Wedding Hive Podcast

042- All Things Wedding Planning & Design w/ Cassidy from Bloom and Blueprint

• Wedding Hive • Episode 42

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We sit down with Cassidy Love of Bloom & Blueprint to unpack how thoughtful design and tight logistics create weddings that feel personal, beautiful, and achievable. From pre‑med to planner, she shares a clear process, smart trend use, and ways to keep families aligned.

• Bloom and Blueprint’s split of creative and execution
• Pinterest as inspiration not a template
• Cassidy’s path from biomedical sciences to weddings
• Designing around story, habits and shared jokes
• Budget first, then timeline, flow and vendors
• Four to six month design window and decks
• Color theory, textures and serpentine tables
• Personalization with purpose and restraint
• Multicultural and fusion ceremonies with respect
• Balancing family input and financial roles
• Reducing overwhelm and decision fatigue
• Hidden logistics and behind the scenes work
• Post‑2020 shifts in guest counts and parties
• Wild requests from drone shows to burger reveals
• Where to find Bloom and Blueprint online

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SPEAKER_02:

Hey Queens, it's healthy and grease with Wedding Hive Hive.

SPEAKER_00:

Giving you the tea and all the wedding world.

SPEAKER_02:

Let's jump right. Hey Queens, and welcome back to another episode of the Wedding Hive podcast. Today we have Cassidy Love with us from Bloom and Blueprint. So thank you so much for being here.

SPEAKER_00:

Awesome. Thank you for having me. And we're so excited. We're gonna talk all things design and funnyness.

SPEAKER_02:

So we actually got to work with you um a few months ago, and it was such a good experience. We were like, we have to bring you on and talk about all of the things. She's the best. So can you tell us just a little bit about Bloom and Blueprint and the company?

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah, absolutely. So um Bloom and Blueprint is kind of two parts. So we are owned by the CEOs Erica and Kate. And so Bloom is very Kate, and Blueprint is very Erica. Um, so Bloom is going to be all of our design. We have all of our floral in-house, all of the creative things to dream up your wedding day. And then um blueprint is to get that dream into reality and like something that's tangible. So to get it from point A to point B. So logistics, operations, and execution. Um, so they really make an amazing pair, an amazing duo. Um, and we have just been celebrating our 10 years of um operations in July. Yeah.

unknown:

Wow.

SPEAKER_01:

That is amazing. Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_00:

That's a good milestone. That's crazy.

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah, it's really exciting. I've been with the company for about four years, so almost like half of the way they've been um operating. But it's really awesome to kind of just see the evolution of Bloom um throughout the years and then, you know, with our rental partners too, like all the amazing things that we've been able to do together.

SPEAKER_02:

That's so cool.

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00:

I love that. Um, okay, so we always like to start a guest with um a yes or no question. Um, so for obviously Pinterest is very big. Do you feel like Pinterest is realistic to what you guys can bring to the table? Or do you think Pinterest is kind of like that social media facade of like what can be, or is that realistic? Like yes or no?

SPEAKER_01:

I am an avid Pinterester in my own personal life. So I will never like talk down Pinterest too much. You said we're too close. I know. Um, but I think coming from like the wedding industry and bloom and blueprint, it's a great launching pad, but it doesn't show like anything that we can um, there's no like limitations with Bloom and Blueprint. So we can always go beyond all of those pictures, and we never want to copy and replicate stuff. Um, so that when people are scrolling, we never want it to always just be um things that can be replicated. Um, so we always want to think outside of the box. And our um big thing right now is like color outside of the lines because people tend to get stuck in what they see in those pictures. Um, and then with design specifically, we like to talk through what do you like about this picture? Because half of the time it's not even the full picture, it's I just like the table or I like the napkin. Um, so we like to chat through those things with clients to really hone in on what things that they love so we can then amplify that and bring in their personality as well.

SPEAKER_00:

Ooh, I like that. I love that. I feel like it's like that too when it comes to in the makeup industry, too. Like brides will come and be like, I love this, and then it's you know, actually love that. There's only certain aspects of what you like or think that you like. So I I like that you guys do that.

SPEAKER_02:

So um, love to just get to know you a little bit better. How did you first get into the wedding and event planning and design? Is this like your childhood dream? Or did you just find you were good at it?

SPEAKER_01:

Like tell us the story. It's really funny. So, fun fact, I've actually never even seen the movie The Wedding Planner. I need to watch that. I know it's insane. I need to watch it. Yeah, yeah, it's such a wrong one. It's so good, really. Um, but I've always been like creative-minded and um very creative when, you know, throughout my childhood. But when it came to career, um, I always was thinking like med school and the pre-med track. So in college, I actually did student leadership and I was on the special events team at GCU. So I did that regularly. Um, but then I applied to um, I have my master's in biomedical sciences, and then I was at Midwestern doing that and then applying to their medical school. Um, in between that time, I wanted to do something fun and also something that could make a little bit of money on the side, um, and something that came to me naturally versus like organic chemistry, because that was never my my go-to.

