Blog Archives | Inspiration by Gina

Now Offering Non Contact Flower Delivery!!!

April 6, 2020 by import Leave a Comment

Hey all! It totally sucks that we are sheltering in place. We get it! It’s really about trying to flatten the curve, save lives and if we all do our part, we can get back to normal regular programming.

While we are sheltering in place, we know some people are kind of depressed or are struggling with the fact that they are on lockdown. We definitely feel your pain. We are not known for being confined in our floral designs neither nor the way we live our lives. This is an unpresedented time we are facing.

A couple of weeks ago, a local floral wholesaler, Flora Fresh, was donating a boatload of flowers to the floral community. We received word and we went to their warehouse and picked up a SUV full of flowers. There was a group huddle here at the design studio and we thought about what we could do with the flowers since we didn’t have any upcoming events.

The Inspirations by Gina team decided to create small bouquets and floral arrangements for folks who are depressed, struggling with this pandemic and at the same time, create some floral joy with others. There had been so much negative outcomes on the news regarding senior facilities that we reached out to management at the Eskaton Care Center Greenhaven to see if we could donate flowers there. had been on lockdown in their rooms. We knew that these flowers were going to make them feel despite the fact that they are cut off from the outside world.

It sure did feel hecka good to give back to the community. So, in honor of giving back, we are launching a flower delivery service in which you can purchase a floral arrangement or bouquet for you or someone you miss and love! We want you to feel good about yourself or whomever you are sending the floral love to, so when you purchase flowers from us, we are going to donate a portion of all flower delivery service sales to Meals on Wheels and the Sacramento Food Bank. No one should ever feel insecure physically, emotionally and especially when it comes to food.

To learn more about our new flower delivery service, email us at flowerdelivery@inspirationsbygina.com for more details and we will get back to you promptly! Now let’s spread some floral love!

Why Do Wedding Flowers Cost So Much?

March 2, 2020 by import Leave a Comment

He or she has put a ring on it! Yay! You have been shopping around for vendors, going to different shows and in the back of your mind, you are thinking why do flowers cost so much? Most couples often experience sticker shock over the price of wedding flowers.

You ask yourself why don’t “I go to Trader Joes or the grocery store to get my flowers?” Simply put, flowers are expensive. Why? Let’s use an example of a bridal bouquet. A bouquet has a number of individual blooms and they can be very costly. While we can help you pick out flowers that are your style and theme, it’s important to be clear about your floral budget in the beginning. It also helps when you have a consultation with us that you have some understanding of the costs associated with specific flowers.

Below, is a break down the factors that contribute to the final cost of a bridal bouquet.

The bouquet requires an extensive amount of design time and care. We usually allot one to two hours of design time to perfect each bouquet. However, it is not always just the labor that that contributes to the final cost of the bouquet. If you want expensive, out of season blooms, like peonies in October, the cost is going to be higher because peonies aren’t available and would have to be imported. A lot of brides choose a premium array of flowers to make a statement in their bouquet. The most popular premium flowers are orchids, peonies, garden roses and calla lilies.
Even though premium flowers attribute to the cost of the bouquet, the number of blooms will matter too.We have to order more flowers than we intend to use; some stems are not in perfect condition while designing or because the potentially of having to replace a broken or wilted bloom on wedding day.
What else is included in the cost of a bouquet? Our overhead.There is a great deal of expenses that come with running a floral business. Expenses like prep time, storage of the flowers, labor, production, supplies and transportation have to be added.
You are paying for our expertise.If you want to DIY your own flowers, you can but DIY isn’t really for everyone and can be stressful if you are relying on friends and family to help you and they don’t help you out. If you have never arranged flowers before, your wedding day isn’t the time to start doing that.
The size of the bouquet doesn’t always impact the cost of the bouquet. There is also a myth that using a lot of greenery or keeping it simple will drive the cost of the bouquet down. Unfortunately, since the wedding of the Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, the cost of greenery has skyrocket and some greenery costs as much as flowers.

Basically, there are a number of factors that drive the cost of your wedding flowers up. If you are trying to save money, we can recommend choosing more affordable blooms like carnations, mums and standard roses, to name a few. There are so many gorgeous varieties and colors to choose from.

