2020 Year in Review

2020, what a wild ride it was! In true 2020 fashion I spent my new years in bed with my laptop recapping our numbers for the year. Honestly not that different than my usual homebody new years! Here’s a peek at some of the highs of our year:

A Few Successes From 2020

The Farmer’s Market: From Jan-April we typically have an indoor farmers market once a month. Shut down kicked in right as the March market was coming and of course it was cancelled. Then the city market crew worked quickly to come up with a curbside market model which was amazing! The April curbside market was a whirlwind to participate and help with, but the community really showed up to support! May finished off with a curbside market every week and the first weekend in May was our highest market sales EVER!

• In early June we moved to the outside market and I honestly had no idea what to expect. Would people be comfortable coming? Would customers follow the mask mandate? Turns out, they showed up and it was so great feeling a little bit of normalcy! Pretty much every week our sales were up from 2019 and I couldn’t be more thankful. If you shopped with us this season, thank you so much!

• I added in a line of natural products, launched Pollen and Pastry at Home, and grew more flowers and that definitely helped raise our sales.

• We use Square to track everything we sell at the farmer’s market and I’m so glad we do because it allows me to pull reports and track things so much better. Give me all the numbers! When I ran the numbers to see that our overall market sales were over two times the 2019 numbers, I was seriously wowed!

Weddings: If you looked at our sales numbers for 2020, I certainly wouldn’t call this year a success if you compared it to previous years. But I’m honestly really proud of what we were able to accomplish despite the challenges. With all the changes, every wedding felt like about twice the usual work, but we got it done! And we served 35 couples still, WHAT! I had no idea it ended up being that many until I ran the numbers!

• I give most of the credit to our amazing couples this year. Being a business owner in 2020 was a struggle, but I can’t imagine planning a wedding in a year where everything was unknown and constantly changing. To the couples who still got married this year and had us create something for them, big or small, thank you! To the couples who postponed to 2021, thank you! And even to those couples who decided to cancel our services, I still thank you and hope you were still able to marry your love this year!

Everyday Sales: Prior to 2020, we were almost exclusively a wedding and event company. We did some everyday orders in the bakery, but not a ton. Well cue spring 2020 and all the weddings are postponed or cancelled. Time to pivot! The website was already set up with a good portion of our products and I started working from home with my day job, so starting to deliver locally became a lot easier. We kicked it off with Mother’s Day offerings and I was seriously floored with the number of orders we got! Boy did we learn a lot from that adventure!

• More and more of our cut flowers became ready to harvest throughout the summer and it was so great to harvest those and share our 100% locally grown arrangements with the community!

• Looking at the numbers in our website analytics we had a 1,278% increase in sales from last year with our website orders, WHAT! It’s been so fun delivering desserts and flowers all across town and seeing the excitement on everyone’s face when they open the door to a surprise. Definitely something I want to continue doing. While most celebrations were cancelled this year, it was so fun being able to still help people celebrate at home and send something special to loved ones they couldn’t see in person!

Looking ahead to 2021

I am a glass half full kind of person, so I tend to not dwell on the negatives for long. This post focuses on the successes of the year, but it certainly wasn’t all peaches and cream. I can honestly say that I am thankful for this year though. It taught me the importance of slowing down and forced me to have a work-life balance like I never have before. I realized the joy I have in serving more than just our wedding customers. The Bloomington/Normal community truly showed up for us this year and I couldn’t be more thankful. Because of you, I was able to keep two awesome ladies employed at least at some level this year which I was definitely concerned about earlier this year. Brooke and Jenna, thank you for sticking with me! You are seriously the best.

A GIANT thank you to anyone who shopped with us this year. I hope we were able to bring a small amount of joy in a challenging year. Here’s to 2021!

-Candice

PS- Go check out the Creative Template Shop for awesome year in review graphic templates!

Rustic Elegance Wedding at Pear Tree Estate- Pollen & Pastry Wedding

Meg and Andy’s engagement story is one for the books! (Literally.)

Andy surprised Meg by taking her out for dinner at a local Greek restaurant and subtly slipped the ring inside of the dessert menu! Who wouldn’t say “YES” to a guy who makes sure sweets are included in the proposal?!

This August wedding was every bit of rustic elegance that we could have dreamed of. A soft color palette, fresh and organically arranged florals, and all of the wooden and copper textures…this is the stuff dreams are made of.

The amazing thing about flowers is that they speak a universal language of love. They have a way seamlessly transitioning from a rustic barn setting to a modernized elegant estate without missing a beat. Look at how beautifully these garden roses, subtle greens, and soft blushes flow from one setting to the next.

We love these photos of this dressed-to-impress bridal party amidst the backdrop of one of our favorite venues, Pear Tree Estate!