SPEAKER_00:

I don't even want to know what that is.

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah, yeah. So I um was working with Bloom and Blueprint. I loved them. Um, and funny enough, I mean, not funny enough, but they did my wedding. Um, and so after that, I was just like, I just think that this is confirmation that this is where I need to be. Um, I love it here. And our whole thing is like bloom where you're planted. And I really, you know, felt that from a career point. And so I signed with them full time after my wedding. And my first wedding back with them was up in Tucson. It was a three-day Indian wedding, and I get a phone call and it was the medical school, and they said I got accepted. And it was so funny because it was really cool. I think, you know, some people would go, Oh, I'm gonna drop this and like run there and drop everything. But it was a different feeling of no, I'm confident in where I am, and I know this is where I'm supposed to be. So so sorry, you can totally find somebody else, appreciate the offer, but yeah, this is where I'm supposed to be. So very unconventional, but the theme of like planning and being a planner and um, you know, dreaming up really awesome events has always been something that's stuck with me. Okay. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00:

I love that you followed your heart and where you need to go. I think in life, too, like a lot of people in your situation would be, okay, I'm gonna go to med school. I mean, it's very hard to get into, but the fact that you are so confident and like, no, this is what I want, and I know I'm good at it, I think is uh awesome, honestly. Yeah. Um, so next question What's your signature approach to designing weddings? Um, is it more like an emotional storytelling for couples or is it better for a structured design?

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah. So we do design calls day in and day out. And I just was on one the other um evening. And the big thing is we want to just focus on the couple and their personality. And we'll ask silly questions like, do you guys have pet names for each other? Like what's stuff that you do like together that you love? Like sometimes it's hiking, sometimes it's board games, sometimes um I'm trying to think it's like stand-up comedy. And so we want to incorporate all of those things into a wedding because anybody can have a wedding that's like copy and paste. So at the end of the day, what's something that your guests are gonna take away from that that's geared towards you and like your love story? Um, so yeah, not to sound like cliche, but we really do want it to be about the couple. And I think sometimes when you're so focused on um, you know, the tables and the chairs and just the hard items, that thing um can kind of go away for a little bit. So you really want to plug in um what's important to them.

SPEAKER_02:

Um, so I totally cracked up when you said you've never seen the wedding planner because so many people are inspired by it. Uh-huh. I know. And they'll even ask, like, oh, does it feel like a Jennifer Lopez moment? It's like, no. Yeah. She made it look way too easy. Uh-huh. So you definitely need to watch it. Okay. But my question is, um, who was your biggest mentor or influence when you started in the industry?

SPEAKER_01:

I would say, I mean, I think it's Erica and Kate, to be honest. Um, when I found Bloom and Blueprint, I thought, this is amazing. It's so out of the box, like never been seen before or done before. Um, and I really look up to them not only as their friendship, but that they're able to execute a very well-oiled machine and produce these um events for clients, but they care about their clients too. And so along the way, we want to make sure that we're tracking with your budget, we're checking in on your mental health and your well-being to making to make sure that you're enjoying this process too. Um, because, you know, uh give or take nine months or more with you, we want to make sure that you're enjoying this and you're having a great time. So I would say both of them, they bring so much to the table, and I've learned so much with them or through them throughout throughout the past four years.

SPEAKER_02:

Yeah. That's awesome.

SPEAKER_00:

It's always good to have a great mentor. Um, okay, so when it comes to how do you balance creative design with the logistical side of planning, whether that's like timeline, budget, spenders, how does that look for you guys?

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah. Um, I mean the big thing is talking through Pinterest pictures, but and then talking through the logistics of spaces because some people want swans and doves, and I want um in and out is a perfect example. Well, the in and out truck doesn't service Arizona here. Um, but I wanted that for my wedding, right? And I was like, no, please. It's so funny because like there's tons here. Literally. Um, but we want to make these dreams happen. And so we ended up, um, I think it was two Januaries ago, creating like a tinsel box in the middle of this wedding reception. Nobody asked about it, nobody knew what it was. And then I think at around 10 o'clock, we pulled back the curtains. There's a ketchup chandelier. We have florals with like burger buns coming out of them, and there's like a step up. So they're like within this like photo booth, and then in and out burgers and fries. So we made multiple trips to the in and out that night, like multiple orders to make it all happen. But it's really cool to kind of balance those things because we can make things happen. It's just talking about how we get there. Um, but again, budget is huge. Like we love to dream up things and we could dream up a million things, but we know that budgets are real and they happen. And um, we also don't want to break the bank when we're trying to um celebrate our marriage and our wedding. So yeah, we always are mindful about that.

