With a natural attraction to floral design, Natalie Webster creates personalized wedding flowers with her own unique ideas combined with the style of her couples through her company, Village Vines. Natalie's floral designs, from bouquets to boutonnières and centrepieces to ceremony arrangements, are inspired by everything she sees and a desire to make each arrangement memorable. It's this, combined with a personal touch and affinity to go the extra mile, that has Village Vines' clients raving, not just about Natalie's gorgeous florals, but the designer herself, whom they all say they connected with on a personal level.

When staff at The Ring visited the Village Vines shop, we couldn't help but love its antique feel. We found the Village Vines staff to be friendly and helpful from the time we walked inside to the time we left, making us feel that at-home feeling that their past brides all told us about. While there, we checked out Natalie's portfolio, talked with her one on one and discovered that if you hire Village Vines for your wedding, you'll likely find yourself impressed (much like we and their past brides were) - with their selection, service and magazine quality bouquets. Let us tell you more...

Personally speaking...

Eight years ago, eighteen-year-old Natalie bought Village Vines from her former boss and has helped it blossom into the successful floral shop at 391 Main Street in Exeter that it is today. Adding to the success, Natalie has since opened a second location at 21578 Richmond Street North in Arva. Proving that a job you fall in love with can become the perfect career, Natalie describes how she found herself to be the Owner of Village Vines. "I started working here as part of my high school co-op. I loved it so much that I spent all of my free time here, even after I graduated!" Within her first six months at the shop on co-op, Natalie became a primary designer. "A year into my time here, the former owner had her first child and was looking to sell the shop so that she could spend more time with her family. I loved it so much; I knew I had to buy it."

So, she did, and today Natalie is helping bring wedding dreams to life for brides in Exeter, Goderich, Grand Bend, London and beyond.

Natalie's mother assisted her in the shop for the first couple years while Natalie designed florals on her own. When you walk into Village Vines today, you'll find that Natalie still heads all weddings with a team of five designers and assistants to help; but rest assured, all weddings are designed and approved by Natalie.

Natalie was naturally attracted to floral design and is 'self-taught', with experience in seventy to 100 weddings each year she's been in business - and that's on top of floral designs she creates for other special occasions as well. Natalie told us that she's inspired by "everything I see around me. I am just bursting with ideas and energy." Natalie also expands her natural talent each year by attending design workshops, seminars and showrooms.

Designing with you in mind

Since they know that it's your wedding and your flowers, Village Vines makes sure they're designing with you in mind. Robyn MacDougall completely agrees with this as she said that Natalie understood exactly what she wanted for her June 2010 bouquet and arrangements, and she executed it perfectly. My connection with Natalie was the primary reason for hiring Village Vines," Robyn says. "Her energy and enthusiasm for her profession is contagious and we clicked right away. She understood my vision and my style from our first conversation. Her passion for her career is evident and it spills over into her work, which speaks for itself."

Something brides love about Village Vines is that it's Natalie herself who will design their bouquets. "I'm a bouquet-a-holic," she says. "I get as excited about their weddings and wedding flowers as if they were my own." Natalie will also personally take care of the delivery and set-up, with her staff helping her if needed, to ensure the bride and groom get what they asked for. Recent bride, G. Shaw, who was married July 2009 and had Village Vines take care of all of her wedding day flowers, could tell that Natalie loves what she does. "Village Vines listens to what you want. They get excited with you like it is the first wedding they have ever done," she says. She adds that from the moment she walked into the shop, she knew that the Village Vines team was professional, creative and would make her wedding day beautiful.

A friend recommended Village Vines to Becky Corbett, and she ended up hiring them for all of her October 2009 wedding day floral needs. When she first visited the store, she says Natalie's staff was very welcoming and helpful. "I absolutely loved working with Natalie," adds Becky. "She is easy to work with, very accommodating and personable. Natalie's ideas were very modern and creative. She seemed to really love what she does."

Without conforming to one style, Nat's inspiration is always evolving and is often based on the bride's own ideas and styles. "I can take anything and make it beautiful - I don't have a style template that I stick to," she describes. "That's not how you make bouquets unique!" This desire to make each arrangement memorable for her brides is part of what makes many of Natalie's clients more than acquaintances or just clients.

Becky felt like the options at Village Vines were unlimited. "I felt like Natalie could get anything I wanted," she adds. "I cried, the flowers were so beautiful. They were even better than I had imagined."

If you're not sure what your style is, Natalie is also a great source of ideas and inspiration if you're open to her suggestions. Plus, with so much experience, Natalie knows what's in season, what will look good with your colours and theme, and what to keep in mind.

What G. Shaw liked best about working with Village Vines was that Natalie listened first to what she wanted. "Only after getting a good handle on that did she offer suggestions and explain what she could do... she has an amazing ability to listen to what you are envisioning and then turning it into reality. She put her own style and flair into it, but was more worried about creating something for me."

Trendy design

Lately Natalie is seeing lots of white and white with green bouquets - a simple but elegant style that she likes to put her own twist on. A lot of brides are also choosing floral centrepieces for their reception tables. Natalie's advice: rent vases to help keep the cost of centrepieces down.