Don’t think that you can’t have premium flowers. When brides want to cut costs we suggest to have a premium flower as a focal point and the rest of the bouquet with affordable flowers. When you are walking down the aisle, most guests are looking at the color of the bouquet, not what type of flowers are in the bouquet.

A Year in Review 2018 – Inspirations by Gina

January 2, 2019 by import Leave a Comment

We can’t believe how 2018 has flown by! Where on earth did the time go? We went through ups and downs and had major growing pains. There were certainly challenges throughout the year as we began to shift our focus from just wedding planning and coordination to full service event planning and design. It was rough at times but we stayed true to our core mission and values and all the hard work has paid off tremendously for our team here at Inspirations by Gina.

Here are some of our highlights for 2018:

SF City Hall Elopement Intimate Wedding Planner Floral Designer

Photo Credit: Christine Glebov Photography

What an amazing and action-packed year it has been for us! We had an opportunity to provide personal flowers for a number of San Francisco City Hall weddings and coordinate weddings and events in the San Francisco Bay area. We were also no stranger to travel this year, jet setting to South and Central America, coordinating and designing a wedding in Anderson Valley (near Mendocino) and traveling to New York for design meetings for events in 2018 and 2019.

Photo Credit: Molly Gilholm Photography

It was an honor to make a number of TV appearances on Good Day Sacramento, first appearing in the summer to discuss wedding planning and wildfires and the second appearance this past month to talk about Kwanzaa and weddings. In addition to the TV appearances, we were very estatic to have one our weddings featured in the spring on Park Winters blog! All the media love has been a huge blessing and we are humbled that our work has been recognized regionally and not everyone has this opportunity to be featured.

Our industry peers recognized us by nominating us for various awards such as the Sacramento A List “Best Wedding Planner” category in which we made the top 10 planners in the Sacramento, The Rising Tide “20 on the Rise Award” and “Intrigue Floral Design Awards 2019”. We thank you and are humbled that our peers felt we deserved this type of validation.

Photo Credit: Meagan Lucy Photographers

December was an amazing month in which we designed a huge holiday window display at Sparkle Bridal Couture with the holiday theme being Kwanzaa. We are truly humbled and blessed to witness such positive reactions to our window display and it has helped our community here in Sacramento have discussions about what the principles of Kwanzaa are and how we can live these principles each and every day.

Floral and event design was a huge part of our success in 2018 and we cannot wait for what 2019 has in store for us.

We would like to thank all our clients, creative partners, venues and media outlets for such a fabulous 2018. We certainly could NOT have done it without you and here at Inspirations by Gina, we would like to say “Here is a toast to you because you are fabulous”!!

Love is Love – An LGBT Wedding in the Woods

February 15, 2018 by import Leave a Comment

An LGBT Wedding at UC Davis Arboretum

We have had the opportunity to plan and design a number of LGBT weddings over the last couples years. Last October, Inspirations by Gina was contacted by Angela who was looking for someone to create florals and decor for her wedding to Cassie. Yay! We were so excited because our philosophy is that Love is Love and we do not discriminate against anyone who finds love. Angela met with us and we immediately clicked on the design and what she was envisioning for her wedding day. The UC Davis Arboretum is such a serene and special place that we wanted to capture the organic elements in our design for Angela and Cassie.

We decided that we would use lots of greenery such as sword ferns along with a single echeveria succulent, seeded eucalyptus to represent the woods in Angela’s bouquet. The pop of colors of cream roses and purple burgundy florals tied into the design of Angela’s gown and her desire to bring in the color burgundy for the wedding.

Credit: Oh Snap Photography

We continued with the design of the woods throughout the reception decor and the centerpieces for the guest tables were wooden boxes filled with florals, pots and succulents. We decorated the simple wedding cake with cream roses to compliment the rest of the design throughout the reception.

Angela was overcome with so much emotion when we presented her with her bouquet! Also, when Angela and Cassie arrived at the D Street Steakhouse, they were both blown away when they saw not only the florals but the reception decor. This is why we do what we do because we love it when our clients are happy with what we create for their special day.

For more info on Angela and Cassie’s wedding day, check out their wedding on Equally Wed:

Here’s a toast to both Angela and Cassie: Cheers and we wish you much love and happiness!

