From bouquets, to centerpieces, to arbor designs, and pew markers, floral designs show up throughout each event in a variety of ways. We chatted with Gayla Harvey, the Senior Floral Designer for Tiger Lily Weddings, the wedding division of Tiger Lily Florist (one of our favorites here in Charleston!), to learn more about her inspiration’s for wedding floral and how Tiger Lily Weddings continues to be successful + create new designs for each bride.

Gayla Harvey

Tiger Lily Florist began 21 years ago and has since been voted “Best Charleston Florist” by the City Paper for the past 17 years (quite an accomplishment)! Gayla originally started working with Tiger Lily on corporate events, primarily focusing on events out at Kiawah Island. A few years later, she transitioned over to the wedding side of the business and played an important role in the new branding of Tiger Lily Weddings. Tiger Lily Weddings was created with the purpose of providing the same high level of customer service and amazing floral designs as Tiger Lily Florist, just with “wedding specific intentions.” With the goal of providing a better, unique experience for each bride, Tiger Lily Wedding prides themselves on constantly researching and expanding their work portfolio by working with new flower farms & developing new design ideas, specific for each client’s needs.

Jennifer Bearden Photography

I sat down with Gayla to gain a little insight on where she draws ideas and inspiration from for her fabulous designs, as well as hear advice from the floral expert herself on selecting floral for a couple’s big day!

Ashley: Where do you pull ideas of inspiration for bridal bouquets and wedding floral?

Gayla: I find inspiration everywhere…through other amazing floral designers, both locally and nationally…from interior designers with the way they use textiles, patterns, and colors, and even nature itself can be a big source of inspiration. Attending workshops and trade shows also helps fuel ideas.

Ashley: What are some of the floral trends that you hope to see continue into this year?

Gayla: I think we will still see organic, free-flowing bouquets with lots of greenery brought in. Lots of rich green tones (Greenery is the 2017 Pantone Color of the Year after all!) with a variety of floral rather than just one or two types.

Aaron and Jillian Photography

Ashley: What advice do you have for a bride as she is selecting floral for her big day?

Gayla: When choosing a wedding date, floral is definitely something to be mindful of! First, start with color, then we will look at what’s available based on those colors. Many flowers are grown in greenhouses these days, but sticking within season for the best quality and size is the way to go! If a bride loves pastels, Spring is perfect. For vibrant, bold tones, summer is definitely best. If a bride loves textures and berries, with wheat, burgundy, or jewel tones, Fall offers many of those options. Subtle color and greenery with blushes are perfect for a Winter wedding. It also helps to know the overall “feel” a bride is going for, whether it is formal, chic, traditional and so on, as all of these play into the types and shapes of flowers that would correspond with the design they are envisioning.

Virgil Bunao

We love working with Tiger Lily Weddings as they are continually excite us with their creativity and uniqueness they bring to each event!