Weddings are a lot of fun and flowers for your wedding truly set the stage of the day along with the venue and any decor that you setup for the wedding as well.

While there are many talented professionals in SWVA, we have five that we believe sets everyone else apart when it comes to offering great selections, wonderful customer experiences and of course, pricing to some extent.

Today, we will explore the five top choices for florists and discover why they stand above everyone else in the industry.

Caroline LaRocca Event Design (CLED)

One of the things that I’ve enjoyed seeing over the last 20 plus years is Caroline Hammond and her eye for design. Trained by Mark Newcomb, a nationally known florist for his over-the-top styles, Caroline has taken his training and knowledge to the next level.

From the time she started as a wedding planner and grown into a full event designer, shes grown her brand into one of the leading top companies in the region.

She brings creativity to weddings unlike any I’ve seen within the region and she’s on par with some of the top wedding designers in places like New York and LA.

When it comes to her arrangements, she loves incorporating unique decor such as custom tents, very tall vases and center pieces, accent furniture like couches and tables, custom drapes and so forth.

It’s beyond just the normal flowers in a mason jar or vase and that’s why shes listed in our top 4 best florists in Roanoke.

Gloriosa

I first met Mary Jo back in the mid 2010’s and I’ve had the privilege of working with her a few times over the years. What strikes me about her brand is that shes used a wide variety of floral types in her arrangements and they always match the wedding day.

Shes been featured in magazines such as the Knot and shes been all over the United States providing her services to couples alike.

Mary Jo has a great eye for being able to blend together bridesmaid dress colors along with various shades of other floral’s and even uses the color wheel to make opposite colors pop, without hurting the overall theme of the wedding.

She also loves using multiple flower types in each arrangement too.

We love her because she brings her great talent and it truly comes through!

Cuts Creative Florist

Mark Campbell is the owner of Creative Cuts in Vinton and I’ve worked with him many times over the years.

Mark has made the cut because his passion for listening to his couples and always going over and beyond the call of duty when it comes to bringing his arrangements to life!

His style of floral’s for weddings is very over-the-top with many pieces ‘overflowing’ when you see them and we love that!

He incorporates greenery into his vision and bouquets are truly masterpieces that always are over the top in color, plentiful flowers in each one and like many of the others, his color and flower matching are on par with top name florist you often see in larger metropolitan regions like Chicago and New York.

Mark and his team make the cut because of their passion for the work that they do and his ability to bring your vision to life!

Creative Occasions Events Flowers & Gifts

Finally on the list is my friend Mark Frye and his business, Creative Occasions also in Vinton, Virginia. Like the others listed, I’ve had the privilege of working with Mark both professionally and as a client.

*image via Creative Occasions Facebook Page*

Mark is known for the use of his earthy tones and large flowers, filling everything in on this table pieces and centerpieces for wedding receptions.

He loves making use of decor to help match with the arrangements and he has an eye for being able to blend flowers with decor that make everything seem well, seamless.

Much like Caroline, he uses over-the-top vases made of glass for some of the centerpieces and it helps bring them to life on the tables, much of his work ‘overflows’ from them making them grand!

We love working with Mark and he makes the cut here because of his passion for what he does, offering couples great works of art through his eye and the use of flowers.

Florals by Kimberly

When I first met Kimberly it was at a styled shoot atop Silver Hearth Lodge and I knew that she was a vendor that was much like finding a diamond in the rough.

She brings a breathe of fresh air into the industry as she is passionate about taking your own vision and turning it into reality.

Her styles are modern, elegant and sometimes a bit on the wild side and her work shows! We love Kimberly because she brings out the best in the wedding industry!

Final Thoughts

While there are others in the region that we love working with, these four stand out in our opinion because they are dedicated to the craft, they take pride in what they offer and they are also a bit unique from others in the region.

Being a wedding florist in Roanoke or Southwestern Virginia is no easy task, I’ve worked with many behind the scenes and also had my hand in the floral business for a short time in the mid-2000’s myself.

It’s a lot of hard work, with long hours, lots of money and loads of creative design and thought that goes into what each and every one does. Designing a wedding can take 2-4 days depending on how many flowers you order and the size of your wedding.

If you want to get the best experience with your florist we recommend the following tips:

Meet in person with the florist
Have sample swatches or printouts of your wedding dress/bridesmaid dresses if possible
Share your vision but let the florist take your vision and allow them to make changes to turn it into reality
Always provide them a budget to work with but allow an overage for additional work