Vendor Credits

Photography: Oh Snap! Photography
Ceremony Venue: UC Davis Arboretum
Reception Venue: D Street Steakhouse
Cassie’s Florals: Bloom and Vine
Officiant: Tan Wedding & Events
Angela’s Bouquet and Reception Decor: Inspirations by Gina
Entertainment: Steve Millington
Dress: Haute House Couture
Vest & Tie: Elegant Designs Bridal
Suit & Shoes: Express

We are on the San Francisco City Hall Approved Wedding Planner List!

July 13, 2017 by import Leave a Comment

Inspirations by Gina – A San Francisco City Hall Approved Wedding Planner!

We have the belief that if you work hard and live your life with honesty and be true to yourself that good things will come to you. Over the past nine years we have shed a lot of sweat, had sleepless nights, worked long hours and sacrificed a lot to make Inspirations by Gina what it is today. We pushed ourselves to the limit and strived to exceed at wedding planning, wedding coordination and design. We have worked hard and busted our butts and we can honestly say that all that hard work has FINALLY paying off! We are very humbled and excited to announce that Inspirations by Gina has been approved by the San Francisco City Hall Events Office as a San Francisco City Hall Approved Wedding Planner!

The Request for Qualifications (RFQ) is a very detail and rigorous process to go through at the San Francisco City Hall Events Office. The application required applicants to list their experience in their particular field and to show that they had great understanding the Rules and Regulations of San Francisco City Hall and how they apply to weddings and events. There was rigorous vetting by the San Francisco City Hall Events office of all vendors who went through the RFP process and not everyone was approved. We are super happy and humble we are listed along with some outstanding vendors that we have worked with in the past and do not take this great honor lightly.

In order to have your wedding ceremony and reception at San Francisco City Hall, you must hire from the approved vendors list and there are NO exceptions. So, if you are planning a wedding for just of the two of you, planning an intimate or large wedding at San Francisco City Hall, we would love to have the opportunity to speak with you about your vision and how we can help it come true. Not only can we plan and coordinate your wedding day, but we also offer wedding design and décor and floral design for your special day.

Photo Credit: Michael Creasy Photos

How to Pick the Perfect Wedding Venue

February 13, 2017 by import Leave a Comment

SIX TIPS ON HOW TO PICK THE PERFECT WEDDING VENUE

Now that you have your ring and you have told the world through Facebook, Snap Chat and Instagram that you are now engaged. You ask yourself, “What’s next???” You need to know how to pick the perfect wedding venue.

Your selection of the perfect wedding venue is one of the most important decisions you will make on your journey to I do. The venue will pretty much dictate what time of year you get married, your dress, your budget, decor and what type of vendors you need to hire. You might feel overwhelmed because there are so many venues to choose from.

First and foremost you will need to take the following into consideration:

How large or small a wedding do you plan to have? Do you want to have a destination wedding? You need to know that not every venue can accommodate large weddings; whereas some venues have a minimum guest count. If you are looking to have a small destination wedding, it might not be the right fit.
The wedding season is year round here in Sacramento , but the most popular months to get married are September and October. Hot weather can put a damper on your July or August wedding,
Holiday weekend weddings are very popular; however, venues that might not be open or will charge a premium for you to hold your wedding during a holiday. You also might have your heart set on vendors that are not available.
When you first start out planning your wedding, you probably do not have a budget in mind. Sit down with your fiance and have a realistic conversation about money. You don’t want to overspend on your dream venue and cannot afford to feed your guests!
A licensed and certified wedding planner offers valuable insights on venues that fit your budget.
Are you a DIY bride? A venue resource book like Here Comes the Guide can help you find the perfect venue.

Guide to Renting a Tent for Your Wedding

November 28, 2016 by import Leave a Comment

Living here in California we often joke about how the weather is and we don’t know from one day to the next if it is going to be rainy, sunny or windy.

While many couples dream of having a wedding outside with a scenic backdrop in the California foothills or in the wine country area of Sonoma, sometimes your wedding venue will require you to have a backup plan in the event of inclement weather.

We have done a lot of outdoor weddings and know that heat, wind, cold and rain are not our best friends and we always like to have a back-up plan like tenting.

Way before you sign on the dotted line for your dream wedding venue, you should factor in the cost of a tent if you are planning on getting married outdoors. If you are not careful, an unexpected cost of tenting can blow the budget of your dream wedding venue over the top.