Meg and Andy used an assortment of different floral arrangements as their centerpieces. To help fill the space of such a large, open room, they opted for a handful of tall trumpet vases which we topped with white hydrangeas, garden roses, pink lisianthus, and sprigs of baby blue eucalyptus. Gold compotes and wooden market boxes donned the other tables and carried variations of the same color palette and floral recipe. We loved the way our flowers popped against the wooden farmhouse tables and classic white dinnerware from Pear Tree.

We try not to play favorites, but it’s really, really hard to beat a dessert table that looks like THIS.

The staff at Pear Tree really pulled out the stops in designing these floating tables and not to brag, but we think our handheld pies, mini cheesecakes, and our lemon-raspberry two-tiered cake really top the whole look off.

Meg and Andy, congratulations on an absolutely beautiful wedding. We wish you a lifetime of happiness and a marriage that is every bit as beautiful!

Thank you Pear Tree Estate for hosting at your venue and Kara Kamienski Photography for the lovely photos!

Summer Wedding at ISU- Pollen And Pastry Wedding

We believe that weddings should be intentional and meaningful, down to even the smallest of details. So you can bet it melted our hearts when we saw Nichole and Brent’s wedding photos on the 50 yard line at ISU’s Hancock Stadium…the very place they became engaged.

This July wedding was full of natural beauty and highlighted all of our very favorite things of summer: eucalyptus, fresh white flowers, and gorgeous nature backdrops.

Gotta love these textured greenery bouquets and men with style!

Nichole and Brent chose centerpieces that were simple in texture and color, yet elegant in design. Blush, crisp whites, and natural greenery kept things lighthearted and fun, while touches of gold spruced up the place settings and finished things off with a bit of romance.

The whole Pollen & Pastry team extends a big “Congratulations!” to these ISU lovebirds. Thanks you for choosing us to play such a special role in one of the most important days of your lives!

Photography: Caitlyn & Luke Photography

Ceremony Site: Epiphany Church- Normal

Reception Site: Marriott Normal

20 Things To Ask Your Florist During Your Wedding Consultation

Peonies or garden roses? Roses or ranunculus? The choices are endless when it comes to your wedding flowers, so it’s important to pick the right wedding florist that can bring your wedding vision to life. To make sure you get the wedding flowers of your dreams, talk with your potential florist and go over these essential questions listed below. We went ahead and answered from our standpoint here at Pollen and Pastry, but be sure to ask this of any florists.

Photo by Taken by Sarah

Photo by Pam Cooley Photography

The Wedding Date: 
1. Is my wedding date available? 

• We’ll answer that for you right away when you fill out the consultation form! If we’re not available, we’ll get back to you right away and refer you to some other awesome local vendors who may be available. Once we email your proposal, we’ll also hold your wedding date for 7 days so you don’t have to rush to make a decision.

2. How many other weddings or events will you schedule on the same day?

• For us, it depends on the location and size of the events. We limit the number we take in a weekend based on how big our team is. Some of our weddings take considerable time to install!

3. Have you done events at my ceremony and reception location(s) before? If not, are you familiar with the sites?

We love to chat about how best to utilize your venue space and if we haven’t worked there before, we’ll look at venue photos or schedule a walk through if needed.

Floral Budget: 
4. Do you require a minimum floral budget? 

• Most florists will have this on their website for you to check out before inquiring. We have a minimum of $2500 for full service delivery and installation, but we can easily do a smaller wedding order that you could pick up from our Bloomington studio.

5. Can you work with my budget?

• Absolutely. Like above, an order of any size can be picked up from our studio.

Background Check:
6. How long have you been in business and how many weddings have you done?

• I (Candice) have been in business for 10 years now. Since starting this side hustle during grad school at the U of I, we’ve done hundred and hundreds of weddings! I need to take the time to look back at the calendar and actually add it up!

7. Do you have a portfolio of weddings you've recently done that I can browse?

• Absolutely. This blog is a great place to see full weddings, or our Instagram is always the most up to date on our current work.
  

Floral Design: 
8. How would you describe your design style? (e.g. traditional, modern, rustic, organic) 

• We describe our style as garden style design. We love to use interesting locally grown flowers and different textures that you wouldn’t necessarily see in every design.

9. Which flowers would you recommend based on the time of year/season, color palette, and budget?

• This is a great question to ask and we’ll always have a few suggestions of flowers that we will recommend.

10. If I give you a picture of a bouquet and/or centerpiece that I like, can you recreate it?

• We will use it as an inspiration photo, absolutely. We’ll never try to exactly copy a photo because design is an art form and every single designer designs differently. We also may not have the exact same product available depending on the season. We’ll do our absolute best to bring your vision to life!

11. What other décor elements can you provide (candelabras, vases, chuppah, votives, mirrors, etc.)? Are these rental items? How will these items affect the overall cost?

