a wedding florist?
The excitement and joy. Bringing a theme to life in the form of flowers. Injecting the couple’s personality into designs and then stepping back after bump in and seeing it all come together. Then, professional images afterwards! It brings me so much joy!
You can find Kris McKee Floral Design on THEODORE Magazine by CLICKING HERE, at krismckeefloraldesign.com or over at Instagram @kris.floraldesign
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