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah. I should have had that at my wedding. That sounds so cute. Like, that's actually a cute idea. I really like that.

SPEAKER_02:

Um, can you take us back to your wedding day? Yes. I I'm just that is not on my cards, but I'm just curious.

SPEAKER_01:

No, like tell us about your wedding. I love talking about my wedding. And I'm like, um, I got married in La Jolla, California at a pink hotel. Um, so it was La Valencia Hotel. Okay. And historic. I think it had been around for like a hundred plus years. Um, so pink, very fitting. Um, but Bloom and Blueprint took it and ran with it because I was like, I really want to stick to the hotel theme, but make it like speakeasy lounge, ex Beverly Hills or um, yeah, Beverly Hills Hotel. So yeah, they I don't know how Kate did it. She think found it on Facebook Marketplace, but found a luggage like bellhop cart and they rigged it. So that was my welcome sign. And then we have this little cute facade, and essentially they engraved all of the guest names on the columns, and um it the cart on the top said love hotel. And yeah, people could take pictures, it was interactive, but then it was um, you know, experiential with it being a seating chart, so it was practical, but then people could use it throughout the night. So and all the colors, like and the flowers were.

SPEAKER_02:

Did you get married in the hotel or was it like on the roof?

SPEAKER_01:

It was like outside on the patio, so it overlooked the water. It was kind of picky where I'm like, I want to get married on the beach, but I don't want to be like walking in the sand kind of deal. Um, so they had a beautiful garden, it kind of overlooked um the water, and then we had our ceremony there, and then our reception inside. So how many guests did you have? I had 150, okay, which was like a good sweet spot for that space. Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_02:

And when when was your wedding? June 22nd, 2024.

unknown:

Okay.

SPEAKER_02:

All right. So you'll be celebrating two years this June. Yes, yep.

SPEAKER_00:

It flies by so quick. It does. In September, I'll be a two years too. Yeah. It was a 2024 bride too.

SPEAKER_01:

So that's crazy. I know. That's I think it's cool because then I also have that experience of like being a bride. And I don't think I mean other people do, but a bride recently. Right. So I am understanding of what things cost nowadays and what things look like along with those trends. So it's nice to bring that to the table when I'm talking to clients.

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah, that's a good idea. That's true.

SPEAKER_02:

And you've planned your wedding destination. So I think that's also really cool because you have that insight for those who are coming into the valley, right? Of being not that La Jolla is super far, but it's still five hours. Yeah. You know, it's exactly not our backyard.

SPEAKER_03:

Yeah, that's true.

SPEAKER_02:

Um, when couples come to you with an idea, how do you turn that vision into a cohesive plan and aesthetic?

SPEAKER_01:

I think the first thing that everybody wants to talk about is design, but um we always say that the first call that we have with the client is gonna be the most boring because it is budget. But then after that, we do vendor recommendations and timeline, which timeline is my favorite thing ever. I love to detail that out and timestamp it, but um, talking through the flow of the day, talking through the spaces that you're utilizing, and then we can get into the design. Um, so we run on a block system, so it's 10 blocks because think 10 months out usually. Um, and so every block we have little um to-dos that we talk through, but that's kind of how we create a flow. And the nice thing is we give those to our clients, we talk through them so they know that if I'm not emailing you all the time, I'm still working on the back end, and that's why you hired a wedding planner. Like you should not be so invested and hands-on unless you're super type A and you wanna be. You bring us in, um, and we always joke that it's like a road trip where you're sitting in the backseat and I'm driving the car. So you can tell me things, you can tell me to turn up the music, switch the playlist. But unless you want to tag team this, which is more of our partial planning, um, then you would be like a passenger princess. So yeah, I love that.

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah, yeah. I I love me a passionate princess. So that's cute. Um, okay. Are there any emerging color palettes, table setups, or ceremony aesthetics that you're excited about or like maybe in the past that you like love?

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah, personally, I'm liking all of like the sage green that's coming in, the creams, the burgundies, the wine colors. Um, but also keeping those into like the spring. Um, I think people get a little bit weary where they add darker colors, but they have a spring wedding. Um, Maggie's so good with color theory to bring in and incorporate all of the colors that a client wants, even if it's not technically tagged to that season, which is really cool. Um, and I think just like serpentine tables, they're having a moment right now, and I love it. Um, those are like the super wavy ones. I was like, right? Okay. Yeah. Sometimes we get away with doing that with like rounds. So the way we can stagger around will give that same approach. Um, but yeah, those are some of the things that are happening right now that I'm excited about.