• We offer many of these items as rentals and you can see most of our inventory listed on our Rentals page. Those items will be either added to the cost of the item on the proposal, like in the case of centerpieces, or will be listed as a separate line item on the proposal.

12. Can you create sample arrangements before I sign the contract? If so, is there an additional fee for this?

• We only create sample arrangements for the couples who have already booked with us and we do charge the cost of the item in order to make up the sample.

13. Will you work with my cake designer if I decide to add flowers to my wedding cake? If so, is there an additional setup fee for this?

• Luckily, many times we’re also your cake designer if you book us for dessert services as well! If you’re going through another dessert vendor, we can certainly work with your cake designer on adding the flowers. We’re happy to add them ourselves, or leave it to the cake designer to add them on. There is an additional charge for providing the cake flowers.

14. Can you assist me in the preservation of my bouquet after the wedding? If not, can you recommend someone?

• We don’t offer that service because we don’t have the appropriate equipment, but we’re happy to share a few options:

  • Keepsake Floral

  • Forever Flowers

  • The Heirloom Bouquet
    

Payment & Logistics: 
15. Do you charge a delivery fee?

• We do and most all florists will. Our delivery/setup/rental pickup fee is charged as a percentage of your final total. Usually 15-20%. This ensures that we can bring along enough of our team to meet the requirements of your wedding setup.

16. Do you have an extra charge for the setup and breakdown of the floral décor?

• For us, that is included in that 15-20%. We’ll come back at the end of the night to gather any of our rental items. We prefer to leave the flowers for you the share and enjoy after the day.

17. What time will you arrive to deliver personal flowers and set up the ceremony and reception arrangements?

• At whatever time works best for you! Usually once you’ve had a chance to sit down with your photographer and work through the timeline of the day, then we can chat about what time you first need your personal flowers for photos and then what time we need to have everything all done and ready at the venue site.

18. Is there an extra fee if I need you to stay throughout the ceremony to move arrangements to the reception site?

• Yes, if there is any need for our team to remain on staff for an extended period of time we will ask for additional payment for that. We have to ensure our team is covered!

19. How far in advance do I need to secure your services?

• Honestly, the earlier the better! We know you want to lock in the venue, the photographer and some other important vendors first, but don’t leave the florist too far down the list. While some of us can take multiple weddings on a date, some don’t and popular wedding dates (aka the fall season for sure) can book up very quickly.

20. How much is the deposit and when is it due? When is the final payment due?

• We ask for a 25% retainer payment to get booked and on our calendar. The final payment due is the remaining 75% which is due three weeks before the wedding.

I hope you found that helpful in preparing for meeting with your wedding florist! If you’re interested in a free consultation with us, you can fill out our contact form to get started!

Dear 2020 Wedding Couples

I’ve been pretty quiet over here and on social media because honestly I haven’t known what to say yet. Since this hit last week, things have been pretty crazy, as I’m sure everyone is experiencing. Today I read a great blog post by one of my flower mentors, Holly Chapple, and I decided I wanted to convey similar words to our couples. Words are indeed not my art form and I can’t wait to get back to creating! Thank you Holly for always being here for your flower tribe with wise advice!

I know everyone is incredibly concerned about the COVID 19 situation, as we are as well, so I wanted to send a special message to those getting married this year. If your wedding is this year, you are probably feeling concern, worry, and stress about your event.

You may even be feeling guilty because you are disappointed. Let me assure you that it’s okay and completely justified to mourn the loss of what you envisioned. Things will most definitely be different than we all had imagined, but that is okay. From the most challenging situations, some of the most beautiful and meaningful solutions are born. It’s okay to grieve, it’s even okay to be angry, and it’s okay too long for your special day.

I would encourage any couple that has to postpone their wedding to celebrate on their chosen wedding day by having a small ceremony or special evening. We would be happy to still bake you a special treat even! Your devotion to celebrating will signify the highest commitment in life to move forward no matter what.

To our clients, please know that we will remain as flexible as possible; we do not require a financial commitment for your wedding orders beyond our twenty five percent retainer at this time. We do not request final payments for weddings until three weeks before the wedding. That allows our clients to keep their cash in hand until we can assess if the event can happen safely. If the wedding does end up needing to be postponed, we will indeed transfer any payments over to the new date.

Just know that myself and our whole Pollen and Pastry team are here for you if you need us. We can’t wait for your wedding date to come so we can all celebrate together! Stay strong, stay positive, and stay healthy!

-Candice Hart

Rustic and Romantic July Wedding- Pollen & Pastry Wedding

We love a sappy romance and Sabin and Tyler’s love story is no exception. These two high school sweethearts planned their wedding for the most gorgeous July day and we were lucky enough to design their personal flowers for them and their wedding party.

