Highlighting RVA Wedding Florists, My Favorite Flower Stories of 2024
- Jesslyn McCartney
- Apr 8
- 4 min read
Updated: 7 days ago
One of my favorite aspects of being a wedding photographer is how often I get to collaborate with brilliant florists. I'm so in love with floral art and I'm lucky to have many opportunities to photograph unique floral arrangements. I love photographing flowers on film photography, something about the way film interprets color and texture is a absolutely perfect for documenting flowers. Flowers are so temporary and always gone too soon, photographing them is a way to preserve their glory forever. Below are my favorite flower photos I took in 2024. Florists credited and highlighted beneath each image. ⋆˚✿˖°
My favorite wedding floral installation of the year was done by Secret Flowers at The Branch Museum in Richmond, Virginia. The couple's arch was absolutely a showstopper, incredibly unique and stunning. I cannot recommend Meredith and her team enough.
"Secret Flowers is a floral design studio based out of Richmond, VA and run by Meredith Wheeler. With an aim to create a place “Where Springtime Lingers”, Secret Flowers exhibits a surreal and imaginative artistry to floral design." - Secret Flowers, About
"Saturday Flowers is a floral design studio. Inspired by a personal commitment to stillness and rest, Saturday Flowers offers weekly Friday delivery so you can embrace a slow and peaceful Saturday.
We specialize in crafting wild, colorful, and textural floral arrangements that blend the best of classic and modern styles. Our passion for flowers goes beyond aesthetics; we know they can actually boost your mood by stimulating those happy brain chemicals- serotonin, dopamine, and oxytocin- bringing joy and a sense of well-being to your space or event. Our work thrives on creativity and experimentation, ensuring that no two arrangements are ever the same." - Saturday Flowers
Steelcut Flower co is a group of wedding florists specializing in ethereal, romantic, extravagant wedding floral arrangements. I was so incredibly lucky to second shoot for Kenzi Flinchum at a wedding adorned with Steelcut arrangements.
"We believe in Grit and Grace. Yin and Yang. Whatever you want to call it, magic happens at the intersections of life— the place where thorn and petal collide, where sunlight glimmers on an icy pond, where two hands join as one after the officiant says ‘I pronounce you…’ Our floral designs aim to capture the full range of emotions, because we believe there’s beauty in all of it. We express this through flowers with unexpected groupings such as garden roses in full bloom paired with foraged seed pods, always looking to nature for cues while keeping our clients at the forefront of our work." - Steelcut Flower Co About Us
I am so thankful for Kenzi Flinchum, who invited me to second shoot an insanely beautiful wedding at The Estate at River Run. The Flower Guy Byron installed gorgeous arches of baby's breath and red roses. I hardly ever see red roses used in wedding florals, and I was obsessed with the rich tones and romance they filled the space with.
"A master of the art of floristry, The Flower Guy Byron provides bespoke design and styling experiences for events of all types. Intuitive customer service and our boutique business approach are paradigms of our brand." - The Flower Guy Byron, About
One of my favorite wedding ceremony locations amongst all Virginia wedding venues is at The Mill at Fine Creek. How romantic is it to be married amongst the trees with the sound of the creek in the background? I love how Gossamer Floral Design created an ethereal, colorful backdrop for Kathleen & Greg's ceremony.
"Jessie is passionate about deeply understanding her couple’s vision for their wedding and serving them every step of the way. Her love of the land and nature is evident in how she approaches floral design through a lens of sustainability. She loves incorporating in season, locally grown flowers that you wouldn’t find in a grocery store or even a traditional florist to elevate weddings giving them a sense of place and time." - Gossamer Floral Design, About
If you're working with a tight budget and can't afford to hire a florist for your wedding, consider choosing a venue that already boasts beautiful, natural floral arrangements. Many venues offer stunning gardens, lush greenery, or thoughtfully curated floral designs that can provide the perfect backdrop for your ceremony and reception—without the added cost of additional floral arrangements. By opting for a venue with these built-in features, you can save money while still achieving a breathtaking atmosphere for your big day. The Waverly Estate is a perfect example. I photographed these gorgeous yellow blooms during a wedding in April. The flowers were attracting butterflies that filled the space with ethereal magic. It was such an incredible sight and connected everyone to the experience, we were all obsessed!
About the photographer: Jesslyn McCartney is a hybrid digital and film photographer based in Richmond, Virginia. She takes a natural approach to documentation, capturing the beauty in little moments. With a focus on weddings, couples, and motherhood, Jesslyn's photographs are nostalgic, timeless, and emotion-centered.