SPEAKER_02:

I would say um those tables, I swear Pinterest, everybody has them Pinterest ate that shit up. Yes, yes. I can like I honestly eat it up too. Yeah, like it's just a vibe. Yes.

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah, yeah. I know that was like uh the other day that the wedding, they we have the long rectangle tables, but they did the linens in the and I was like, honestly, that's kind of a vibe too.

SPEAKER_02:

It was cute. Um, also talking about that wedding really quick, oranges were their their different. They had they brought in real fruit, and yeah, it looked so good.

SPEAKER_00:

It was it was cute. It was at the moment. Um I can't remember why the reason they had it, but it was because of their culture, right? It was a cultural, yeah, yeah. And it was super cool, and they had all the stops. They had a bounce house, Beer Burrow. Oh my god. They had two different photo booths. I was like, this is cool. Yeah. And actually, one of my favorite parts of that wedding too was the seating chart was bud vases that the guests picked up at like the welcome table, and then it had, you know, wrapped around it their name and their table number, and then they went to a flower bar and got to like pick the flowers.

SPEAKER_01:

Oh, that's right.

SPEAKER_00:

And then it was cool. They had the third part of it was to leave it, and then once the DJ calls to head in for reception, go back, grab your flowers. Now you have a keepsake, and that's how you find your table. Oh, that's so fun. It was cute. I had never seen that before, and I love I love that idea. Yeah, it was cute.

SPEAKER_02:

Um, what are the biggest design trends you are seeing right now? Do you love or hate them? Um I'm trying to think.

SPEAKER_01:

I mean, from everything that we do, I love, right? Um, there's I think textures are having a big moment right now, which is cool. And something like some people are a little bit fearful of bringing in a texture or a pattern linen, and there's really cool ways to incorporate those. Um, at first, when draping was having a moment, I was like, hmm, I'm not sure how I feel about that, but I'm all for it. It's things that have always been around. It's just how we're utilizing them now and kind of showcasing them, which is really cool. So I just had a New Year's Eve wedding and they had a fully draped background and it was like knotted and it was super beautiful.

SPEAKER_00:

Um I love drapery.

SPEAKER_02:

Yeah, I think the drapery design is is starting to really come in and make their moment.

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah, I'm obsessed with it. I think it just adds the extra touch and it's like, I don't know, like how however you do it, I feel like it's like sexy and it's just it gives it like that little extra, which I love. Um, okay. So can you walk us through your creative process from the mood boards to final execution? Like what's the timeline? Is it we can just go into that a little bit?

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah, totally. Um, first off, we try to do design like four to six months out from your wedding. Um, again, talking about trends. Like we don't want to do it too early where things change, you get influenced, and then you want to scrap everything, just because that has to do with our time, your expectations, and we want to make sure that that's all aligned and efficient. Um, but once we get there, we'll do the design meeting. You'll dream up everything, we'll walk through the Pinterest board, of course. And then after that, Maggie creates the design deck. So that's going to be what your wedding day looks like down to the flower types, as well as Photoshop will allow. And it's pretty legit, I do have to say, because that's what we go off of, even on um, of course, like the main wedding day. And all of the renderings are pretty to scale and yeah, look amazing. So after that, um, obviously we want client feedback. So sometimes it's a win, sometimes it's not, or other times it's minor tweaks. We do that, and then we'll start solidifying all of your rentals. Um, and then we get into signage, which is another really exciting part that I think is getting a lot more light right now. Um that yeah, we detail that out a little bit closer. So yeah.

SPEAKER_02:

Cool. That's so cool. Yeah. I think that even that flow and that timeline makes so much sense. And I loved what you say about kind of with those trends because if somebody starts really thinking too hard about it, I'm still curious. Um, have you done a lot of like the white and baby blue? We do kind of. Yeah, I've seen that before. Because last spring we saw tons, like we're seeing tons of baby blue. Yeah, yeah. Like those blue um and like almost like vintage floral patterns. Okay. Yes. You know what I'm talking about?

SPEAKER_01:

Totally.

SPEAKER_02:

So a lot of people are loving it, but they're planning their, you know, uh fall of 26 into spring of 27. And I'm going, I don't know if that's gonna be, you know, like farmhouse was a few years back and that old rustic look. I'm like, I don't know. We're we'll have to roll the dice. And so I think that timeline makes so much sense to make it um what they love, but still in that moment, and then they don't feel outdated or have to feel like they have to panic and change everything. Everything last minute.

SPEAKER_03:

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02:

Um, so how do global trends influence wedding design? Fashion, travel, architect, different pieces like that?

