Kansas City Vendor Guide: Fiore Floral Studio

Planning your wedding doesn’t have to be stressful. At least not with the help of our Lovely Kansas City Vendor Guides! I’m so excited to share this new series with you guys! I’ve worked with so many talented creatives over the years and love to help my brides and grooms connect with the wedding vendors and teams that can best bring their visions to life.

I understand that not everyone has the budget to hire a wedding planner to get those recommendations. And sometimes, the mainstream vendor guides aren’t as helpful when you really want to find a unique look or style. So that’s where our Lovely guides and vendor network come in.

Our KC vendor guides will introduce you to some of my favorite local wedding vendors, teams, and creatives. Our first edition features florist Alysa Tarantino from Fiore Floral Studio. Keep reading to learn more about her custom floral creations!

Interview questions answered by Alysa Tarantino of Fiore Floral Studio.

Locations Served

While I’m based in KC and most of my weddings happen here… I’m always up for an adventure. I’ve traveled to Chicago for weddings the past two years and I’ve had my creations travel without me to Colorado and all the way to Florida (thanks to you!). I enjoy the unique challenges of a destination wedding – sourcing materials, figuring out logistics, and simply experiencing the wedding industry in an unfamiliar place – I come away from those experiences having grown both as a designer and as a business owner. I love it. Give me all the destination weddings, please!

Price Range

I don’t have set prices and I don’t have a minimum. Because there are so many variables when it comes to floral work, I custom price every wedding following our initial consultation.

Industry Trends – What do you think will be a big hit next year or what’s big right now?

I have to admit, I’m not a fan of wedding trends. I think trends push couples to make decisions based on what they find on Pinterest or in bridal magazines instead of making choices that represent their own personalities, styles, and overall aesthetics.

My golden rule concerning wedding design is this: There are no rules. Instead of focusing on industry trends, focus on making your wedding a reflection of YOU as a couple. If you like silver accents but rose gold is what’s “in”… do silver accents. If you love fall colors but have a spring date… do fall colors. At the end of the day, it’s your party.

Years from now when you look back at your wedding photos I promise you will be happier you made design choices based on your own personal preferences and not what the Pinterest algorithm told you was popular at the time.

What’s something brides need to know about florists?

I think it’s important to remember that florists aren’t one size fits all. Think of us as artists with vastly unique styles, specialties, and strengths. You’ll get the best end result if you select a florist whose style directly aligns with yours. For example, I love to design with lots of color and texture in an unstructured form. My work is lush and opulent – if you’re wanting modern minimalism for your wedding day, I’m probably not the right florist for you and that’s ok. It’s worthwhile to do some research in order to find your perfect match.

Check out different local florists through our Instagram feeds and websites, take note of our recent work because like everything, our styles evolve over time. Or, cut out the work of researching, and ask your planner for recommendations. They are a wealth of knowledge and will help you significantly narrow down your options.

What’s one piece of advice you could give brides?

I usually answer this type of question with something along the lines of, “don’t lose sight of what the day is really about. . .your marriage” or “don’t stress about alllll of the details, nobody’s experience is hindered by the way you displayed the seating chart.” But I know, in the thick of wedding planning, those words won’t even phase a stressed-out bride. I know because I’ve been that bride (twice). I have never ever in my entire life cared about wearing matching silk robes with my sisters. Why would I? We’re not some weird girl group filming a pajama party music video.

However, for a few weeks in 2014, it was THE most important thing on my to-do list. The time spent searching for the perfect pattern, color, size, and price could have been spent doing a million truly important things. It was just unnecessary stress, totally avoidable, and there isn’t a blog post in existence that could have changed my mind. (In case you’re curious, I did find perfect robes and I guess if we ever decide to start a girl group we already have a couple of photo options for the album cover.) Some lessons are best learned through experience. You’ll know when you’re hyper-focusing on something silly, embrace it because it’s all a part of the experience.

The best real-life advice I can give is to set yourself up for success from the very beginning of the planning process. Instead of investing time building out your dream wedding board on Pinterest, get yourself a good planner and do research to assemble a kick-ass team of capable, talented, and experienced vendors.

Invest in what’s important to the two of you, have a chat about the type of party you want to throw before you even begin securing vendors, divvy up the budget accordingly. . . again, research is key. Communicate with your selected vendors thoroughly during your face to face meetings – the more information you can give them the more prepared they will be for your wedding day.

Lastly, trust your chosen team of vendors (we got you, promise). With the pros handling the big wedding elements you’ll be free to focus on any and every little detail, even if you KNOW it’s silly. Silk robe gang fo lyfe!

Pro Tip:

Don’t be nervous when you meet with your florist, we don’t expect you to have full working knowledge of flowers and their seasonal availability.

Why I Love Fiore Floral Studio

I have, each and every time, loved my experience with Alysa of Fiore Florals. Alysa is dynamic and passionate about what she does and her joy is clearly communicated through the florals she designs. Her work is unique and solely her – full of texture, depth and color she is an absolute favorite for brides looking to think outside of the box for their wedding day flowers. I recommend her time and again because she goes above and beyond for my brides. My favorite ‘memory’ or fun fact about her is how laid back and real she is, her initial consultation is usually at John’s Big Deck for a drink with my bride or over ice cream at Betty Rae’s. Her attire of choice for wedding days are these rocking denim overalls.

Check out some of Alysa’s work below!