Lost in Translation
I have done hundreds of weddings over the years, but some of them have been unforgettable. Very early on in my wedding career I was working as a florist at a local greenhouse. My counter was built in a doorway between the gorgeous greenhouse and the seed store. Most Satudays were packed and I love being literally in the middle of it all. Often I would have kids lined up at my counter to watch me make things. I enjoyed there company and often fielded questions from little girls dreaming about their big day.
One Saturday I had a young girl approach me and ask if I had any idea books she could look at. I pointed her to the stack we had for potential brides and away she went. I assumed she was just passing time while her parents were shopping.
Some time passed and she came back to the counter. "Who do I talk to to place my wedding order". I smiled and told her she would need to bring her parents with her. She nodded and walked away.
I didn't think much of it until she came back with an older man, her uncle, who then asked what needed to be done to order the wedding flowers. I was completely confused. She didn't look old enough to be a bride (and that's rich coming from someone who got married at 19) but I obliged and got the paperwork needed to start the order.
They wanted lots of huge arrangements, a fun order for sure. When it came time to confirm the date they informed me the wedding was on a Saturday. The NEXT Saturday, giving me just seven days to get all the items needed shipped in. I took the deposit and went through the time line. Credit card swiped and away we went.
I'm not sure I've ever cut it so close when it came to pulling off a wedding with 12 different attendants but my colleague and I worked all week to make it happen.
When we arrived at the church we found very few people who spoke much English. I had learned just enough Spanish to be mildly helpful (but mostly annoying) and gathered that we needed to begin with the setup in the church and they bride would send someone to grab the bouquets.
We opened the doors to the large Catholic church to find that there were easily already 100 guests SEATED in the pews. We quickly wired together all the pieces for the elaborate floral arbor, and hung the pew bows. As we were frantically trying to finish up a woman approached me and in broken English asked for the bouquets. I ran out to the van to get them and found there were 12 BRIDES (not a bride and her bridal party) lined up outside waiting for me to give them their bouquets.
I passed them out to the young women who were lined up and sprinted back inside to finish the arbor. My co-worker and I literally secured the last piece of the arbor right as the wedding march began. Some how there was a major miscommunication about the timeline of the day and the details of the wedding. This was a wedding with a dozen couples all getting married at the same time. The brides were just fresh out of high school and were meeting their husbands for the first time. I had no experience with arranged marriages but this was clearly a part of a culture I was unfamiliar with.
I felt awful that I had dismissed the young girl, and likely been very condescending, when she first approached me the week before. In my haste to try to pull off the floral pieces I somehow missed the story of what was happening that day. Though I don't personally understand that type of arrangement I still wish I had been more in the moment to try to get to know the bride(s) better that day.
Sometimes the details get lost in translation, but a good wedding planner can think on his or her feet and make it all come together. At the end of the day there were smiling brides, beaming grooms.......and a really rocking floral arbor that made it just in time for the festivities.
Takeaway Tip - Take a moment to learn about other cultures and if you don't speak a second language, make friends who do. Communication is important and the more we get to know others the better off we will all be. And always double check the rundown schedule. The arbor should be in place long before the guests are.
Here's to Happy Every After -
Harmony