pickingflorals

Birmingham local Susan Milner of Susan Milner Design sheds light on picking the perfect bouquets for every wedding season.

By Anna Grace Moore | Photos by AL Weddings, Blair Ramsey & Eleanor Stenner Photography

After 35 years in the interior design industry and 12 years in the wedding florals business, Susan Milner has seen it all. The beautiful, the intricate and the innately unique are all words that come to mind when describing the bouquets she creates for a bride’s big day.

Susan Milner Design was born through Susan’s volunteer work, planning events and decorating florals for her childrens’ school events such as proms and dinner banquets. A few of the other moms noticed her talent and asked her if she’d consider arranging florals for their own events, including their childrens’ weddings. What started as a side hustle is now one of Birmingham’s premier wedding floral businesses, which actually is but a branch of her own interior design company.

“Doing floral design was a natural extension of my interior design career,” Susan says. “A lot of the same mental tools are used. You need to understand how to work with color, proportions, scale. Those are universal design tools that apply to both fields.”

Susan began designing florals for two to three weddings a year, but now she does near 20 weddings or more a year.

“I have probably done 250 weddings,” Susan says with a laugh. Reflecting back on all of her brides’ nuptials, she’s quick to offer key advice.

“Brides should pick something they will love 20 years [down the road], looking at wedding pictures,” she explains. “To me, one of the biggest things is to try to stay away from trends. Classic, timeless designs are a hallmark of my work. I encourage brides to choose florals that are classic and will stand the test of time.”

One constant in Susan’s work is her dedication to helping a bride’s vision come to fruition on her wedding day. She recalls how the feeling she gets, watching a bride see her bouquet for the first time, is simply magical.

“My ultimate goal is for the bride to just be beyond thrilled with her florals,” Susan adds. “I want to exceed all expectations. I want to create florals that are beautiful, and I want to be proud to put my name on anything. Most importantly, I want the bride to be happy.”

Pure joy is a sentiment that all of Susan’s brides share. Here, Susan offers her take on seasonal florals that contribute to the “wedding bliss feeling.”

Visit susanmilnerdesign.com to start a conversation about the best florals for a bride’s big day.

“Soft, airy colors and flowy textures just says, ‘spring,’” Susan explains. “Flowers such as spring bulbs, daffodils, hyacinth and foxglove are all just beautiful hallmarks of spring.” For this season, Susan recommends brides choose soft pastels such as pinks and whites to create a subtle, timeless design in their bouquets.