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah, I think that they have a heavy influence. I mean, social media is huge. I mean, we can't ignore it, of course. Um, celebrity weddings, what people are doing there, um, just architecture around the world. So it's really cool to pull pieces from that, but then again, incorporate um a client's personality and things that they love. Because at the end of the day, like we were saying, the trends come and go. But if you're doing something that's personal to you guys, like that's not something that you're gonna probably backtrack on, which is really nice. So yeah, I think they have a huge influence. Um, travel, colors, all of that. I mean, we've seen that throughout the years, uh, doing destination weddings too. Which is really exciting. Yeah. That's good.

SPEAKER_00:

I know I feel like a lot of people always should take like the Italian like vibe and like bring that into the weddings over here. So, like, not flying there, but like trying to find ways to incorporate like that stuff. Totally.

SPEAKER_01:

We in Sonoma, we had a bride and she was so cute. She's like, I want my reception to feel like an Aperol Spritz. And to some people, they're like, What do you mean? Maggie, Kate understood it immediately. So that's bringing in the oranges, um, you know, various um hues of that. And then their seating chart was globes and um it was travel. So all of the places that the couples, the couple had traveled were their um seating numbers. Oh, cute or table numbers. So instead of like table one, people went to Greece or they went to Paris.

SPEAKER_00:

So I want to go to Greece in Paris. Yes. What the heck? Come on. Um, okay, so like you said, like signage is a big thing. What's your philosophy on like personalization? How much should couples be doing it? Is it overdone? Is there like a sweet spot? What do you think about that?

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah, I feel like there's definitely a happy medium when it comes to like where you're sticking your initials. I don't think everything needs to be branded like a brand trip. Um, but if you want to incorporate it into cocktail napkins, um, one thing that's really cool is if your wedding venue, for example, like has a bar that you don't love, um, instead of us bringing in a rental bar, sometimes we'll just cover it with like a foam core piece that has their initial, their monogram, their crust, or um like a pattern on it, which is nice. So I think there is a happy medium. Um, a lot of people love the dog bar menus. I think that's having a way out a bit. Um, I know Maggie has words and opinions about that. She's like, I'm over it. Yeah, yeah. Um but yeah, I think there's definitely ways you can incorporate it without, you know, overdoing it everywhere. Because people know where they're at. They know what your names are.

SPEAKER_00:

They they know whose wedding they're at.

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah, they get it. But like cute little match books, um, little takeaways.

SPEAKER_00:

I think was those are huge now. Yes. I never saw them until like I feel like the last month, like the match um or whatever they're called, boxes. Yeah. With the personalization on. I'm like, oh, that's cute.

SPEAKER_01:

And it's a trend that kind of came back from like the 80s, 90s. Because like my parents had them and I found them in their little chest, like when I was about to get married. So that was like their thing and their takeaway. And that's I guess what a lot of people did at their weddings, versus like, I don't know, bottle openers or what people tend to do for guest favors nowadays.

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah, I'm anti-favor. Yeah, like I just feel like they're a waste of money, but everyone to each their own, though, of course.

SPEAKER_02:

So I still think they're cute. I do too.

SPEAKER_00:

I do think there are cute ones. Like, I'm not a complete hater, but I feel like some of them just like, why are you spending money on that?

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah, we like to say if they're consumable, like especially if they're like a food or something, like yes, or again, personal to you guys. Like, I have a client that's doing tennis balls, um, because like um, and they're custom because they have dogs and they love to like play um, you know, catch or go out to the park with them. So that's cute. Yeah. Um, but yeah, there are some things that it's like, well, like a little cactus, or you know, things that if it's not important, then I don't know. Don't do it just to do it. Just do it with that meaning.

SPEAKER_00:

Or just like do it an intentional one. Or like I've seen like I do like like the his and hers candy. I'm like, that's a little cute touch. Yeah. People are probably gonna eat it. It's not that expensive, you know.

SPEAKER_02:

So yeah. Um, how do you incorporate culture, family traditions, and sustainability into your design?

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah, we have um, we do a lot of multicultural weddings, we do a lot of fusion weddings, um, various fusion wedding? Fusion weddings. What's that? So um we've had multiple clients that it's like a it's an Indian wedding, but then um either the bride or the groom or whatever is um American. Um, and so there's a joke, and they called them Hindu because we've done full Hindu weddings and then a full Jewish ceremony together um in one weekend. So a yeah, fusion can be a fusion of multiple cultures or I like that. Yeah, so it's awesome. And I mean, culture is huge, especially with that and um people coming together in two different families. We want to make sure that everybody's voice is heard and nothing is missed, especially the parents and the moms. Um, I think sometimes we want to always bring in um the parents for those conversations to make sure nothing is missed because that's very important to them, and we always want to uphold tradition and legacy. Um, so yeah, parents will always kind of come into play when we have those conversations. But yeah, I love that. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00:

Well, we kind of this is perfect, going to my next question as you were just talking about that. How do you help couples balance what they want and what the families want?

