Stems Floral Design + Event Styling: 10 Questions with Abby Daigle

Florist - Abby Daigle

Business: Stems Floral Design + Event Styling
Location: Austin, Texas TX
Experience: 15 Years
Profile: Stems Floral Design + Event Styling
Website: www.stemfloral.com

1. Introduction: What's your story?

Hello! Our story begins with me - Abby Daigle, owner of Stems. I was literally born into the wedding and events industry, with a long line of florists, caterers, venue-operators, chefs, wedding planners, and designers in our family. My childhood home was, and still is, a prominent wedding venue here in Austin. Growing up at a venue meant I was surrounded by lavish parties all the time, and I absolutely loved watching the events unfold... to me, it was truly mesmerizing and exhilarating. I grew up knowing with every fiber of my being that I would be in this field.

I learned floral design from my mother and event styling from my father - both of which became pillars of the Stems business model as I launched my own career. Flowers will always have my heart, but for me it goes way beyond the blooms in terms of what I see when designing an event for our clients.... I see the linens, the details, the draping, the lighting, the furniture selection, the layout... and everything that comes together to complete the look as a whole. My background as an event designer makes me a better florist, and allows our team to provide you with a truly full-service experience that is second to none. We are extremely proud of the level of service we provide to our clients.

2. What's your experience as a wedding florist business? How many weddings are in there in your portfolio?

I have been designing weddings for 16 years, with literally thousands of weddings under my belt since 2004. I lead my team of talented designers who collectively produce about 180 weddings and events per year - and I put my eyes and hands on every single one. We specialize in luxury weddings, and have a reputation of being a leader in Austin in terms of installations and big setups. But we do everything from intimate micro weddings to large multiple day installs and everything in between.

3. How far in advance do couples need to secure your services?

Typically about a year in advance.

4. How do you price your floral arrangements? What are the different packages that you offer and which one is your most popular package?

We do not offer many packages at all, most of our events are 100% custom. We do have an elopement package for clients who desire ease of ordering and a more streamlined process. We typically sit down with clients to discuss their needs and budget and start from scratch on every design - most of our events are full service and include every aspect of florals needed for a wedding, as well as installations and even rentals such as lounge furniture and tabletop decor.

5. How many meetings will you have with the couple, and how will they be involved?

As many as are needed. We are 100% focused on making sure our clients not only end up with their vision professionally executed... but that they also have a fun, enjoyable design process. Typically we have about 2-3 in person meetings, in addition to many conference calls and emails. We are here for whatever our clients need.

6. Who else is in your team and how many people on your staff will be at the wedding?

I have a large team consisting of about 6 regular designers and upwards of 30 part time designers, installers and production staff. Our events vary greatly in terms of size and scope, so an “average” is hard to say. But our average event typically takes a week to produce, an entire day to install and about 15-20 people involved in some aspect in varying degrees. That being said, we do smaller and more intimate weddings that require less.... and larger events that are installed over multiple days and take a massive team to accomplish. We scale up or down depending on client needs.

7. How would you describe your design style? (e.g. traditional, modern, rustic, organic)

We pride ourselves on being able to design around our clients’ visions, which do vary greatly. But the style we are known for could be described as organic, romantic and whimsical.

8. Who will handle setup and delivery? What other services do you offer?

We provide a 100% full service experience to our clients, unless they opt for an elopement package through our website - which is designed to be a more affordable, semi-custom experience.

9. What happens to the flowers after the wedding?

Client preference, again. We clean everything up post event of course. But we always make sure our clients take home any and all flowers that they desire. Or sometimes the flowers are donated the next day to hospitals or nursing homes. All this is arranged ahead of time and discussed with each client, to make sure their wishes are being followed.