When Couples Let Instagram Design Their Wedding with Jinger Leonard-Norton

Kevin Dennis (: 00:01

Alright folks, we're excited to have Ginger with us here today. She's going to be talking about when brides let Instagram design their weddings. So before we dive into that, Miss Ginger, tell us how you got in the wedding industry and what attracted you to the wedding industry.

Jinger Leonard (: 00:17

Hmm. Um, in my early twenties, I am a romantic at heart. Every rom-com I grew up in the eighties where the rom-coms were the number one movie to go and see. And so that's what I fell in love with the wedding planner, all that kind of good stuff. Um, I was in college doing a business degree and that's what I wanted to be as a wedding planner. And then when I was getting married, um, my ex husband now

told me that I don't want you to work weekends. I couldn't work weekends. Well, it's all weddings as weekends. So I put that passion away, went into the business world. And when I kind of redid my life, so to speak, take two on the life choices, I just went back to what was my passion?

Kevin Dennis (: 00:50

Hmm.

Kevin Dennis (: 01:04

Take two, take two.

Jinger Leonard (: 01:12

and passions were weddings and it's always been there and it's never left. And so I started a company called Romantic Moments and started in the Tri Valley and started meeting people and networking. And this crazy woman who owned the flower house, Alexis Asby, love her to death, but she's crazy. And she, but we had a client together and she and I connected and she says, hey, do you...

Jinger Leonard (: 01:42

do you have any time or know anybody that would do some admin work for me? And I was like, I'm just getting my business going. Yes, I'd love it. And I'd be in front of brides and learn more about this and never picked up a flower, never looked at a flower, never cared about a flower before. And so I started in May of Memorial weekend of 2005 and with a few weddings and a lot of drinks, I owned it in.

of: 2005

Kevin Dennis (: 02:13

Oh wow, that's amazing.

Jinger Leonard (: 02:14

It was a really fast, like the universe was like, here's where we're going to be. This is what you're going to do. And this is how you're going to take off. I didn't know anything. I didn't know how to do anything. And, um, she helped me find the building that I'm in now. And she basically just said, sink or swim. And I went, okay. So no more, no guidance. No, this is how you do it. This is how you make things. It was just figure it out. So luckily some of the designers came with me.

Kevin Dennis (: 02:33

Wow.

Jinger Leonard (: 02:44

Um, that, cause she just picked up and moved out of the whole area. So, um, they had some designers with me and a lot of, you know, trial and errors and learning things. And then social media came on. I'm just spending kind of doing, doing it ever since love every minute of it.

Kevin Dennis (: 02:59

Yeah. And now you're an Olympic swimmer, I would say, because the flower house has really taken off, and you're doing amazing things with it. So that's amazing.

Jinger Leonard (: 03:03

I'm sorry.

Jinger Leonard (: 03:08

Yeah, thank you. I've got some other stuff kind of like in the back burner. I'm kind of chewing on getting ready to kind of stretch a little bit more too. So, yeah, yeah.

Kevin Dennis (: 03:16

We're excited to hear all about that. When time, all right. So today we're talking about when brides or couples let Instagram design their wedding. So I think a big trend we see is a lot of people when they come meet with us is like, I want this and I want that, you know. So how have you seen the role of Instagram and other social media platforms influence how couples.

Jinger Leonard (: 03:32

I want that.

Kevin Dennis (: 03:41

you know, expectations on floral design and maybe even the whole design of the overall wedding, you know, what has that changed over the years?

Jinger Leonard (: 03:51

Well, it's interesting. It used to be where we were always face to face with our clients. We were always showing them things of our work and how things are going, or they brought in the magazine clips and that kind of stuff. And so we really designed based on them versus you know, everything that they've seen. And so now it is more of, and this is where I'm, I spend a lot of time with my couples is, is that really you?

Is that what reflects you as a couple? Yes, you're showing me this airy, garden, romantic, well, you're getting married in the fall. This was done in May. As I start digging deeper into the clients, well, I don't really like how that's, I can see all the stems on those, or I don't like how, and so now we're picking it apart. So they tell me this is what I want.

Kevin Dennis (: 04:18

Hmm

Kevin Dennis (: 04:41

Mmm.

Jinger Leonard (: 04:43

But then when you really dive into who they are as a couple and what their styling is and what they're, you know, and I have to go deep of how do you decorate your house? How do you, you know, what colors do you wear? Do you wear mostly these colors or do you, you know, and to be honest with you, pink has been the biggest issue because blush has been so overdone. I mean, I could have five weddings in a weekend and all of them are blush and white. And so I'll even ask,

Kevin Dennis (: 05:04

Really?

Kevin Dennis (: 05:10

Mm-hmm.

Jinger Leonard (: 05:13

Brides, do you even like pink? Do you wear pink? Do you, no, not really. So why are we doing this entire pink wedding? And it's just because they just keep seeing the same thing over and we try to reinvent the wheel and doing different things and they're just like, this is all I see, so this is what they want. And then the expectations of, well, that was an LA, $500,000 wedding.

