Monica MacCracken: 3 Floral Design Tips From Monica’s Floral Designs

written by: Zanne Lamb-Hunt

Monica grew up in Damascus, attended High School there and now resides in Walkersville with her husband of 25 years. She is the owner of Monica’s Floral Designs and has been providing wedding flowers to Frederick, Maryland and the surrounding areas since 1987.

Monica Shares 3 Floral Design Tips To Get The Most From Your Flowers

1. Prolong Your Tulips For a Penny!

No, it’s not your imagination or your eyes playing tricks on you. Tulips really do continue growing after being cut. In fact they’ll grow up to an inch or more! Keep them looking the way you want them to look for a much longer period of time by delaying the process.

“A lot of times, when you put tulips in water, they’ve popped wide open within a day and they’re not as pretty any more. If you drop a penny in the water, it keeps the tulips from opening up and continuously growing.”

2. Revitalize Your Hydrangeas With A Super Soak

Such beautiful, full blossoms – if only they could last for more than a day or so. Well, they can! Don’t toss them out when they first appear to be wilted. Just cut a little bit from the ends of the stems, fill a bucket with warm water and rehydrate your hydrangeas.

Don’t be shy about it. “Completely submerge the entire hydrangea – the stem, the head of it, everything! – upside down in the bucket of warm water. Leave it in there for a couple of hours.” Be prepared to witness a remarkable difference!

Hydrangeas can take up water through their petals, as well as through their stems! “When you come back, pull the hydrangea up, shake off the excess water and it’s rehydrated. It’ll look as fresh as if you cut it off the plant that minute! You can put it back into a vase for a decoration or into a bridal bouquet.”

3. Get The Textured Look In Your Bouquet For Less Money

It’s definitely possible to get the trendy textured look without breaking the budget or the bank! Once you know how your floral selections factor into the final cost, it’s easier to stay within your ideal price range.

“A lot of times, brides see beautiful displays of flowers with an abundance of different varieties. For texture in a bouquet, that looks great. If you’re working on a budget, you can still get that general look but stick to just choosing three different types of flowers instead of five or ten different flowers.”

Monica shares how this can make a huge difference in the ultimate price. “Florists have to order in quantity. If we keep the amounts down to three or four varieties, it helps cut on cost. The cost trickles down to the customer, so that’s a big bonus.”

As a 14-year-old teen in Damascus, Monica’s journey to becoming a future business owner started in the floral shop owned by friends of her family. Located within walking distance, Monica’s mom thought it would be the perfect place for her first job. It turned out to be her first – and her last – career interest!

It all started with the usual mundane chores that simply have to be done – sweeping, cleaning and putting the deliveries away. But, eventually, Monica was given lessons in floral design. “I started by learning how to cut the flowers, greening up the containers, putting a few flowers in – eventually making arrangements to put into the cooler for sale!”

Nourishing A Natural Niche

Sometimes, people just seem to have a natural talent that serves them well in a particular niche. This was certainly the case for Monica. “I seemed to have a knack for doing the hand-tied bouquets which was a new and upcoming thing.”

Hand-tied bouquets are still extremely popular. And, Monica is still creating them – but today, they’re made on her own turf, at Monica’s Floral Designs. Whatever vision the bride has in mind, this savvy entrepreneur brings her valuable industry expertise to the table to bring it to life.

A Floral Designer Who Makes A Difference

Monica knows that floral budgets aren’t always easy to keep in check. “People say – Go see Monica at Monica’s Floral Designs. She can probably help you. – That makes me feel good! They trust me. They know I’ll do a nice job.”

She helps clients to create a workable budget. Sometimes, the flower arrangements do double-duty. They’re used first at the location of the ceremony and then used again at the reception venue. That’s just one creative way to cut costs.

Monica cautions that preparing for a dream wedding day isn’t the best time for brides to try DIY floral decor and bouquets. “Sometimes, they have a vision in mind but they can’t create it. They want to do things themselves but then they realize, as time gets closer, that it’s not feasible to do your own wedding flowers.”

Leave the fuss to this floral guru who has been immersed in the wedding floral business for over a quarter of a century. Monica ensures that all of the custom floral details come together for a professional display of flowers that play such a huge role in enhancing the overall wedding day theme and/or color scheme.

It’s never too early to discuss your wedding floral design ideas, even if they’re far from complete. Need some guidance? Some help creating a floral budget? Looking for some creative ideas? Want to know which flowers will work best with your color scheme or wedding theme? Got a Pinterest board to share?

Monica is ready with all of the information, advice and creative suggestions that can make it all happen. Remember – creating wedding floral designs is her passion! Give her a call today!

Facebook/Monica’s Floral Designs
301-639-2272

Content Provided by Frederick Advice Givers Podcast #18