Rustic and romantic was Sabin’s vision, which paired perfectly with her choice of white orchids, mauve garden roses, and babies breath flowers. We added in a touch of silver dollar eucalyptus for that effortlessly rustic look and tied it all together with some trailing ribbons in shades of mauve and blush.

We love seeing our brides and their crews having a blast! Thank you Sabin and Tyler for the opportunity to be a part of your wedding day!

Photos by Caitlin and Luke Photography

Gold, Sequin Fall Wedding- Pollen and Pastry Wedding at Mt. Zion Conference Center

This wedding is just about as glamorous and dramatic as one could dream up…and we are HERE FOR IT. Jacqueline and Scott weren’t afraid to make this day a direct representation of the two of them and we just adore the elegant and classy result!

Jacqueline’s bouquet featured peonies, white ranunculus, stock, and (of course) plenty of eucalyptus. Her bridesmaids dresses were that perfect shade of blush, which allowed their all-white-and-greenery bouquets to blend together just perfectly.

We just loved how Jaqueline utilized white balloons as part of her elegant wedding decor! We paired those with some fresh smilax greenery, our famous mini hand pies (amongst many other yummy treats), and a few of our gold accent cake stands and this dessert table was instantly complete!

Also, is there any better sign for an open bar? Way to take one for the team, Bob.

Upholstered tufted walls, sequin tablecloths, and gold chivari chairs brought so much life to this otherwise-blank space of an event center. When couples aren’t afraid to fill a room with their own personality, the result is a wedding that is full of character and charisma and beauty. Jacqueline carefully selected many of our rental pieces to utilize as her centerpieces, such as our tall gold flutes, compote stands, and glass cylinder candles. We had a blast creating these larger-than-life hydrangea arrangements and designing such intricate, elegant pieces for guests to enjoy. And how about that flower wall/photo backdrop!

Congratulations to you two newlyweds and thanks for giving our team quite the creative challenge in designing your wedding!

Photography: Rebekah Albaugh

Venue: Mt. Zion Convention Center

Romantic Wedding at Illinois Wesleyan - Pollen and Pastry Wedding

Another beautiful wedding is in the books! Elise and Caleb have such a fun surprise proposal story, so it was only fitting that they wanted their wedding to feel “romantic and fun” just as well.

For that playful texture, we added bits of silver dollar and gunni eucalyptus into Elise’s bouquet and tossed in some lovely lavender-colored roses for a subtle pop of color. We just love how this hand-tied look flows with the soft, delicateness of her veil.

Bud vases are such a great decor strategy when it comes to keeping things classic without being too extravagant. But we definitely don’t hold back on flavor- take these raspberry lemonade cupcakes for example!

Thank you for the honor of having Pollen & Pastry as your florist and baker- we loved every moment of creating together!

Photography: Schilling Photography

Venue: Illinois Wesleyan University

Elegant, Garden Wedding at Allerton Park- Pollen & Pastry Wedding

Randi and Justin’s garden June wedding is one for the books! We loved all the little details from the dusty blue heels, right down to the golden geometric arch at the ceremony. This wedding is elegant and light and airy to its core and McKenzie Bigliazzi captured it perfectly.

As florists and bakers, our involvement on the actual wedding day is limited to delivering the bouquets and setting up the centerpieces and dessert displays before booking our behinds outta there. So when we get full galleries that highlight sneak peeks of our couples getting ready with our flowers hiding in the corner, we LOVE it. There is something so exhilarating about seeing our flowers as the backdrop in your flatlays, your bridesmaid-mimosa-routines, and your bridal portraits. So keep em, coming!

Allerton Park is one of our fave wedding venues for good reason. I mean, did you SEE those drapes and natural light in their bridal suite?! Talk about ideal…

We love choosing blooms that help pull the shades of the bridesmaid dresses and adding those tones into the bouquet. For Randi, we selected tweedia and delphinium because of it’s gorgeous light blue color, white garden roses, ranunculus, and a splash of subtle eucalyptus.

Did your mouth just drool over? Was it due to our fresh-baked cookies or because of the assortment of delectable cupcake flavors.

It’s okay. We’re not really sure either.

Okay, but seriously. How perfect did this greenery flower collar for Randi and Justin’s doggo turn out?!

That dress, that garden, that bouquet. We are just taken by the beauty of it all.

Randi and Justin, you two know how to throw one heck of a lovely wedding! Thank you for including Pollen & Pastry in the most beautiful day and CONGRATULATIONS, you two!

Photography: McKenzie Bigliazzi

Venue: Allerton Park & Retreat Center

Enchanted Wedding Wonderland at Vrooman Mansion- Pollen & Pastry Wedding

This enchanting, woodland wedding is giving us ALL the creative feels of inspiration! Peeping through these doors is like getting a glimpse inside Narnia itself…

We can’t believe how McKenzie and Mark transformed the backyard of Vrooman Mansion into a whimsical wonderland for their wedding!

