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Ever wonder what a floral designer does behind the scenes? Here is a typically week in the life of Nancy Liu Chin.

Monday

Usually Mondays are my day off. You will find me at Le Crème Nail Spa getting a pedicure and foot massage with Chin Chin (that’s my 10 year old dog) in tow. I order my usual Greek salad with a deviled egg from the nice Russian couple who owns the deli next door. I’ve been going there so long yet we’ve never exchanged names, and now it seems awkward to do so. The older gentleman always has a twinkle in his eye when I come in. He makes me smile. I notice his wife is always working while he has the easier job of order taking.

Monday is also the day I return my books to the library. I love the smell of borrowed books, and it reminds me of my childhood when I often had to stay at the library after elementary school because both my parents worked till 6pm.

In the late afternoons I go grocery shopping at my local Trader Joe’s or Safeway. And then it’s off to date night with KC, my husband. We go to the movies quite a bit since we are both movie buffs. The last movie we saw was Slumdog Millionaire.

Tuesday

After my early morning flower market run, I head for the studio which is located in Potrero Hill. Karin, my assistant, and I review the incoming emails and phone calls that piled up over the weekend. Tuesdays are what I call client days. Meeting with clients is our first priority. We also do some small arrangements for a local non profit café. We love this client because they love making us lunch, which usually includes their awesome tomato basil soup with a yummy green salad. Laura, our intern, last year was a hit at this café so I always sent her to do the deliveries so that Paul, the barista, could flirt with her.

During the afternoons if I don’t meet have meetings I am writing floral orders for the events ahead. Working on projects like a photo shoot or updating our website takes up most of my time, so Tuesdays are my days to focus on those things. It is my longest day of the week and I am usually home around 9pm.

Wednesday

This is the big market day for me. And though many people think I get to the market at the break of dawn, I confess now that I don’t get there until 7 or 8 (sometimes even later if it is a small order). Because I am Queen of spreadsheets, I email my orders in advance and save Wednesday’s market day for walking the stalls. You never know what you will find. It’s my day to pick up supplies.

When I return to the studio, Uncle Ben (that’s our processing person – and he isn’t my real uncle) opens the boxes and takes care of the flowers. There’s quite a bit to the process of maintaining flowers. Together, we talk about which flowers need to go into the cooler, which need finessing, and what flowers need warmth to open. We go through all the things that we need to prepare for the wedding. We prep all day. Uncle Ben organizes that while I go through the details. Then after a few hours, it’s back to my desk for writing proposals and catching up on my blog. I try to write blogs on Mondays during my off days or on Wednesdays.

Thursday

This is a huge production day. I return to the market for more flowers or supplies and go through the project checklist. If we need to change the color of the large props, that’s me, spray painting. I usually am at the fabric store on Thursday to pick materials. Boy do they know me at the fabric shop.

After all the purchasing is done, I’m in the studio with Gaby, Ulrike or Allison making flowers. I divide the work so that everyone has their individual tasks. Gaby is our personal flowers specialist. Allison and Ulrike are our centerpiece designers. We have a team of others who help with flowers, but in general it’s a fairly small group. My iPod is going throughout the day and we end our long day around 6:00, clean up the studio and set aside flowers for the next day.

After that I go upstairs and read emails and return calls.

Usually on Thursdays nights, I have wedding functions to attend. There’s always a great networking event or an open house; either KC or I try to attend these events, but during the high season KC does without me.

Friday

The first thing we do in the morning is go through our checklist. We make sure that we know what’s ahead and we create flowers all day. I work on the large pieces on Friday and the bridal bouquet since it is the one thing that gets photographed throughout the day. Uncle Ben is usually cleaning glass and packing. We all try to go home by 6:00pm. Friday night is my favorite time. When the studio is quiet, I go to the cooler and look at all the flowers. I make sure that everything looks just the way I want it. I check the temperature in the cooler. I make sure that flowers are labeled. If we need to make anything onsite, I go through the final checklist and review timelines.

Every Friday before a wedding I have a set ritual. KC and I go to our favorite local Japanese restaurant. I order sushi, my fav bento box, and a diet 7up. KC reviews his timeline while I indulge with a book. I’m in bed by 10pm. No matter what. I set the alarm and just relax with my book.

Saturday

The big day arrives. I start out the morning with a quick kiss to KC. I get into my black business casual clothes. I put on my favorite tool belt, pack my iPhone, grab my personal id’s. I try not to carry too much with me the day of the wedding. Just the essentials. Usually Chin Chin gets dropped off at Grandma’s place. KC drops him off, I pick him up. I usually grab a half bagel and dash out.

The first thing I do when I get to the studio is look at all the flowers in the cooler. I go through the checklist one last time.

We start to pack.

Team members like Ron, Uncle Ben, Denise, Karin, Amanda, and Gaby arrive on site. When it’s a big event, we have a little pow wow. Responsibilities are divided. One person gets the bible (our timeline, order, information, directions). Usually we have at least an intern or rookie with us so I’m training them. It takes about one to two hours to pack our vans and then we are off.

Set up team walks all the flowers in, mists them, and checks for any damages. I grab the box or basket of personal flowers and head to the bride’s room. To me this is when I am most nervous but also bumped up with excitement.

When I hand the bouquet to the bride, I can feel tears forming in my eyes. I’m always unsure what the bride’s state of mind is, so I take one last breath and open the door.

Breathe.

I love it when the bride wants to show me her gown and details. It makes me feel like I’m part of her day. When I see the photographer and I recognize him or her, that also excites me. When the videographer greets me and it’s one of my vendor friends, I’m thrilled. Many times I know which vendors to expect and there’s always this huge smile of relief when I see them.

About now, I get a phone call from the coordinator and I update them on the status.

Then the madness of the setup begins.

Greenlight – GO!

Once everything is set up, I leave for the studio. Sometimes I stay from start to finish but most of the time, I head back to the studio. It’s usually 7pm by now.

I pick up Chin Chin, we grab a roasted chicken and I put on a romantic comedy.

Usually around midnight I change out of my clothes into some leggings or casual clothes because I usually help my staff breakdown or strike. My night ends around 2:00am and I sometimes go to Happy Donuts for an apple cinnamon fritter and cold milk. As I get under the covers, KC and I talk about our weddings and compare notes. This is my favorite part of my week.

Sunday

This is my family and friends day. I spend time with KC, Chin Chin or my friends. Usually we start the day late and go to our favorite brunch place for our regular meal. Chin Chin loves going to Mo Mo’s because I order the Murphy’s Egg special. We walk around AT&T Park and run errands. One errand that we have to do is take Chin Chin to the park. His favorite is Alta Vista. So if you see a white bichon with a short Asian woman walking him, it’s probably me. Come say hello.

We also walk a lot on Fillmore Street on Sundays. During the afternoon, I make my usual trip to the Mission Bay Library to check out my books. Sunday nights are all about going out to dinner with my parents or close friends. I love exploring new restaurants and it’s always a fun way to end the week. I love Sundays because I love to stay up late since I know that Mondays is my day.