Kevin Dennis (: 05:17

Mmm.

Kevin Dennis (: 05:22

Yeah.

Jinger Leonard (: 05:42

And you're telling me your budget's $2,500. So there is so much of it out there. And there is such big, big planners and big florists that we can't give them that because they don't have the budget for that. Can we do it? Yes. But then there are expectations. Then you're dropping $50,000 in flowers. And for most people, that's just.

Kevin Dennis (: 05:46

Yeah.

Kevin Dennis (: 06:08

Mm-hmm.

Jinger Leonard (: 06:11

you know, and heard of. So then they walk away with, but I'm not getting this. We've been really challenged with.

Kevin Dennis (: 06:17

Yeah. So then, are you able to find a happy medium? Or how do you get to that point?

Jinger Leonard (: 06:23

Oh, absolutely. Because they want to change. Yeah, so what we start talking about is like, okay, let's design something the same. Let's figure out your style. Are you that traditional control person? Because that'll be another thing. Oh, they see this airy, big, huge bouquets and then when reality and you start putting things side by side, they're like, oh, I really like the round better. So then I just say, okay, we see what that inspiration is.

Kevin Dennis (: 06:45

Mm-hmm.

Jinger Leonard (: 06:49

But let's figure out what your real style is, and then we will design off of that. So there's inspirations, but it's really coming down to what feels good. And a lot of our brides, especially in the tech industry, we're analytical, we're over-thinkers. We chew on it and chew on it, and is it supposed to be this way? Where in reality, they have to stop thinking about it and start feeling it. Because the wedding is what's something you feel when you walk into the space. It's like,

Kevin Dennis (: 06:54

Mm.

Kevin Dennis (: 07:14

Hmm.

Jinger Leonard (: 07:19

Do you want this wow moment or do you want it to be classic or do you want it to be like color screaming at you? Do you want trees all over the place? So how do we want it to feel for you and your guests when you walk in versus I'm copying this picture on Instagram?

Kevin Dennis (: 07:36

Now do you find, you know, like do you see the same photo over and over again when you're going through the designing process? And yeah, that's amazing. So and you're

Jinger Leonard (: 07:43

Yes. Yeah, same photo. It's just, it's, you know, it's a trend just like anything else. They get on a trend and we just kind of, you know, I just, my whole thing is I don't want to do, no wedding is exactly the same. So when you start thinking that every single wedding is the same, that's when you're going to get into trouble. So I'm always like, let's, let's tweak it. Let's figure this out. Let's, what's going to make it one budget friendly for you and you're, you know, being respectful of budgets.

Kevin Dennis (: 07:51

Mm-hmm.

Kevin Dennis (: 08:04

Yeah.

Jinger Leonard (: 08:13

and to, you know, let's really zone in and make sure that it's really you and your partner V.

Kevin Dennis (: 08:20

Yeah, so what about when a like a movie or a tv show or celebrity wedding you know hits instagram what is what does that happen to you when with your couples and when you're designing? Okay will you really?

Jinger Leonard (: 08:35

I'll get lots of emails. Oh, I love this bouquet. I want this bouquet. I'll be like, okay, well that, like when especially when Kate Middleton got married. Okay, well that bouquet was over a thousand dollars, but it was only this big, but they're like, oh, I just want this petite bouquet. I'm like, well, yeah, you're all, we're almost 15 grand in these little tiny flowers. So, you know, so yes, we do get a lot of, I'm changing my name because I saw this. So I get a lot of.

Kevin Dennis (: 08:45

Uh... Yeah.

Kevin Dennis (: 09:01

Oh wow, that's absolutely amazing. Because I always, I mean I get, like you were mentioning rom-coms and stuff and I always love the movie part but then I'm like, alright, what out of this are we going to be doing for the next 18 months to two years? What about this? Is everyone, you know, like, it could even be from music to whatever it is but it's like when Crazy Rich Asians came out I had so, so many people ask me...

Jinger Leonard (: 09:24

Oh, that same song. Yes.

Kevin Dennis (: 09:28

Well, the song, yes, that and it's still to this day, I'll be honest with you, still you still it's that song, but also the water when the when the water released, they're like, how can we do that? I'm like, well, do you have about $150,000 budget that we can make that happen? You know, because it's you know, and, and do. Oh, yeah, yeah.

Jinger Leonard (: 09:37

Yep.

Jinger Leonard (: 09:42

Exactly. Yeah. Or the little twinkle lights and all. Yeah, it's all. Oh, yeah. Movies and, you know, and music really do drive a lot of what we do.

Kevin Dennis (: 09:55

Yeah. So how would you suggest us wedding professionals handle couples, you know, being on, being on set, like to recreate the design they find on Instagram? Like what's the kind of process we could take in doing that?

