Goen South Weddings - Floral & Decor
Industry Veterans With An Eye For Every Aspect of your Wedding
When Morris Goen started a wedding photography business in 1996, brides often asked him if he could refer them to vendors for other aspects of their wedding as well. After initially giving out recommendations, Morris quickly realized that the company best suited to crafting the visual design of the day, was his own.
Now Goen South Weddings offers brides customized, time-saving, one-stop shopping for all visual aspects of their wedding: floral, linens and lighting, photography and video.
“We take care of the design, the flow of the day, and the entire look of the ceremony and reception,” Morris explains.
This allows his creative team to set the stage, designing the palette and overall ambiance. The team will present the couple with a range of options within the realm of their vision. Then, the photographers and videographers can later capture the many emotions and unforgettable moments of the day, playing off the ambiance created.
Goen South Weddings offers many advantages, the first of which is being able to simply call one vendor instead of four. Today’s busy couples can save a significant amount of time by freeing themselves from having to contact multiple vendors, finding and driving to multiple offices for meetings, keeping track of multiple phone numbers and e-mail addresses, building a rapport with various vendors, and learning each vendor’s approach and level of customer service.
Furthermore, as budgets shrink, Goen South can look at the wedding with a broader perspective, trimming here and there, for a result that makes an impact only on the budget and not on the appearance of the wedding overall. This allows couples to save money when they need to, without having a noticeable difference in any one area and losing essential elements of their vision.
“Individual vendors can be reluctant to make cuts for the sake of the budget, but we’re more concerned with the overall wedding,” Morris explains. “Brides today are so busy, and the time they spend establishing a rapport with us is well spent. Our commitment is genuine.”
With a staff of six full-time employees and a team of regular contractors, Goen South is ready for any surprise that can occur. “We use a team approach,” he shares. “For example, if the photographer is in a car accident, we have solid replacements on hand and we’ll also have a staff person there, to make sure everything goes smoothly.” They also provide an in-house florist and are equipped with a walk-in cooler. The cooler is essential because most florals are delivered on Wednesdays, and only proper storage ensures they’ll stay fresh for weekend weddings.
The staff at Goen South is industry veterans with an eye for every visual aspect of the wedding. The same passion they bring to creating the look of the wedding is also invested in capturing it.
Concerning photography, they artfully blend a photojournalistic approach with traditional photography, deliberately striking the balance needed to accurately capture the momentous day. While some wedding photographers rely solely on photojournalistic shots and others rely heavily on posing each shot, Morris finds that a combination of primarily photojournalistic shots along with a certain number of posed shots gives the best results.
The team balances their inspired creativity with budget-saving practicality. Morris says, “The right couple for us is one who likes our vision and our style. We’re dedicated to the vision and we follow through on it. We want couples to be realistic about their budget. We’re committed to giving them what they want, but we keep them grounded at the same time.”
One of the greatest advantages Goen South offers is their experience and knowledge of the industry. Having begun in 1996, they’re well established and have seen other vendors come and go, frequently being called on to step in when a bride’s initial vendor disappeared.
“Brides have come to us at the last minute when their vendors suddenly went out of business, and in this economy we’ll see more and more of that,” Morris cautions. “You need someone reputable and experienced—not someone who won’t be here six months from now.”
Potential vendors should be able to provide names and e-mail addresses of brides they’ve worked with, and Morris also advises couples to check the Better Business Bureau, CitySearch, and other resources for reviews and complaints.
Fully committed to raising the level of the industry, Morris is on the Board of Directors of the International Society of Event Specialists (ISES), and he and his staff are also actively involved in the National Association of Catering Executives (NACE), among other organizations.
His professional connections within the industry also mean that he can refer brides to reputable, trusted vendors for the non-visual aspects of their wedding, such as transportation, food and beverage service and DJs.
Morris invites brides to visit his website to experience the unique style of Goen South Weddings.
“We love what we do, and our passion is undeniable,” he says. “Look at our work—it speaks for itself. We understand our importance and responsibility to your day and your memories.”