gorgeous flowers

What Is the Difference between a Florist and a Floral Designer?

When there are special events such as weddings, debuts, birthdays or anniversaries, flowers play a big role. They enhance the theme, decoration and overall mood of the event. When it comes to flowers, there are two different types of professional you can contact: a florist or a floral designer.

Both florists and floral designers work with flowers for different occasions and special events. These two titles are even often used interchangeably – people perceive that these two are the same. These two may sound synonymous, but they are different from one another. Here’s the difference between the two:

A florist is a person that arranges and sells flowering plants, as well as cuts them in order to create something aesthetic. Usually, they have a physical store where they cater to their customers’ demands. They also have a wide range of styles and designs for the creation of different flower arrangements as chosen by the customers. Florists typically grow their own flowers, plants and greenery, so they can immediately cater to the customers’ demands.

selection of flowers

Though florists are sometimes hired to decorate flowers in a venue for a special event or for an important occasion, that is not their expertise. They often simply arrange flowers, bouquets and flowering arrangements as requested by customers, usually for birthdays, dates, Valentines’ Day, and weddings.

On the other hand, a floral designer is a person that makes use of flowering plants, greeneries and other plant materials to make appealing arrangements. Compared to a florist, a floral designer is more involved in the process of creating aesthetics – even beyond the typical flower arrangements done by a florist. The designs and styles are unique and out of the box, and also, floral designers collaborate with their customers all throughout the process of designing.

flowers in tree

Often, the designer coordinates with an events planner to match the flowers they arrange with the overall theme of the event. They also have large stocks of fake flowers, leaves, and other flowering plants and greeneries available for rental – these are useful for decorating venues for special events. It is also a floral designer’s job to get the customers’ dream flowers (if requested by the client), regardless of where the flowers originate.

Other than the difference between the work they do and the tasks they need to accomplish, a florist and a floral designer also differ in terms of the cost they charge for their services. Though a designer’s title is a bit more sophisticated than a florist’s, floral designers are more economical compared to florists. By “more economical”, it means that they ultimately charge less for their services. Most floral designers are home-based. Having less overhead – no rent expenses, plus no additional utility charges – they charge less, unlike florists who have their own physical stores.

So, there you have it! Mainly, the difference between florists and floral designers is that florists focus on flower arrangements ordered by customers, while floral designers handle flowering decorations for events. Aside from that, there is also a difference in their service charges.

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