Jinger Leonard (: 10:10

Well, I mean, clear expectations. That's the first thing. You know, are you expecting it to be to look like this? OK, and say, OK, well, you know, Beyonce's wedding, I mean, their flowers were like $200,000. So maybe we take, you know, smaller, we can say keep the style, but make smaller versions of that. And so, you know, especially like chandelier, like burgeton, right? Chandeliers are galore, galore. Well, that all adds up because it's all that labor.

Kevin Dennis (: 10:17

Mm-hmm.

Kevin Dennis (: 10:23

Mm-hmm.

Kevin Dennis (: 10:34

Mm-hmm.

Jinger Leonard (: 10:39

And so I was like, okay, well, we can't do 15 crystal chandeliers. Let's do five of the dance floor. And so it's never telling a client, no, you can't have it, but it's also giving them a little bit of that styling and that, that dreaminess that they really want. And just maybe pocket it in a smaller scale.

Kevin Dennis (: 10:39

Mm-hmm.

Kevin Dennis (: 10:44

Mm-hmm.

Kevin Dennis (: 10:59

Hmm. No, that makes sense. So when they, if I'm a new client coming to meet with you, I have all these photos, do you wanna see them before we start the design process? Do we start looking at stuff during the design process? Like, you know, like take me through that.

Jinger Leonard (: 11:18

Well, so my process is this now. I do everything on Zoom just because I give a little bit more time for people with after hours or mornings and lunch hours. It's better now. The end's obviously keeping everybody safe of a whole bunch of people coming into the space. But what I'll do is I have a very detailed questionnaire of everything that they're basically wanting. Things that they obviously they're like, I didn't even think about I needed something on the welcome sign or I didn't know I needed cocktail.

Kevin Dennis (: 11:34

Mm-hmm.

Jinger Leonard (: 11:49

And so I give them a very, they need to fill out the questionnaire. And then I asked for photos or Pinterest link or something of what is inspiring you? What is, you know, what are you liking? And so then what I do is, okay, so I've noticed on your Pinterest, there's nothing similar. That's always my favorite. You have nothing. Everything's all over the board.

Kevin Dennis (: 11:55

Mmm.

Kevin Dennis (: 12:00

Mm-hmm.

Jinger Leonard (: 12:13

So then it's like, okay, let's zero in. And honestly, I will start with the bridal bouquet first. That tells me the story for the rest of the event. So yeah, so her bouquet tells me what the whole event's going to be after that. So I can say, okay, is it round and controlled? Okay, we're going clean and classic. Is it more oblong shape? So we want a little more garden.

Kevin Dennis (: 12:23

Really?

Jinger Leonard (: 12:37

Okay, no, I wanna, so then it's like, okay, well you want it garden. Okay, so do you want the stems to be seen? So is it more of an airy layer or is this a controlled lush layer? And then it's really, so it's more of like an, almost like an eye test where it's like A or B, then B or C, and then I, by doing that and breaking it down, then I know what their style is and then I know where we're going with the styling with the rest of everything else. I break it down.

Kevin Dennis (: 12:46

Hmm.

Kevin Dennis (: 13:00

Hmm, that's it.

Yeah, no, and the questionnaire probably helps you get to the point. I distinctly remember I had a bride come to me once and was like, I want a pink wedding, pink wedding, pink wedding. And everything she showed me was purple, you know, and, you know, like a lavendery purple. And I'm just like, and finally I looked at her and I'm like, are you sure you want every, you know, like I find because I know and I'm like, I have not seen anything pink you showed me. And then the bride's mom goes, I told you.

Jinger Leonard (: 13:17

Yeah. Yeah, they think they are colors. Yeah.

Jinger Leonard (: 13:25

That's so great!

Kevin Dennis (: 13:32

started this whole thing. I'm like, oh, wait, I didn't mean to start, you know, a war between the two of you. But then, you know, it just made me laugh because it's like, I feel, you know, you know, to what we're talking about, it's like, they see something, and that's what I want. But that's not really what they want, you know, and it seems like you do a really good job of breaking it down, you know, to, to try to find it. So

Jinger Leonard (: 13:33

Oh yeah, right.

Jinger Leonard (: 13:48

Right.

Jinger Leonard (: 13:51

Well, yeah, and then the other challenge is, is photographers use their filters and change the colors. So I'll get this ethereal, you know, it's all this, oh, pure, pure white. I'm like, well, that's not how it really looks. So white flowers, there is no true white flower. So everything, if you put something, white flower on a white, white linen, then my flowers tend to look a little yellow and dingy.

Kevin Dennis (: 14:00

Oh, yes.

Kevin Dennis (: 14:10

Mm-hmm.

Jinger Leonard (: 14:21

But the photographer has to come in and then put the filter and blast it out and overexpose it so everything looks super, super white. So a lot of it's just educating them about, you know, what it's really gonna look like. And are you sure that this is the styling that you want or this is the palette that you're talking about because that's not pink, it's purple. Ha ha ha.