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah. Um, we actually have a little um blurb in our contract that if the families are paying for this and they're financially responsible, that they do get a seat at the table when they're talking about design and you know, where we're kind of putting that budget. Um, we utilize aisle cleaner, which is a really awesome mobile tool online, and we can add multiple people to that. So your parents can have access to it. You obviously your the groom can have access to it and the bride. Um, so it's nice because then all of those people can be on the same page and we're all aligned. So there's no surprises, blow-ups. Like again, at the end of the day, we want to make this seamless. So um to make sure that if certain aspects are important to families and they are financially like contributing, that we uphold that and we respect that. So yeah. I like that. But then yeah, we do get some moms that are like very overbearing and if they're obviously not necessarily always like pitching in, then yeah, we want to give that grace to the clients too.

SPEAKER_02:

Do you feel like because that's like kind of in that contract, then there's the clear understanding to prevent future issues, or like do you just have some, you just make it work and know that it's tough?

SPEAKER_01:

Like, yeah. So it's I mean, it's funny because I know that we have that rule um from past experiences because we never want to design something, render it, secure the rentals, and then mom that's pitching in or dad that's pitching in sees it and is like, this is not what I want. Um, but if we get that feeling or that vibe from the client that the parents do want to be involved, then we ask them to come to our in-person meetings. That's the design review or site visits. But yeah, there's definitely a way to balance that. Okay. Um, and we don't always have family involved. Half of the time the groom is not always involved. So yeah, easy balance. I think from the first call, you get the feeling of how the vibe's gonna go.

SPEAKER_00:

How it's like, tell this is gonna go.

SPEAKER_02:

Yeah. Um, how do you navigate couples who are feeling overwhelmed or indecisive by choice?

SPEAKER_01:

Oh, that's a great question. We definitely have um clients that struggle with like anxiety or decision fatigue. I've had a client that's like, just make you just make the decisions. I'm like, well, it's not my way. Like this. I mean, I'd love to tell you what to do, but you know, um, I think we just handle that with grace and patience. Um, we have those conversations and check-ins monthly, but they know that they always have access to us um via email like 24-7. And so I think it's just good to talk through what their goals are and how they want to experience this um timeline with us because we definitely can take the stress off, but locating where that stress lies, because at the end of the day, I can't fix family dynamics. And I know that that's a huge thing that we often face when it comes to, you know, two families coming together. But if it's something of just being overwhelmed because, again, you don't know what linens or colors to pick, that's why we chat through and like ask detailed questions to get that vibe and present things to you. And we're super happy if you say no, yes, like just easy questions. It doesn't have to be how are you really deeply feeling about this? Um, so yeah, we try to streamline that to make it as easy as possible.

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah. Perfect. That's good. Um, next question. What's a behind-the-scenes moment most people don't realize when it comes to planning?

SPEAKER_01:

That we're constantly working. I mean, and yeah, I think the funny thing is we are always there for you, of course, but we're also planning other people's weddings. And I think sometimes people forget that when they need an immediate like email response. And it's like, I definitely want to give you your attention, of course. I have like seven other weddings that we're doing. Yeah. And your wedding is in seven months. So we're good from a timeline perspective. But just know that at least with Bloom and Blueprint, there's so many moving pieces and so many people that have like touched your wedding at some point. Um, so just to know that there's so much care and intention behind that, that everybody wants your wedding to go smoothly. And so day in and day out, we're talking about the logistics about can this wall fit through the doors of this hotel? Like, can we make this work? Um, how big can we have the stage? And then also taking in like weather um details and things like that. So, yeah, we're consistently thinking about your wedding. Um, and we are working on the back end.

SPEAKER_00:

So yeah. I feel like that's tough sometimes. You're like, I promise I'm working.

SPEAKER_02:

Yeah, I'm busy and I love you, and but you're not the only one. If I'm not sitting in your living room, exactly. And we're talking wedding 24-7. I promise you're still working on the city.

SPEAKER_00:

The world is still gonna go around in a circle. Yeah. Everything will be fine.

SPEAKER_02:

Yes. Um, how are couples prioritizing weddings differently today? Have you seen um any current trends, any changes in the industry? Um, we can even kind of go back, differences uh prior to 2020, post-2020, um, anything budget, experience, guest counts.