We are sure you are wondering how much do tents cost and where do you start? Well, tents are broken down into two different types of tents: pole tents and frame tents. Pole tents go on the grass since the stakes have to be in the grass and there is a center pole inside that helps hold the tent up.

You have more flexibility with a frame tent because it can go on multiple surfaces whether it is grass, asphalt, concrete, a courtyard or dirt. There are not any poles inside the tent to hold it up and because of this you will have more room inside the tent.

Photo Credit: Celebrations Party Rentals

When planning to rent a tent, you must consider what will work best for your venue. Talk to your wedding planner, party rental specialist or venue manager regarding what might be needed to suit your event needs. Tent frames work best in narrow spaces, whereas pole tents work well in spaces that are much larger.

Don’t know how much tent you will need? A good place to start is to ask your wedding planner or venue manager to give you the dimensions of the area in question. They will most likely have that information or if you are planning on having the tent at a venue that repeatedly uses a party rental company for tents, it might be helpful to talk to the rental company regarding dimensions and costs.

Another part of your tenting needs is to decide whether you want flooring, side walls, draping, lighting, heaters or fans/AC. Let’s not forget that if the venue does not offer a kitchen for prep work or a full-service kitchen, the caterer might need a smaller tent to work out of. Some caterers bring their own tents and others don’t.

What is the bottom line for tenting? This following will give you a general idea of tent rental costs. Pricing may vary between rentals companies and the area that your venue is:

Basic tent: Anywhere from $500 – $10,000

Flooring: This can be from $300-$2,000. Think of tent flooring like you are purchasing new flooring for your home. The more expensive flooring like bamboo is going to cost more per square foot versus traditional oak or laminate flooring.

Generator: Runs $250-$2,000

Generator: $500-$1,250

Side walls: These are charged by linear square foot, which costs could around $300 and above and is based on the size of the tent. The bigger the tent, the more side wall costs will increase.

Tent heaters: $95 and up

Delivery fee: Varies

Once you start adding up the costs of a tent rental and if it is not within your budget to have one, you might consider looking at another venue. All the pricing that we have listed above are averages. Each venue is different and therefore pricing will be different based on your needs. If you have questions, ask a wedding professional to help you out.

Are you going to use a tent on your wedding day?

How to Hire the Right Wedding Professional

November 14, 2016 by import Leave a Comment

We are back from the annual Association of Bridal Consultants conference which was held in Dallas this year and we are so inspired by all the things that we learned! So many topics and so little time to catch up on all of it. It made us think about when couples are looking to hire wedding professionals for their big day, how on earth do they choose the right one? There are so many on the internet, where does one start and what questions does one ask?

You want to make sure that you hire the right person and the process can be quite stressful. How do you find the right person for you? Who do you trust? Where do you go for advice?

It is not like you plan a wedding each and every day. Remember to breath, be patient and trust your instincts. It is about chemistry.

When hiring a wedding professional, you should look at the following:

Do Your Homework – Make sure you do a little bit of background homework before talking on the phone or meeting with a wedding professional. Make sure you have all your ideas collected in one spot, whether it is a binder or a Pinterest page.
Go through the internet, attend wedding shows or talk to friends or family that have recently been married. Look into what wedding professionals are charging for your area. Sometimes when a wedding professional is charging an amount that is too good to be true, it might not be true. You get what you pay for. Write down what you like and what you don’t like.
Always meet with the person you are thinking about hiring – We all have busy lives and there are times when it is isn’t convenient to meet with a wedding professional. It’s great to talk to someone on the phone or email, but an in person meeting, Skype or Google Hangout is the best way to interview a potential wedding professional. This gives you the chance to fully experience who they are as professionals.
Ask a lot of questions! Just don’t ask what the price is. There is more to your wedding than the price. Give the wedding professional the chance to explain what they charge and why they charge what they charge. There is no such thing as a stupid question. Get clear and concise answers to your questions. If you don’t understand something, speak up!
Make sure there is a contract – there have been many times in which we have seen wedding professionals NOT have a contract. Do you really want to work with someone who doesn’t take their business seriously? If a wedding professional has a problem you asking questions, you need to find someone else. You want someone to be professional, patient and understanding.
Listen to what the wedding professional says and does – Look at body language. Are they confident and comfortable? Or they too cocky? Do they appear nervous or their eyes dart around? If your gut tells you something is amiss, thank the wedding professional and move on. There are too many out there for you to settle with one you won’t be happy with.
It’s great to get questions off the internet to ask the wedding professional, but don’t let those questions be the deciding factor. Those questions are a benchmark to help you but don’t let them be the end all be all. The person you hiring you have to actually like and you develop a relationship over time.
Don’t price shop too much – We all love a great deal, but are you going to hire someone because they are a whole lot cheaper? Cheaper doesn’t necessarily mean better. Just because one professional might charge more than another professional doesn’t mean one is better than the other.