Kevin Dennis (: 14:21

Mm-hmm.

Kevin Dennis (: 14:42

No, well, yeah, it's funny you said that about the photos. One thing I learned that I had to start doing for my couples is I had to start showing them what...

It really looked like so we're trying to take photos. All right This is an iphone photo from that exact wedding so they can see the difference between you know And it almost looks like two totally different weddings, you know, yeah, and I remember one time we did this wedding at a venue we work at a lot together casa real and It was this very like kind of quirky wedding We had like they used a bi- a tandem bicycle as part of the decor We did all this kind of stuff and the photo everything was purple

Jinger Leonard (: 15:04

completely.

Jinger Leonard (: 15:19

Yep.

Kevin Dennis (: 15:24

to it. So the up lights were green and a couple other things and everything came back looking purple in the photos and it was like, what the hell happened? No, but then, and then think about too, something I just thought of when we were talking about this, on Instagram, when you go to put a photo up there and then people start putting all the filters and all the different things on it. So that really must change what...

Jinger Leonard (: 15:33

Yep. If only it wasn't that, I swear.

Kevin Dennis (: 15:50

you know, the client perceives as the end product to what they're getting.

Jinger Leonard (: 15:55

And that's, and honestly, to avoid that, that's not what I wanted, or that's not the color I wanted. It's constantly educating them and like, listen, this is what a pink really looks like on the wall versus this photo that you're showing me. I can tell you what that color is, but I know it's not that. And that's a lot of it in terms of flowers because that's constantly.

Kevin Dennis (: 16:14

Yeah, wow.

Jinger Leonard (: 16:22

Constantly like I know that's a combo rose, but that didn't photograph like a combo rose So it's challenging It's it's Instagram is it's fun and it gives you all these you know avenues to all these different people to look at and Inspirations, but it's a little challenging when you're trying to design something specifically off that one photo

Kevin Dennis (: 16:28

Oh, that's amazing. It has its moments.

Kevin Dennis (: 16:49

Yeah. All right. So we talked about it a little bit. So but what are the misconceptions that couples have when wanting to recreate the design? You know that they find an Instagram, you know, like labor costs, we've kind of touched upon it a little bit when you mentioned like Beyonce's wedding, Kate Middleton and all that stuff. But, you know, what are the major misconceptions like they have? Is it

Jinger Leonard (: 17:05

Yeah.

Jinger Leonard (: 17:09

Um, how much, how much, how much the flowers are really going to be. People have no clue about how the flowers, how expensive they really are. They, they, you know, they go to the safe way and they say, Oh, I get a dozen for, you know, I think it's now 12 99 versus nine nine. I mean, that even went up, right? Um, our prices have been changing weekly on us and I can't, I'm really, that's, we've been really struggling as our, on our.

Kevin Dennis (: 17:14

Okay.

Kevin Dennis (: 17:17

how much they cost.

Kevin Dennis (: 17:26

Yeah.

Kevin Dennis (: 17:33

Wow.

Jinger Leonard (: 17:39

cost of goods is, you know, well, that wood box cost me 550, you know, six weeks ago, and now it's 825. I mean, it's like, it's a lot. And then you times it by 30, you know, and it all adds up. And then, you know, the peony was supposed to be five stems for $20. Now it's five stems for 30 in a week. I'm like, how am I supposed to navigate this? So

Kevin Dennis (: 17:49

Yeah.

Kevin Dennis (: 17:53

Yeah.

Jinger Leonard (: 18:06

We're trying to give ourselves a little bit more buffer zone in terms of like, because it's so volatile and it's just constantly changing, that flowers cost a lot of money. And then it's just, then it costs a lot to process and put it together and then deliver it and set it up and then clean it up. And they just don't understand the whole concept of why would it take you four hours to go to a Casariel and put up a wedding?

Kevin Dennis (: 18:34

Mm-hmm.

Yeah, they don't understand. I'm dealing with a couple. No, and we're dealing with a couple right now that we're doing a wedding that has a flip in it, and they want everything done in an hour and a half and don't realize that the labor just tripled. And yeah, and we're having to now bring in additional lifts and other things to make it happen, because, you know, it was, we priced it out based on, we had access at 8 o'clock in the morning, and the wedding was going to start at 4. You know, so we had all day to get it up, and now we don't. You know, we have an hour and a half. So, yeah, it's very interesting.

Jinger Leonard (: 18:37

They don't understand at all.

Jinger Leonard (: 18:47

Triple, yep.

Kevin Dennis (: 19:06

Yeah, so.

Jinger Leonard (: 19:07

It's yeah, and you know, cost of labor just alone has just been that volatile. It's through the roof and, or if you can even get anybody, but when you can, they want everything.

Kevin Dennis (: 19:11

It's through the roof. Yeah.