We got to adorn these handmade wooden doors with fern and eucalyptus wreaths and lots of organically textured greens to create an organic, wild look. The little details that McKenzie added as her table numbers were the perfect touch next to our cake stand rentals.

We had the MOST fun getting to utilize wild ferns to create these Alice-in-Wonderland-esque centerpieces! The central part of every good wedding is a good piece of cake- so it didn’t take any begging to get us to make that the focal point of the tablescapes.

McKenzie and Mark… thank you for trusting us to execute such a beautiful wedding vision and for allowing us to be a part of your special day. Our Pollen & Pastry team wish you a fun-filled and adventurous life together!

Photography: Sara Gardner Photography

Venue: Vrooman Mansion 

Vintage, Elegant Wedding at Vrooman Mansion- Pollen & Pastry Wedding

Here at Pollen & Pastry, we’re suckers for a good love story! Matthew and Celene had been together for about 4 years, most of which was spent apart, while Matthew was on active duty. During a leave, he surprised Celene with a candlelit dinner, roses, and by asking her to spend the rest of her life by his side. Boy, are we glad she said yes, because the rest is history!

How stunning of a bride is Celene?! We love how well this romantic, moody bouquet paired with Celene’s vintage lace gown and sophisticated updo. The Vrooman Mansion was the perfect venue for this classic pair’s nuptiuals.

We also got to design this semi-naked, tiered cake and topped it off with deep wine and blush blooms to match.

We will never get over the breathtaking, timeless elegance of Matthew and Celene’s wedding.

It was our delight to serve as your wedding florist/baker and Matthew, we thank you for your service.

Wishing these two a very happy marriage, indeed!

Photography: Hannah Crabb Photography

Venue: Vrooman Mansion

Whimsical, Woodland Baby Shower - Pollen & Pastry, Lake of the Woods, IL

We aren’t just wedding florists and bakers- we create works of art that express the joy found in every stage of life. That’s why we just LOVED getting to be a part of Karla and Brian’s co-ed baby shower. These two flew all the way to Central Illinois from Jersey to celebrate their little babe with their Midwest friends and family and it was certainly an event to remember.

He & She Wedding Curators worked with the couple to dream up an incredibly beautiful vision and we were more than happy to come through on the goods. Check out why we think this whimsical, woodland baby shower is even better than what you can find on Pinterest….

We sourced our own driftwood pieces and then used floral glue to intricately create the illusion that moss and wildflowers were growing up out of the wood itself. This project was certainly one of our favorite centerpieces to make of all time- we loved the creativity and unique vision behind it all. Definitely not your typical decor for your average baby shower theme!

The dusty taupe fabric runners, wooden candlesticks, and biodegradable palm leaf dinnerware were intentional details that played into the earthy-whimsical theme as well. Our friends over at Spruce Rentals provided the lot of perfectly adorable mismatched chairs and handmade farmhouse tables to finish the look off.

Such a fun, unique take on a bud vase with some dried bits and chamomile daisies. Add in some smilax, freshly curated signage, and you’ve got yourself one styled buffet table!

The cutest little animal print touches, ya ever did see.

And not to mention, THE coolest, MOST fun cake known to the world of baby shower desserts! But of course, that is our unbiased opinion ;)

And what is a baby shower without a mini photoshoot, complete with a wildflower bouquet and picnic to top it off?

Karla and Brian, the Pollen & Pastry team wish you the best as you raise your precious child. Thank you for allowing us to be a part of such a beautiful and special day!

VENDOR TEAM:

Floral/Cake : Pollen & Pastry

@pollenandpastry

Styling/Planning: He & She Wedding Curators

@heandshe_weddings
Photography: Hilary Elise Photo

@hilaryelisephoto

HMUA: Kristen, Timothy John Salon

@timothyjohnsalon
Rentals: Spruce Wedding Rentals

@spruceweddingrentals
*(the smaller peacock chair with the cushion is from II Sisters

@twosisters.eventdesign

Hand-dyed table runners: Snassy Crafter

@snassycrafter
Animal prints: L'Amour fou

@lamourfouprintshop
*printed by The Copy Shop @blonocopyshop

Catering: Hickory River Smokehouse

Venue: Izaak Cabin, Lake of the Woods

Invitation design: @kandsdotco

An Intimate Campground Wedding in the Woods- Pollen & Pastry, Chillicothe, IL

When one of your own graces the altar, the bouquets and the backdrops somehow get even sweeter. Our precious intern, Rachel, allowed us to tap into our sweet and whimsical side with her vision of free-flowing greens and neutral color palette. Soft touches and unpredictable wildflowers were the perfect details to this Boy Scout Campground-turned wedding venue.

