Birmingham Wedding Florists: Behind the Scenes with Carol Riley of Lillie’s

I got the perfect treat on a cold winter’s day last week.  Wedding floral designer Carol Riley of Lillie’s invited me for an early morning behind-the-scenes look at Birmingham’s wedding floral design industry. I got to see where Carol finds her inspiration for bouquets like this one, which we photographed for a wedding we did with Carol before we actually met her! Carol’s brides love the level of personal service she gives and the care she puts into making each wedding a wonderful reflection of the bride’s vision. She’s like having your coolest aunt on your wedding vendor team!

Last week, we visited two Birmingham floral staples, Davis Wholesale Florist on 5th Avenue South, which is open to the public, and Hall’s Birmingham Wholesale Florist on 6th Avenue Southwest, open only to professionals. Both businesses are go-to spots for terrific flowers from all over the world. Check out these gorgeous blooms I photographed on our trip.

In an homage to all great school field trips, Carol sent me home with a gorgeous souvenir, a pot of  gorgeous reiger begonias!

We stopped off for breakfast at DeVinci’s in Homewood, where we ran into Birmingham’s floral godfather, Gus Pappas, who owns Norton’s florist and joined us for a few minutes to talk shop. We wrapped up with a visit to Carol’s new home/shop, where I also got to say hi to another great floral designer, Ricky Whitley, during my Magic City Tour des Fleurs.

Carol, thanks SO much for a wonderful morning and a look at what goes into creating those gorgeous floral designs we love photographing at metro Birmingham rehearsal dinners, weddings and receptions.