Out on Blue Ridge Road, the North Carolina Museum of Art runs Art in Bloom, an event that pairs floral designers with works of fine art. Anita, who sets the design direction for everything Hidden Door makes, collaborates on it with Morgan of West Queen Studios. Most event work is some version of that room. The walls and the light are already decided, and so is the painting, and the piece has to stand in front of all of it and look as if it belongs there.
A Raleigh event florist does that same job for a gala, a company dinner, a launch or a milestone party. At Hidden Door it starts with a message or the consultation form. We meet (sometimes at the venue, sometimes over coffee) and talk through the occasion, the guest count, the mood and the palette. After that we put together a full proposal showing what we would do and how it would look, with the cost written down. We handle sourcing, building, delivery, installation and breakdown. Reach out two to three months ahead for a gala or a multi-room installation. A month is workable for a smaller project.
The rooms we get called in to fill
We have designed for galas, corporate launches, private celebrations and milestone events where the floral work had to carry the room; the consultancy page has more.
On the business side it is fundraisers and charity galas, where the room has to look as good as the cause. It is also award nights, holiday parties, grand openings and trade show booths that have to stand out in a long hall. Some of it is smaller and quieter, like centerpieces for a board dinner. Our corporate floral page puts the range in one sentence, that our events team handles everything from intimate dinners to large-scale galas. If your company wants flowers in the lobby every week, that page covers recurring service too.
Private parties go the same way. It might be a fiftieth birthday in a restaurant's back room, or a dinner in a friend's dining room for someone about to retire. We start with the conversation we would have about a ballroom. At the end of the night we deliver, install and break down, and the person who planned the evening gets to spend it with the guests.
Over the years the work has appeared at The Umstead Hotel, Carolina Country Club, Angus Barn and Raleigh Distillery, among other venues. Our own drivers carry flowers to hotels and venues, from Renaissance Raleigh North Hills to the museum on Blue Ridge Road. Every piece is made here, by us, and delivered by us.
What the first conversation needs from you
Less than people expect. The first conversation is free, and it is fine to arrive without a clear picture. Some of our best projects began with a client saying, "I know I want something, I just do not know what." We ask questions and listen, and the design takes shape from there.
A few things make that conversation faster. The date and the venue come first, because they decide almost everything else. Then the guest count, how many tables and their shape, the name of the venue coordinator, and the time the room opens to vendors and the time it has to be clear. We plan the whole build backward from those two times. Budget is a required field on the form, so have a number in mind, even a rough one. The weddings and events form also takes up to six inspiration photos, a picture of your venue among them, and it shrinks large photos before sending. A phone picture of the empty room at noon is enough.
Bring the brand guidelines for a company event, if there are any. We pay close attention to the identity of the business, and we will design around a color palette, or even a general sense of what feels right. A launch for a company whose logo is deep navy and brass wants a very different table from a spring fundraiser for a children's charity.
We work with planners, interior designers and venue coordinators regularly. We are happy to be one part of a team, and just as happy to run the floral side on our own. The first meeting can be in person or over the phone.
Every event is priced on its own. There are no packages and no fixed tiers, because a twelve-table gala and a single piece for a reception desk are two different jobs. You get a clear number before any work begins.
How far ahead to book, by the size of the night
A large, fully designed event and a company order get different answers. For the big one, the consultancy page says, "A month is workable for smaller projects," and for a gala or a multi-room installation, two to three months gives us room to do our best work.
The corporate floral page answers the smaller company order with "as early as possible," and adds that for large-scale installations or events during peak seasons like the holidays, a few weeks of lead time makes a real difference. Holiday party season is the one to watch. If the date is in December, count those weeks back from it and add a few more.
A rehearsal dinner belongs to the wedding, so it follows the wedding's timeline. A year or more ahead is ideal, and six months is very workable, as our weddings and events page says. What that page promises for the wedding holds for the dinner too. We coordinate directly with your venue and your planner so everything is in place before guests arrive.
One arrangement for the party, sent the everyday way
Sometimes the need is smaller than an event. Kamila Gabbard wrote in her review: "The flowers from Hidden Door Floral Studio are consistently gorgeous, including the above arrangement, which I had as a centerpiece for a birthday party I hosted." One piece for the table, or one sent to the guest of honor's home on the morning of the party, is a shop order. If you would rather set a budget and leave the design to us, Designer's Choice Custom Budget lets you name the amount.
Address it to the house, or to the venue with the room and the coordinator's name in a note at checkout, which is also where a timing request goes. The card field takes a personal message of up to 300 characters. For a party, the guest of honor's name, the occasion and who it is from is plenty. You get a photo of it before it leaves, and the guest of honor gets a text when the driver is on the way. Sundays are not a delivery day, so for a Sunday party, have it arrive on Saturday. The charge depends on the address. Enter your ZIP for the current delivery charge. The same check shows today's cutoff. Anything meant to fill a room is made ahead, on the timeline above.
For the single piece, start with the birthday arrangements in the shop. For the whole room, send the date, the venue and the guest count through our consultation form, and bring that phone picture of the empty room to the first meeting if you have one.
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