Our advice to every bride is to choose flowers and colors that reflect who they are - after all, your bouquet will take on it’s personality too. We like to think we raised up our girl right because everything about this wedding is so uniquely HER. Simple, understated beauty at it’s finest.

Friends and family gathered under the pines to witness Rachel and Ethan say “I do”. It was only fitting that the very dried bits of flowers that Rachel herself helped scavenge from the floor of our studio, made its way back into her wedding as confetti.

Messy but not totally undone wildflowers and a sweetly feminine color palette graced Rachel’s bouquet. We especially love how Wright Photographs captured these photos- the most natural of moments of a bride tucking a strand of hair while ribbon blows in the wind.

Oh- and we can’t forget the grooms! Exposed boutonniere ends are IN and we are HERE FOR IT.

Is this bridal party what dreams are made of OR WHAT?! Those mis-matched dresses came together so perfectly and our wildflower bridesmaid bouquets really pulled it all together. Still swooning over here, to be honest.

Rachel and Ethan wanted to emphasize the natural beauty all around them, so the tablescapes and decor were kept left minimal and spruced up with subtle touches of texture. Our current favorite trick is to utilize greens like this smilax vine to create a full, yet wild look that can be used in place of centerpieces or as final touches on signage.

When it comes to your wedding flowers, it’s amazing what a little attention to detail, utilizing the right textures, and having the right color palette can do to make an impact in your venue and a small dent in your budget.

Rachel and Ethan, congratulations on your marriage and may there be more blessings than you can count headed your way. It was the best day for the world’s greatest intern- you for being such a valuable part of our Pollen & Pastry team. We love you!

VENDOR TEAM:

Florist: Pollen & Pastry

Styling/Planning: He & She Wedding Curators

Photography: Wright Photography

Hair: Tamara Holden

Makeup: Leiana Hilton

Catering: Nacho Mamas Grilled Cheese Food Truck

Donuts: Dennys Doughnuts & Bakery

DJ: Complete Weddings

Venue: Camp Wokanda Boy Scout Camp

Rentals: Peoria Rentals

Seating Chart: Crush Papers

Printing: The Copy Shop

Budgeting for Wedding Flowers and Desserts

It's a common question I get from couple's. How much should I expect to spend for my flowers and cake? And it's a totally valid question, especially for flowers! It's not common knowledge what the price differences or even the names of common flowers are, but that's why your florist is here to help!

Back in 2016 I did a similar blog post discussing The Knot Real Weddings Survey and I figure it’s about time for an update. Not a ton has changed since that 2016 post, but the average spend has actually gone down a bit!

In the 2018 report, more than 14,000 couples who had planned a wedding and got married in 2018 completed the Knot's survey and they found that the average cost of a wedding is at $33,931, which is down a little from the 2016 number of $35,329 that I reported. Now of course, that's the national average. It may not cost you that much to have an amazing wedding here in Central Illinois. Hello, $52,332 average in Chicago, though! 

The average guest count was 136 and couples spent on average $258 per guest. That just might make you rethink inviting second cousin Bobby, huh?

So, what’s all that money going toward? Couples are investing in super-personalized events infused with meaningful details, and we love that! Your wedding should represent both your personalities!

Here’s the overall wedding spend (excluding honeymoon): $33,931

• Reception Venue: $15,439

• Photographer: $2,679

• Wedding/Event Planner: $2,002

• Reception Band: $4,247

• Reception DJ: $1,292

• Florist/Décor: $2,411

• Videographer: $2,021

• Wedding Dress: $1,631

• Groom Attire: $283

• Wedding Cake: $528

• Ceremony Venue: $2,382

• Ceremony Musicians: $797

• Officiant: $286

• Catering (price per person): $70

• Transportation: $856

• Favors: $245

• Rehearsal Dinner: $1,297

• Engagement Ring: $5,680

• Invitations: $386

• Hairstylist: $123

• Makeup Artist: $102

Photo by Rachael Schirano Photography

So how much should you budget for flowers?

   10-15% of your overall budget is what I recommend.

When I look back at what my bride's typically end up spending on flowers, it usually is about 10-15% of their overall wedding budget that is necessary to achieve a look that fits the overall feel of their wedding. So if your overall wedding budget is $35,000 then budget at least $3,500 for your flowers. Overall budget of $15,000? Plan for at least $1,500 which would be enough to cover your personal flowers and possibly some small designs for your ceremony or reception.

Photo by Sweet Darlings Photography at Pear Tree Estate

What about desserts?

   Average of $4-5 per guest

Desserts are a little different to budget for since they are based more on your guest count. In the Knot's survey they found the average spend to be $528 on wedding cake and the average wedding guest count at 136. That averages out to about $4 per serving. 

Looking to keep the costs lower? Think about cupcakes or other desserts which have a lower price per serving. 