With the popularity of destination weddings, many brides are choosing to take silk bouquets and arrangements with them, which Village Vines is happy to do. Natalie adds that it's also a great idea to add some silk flowers to your fresh bouquet if you want out-of-season flowers or more exotic choices.

Pricing it out

Natalie can't guarantee that she'll be the cheapest florist, but she does guarantee that she'll be the best. "Quality for your money," is her motto. The average that brides and grooms pay for their wedding flowers at Village Vines ranges between $1000 and $2000, depending on the size of your wedding and the flowers you choose, of course. This generally includes the bride's bouquet, bouquets for four bridesmaids, corsages and boutonnières, fifteen centrepieces, and other arrangements. That said, Natalie adds that she can help make sure your flowers look gorgeous but still fit your budget, whatever your budget is. "It's only a matter of switching flowers to accommodate any budget. You can still have beautiful flowers, regardless."

"I gave Natalie a budget and she stuck to it," Becky told us. "The value far outweighed the price. Village Vines was worth every penny... and I would definitely recommend them." Robyn also told us that Natalie will work with any budget and do her best to accommodate each couples' needs within their budget. "I received so much value for the price and was thrilled with the service and product delivered," she told us of her experience with Village Vines.

Bride's bouquets typically cost between $150 and $350, and bridesmaids' bouquets cost between $80 and $100. If a specific out-of-season flower is what you absolutely want in your floral designs, then you will need to pay a premium to have that flower imported. When you meet with Natalie, she can show you the flowers that will be in season around the time of your wedding that will not only be more affordable, but fresher as well.

For centrepieces, Village Vines offers a large selection of glass vases, ranging from $25 each to $200 each, but the average centrepiece costs around $65. Corsages range from $20 to $25 each, and boutonnières from $12 to $15 each. Village Vines also offers sample bouquets and centrepieces for half price when you've booked with them.

Prices that you are quoted do not include delivery and set-up, although Natalie is happy to offer these services. "I don't like to automatically include delivery and set-up in the prices since some people prefer to pick everything up and take care of the set-up themselves," Natalie says. Delivery and set-up charges vary according to the location, the number of locations (church, reception hall, etc.) and the amount of set-up required. Deliveries and set-ups in London average out to $50 to $100. Village Vines has delivered wedding flowers as far away as Toronto and even Sarnia.

Walking you through a Village Vines wedding

To make sure she has a chance to meet with you personally, Natalie suggests that you book an appointment to come in. During busy wedding season (between April to November), Natalie only meets with brides on Tuesdays and Wednesdays, and Thursday to Saturday is reserved for doing bouquets and setting up. "I won't set aside your flowers to meet with another bride," says Natalie. "I stay focused on you."

During this meeting, you and Natalie will discuss the colours and style of your wedding and what Village Vines staff can design to complement them. If you have found pictures online, in magazines, or from other weddings, she is more than happy to use them as inspiration. Or, Natalie can use her own creativity to help you come up with ideas. It's also not unusual for Natalie to throw together rough sample bouquets while you're there so that you have an idea of what certain flowers and colours will look like together (which of course depends on availability of flowers).

"Natalie is super creative!" says Robyn. "I think that's the part of her job that she loves the most; so it's nice to let her have creative freedom because that's when she can deliver her best work. Village Vines' creative style is modern, unique, and fresh."

You'll also review the budget and your needs when you meet with Natalie. Then, using all of this information, Natalie will put together a rough estimate for you at the end of the meeting. After you book Natalie, she will then take your requests and come up with a few price schemes - taking her time to ensure every stem and detail is accounted for. "This way the bride and groom can see what they're getting for their money," explains Natalie. "I can provide them with a high-range, a mid-range and a low-range that they can choose from. It also gives them a chance to weigh their options and make better decisions based on practical numbers. You can avoid a lot of wedding day disappointment this way!"

Kara Rutledge had Village Vines create all of her July 2010 wedding day flowers and says that her "experience working with Natalie was fantastic. She had great suggestions... She is prompt replying to phone calls and emails and also has initiative." She adds that Village Vines has both vision and talent when it comes to floral design.

Village Vines recommends booking six months or more ahead for your wedding flowers. Some weekends tend to fill up faster than others - such as holidays - so book earlier to ensure availability. Bookings on shorter notice are welcome, too. "If it's December and you're a spring bride, it's not too late!" says Natalie. Just keep in mind that there is a limit on how many weddings Natalie will let Village Vines book each year, depending on their sizes, so that she can provide the best quality for the couples they design for.

A non-refundable deposit of $200 is due when you book Village Vines, and the balance of the amount is due two weeks before the wedding. You'll meet with Natalie again one month before your wedding to go over the details of your flower needs and finalize everything.

Details, details, details

• Book Village Vines at least 6 months in advance. That said, booking a year ahead is a good idea if you are planning a wedding on a holiday weekend.
• If you need flowers on shorter notice, don't hesitate to call Natalie and she'll be happy to accommodate you in any way that she can.
• A non-refundable deposit of $200 books Natalie and Village Vines for your wedding flowers.
• The balance is due 14 days before your wedding.
• Quoted prices do not include delivery or set-up fees.
• Call Natalie to book an appointment so that you can meet with her personally.