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah, I would say guest count is huge because guest count's tied to so many things. And I think people are really honing in on who they want, um, obviously to attend their wedding, but who are their main core group of people? And I always like to say, like at the end of the day, sometimes when you detail it out to a per person headcount, it's like$300 to$500 a person. Would you take this person out to dinner and pay for their dinner? That's$500 total. No. Okay, then maybe we're not gonna invite them to the wedding, and that's okay. They're not gonna get their feelings hurt. It's all right. So I think people are really, again, honing in on what people that they want at their wedding, but also how their day flows. So I think a lot of people now are prioritizing the party, which is awesome. So now we're seeing a trend of after parties, a continuation of um events throughout the week, the evening. We're seeing like late night bites, just a lot of fun things. Um, I even had a client that completely switched her timeline. So she had cocktail hour, then dinner, then the ceremony, and then the party. And it sounds so strange to like say that out loud or even on paper, but it flowed so well and was actually like a lot of fun. So yeah, we see flipping the script. And I think the cool thing is that we're so unconventional ourselves that we run that, like we run with you towards that goal because we're like, no, we want to see this happen if it's important to you.

SPEAKER_00:

Honestly, that's that sounds sounds fun. Like, I feel like you'd have everyone have a few drinks, like yeah, it could be a vibe, a ceremony.

SPEAKER_01:

She also cut her hair like halfway during that day, too. So yeah, it was full of surprises, and it that one was a lot of fun.

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah, oh my gosh, that's crazy. I've seen a lot of things.

SPEAKER_02:

How many dress changes did she have? Actually, she had like three. Yeah, yeah, yeah. She did.

SPEAKER_00:

Oh my gosh. Honestly, I love that for her. I'm here for that. Yeah, exactly. Um, okay, what is the most surprising things that couples ask for, or like what is maybe the craziest thing that you think anyone's asked for?

SPEAKER_01:

The craziest thing.

SPEAKER_00:

Or like out of the box, like you were like, okay, cool.

SPEAKER_01:

Um I have to think about that. I mean, a crazy thing that somebody's asked for that's maybe not the most positive, is one time there was a mother-in-law that tried to bribe me to not have her be in the family photos. So that's crazy. Um my god. Yeah. So just like, you know, we could just yeah, I'm like, okay, that's that's different. Or ask. But couples, um, we've seen everything, like I said, from um in and out, from like bringing in swig. That was one thing that somebody just asked me for. They asked for Dutch Bros. Um we had a fire um playing trumpet, like a trumpet, yeah, a guy that plays the trumpet and then it like literally shoots out fire. We've had drone shows. Um, so again, like anything that you want, we can make happen within limits. Um, but yeah, those are some crazy stuff. Have you had any exotic animals? We have horses all the time for like our Southeast Asian weddings because they do what's called a barat, and that's like the groom's processional in. So he comes in. So not on an elephant. Yeah, I'm not on an elephant, imagine.

SPEAKER_02:

That's what I'm that's all I've been thinking this whole time. I'm like, what would the elephants show up?

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah, horses are very easy to um find. We've had alpacas in um Sedona. We've had beer burrows too. So we even had um a couple of so cute. They wanted um a stand-up comedian to come, but they wanted him to roast them. And so he came in during cocktail hour as like Uncle Mark, and he starts talking like crap about the couple throughout cocktail hour. So people are just like, Who is this guy? Like, why is he here? Who invited him? Who's he related to? Yeah. And then he goes into reception and we start, and then he's like, Excuse me, I have something to say. And then everyone awkward. He gets up, he explains who he is, and then he starts roasting the couple and then roasting some of their guests because they gave him kind of um some material to work with. So yeah.

SPEAKER_02:

That is so fun. It was a lot of crazy work.

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah, I love that.

SPEAKER_02:

Yeah, that is so funny.

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah, that would be I mean, that would keep the the night lively for sure.

SPEAKER_02:

Um, do you have any wedding that just still stands out to this day that you've done through the years and just either from a design standpoint, the timeline of the couple, anything that just you still smile when you think about it?

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah, gosh, I feel like every not to be cliche, but I'm like every client just brings something to me that is like a little piece that I can take away. I have to say um our Sonoma wedding and then our Hawaii wedding too, which was most recent, but our Sonoma wedding, um, it ended up being full circle. So the first wedding that I did with Bloom and Blueprint was um a three-day Southeast Asian wedding and um was just thrown in. That was like my little intro day. Erica was like, okay, meet up at JW, like it's gonna be a sangue, like it's an Indian um, you know, event, pre-wedding event where it's based basically like an elaborate rehearsal dinner. And it was a lot of fun, but I'm like, what have I gotten into? Whoa. And then I'm like, wait, there's more days after this. Um, well, his name, his um, the sister, um, so anyway, that was the sister. I ended up doing the brother's wedding um this past June. Oh, so it was full circle. We got to work with the family again. So it was cool being, you know, fresh and not understanding anything about you know, um, the wedding industry and like cultural weddings, and then being able to now execute his wedding. Um, and then his sister, Amita, had her baby, and so um, she has like a little uh two-year-old, I think, at the time, and so it was super cute like to just see everybody get older, get see myself get older and see all of the things that I've learned since then. That's so cool. I love that.

