The Wedding Date I can’t Forget…

Wedding season is chaotic at the best of times. Long days, early starts, flowers absolutely everywhere, and approximately 47 cups of tea keeping me functioning.

But what happens when one of your brides accidentally gives you the wrong wedding date... and you suddenly realise you've somehow booked two weddings on the same day?

Yep. That happened.

As a general rule, I only take on one wedding a day (and usually just one a weekend too). I want every couple to have my full attention, and wedding floristry isn't exactly something you can rush.

Last year, one of my lovely brides first got in touch with an enquiry email. The wedding date was right there in the subject line, so naturally that's the date I saved. Over the following months we chatted endlessly about flowers, colour palettes, bouquets, installations and all those gorgeous finishing touches. Every quote I sent over had that same date on it.

Then, a couple of months before the wedding, I was copied into an email with all the other suppliers.

I glanced at it... looked again...

Hang on.

That wasn't the same date.

Cue instant panic.

Had I somehow managed to get it wrong, or had someone else made a mistake? I sent a message to my bride immediately.

Turns out... it was me.

Well... sort of.

The original enquiry had the wrong date in the subject line, we'd both happily carried on using it for months, and neither of us had spotted it. It was one of those brilliantly human mistakes that somehow survives countless emails and conversations before finally revealing itself at the worst possible moment.

The only slight issue?

I already had another rather large wedding booked for that date.

On opposite sides of the county.

With just a couple of months to go.

Fantastic.

There was absolutely no way I was letting either of my gorgeous couples down, so it was time to switch into full-on survival mode.

Prep became my entire personality.

Anything that could possibly be made ahead of time was made. Bouquets, table flowers, arrangements—you name it. The workshop looked like it had exploded into a floral production line.

Of course, some installations simply had to be created on site, so I did what every florist does when they're in a pickle...

I called in a flowery friend.

Thankfully, one of my wonderful florist friends came to the rescue. We hatched a military-style plan worthy of a Hollywood heist. She headed to one venue while I set off at the crack of dawn for the other.

After finishing my first setup, I raced across the county to venue number two, half expecting complete carnage.

Instead, I arrived to find she'd absolutely smashed it.

Everything looked beautiful.

Both weddings ran perfectly, both couples had the most incredible day, and thankfully neither had any idea that behind the scenes their florist had been surviving almost entirely on adrenaline and blind optimism.

Looking back now, I can laugh about it (I definitely wasn't laughing at the time). It also reminded me why I love this industry so much. Florists are some of the most supportive people you'll ever meet, always ready to step in and help each other when things don't quite go to plan.

So, the moral of the story?

Always double-check the wedding date...

...and never underestimate the power of a brilliant flower friend.