If you really want to find out if your set budget is realistic for your vision, meet with your vendors! We offer a free consultation where we go over the details of your day to be able to offer you a custom price quote. Keep in mind though that comparing vendors solely on price, isn’t the way to go. It’s like comparing apples to oranges. Every vendors expertise is different, their style is different, their overhead costs are different, so every vendor needs to charge a price that is right for them. Meet with your vendors and choose who you feel comfortable and who you can trust to achieve your wedding vision. Go with your gut!

Rustic Farmhouse Wedding - Pollen & Pastry Springtime Illinois Wedding

Gabby is just one of those brides that makes you gasp out loud when you see how beautiful she looks! She and her husband were married in the springtime at the Epiphany Farms Estate that just gushed of rustic elegance.

Wooden farmhouse tables from Palace Events lined their reception for their guests and we laid different textured greens down the center to add a natural element for their centerpieces.

But our favorite shots by far are of Gabby’s bridal bouquet and all the layers of peach, coral, and blush that are tucked inside. Her cake featured dusty blue lace buttercream details and those same touches of peach, coral and blush.

Take a look at this sweet, rustic wedding celebration that we had a blast setting up for!

Special thanks to Kristen Kaiser for sharing her photos with us.

A Dark and Romantic Valentine's Day Wedding

Get ready for some DRAMA! We partnered up with a few local wedding vendors this past month to create some dramatic Valentine’s inspired wedding inspiration and these photos from Samantha Suzanne Photography do not disappoint!

This couch from Spruce Wedding Rentals was the perfect choice to fit our dark and moody vibe. Can you imagine taking your wedding portraits on a piece like this?!

We chose a variety of dark red and burgundy blooms and intentionally left out any foliages to give these pieces a more modern feel. Burgundy has been such a popular wedding color for 2018 and 2019, we wanted to use this popular color scheme but give it a different spin. Protea, kangaroo paw, anthurium, ranunculus, lisianthus, carnations, roses and scabiosa all add a unique feel to these designs.

For the desserts we chose black fondant to cover the cake to continue the elegant, dramatic vibe. Edible gold paint adds a nice contrast against the dark icing. And what better dessert to serve your guests than dark chocolate macarons and miniature bundt cake with fresh berries!

Many thanks to these wonderful creatives who partnered on this project and we want to wish everyone a wonderful Valentine’s Day!

Photos: Samantha Suzanne Photography

Hair & Makeup: @Mualeiana and Cynthia Nicole Hair

Furniture: Spruce Wedding Rentals

Sweets & Florals: Pollen and Pastry

Dress:  Adore Bridal

Models: Amy Mulder Photography

Illinois Grown Flowers at the Governor's Mansion

One of my many passions is gardening and specifically growing cut flowers. When I’m choosing any plant to add to my landscape, one of the requirements is that it has to be useful as a cut flower or foliage, in addition to just being a great garden plant. Similar to growing your own food in the vegetable garden, there is just something so satisfying in being able to say that I grew that particular flower when I tuck it into a bride’s bouquet or centerpiece!

That being said, flower farmers have a tough job! I thoroughly respect those farmers who work day in and day out to produce flowers locally here in Illinois. My cut flower patch is nothing compared to growing acres and acres of cut flowers.

Flower farmers and florists are also really friendly people and we like to network and help each other out. This summer the opportunity came up to help deck out the newly renovated Governor’s Mansion in Springfield with locally grown flowers and I knew I wanted to help. I didn’t have any extra stems I could donate because all of mine were already dedicated to our farmer’s market bouquets, but I could sure design!

You might have heard of the Slow Food movement in recent years, but there is actually a growing Slow Flowers movement in the US as well. The Slow Flowers Movement puts a priority on sourcing American-grown flowers. As a Slow Food chef cooks with what is seasonally available, a Slow Flowers florist designs with what is seasonally available. And that is exactly what we did this summer at the Governor’s mansion.

Check out a few of the designs this awesome group of flower farmers and florist put together!

Many thanks to Becky from Wren’s Gate for being our fearless leader and the other great florists who donated their time to design and flowers farmers that donated locally grown product!

Read more from the local newspaper here.

Whimsical Spring Wedding at Lee County 4-H Center- Pollen and Pastry Illinois Wedding

What’s better than a beautifully decorated whimsical wedding? A beautifully decorated whimsical wedding, featuring a bride who is also bold enough to rock a black leather jacket! We were amazed by Alex’s impeccable taste in style ( I mean, check out that STUNNING Stella York gown) as well as her floral color palette.

Wild, organic stems of eucalyptus, blush lisianthus, and white ranunculus are what you see throughout Alex’s bouquet. Brides, don’t be afraid to mix femininity with masculine touches. That soft kiss of blush against the fierce backdrop of Alex’s leather jacket will have us fist-pumping all of our days.