SPEAKER_00:

Am I up? Yeah, okay. Um, if weddings had a personality, what vibe do you think bloom and blueprint's wedding would embody? Oh, if bloom and blueprint was like, I'm having a wedding, and what would the vibe be? Like the design, would it just be like everything? I can't even think. I know.

SPEAKER_01:

I'm like, it would just be everything.

SPEAKER_00:

I'm like just everything you've told us in the weddings you've already done.

SPEAKER_01:

I'm like, Yeah, I'm like that one movie, but I'm like everything everywhere all at once because I I mean it would be colors, patterns, experiences. Um, we're going to Confetti Collective this weekend, which is at um On Da's, and essentially we get a tablescape, and this will air later, I think, so I can say it now. Um, but we are um blacking out basically a box and having all of our florals light up and be glow in the dark. We're bringing in food that's glow in the dark. So again, it's like a whole experience.

SPEAKER_03:

Wow.

SPEAKER_01:

Um, so I would just think it's again something that's never been done before. Um, and yeah, something that would be an experience for sure. I love that. That's cool. It'd be the best wedding ever. That's all. Oh, yeah.

SPEAKER_00:

That wouldn't be crazy lit. That would be like all the stops and everything. Yeah.

SPEAKER_02:

Everybody would talk about it forever in their lives. Literally. Yeah. Yes. Um, if you could design a celebrity wedding, who would it be? And what would the dream concept be? Oh.

SPEAKER_01:

Um, so it's funny because Taylor Swift's getting married in June. I'm a little bit of a Swifty. But Casey and I were talking, we're like, well, who's who's their wedding planner? Like, what is it gonna look like? Because we were kind of just fighting over the fact that like it can't be as good an experience um without bloom. And so I think that would be cool if we got to do hers, um, because of course she has so many eras. But I think at the same time, she probably doesn't want it to be all about her career. Um, so you know, making it very um sentimental and emotional for the couple, but not maybe all about her, which would be cool to work with. So yeah, we definitely work with um celebrity clients um or high profile clients, and they don't always want the spotlight to be about them or their career. So it's a cool challenge to um make that happen.

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_00:

I know I'm very interested, like once the wedding happens, to see what it ends up looking like. Because I think it's in like Rhode Island or something, like where she's from. And I don't know. I don't I can't even think of what the vibe is gonna be.

SPEAKER_02:

Because part of me wants to say, Oh, it's gonna be like the OG Taylor Swift, just like very light and soft and yes, just all of those like sweet emotions. But then I'm like, but then she goes through this different phase in life where she's grown and she's an adult and she's established and sophisticated. And then where do we bring Travis into it? Because it's not all about her, yeah, yeah. And so, but we're not bringing football. Y'all know. Like, I haven't known football, my wedding. It's not gonna be Chiefs colors, yeah. So good. That would be crazy. I'm very curious to see how they display their love story and how it shows up on their wedding day.

SPEAKER_00:

I think it's gonna be, yeah, it'll be stunning no matter what. And then obviously, Selena Gomez just got married, so she saw her wedding. So who knows if it'll be like I'm like, who's singing? I know, right? I'm like, who is on the list? We need to know the guest list immediately. That's like the biggest thing on my head. I'm like, who's gonna be there? It's gonna be big, wedding, small. I don't know.

SPEAKER_02:

That's all I have for the biggest. That's all I have too. No, that's it. Is there anything that you want to share? Anything that we didn't cover? Information about you, Bloom and Blueprint.

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah, where can they find you guys if you know they're wanting to book and have you guys do their wedding planners or events? What where can they find you?

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah, at Bloom and Blueprint on Instagram. That's like the best showcase of all of our work. We have an amazing content creator. Um, named Christina. So she's always getting BTS of our setups, um, before and afters in the warehouse. So that's awesome. And then our website. So you can reach out there. Um, we're not limited to weddings by any means. We do corporate baby showers, birthdays, um, retirement parties, bot mitzvahs, anything you can think of that is a celebration or event, we do. Um, and then you can also see our online inventory too. Because we have span about five to six warehouses with our full um floral production inside, as well as our fabrication team. So we're we take up a lot of space. Um As you guys should.

SPEAKER_00:

Yes. You guys are killing it.

SPEAKER_02:

So well, thank you so much for being here today. Um, if you love this episode, be sure to like it. Um subscribe to our YouTube, you'll find us on Instagram and TikTok, and until next time. Bye!