Kevin Dennis (: 19:19

100%. All right. So how was we as an industry, how do we educate our couples on Instagram versus reality of the planning of the wedding? Do you touch on that in your questionnaire before you go or what are some of the steps we could take?

Jinger Leonard (: 19:37

Um, during my consultation, I actually do go review a lot of this stuff. Like, hey, if you want an all white wedding, this is what it's really going to look like. Instagram photo versus a professional photo. So I will go through that and, and I will give them suggestions. This is what I would suggest, especially like the linens. That is the number one thing. It's the biggest thing in the entire wedding. People don't get it. They go to default. Oh, it's an ivory linens or whatever. It's fine. That is the, it's kind of like.

Kevin Dennis (: 19:48

Hmm.

Jinger Leonard (: 20:08

you want this gorgeous flower arrangement or you want this gorgeous designer dress, but then you put on these ugly shoes with it. And so I'm always like, this is how you're gonna get it. This is how it can be. And so this is how I'm always going back and forth of saying, hey, this is where that white and blush centerpiece is sitting on that ivory linen. Look how kind of dingy it looks. Now here it is with a hunter green linen and look how crisp and white my flowers are.

Kevin Dennis (: 20:34

Mm-hmm.

Jinger Leonard (: 20:36

So it's really, it's educating people. I think that's my biggest job is just to kind of show them, we've got one chance to do this. So I'm gonna give them all the information so that they can make those choices respectfully based on their budget and all that other stuff. But for the smallest amount of money, changing linens will make my flowers look absolutely fricking amazing.

Kevin Dennis (: 20:45

Mm-hmm.

Kevin Dennis (: 20:59

I was just going to say, the linens are almost like the canvas for the painter. Like if you can, you know, and sometimes too, you don't have to go with the... Just upgrade the color, you know, like just more of a simple poly, but in a better color would go... Yeah, yeah, it would go a long way than sticking with the ivory, you know, that comes... Because that's where I think too, is where a lot of the weddings start looking the same, you know, like because they're not spending the time and really going on it.

Jinger Leonard (: 21:13

better color to show colors. Absolutely.

Kevin Dennis (: 21:29

Take the, you know, do the standard linen on all the tables, but then jazz up the sweetheart table, the cake table, any other thing that might be, you know, you know, photographed. Yeah, yeah.

Jinger Leonard (: 21:37

Right.

But now it's a small amount of money to make the biggest impact in that whole space and change it and change it. So it's not like every other wedding that's showcased there.

Kevin Dennis (: 21:45

Yeah.

Kevin Dennis (: 21:50

At that space. Yeah. Yeah, because they all because they all offer that same standard linen and yeah Yeah, that goes a long way and we're

Jinger Leonard (: 21:55

right. Especially if everyone's doing white and blush. There it is.

Kevin Dennis (: 22:04

So now, do you see Instagram pushing trends? You know, like changing the trends that we're going through right now?

Jinger Leonard (: 22:11

Oh yeah, it'll, yeah, you can definitely see a new, the Bridgerton really kind of set a lot of stuff off. Very colorful, very linear florals, very large scaled florals, that's been driving lately. So that's been kind of interesting. They're still kind of, it's funny, I'll get a lot of like, mom, I had a couple.

Kevin Dennis (: 22:28

Hmm.

Jinger Leonard (: 22:40

In fact, you and I had a lesbian couple that got married in Nellaterra. And they came into me and they're like, well, it's a fall wedding. We want, you know, I want quicksand and a tan rose and burgundies. And I want all these, you know, fall leaves. And I'm like, okay. They wanted a sample, made it in March. Okay, kind of hard to do. And they absolutely fricking hated it.

Kevin Dennis (: 23:02

Yeah.

Jinger Leonard (: 23:08

like hated, hated was just very like, oh my God. So I'm like, it's exactly like the inspiration they sent me like to the tea. Like I'm like the planner and I are like, what happened? So finally I do my thing with them cause I didn't get to do it. Cause it was more of a, this is we, this is the planner makes everything all the just, you know this is what they want and just do it. And I'm like, okay. So I finally talked to them. They don't like color.

Kevin Dennis (: 23:17

Yeah.

Kevin Dennis (: 23:21

Yeah.

Kevin Dennis (: 23:29

Mm-hmm.

Kevin Dennis (: 23:35

Hmm.

Jinger Leonard (: 23:36

I don't like color. Their house is white and neutral. Their clothes are white and neutral. They don't like color. So that's, I change it and you know, everything's, and they're super happy. So it's really of just, you've got to stay true to who you are. That's the number one thing. In terms of the trends, it's all, they will date you eventually. So just stay true to who you are and you'll love your wedding forever.

Kevin Dennis (: 23:47

and they're happy.

Kevin Dennis (: 23:56

Mm-hmm.

Kevin Dennis (: 24:08

Are there any trends that you wish that would go away that you're seeing?

