Aug 214 min read

Floral Ceiling Installations- What You Need To Know

Floral Ceiling Chandelier Installations can transform a room or space into something dreamy and dramatic, creating a stunning aesthetic at your wedding or event. A great deal of thought and planning go into their creation, mechanics, and installation than you can possibly imagine (which is why they are a costly investment in your aesthetic).

First, what is a hanging floral installation? These arrangements comprised of florals and/or greenery suspend from above, whether it be from a structure or ceiling anchor. They are customized to your style, color theme, design vibe, sizes, shapes, and fullness. Hanging floral arrangements provide endless decorative possibilities for your event's aesthetic.

For this stunning installation by Maverick Events on Maui, its construction was only half the challenge. This $3500 structure consisted of the following:

Hanging lighting (8 contemporary lights with decorative cord over tables intermixed with florals)
Florals consisting of: white long stem dendrobiums, pink hybrid delphinium, and tropical greenery. Estimated 8-10 ft
Delivery & Labor to install Boxwood wall, Hang signage, Rig lights over table, Rig Florals from Ceiling and break down.

Some of the challenges we faced with this installation included: -placement of the existing hooks in the venue's ceiling

-finding out that the hooks in the ceiling were not correctly placed and could not accommodate the

weight of the chandelier -centering the tables with the windows and ceiling placement for the aesthetic

-permission from the venue to add the necessary hooks to stabilize the structure's installation so

that it centered in the desired space over the tables AND could handle the structure's weight

-changing the floor plan to accommodate what we could do with the structure

-making these adjustments, having the materials to accommodate these adjustments, and not

affecting the florist's schedule for their next installation at their next event

This process is more time consuming and stressful than one would think.

When designing your ceiling decor with your floral designer, it is important to consider the following things:

Size (length, width, depth) of the entire structure to include the mechanics and flowers. Are the ceilings too high to install a structure? Are they too low?
Lighting - Will your floral or greenery hanging arrangement include lighting (string lights, bulbs, candles, chandelier)?
Structure- To suspend your ceiling florals, you will need a frame. Materials for framework can include large hoops (even hula hoops!), wooden dowels, bamboo, chicken wire, foam cage, aluminum pipe, etc.
Camouflage Mechanics - How will you hide the mechanics? Greenery (real or faux), Branches, and Fabric are commonly used to hide your structure's mechanics. Floral wire, tape, and sometimes fishing line are essential to secure your materials, and you don't want these to be visible with your frame.
Fabric - Will you add fabric to your arrangement? Fabric and/or ribbon can hang vertically, drape in sections, create a canopy, tuft into "clouds", or create bows.
Rigging- What is your ceiling's anchor point? How will you secure the structure (chains, steel wire, cable ties, rope, fishing line, etc.)? How will you adjust your structure to the correct height? Make sure you have the appropriate ladders, right number of people to help, and a plan before beginning.
Flowers and Foliage - Silks are lighter in weight than fresh, so typically florists will combine them. Many choose hearty flowers and foliage that do not require water, otherwise they need to be in wet foam or water vials or tubes that add weight. Fresh flowers need to be fresh, already blooming, and able to last a long time without water. Woody stems and waxy leaves are popular additions.
Appearance/Style- Basically how neat or messy do you want this to look? Will it be clean and defined, overgrown and whimsical, minimal or full? Keep in mind that this statement piece you have designed is the focal point of the space where it is hanging. It should fit in with your overall design of the room. Placement and style matter. Fill empty spots or gaps with small flowers or greenery. Will you add thematic elements such as shells, fruit, stars, butterflies or dragonflies, lighting, logos, or other accessories to incorporate some type theme?
Weight- THIS is the most important element because you do not want your installation to fall, cause damage, or cause injury. If you are adding your design to an existing structure that is already in place (ie. a light fixture that is already hanging). make sure your added materials are not adding too much weight and are away from lightbulbs or wires. If you are creating a structure and space, be sure to provide what you need to secure the weight of your completed design. That takes into account EVERYTHING you used to create it.
Timing - These structures are very time consuming to plan, design, construct, transport, and install. Be sure to allow for extra time in case you run into issues like we did for the above structure. If this is going in a tent, do the tent people want it installed before or after the tent is raised?
Temperature - Your floral chandeliers need to be constructed, installed, and kept in a cool space to keep the flowers from wilting. Direct sunlight, windows allowing in sunlight, heating and cooling vents, are all factors that can affect your flowers and foliage.
Budget - Ceiling installations of florals and/or greenery are not budget friendly additions to your event's aesthetic. There are ways to decrease their cost, but they overall are a luxury item. They can defray your decor costs, however, because they can eliminate the need for table centerpieces. Costs are high for materials and labor.
Insurance - Make sure your designer is insured in case the installation goes awry. Event insurance should also cover this.