Flatlays are some of our favorite shots, because they provide sweet little snapshots into the details of the day. These images by Rachel Osborn are styled so intricately and delicately - by adding in some of our own flower product as props, Jordan from Ever After Planning really made this stationary pop!

Who says corsages and boutonnieres all have to look the same? Alex invited us to get a little creative with the design and we think these white and blush ranunculus and ivory ribbons really set the tone for such an ethereal vision.

Have you ever seen an entire gang of bridesmaids in leather jackets? If this is the new trend, we’ll be the first to jump on board!

The tablescapes were kept simple, with lots of candles and just a runner of greenery and the occasional antique rose head here and there, but that head table speaks for itself on stage, showcasing a 20 foot long garland!

The bride and groom’s guests got to chow down on a feast of our salted caramel macarons, white chocolate raspberry cupcakes, chocolate chip cookies, and last of all our famous raspberry macarons. Did we mention macarons already?

Alex and Taylor, we count it a blessing to be able to say that we were among the 400 lucky people who can say they were a part of the most special day of your lives. Thank you for choosing Pollen & Pastry to be your florist and baker!

Rachel Osborn Photography and Ever After Planning, thank you for your stunning work as always!

Frosted Winter Wedding at the Double Tree- Pollen and Pastry Bloomington-Normal Wedding

Carly and Allen’s friends planned a Super Bowl party as a secret scheme to set them up. Boy, are we glad it worked out because look at the beautiful winter wedding this union led to!

To achieve Carly’s “just barely winter” theme, we filled her bouquet with blue delphinium, white ranunculus, whimsical lisianthus, and antique roses. We also added airy pieces of Italian ruscus, baby blue and silver dollar eucalyptus to give it that extra oomph of texture.

We simply cannot get over the gorgeous way Rachael Schirano captured the lighting in these portraits!

Getting to design a flower girl crown is one of the sweetest projects of being a wedding florist and the end result is always so, so precious.

We also adored Carly’s choice of color for her bridesmaids dresses- that soft blue gives such a subtle, frosted take on a winter wedding. And the best thing about a bridesmaid dress is that you can totally shorten it and wear it again, right?

If you’d say that dessert isn’t one of the most important aspects of a wedding, you’d definitely be wrong (and you might even be crazy). Carly and Allen opted for a tiered cake to cut themselves and treated their guests to an assortment of delicious cupcakes.

We love when our couples take our dessert menu and customize flavors to represent their favorite things to be shared with their closest friends and family!

Centerpieces can be as simple or as elaborate as you please. And sometimes, they’re a little bit of both.

We used repeating patterns of eucalyptus, hydrangeas, and blue delphinium to bring out the same light wintry look.

Carly and Allen, your wedding day was beautiful and we were so blessed to be a part of it! Congratulations, you two!

A special thanks to Rachael Schirano Photography for sharing these lovely images with us.

Venue- Doubletree by Hilton- Bloomington

Bright and Airy Wedding at Pear Tree Estate- Pollen and Pastry Champaign, IL Wedding

Pear Tree Estate has a way of making anything and everything in it’s light appear equally as beautiful. There’s just something to be said about a venue that looks good enough for a bride to walk down the aisle in her Sunday morning sweats and still be wedding-ready.

We love this photo of Leslie getting ready to marry Andrew. Can’t you just feel the building anticipation and excitement stirring?

We made simple hand-tied bouquets to adorn each row of chivari chairs, held there with long hanging bows of champagne ribbon. Intricate sprigs of olive branches, eucalyptus, and blush roses added just the right touch of delicacy.

We designed taller aisle pieces to go on top of two of our gold vase rentals, which served to frame either side of the altar. Longer stems of plumosa and eucalyptus added an ethereal, draping effect, while white mums and blush garden roses pulled together the soft pinks and golden hues of the room.

Nothing but smiles for Leslie and Andrew on their wedding day. Just look at how these two look at each other!

We believe the term “go big or go home” most definitely applies to your wedding desserts. Pear Tree set up the perfect hanging table to arrange a beautiful array of our cupcakes and delicious brownies from LA Gourmet Catering, for Leslie and Andrew’s guests. Not to mention a tiered naked cake with buttercream frosting and a garden rose garnish.

If you haven’t caught on to the wooden farmhouse table trend yet, the following images will win you over.

Leslie and Andrew opted to alternate their guest tables with an array of varied centerpieces. Boxed rectangle planters, gold compotes, and tall risers playing host to olive branches filled the room with the greatest combination of texture and shape.

A beautiful wedding day and a stunning bride and groom to match. Congratulations, Leslie and Andrew!

Thank you Sweet Darlings Photography for sharing these lovely images and as always, to Pear Tree Estate, for being such a gracious host.