Jinger Leonard (: 24:16

pink right now. I'm kind of over the blush pink. The trends. I'm not a big fan of the airy stems, the Ikebana and all this like lots of stemmy stuff. I'd rather like, I really like to appreciate the blue more than I do the stem. That part and it's harder to design that way too. So that's the trend I kind of wish would kind of go away a little bit but...

Kevin Dennis (: 24:17

Yeah.

Kevin Dennis (: 24:28

Okay.

Kevin Dennis (: 24:31

Yeah.

Kevin Dennis (: 24:36

Okay.

Kevin Dennis (: 24:45

Mm-hmm.

Jinger Leonard (: 24:46

We'll make sure we'll do it if you love it. But it's funny, nine times out of 10 that nobody loves the stem. When you break it down, when you really break it down, you're like, do you like all this air in between? And do you like this one stem that's just sticking out? Again, tech industry that we focus a lot on, they're kind of control people and they don't like all that abstract, let me hang over to the side. So by doing that, I can kind of...

Kevin Dennis (: 24:53

Oh, yeah.

Kevin Dennis (: 25:05

Mm-hmm.

Jinger Leonard (: 25:16

get away from a lot of that.

Kevin Dennis (: 25:17

Yeah, how funny. All right, so I am a couple getting married. What advice do you have for me? You know, when like before I even call you, you know, like what advice would you have after I called you, you know, like through the process? Help me, like help me hire Ginger. Like what would be the kind of...

Jinger Leonard (: 25:38

through the process.

Kevin Dennis (: 25:43

What homework do they need to do beforehand? What should we be doing through the process, all the way through? Let's help our couples hire Ginger.

Jinger Leonard (: 25:45

Mmm.

Jinger Leonard (: 25:53

people still get hurt. Okay, so the first thing is always is to actually book your venue. I've been getting some calls like, oh I haven't even booked. I'm like, hey, Carp before the horse.

Kevin Dennis (: 25:58

Yeah.

Kevin Dennis (: 26:04

We had a few lately that didn't even have a date. And I'm like, I can't even put you in my system without a date. So yeah, okay.

Jinger Leonard (: 26:09

I know exactly, exactly. So definitely have your venue, have your budget, have your guest count. That's gonna determine a lot of what you can and can't do. If you have a hundred people and your, you know, your floral budget's 10 grand, then we know we can go big. If you have 250 people, you know, or 300 people, and you have a $10,000 budget, then we're gonna, it's, you're gonna still have some nice things, but it's not gonna be as, you know.

Kevin Dennis (: 26:17

Mm-hmm.

Kevin Dennis (: 26:27

Mm-hmm.

Jinger Leonard (: 26:39

grandiose is some of the other, some with a smaller guest count. So it's knowing those kind of those three things. That's the main thing. Um, your venue always has a preferred vendor list. And, you know, I've been very blessed to be in a lot of those lists, which is great. So trust the people there. Um, you don't have to recreate the wheel. It works. And I would, you know, if you love the.

Kevin Dennis (: 26:51

Mm-hmm.

Kevin Dennis (: 27:02

Yeah.

Jinger Leonard (: 27:06

Instagram page and because and we and if you love your website, you know, it's Then I would definitely you know the contact us then we set up that questionnaire and then we start digging in once I do that I will create a very intimate and Visual proposal so you'll have your photos in there. You will have your itemized pricing will be all in there your payment structures all in there your

Kevin Dennis (: 27:26

Hmm.

Jinger Leonard (: 27:35

when everything happens is in there. And then I always tell my couple, you can change anything you want to up until 21 days before the event. So if you don't know the answer at this moment, you can still, you know, make changes all the way up until that timeframe. The thing is usually the styling does not change. Once I figure the styling out and I put those photos in there to reflect that styling and those color palettes, that usually people are pretty like, okay, now I know what I'm doing. But if they don't have their dresses,

Kevin Dennis (: 27:42

Mm-hmm.

Jinger Leonard (: 28:04

and then mom gets in the ear and they think, oh, they have to add this and this and that, that's when we'll start updating and stuff. There's very rare, well, I have to do multiple meetings with a client because they don't know what they want. But that's pretty much it.

Kevin Dennis (: 28:17

Hmm. That's it. Well, and then like you brought up mom, like how much outside influence do you think couples today are having from, you know, parents, you know, made of honor, best man, you know, you know, brought a couple, whatever, you know, like what kind of outside influence to they're coming to you with?

Jinger Leonard (: 28:39

Um, there are a lot of moms involved when the, um, I've had some mother in law, which tend to be, this is what I'm paying for versus what she wants. So I'm having, I've had a few of those of who do we keep happy? You know, I, it's more of like, um, and I, what I will do is I will always call the bride and go, listen.

Kevin Dennis (: 28:41

Okay.

Kevin Dennis (: 28:53

Hmm.

Kevin Dennis (: 29:00

Yeah.

