Vendor of the Month: Wimberly Fair Designs



Wimberly Fair not only has one of the coolest names (yep, it’s her real moniker) in the wedding world, she’s also one of Charleston’s biggest, most whimsical talents. Today she shares about the inspiration behind her floral work and tells how she got started. Read on for tips and tricks you can incorporate into your Big Day.

Car: Lowcountry Valet & Shuttle Co. | Florals: Wimberly Fair Designs | Calligraphy: J.Lily Design | Image: Clay Austin

The Wedding Row: Tell us about yourself and how you got into weddings.
Wimberly Fair: I’m a color-loving creative who will tinker with anything pretty if given the chance. I started by planning events and, when I could, made arrangements rather than hire a florist. One day, a friend hired me to do the flowers for a small wedding and I was hooked. With little knowledge about the flower industry, I tracked down kind and talented mentors to help me along. I think that is one of the most incredible parts of the experience so far—meeting and learning from strong, gifted, and caring women I greatly admire.

TWR: How do you navigate trends?
WF: Generally speaking, I try to avoid anything overly trendy—particularly for weddings. I create a design based on what a couple loves (how do they decorate at home?); their experiences together (is there anything inspiring from their travels, hobbies, or hometowns to work in); and the venue itself (what designs feel most cohesive with the space?). Answering questions like those helps develop a look true to the couple and is hopefully timeless.

TWR: What are your favorite elements and events to design?
WF: I really do love every bit. Bouquets are a favorite because they are with the bride all day—I obsess over them. Tablescapes are fun because that’s your chance to create an experience that transports guests and makes them feel special. You mix patterns and colors, play with lighting, and ideally build an environment that invites people to linger and forget about their phones for a while. Photoshoots are a creative playground—a place to try ideas that might not be practical for every day. To me, those are all about imagination, pushing boundaries, collaborating with friends, and enjoying the fact that we are surrounded by so much beauty.

Photographer: Aaron and Jillian Photography | Venue: The Historic Rice Mill | Dress Designer: Hayley Paige Occasions | Bridesmaid Dresses: Garnish BoutiqueAdrianna Papell | Floral Designers: Wimberly Fair Designs 

TWR: What do you do to set yourself apart from other florists here?
WF: I push for projects that really make my heart sing—my favorite designs always come from that place. I stay true to my style and before starting something new I think about what I wish existed. If I can make something with a bit of originality that is also true to my style and pleases my client, I’m usually happy with the result.

TWR: If you were given complete free rein to design a bouquet, what would it look like?
WF: For fall and winter, give me all the jewel tones! Rich plums, deep reds, spicy oranges, and ambers—saturated and unapologetic hues. During spring and summer, I’m forever in love with a color palette that incorporates peaches, oranges, bits of light blues, and buttery yellows … lavenders and ballet slipper pink … I’d go for everything but the kitchen sink if left to my own devices.

Designing: Events by Reagan | Venue: Lance Hall, Circular Congregational Church | Florals: Wimberly Fair Designs | Rentals: Ooh! Events | Image: Corbin Gurkin

TWR: What are your favorite flowers?
WF: Poppies really make me happy—I love their fuzzy, opinionated stems and watching them shed their coats, not to mention their colors. And I marvel at tropical flowers—tough as nails and altogether otherworldly.

TWR: How soon during the wedding planning process should a bride address flowers?
WF: Nine months is great for dreaming and planning, but six months will do, and two to three months is still plenty of time.

TWR: What one piece of floral advice would you give brides?
WF: Flowers are impactful and meant to bring you and your guests joy—have fun with them! Embrace color and hire a floral designer you trust.

Photographer: Kristy Roderick| Venue: Cannon Green | Event Planning & Design: Karma Goddess Event Planning and Design | Floral Designer: Wimberly Fair Designs 

TWR: How can a bride set her floral budget?
WF: Truthfully, every bride and every wedding is different. Your floral budget doesn’t have to be huge, but your budget for décor should be substantial enough to give your guests a lovely experience.

TWR: How do you work when brides share super-specific direction?
WF: I’m a fan of Pinterest for giving designers and clients a platform from which to jump. Photos help put you and your client on the same page about specific flowers and other design elements. Brides can show you they like this shape for an arrangement, but with these colors from a separate photo. From there, you branch out and deliver sketches and concepts to the client that fit the vision without replicating someone else’s work.

TWR: Do you have any exciting news to share?
WF: We are working on a project for January that will hopefully be a delightful surprise for Charleston, but I don’t want to talk it away. Keeping my fingers crossed!

Venue: The Parsonage | Design + Planning: The Petal Report | Florals: Wimberly Fair Designs | H + M: Wild Ivory Beauty  | Rentals: Ooh! Events | Model: Sara Burd | Gown: Kate McDonald Bridal | Image: Decorus Photography

The Wedding Row

April 29 2019
If you’ve ever walked down King Street on a Saturday evening, you know Charleston’s the “It City” for bachelorette parties. So when North Carolina native and bride-to-be Cristen decided to hold her...

April 26 2019
The latest Charleston Weddings magazine features the journey of Kaitlin and her hubby Allan, who defied the odds and overcame a traumatic brain injury to join his bride at the altar on their Big Day...

April 25 2019
When Morgan and her family attended Folly Gras 2015 (a Mardi Gras celebration held annually on Folly Beach), she had no inclination she’d meet her future husband. But when she caught up with her best...

April 24 2019
Few things get us through a hump day better than fantasizing about fantastic food and lip-smacking libations. So we thought it was a good time to reach out to Graham Ervin, director of sales at The...

April 23 2019
We profiled Hannah and Jonathan’s super lovely wedding in the spring issue of Charleston Weddings, but we weren’t able to include all they had to say, and we had a ton of bonus images to share with...

April 22 2019
Samantha Anderson Events teamed up with Lyndi and Jason Photography to turn a no-fun subject—your wedding budget—on its head. The trick? Samantha dressed three tables at three different price points...

April 19 2019
Blake, a wedding planner for Pure Luxe Bride, recently had the chance to plan her own Big Day. She and now-husband Charles met in an accounting class at College of Charleston, and a few years later...

April 18 2019
Here’s a rare wedding bird these days: A Charleston-raised couple prepping to say “I do” here in their own backyard. As Elizabeth and James keep on with the planning, here’s a little about the...