If you do your homework, you will find the right person to do the job. It takes time, thought and patience just like finding the correct mate!

Five Tips for Designing a Vintage Tuscany Themed Wedding

October 24, 2016 by import Leave a Comment

Have you ever dreamed of having a Tuscan themed wedding in the Tuscany countryside but don’t have the resources to travel all the way to Italy? Well, you don’t have to travel half way around the world to make your dream wedding a reality. Here in California there are so many great wineries complete with rolling hills and sunset views that you can have your wedding at and the great thing is you do not need a passport!

The following are six tips to help you get started in creating a Tuscan vintage themed wedding:

For us here at Inspirations by Gina when we think of the word vintage it makes us think of soft lace, beautiful details and rustic abandonment. Also, we envision Tuscany with rolling hills, wine barrels, Italian cypresses and sunflowers. When creating your Tuscan vintage theme, make sure that you mix earthy rough elements with softer fabrics and vintage pieces so that your wedding doesn’t look like a bad garage sale.
Pick venue a that has an Old World vibe to it; it can be a winery, a hotel that is near a vineyard or even a private estate.
Don’t overdo it with florals. Remember to have balance and that your venue’s landscape will probably speak for itself in terms of beauty so why over compensate?
When you are figuring out how to decorate for your wedding, you don’t need a whole lot to get the look you want. Every detail doesn’t have to match exactly; it’s called mismatch perfection! You want to pair your décor with the surroundings. Try pairing your tables with flowy fabrics and mix them with materials such as rustic wood, metal and/or brick to have contrast and texture. Too much of a good thing makes everything look overdone and harsh.
Pick a range of colors and don’t feel like you have to choose a maximum of three colors. Look at what the venue offers both interior and exterior, you will be surprised by what inspires you. Don’t be afraid to experiment. You will know what is right when you see it.

Photo Credit: Cameron Ingalls Photography

winery wedding tuscan wedding lavender themed wedding

Photo Credit: Cameron Ingalls Photography

winery wedding lavender themed wedding herbs and lavender

Photo Credit: Cameron Ingalls Photography

Rentals by Botanica Events and All About Events, Venue Villa San Juliette Winery, Floral Design by Noonan’s Wine Country Designs, Photo by Cameron Ingalls Photography

Awesome Alternate Names for Your Wedding Party

October 17, 2016 by import Leave a Comment

The last two months we are proud to have had some very unique and fun weddings with some awesome couples. A trend that we noticed with a great deal of the weddings this year is the rising popularity of gender-neutral wedding parties and weddings without wedding parties (Gina had this for her own wedding this year). More and more couples are using terms beyond “bridesmaids” and “groomsmen” to refer to the people that are loving and supporting them throughout the wedding process and the actual wedding day. We have heard

Here are a few creative names that we have heard this year:

Bromaid
Man of Honor
Maid of Honor being called a “Bridesmaid” instead of a Maid of Honor
Brother of Honor
Best Sister
Wedding Entourage
Wedding Posse
Best Brother
Wedding Crew
Woman of Honor
Partners in Crime

There are a bunch of reasons why you might want to rethink the term “Bridal Party”. It sounds so archaic and outdated and here are other reasons why you might not want to use the term:

You are two grooms who don’t identify with the term “bridal” anything.
You don’t want to listen to your parents and want to be an off-beat bride/groom.
Your besties/crew are a mixed gender and you don’t have the traditional evenly split, brides side and groom’s side.
Nobody likes to use the term “Maid/Matron of Honor or Bridesmaid”.
You want to reduce the stress of your crew fighting over who will be “Maid of Honor”.
You might want to be looking for ways to personalize your wedding and want to throw tradition out the door.

Whatever your reasons are for using alternate names for your wedding party, rest assured that it is okay! The possibilities are endless!

What other names have you thought for your most favorite peeps in the world?

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