Jinger Leonard (: 29:07

You guys are not quite on the same page. Help me help you. So, you know, what do we really wanna do here? And she's, you know, so I try to do that and be that advocate for the bride. Obviously, mother-in-law's paying for it and I wanna respect her too, but it's like, we really wanna make sure that the couple are happy with what they have. But yeah, moms are involved a lot.

Kevin Dennis (: 29:11

Yeah.

Kevin Dennis (: 29:28

Well, especially...

Kevin Dennis (: 29:33

I felt like we went through a trend where moms weren't that involved, but all of a sudden, all of a sudden they're back. So yeah.

Jinger Leonard (: 29:37

Right. They're back. We did. You're absolutely right. We went with, I never met with a mom and then all of a sudden now moms are on all those Zoom calls. They're timing in, you know, and oh yeah. Oh yeah. You're like, Oh, I don't like that. And you're like, okay, no offense taken. I have feelings too. Yeah.

Kevin Dennis (: 29:46

Mm-hmm. Oh, yeah, and you pay with facial expressions if they don't like you yeah, yeah Yeah, yeah

Kevin Dennis (: 29:59

Maybe not, or maybe we are offense taken.

Kevin Dennis (: 30:05

Sometimes they don't realize that. All right, good stuff. All right, so now take us through, we made it there on the wedding day. What should a bride worry about on the wedding day working with a florist?

Jinger Leonard (: 30:19

Working with the florists, well, obviously they are showing, you know, timing, timing is everything. So the venue will let us in at a certain time, but if you're going to a hotel first, so all those logistics, and I wanna know those logistics before, a day before the wedding. So if you're doing your hotel on your first look and all that kind of stuff, then, you know, that's fine. We can always deliver those things there. But my whole, you know,

Kevin Dennis (: 30:23

Okay.

Kevin Dennis (: 30:35

Mm-hmm.

Jinger Leonard (: 30:45

Flowers, especially in the heat here in the Tri Valley, when it's 100 degrees, and we're moving flowers in and out of vans, and it's going into hotel rooms, and it's going to, then it's going from the hotel and we're outside in the sun, and then they come, you know, they're out of water, and they're only gonna look great for so long. So I always try to see, yeah, and bridesmaids, man, they're rough on brokés. They're out there swinging them along, you know, and they're like, oh, okay. I always recommend.

Kevin Dennis (: 31:03

It can only take so much abuse.

Jinger Leonard (: 31:14

You know, have your stuff delivered to the venue. The less it's moved, the less it's forgotten, the less it's, you know, abused and bruised, especially if we're doing whites and blushed pinks, which tends to bruise more than any other colors. So, you know, it's always better to have them there. So it's nice that they're all there, ready to go, right when you walk in, you get your dress on. It's just there, it's done. You don't have to worry about it. I just did a wedding up in Santa Rosa. Everything went to the hotel.

Kevin Dennis (: 31:27

Hmm.

Jinger Leonard (: 31:44

And then she was responsible for bringing the rest of the boutonniers and corsages to the venue. There was a few things she forgot, but I was the one getting yelled at. So I'm like, okay, no problem. So we've whipped up a few things real fast, as much as we can. But that's a lot of times that will happen, is that someone, there's a lot of emotions, a lot of stress of getting out the door, things get forgotten. So.

Kevin Dennis (: 31:49

She forgot.

Kevin Dennis (: 31:55

Yeah, of course.

Jinger Leonard (: 32:11

I always say the best thing to do is have your stuff delivered to the venue and so that you have a plan the moment you get there you can start shooting right away and everything's good.

Kevin Dennis (: 32:24

Yeah, that's amazing. All right, so before we wrap up, I have some questions for you. But before we do that, what are just any advice you want to give couples when it comes to design, working with a florist, anything you want to leave them with?

Jinger Leonard (: 32:39

Sure, the main thing, again, get out of your head. Feel it. What is your gut telling you? What does your gut say? Don't overthink every single thing because you'll drive yourself insane. The three o'clock, you know, Pinterest searching in the morning, you know, you're just like, what am I gonna pick? Trust your gut, be true to who you are as a couple. If you don't wear colors, you don't have colors in your home.

Kevin Dennis (: 32:43

Hmm.

Jinger Leonard (: 33:06

Don't try to think that you have to do this in crazy, oh, it's in the fall, now I have to do reds and oranges and burgundies, and you don't love that. So just stick to truly what you guys love and feel it versus overthink it. That's probably the main thing that I would tell my couples.

Kevin Dennis (: 33:15

Mm-hmm.

Kevin Dennis (: 33:25

That's amazing. Well, and I'm sure something we didn't even touch on is like time of year, because you mentioned falls and the colors and all that. But time of year probably dictates what flowers you can use. So when they're seeing photos in the pictures, that may not be the time of year that they're getting married. Therefore, those flowers are probably not available. So.

Jinger Leonard (: 33:41

Right.

That's exactly right. You're like, I want a spring wedding. Well, you're getting married in October. So sweet peas aren't coming. They're not happening. So walk away. Yeah, she does a lot to us here. So yes.

Kevin Dennis (: 33:50

So spring flowers don't happen.

Kevin Dennis (: 33:55

Mother Nature is a bitch. So anyway.

Kevin Dennis (: 34:00

Well, and this, yeah, she's done a lot to us in the last like six months. So that's been a whole nother subject. We could probably do a whole nother podcast on. So.

Jinger Leonard (: 34:05

Mm-hmm. Oh, absolutely. Ha!

Kevin Dennis (: 34:08

So, all right, so now you recently got married. I still say recently, because you literally got married just before the world shut down, yourself. Yeah, literally. And then your daughter recently got married. So what is your favorite part of the wedding, and did it change because of those two experiences that you just went through?

Jinger Leonard (: 34:18

the day before.

Jinger Leonard (: 34:32

Ooh, that changed. My favorite part, well, I have to stay through ceremony a lot. And every time I see the bride come down the aisle, I cry. Every time. People make fun of me. They're like, oh, you're crying again. I'm like, I can't help it. It's just so, I love it. I love watching the groom. That's one of my favorite things to do, too. God, you know, it's really harder being on the other side of the.

Kevin Dennis (: 34:37

Mm-hmm.

Kevin Dennis (: 34:42

Mm-hmm.

Kevin Dennis (: 34:47

Yeah.

Kevin Dennis (: 34:51

Mm-hmm.

Jinger Leonard (: 35:03

the wedding of being a mother of the bride or a bride yourself. It is a lot. Now I kind of get why the brides are a little, you know, deer in the headlights look when they walk in, they're like, I don't know what I'm doing now. Cause they just kind of go through the motions. I've noticed that Michaela was just kind of like, what am I doing now? You know, so I noticed that part of me wanted longer time.

Kevin Dennis (: 35:15

Mm-hmm.

Jinger Leonard (: 35:31

because those six hours go so fast. It just, it was a blink. That was the hardest part was like, it's just, it's over. I mean, it was just like, wait, what? It's how I didn't wait. I didn't get to even have the street tacos, you know? So it's, that's the part. Did it change anything that changed for me? I didn't, I don't get to see the father daughter dances. That was really, oh, that one ripped me apart.

Kevin Dennis (: 35:31

Mmm. It really does.

Kevin Dennis (: 35:45

Yeah

Kevin Dennis (: 35:58

Hmm.

Jinger Leonard (: 36:01

That was gorgeous. I love that part of it.

Kevin Dennis (: 36:01

Mm-hmm.

Kevin Dennis (: 36:06

Yeah, because you're not there during that time. Yeah, yeah.

Jinger Leonard (: 36:07

I'm not there, so I don't get to see all of that. So those were really kind of special things that I got to really, wow, this is really cool. And the first dance and just that was the cool part. Cause I get to see the party at the end when I come for a late night pickup or staying through ceremony and people just doing that kind of stuff. But yeah, definitely the father daughter dance. That was my favorite thing.

Kevin Dennis (: 36:15

Mm-hmm.

Kevin Dennis (: 36:20

Mm-hmm.

Kevin Dennis (: 36:34

That's amazing. All right, so how if I'm a bride getting married in Northern California, or a couple getting married in Northern California, how do I get ahold of you?

Jinger Leonard (: 36:35

Yeah.

Jinger Leonard (: 36:46

Oh, website's probably the easiest. Theflowerhouse.com, yeah. What is that website? Yeah, yeah, theflowerhouse.com, our contact page is pretty much, I live off of email. The Instagram, you know, a lot of brides like to do the DM, do the Instagram, that gets really lost. It gets buried, especially since Micaela and I share.

Kevin Dennis (: 36:51

And what, I was gonna just ask, what is that website? We'll have it in the show notes, but what is the website?

Kevin Dennis (: 37:08

Okay.

Jinger Leonard (: 37:12

the Instagram back and forth. So it's like, oh, did you read that? No, I didn't read that, I didn't see, you know? So I always, the definitely through the contact page is the best way. I'm gonna say yes.

Kevin Dennis (: 37:21

Alright, perfect. Alright. Well, Ginger, we can't thank you enough for all the advice on, you know, having our couples design their weddings through Instagram. So, and if you're getting married here in Northern California, you know, Ginger is the one that you need to go be looking up and talking to and come prepared with being who you are with your photos. Like, don't, don't let it, don't let it, thank you.

Jinger Leonard (: 37:28

Eww.

Jinger Leonard (: 37:31

Ha ha!

Jinger Leonard (: 37:44

There you go.

Kevin Dennis (: 37:48

Well, I can't thank you enough for being on a guest. Now that I'm engaged, how do I get married? So hopefully we've helped some couples today get ready for that next step. So thank you so much, Ginger. All right.

Jinger Leonard (: 37:57

Very cool. Of course. Thank you.