Meet Shanda

Shanda Zalaya is the Owner and Lead Designer of Flor De Casa Designs. Shanda takes on every new client with steadfast belief that their vision can and will become a reality. Because she believes in the importance of floral design, she is always willing to lend her knowledge and resourcefulness to her clients.  Shanda is  hard working, diligent, kind and truly a gift to all that work with her.   She believes in the importance of having her client’s vision at the heart of the design, regardless of how unique their preferences may be.   As you read on, we think you’ll see the reason why we “picked” Shanda as our vendor spotlight. 

Tell us a little bit about Flor de Casa…

Flor de Casa Designs is a floral studio based in Northern Virginia and services couples all through the DC, Maryland and Virginia areas.  We create that airy/artsy look for couples who are looking for an understated luxurious aesthetic for their wedding day.

What sets you apart from other floral designers in the area?

We pride ourselves on giving our couples the absolute best service we can provide.  This of course encompasses our floral designs but it’s much more than that.  We really take our time with our clients.  From the moment the inquiry form is completed on our website to the moment they have booked us, we are in constant communication with our clients.  We hop on Zoom calls with them, go on venue visits with them and offer ourselves up to be a sounding board when they have ideas they want to hone in for a beautiful design.  We pamper our clients with gifts, cards, thank you notes and little surprises as we work with them.

What is your general style/approach?   

Our preferred design style is loose, organic and whimsical.  We love using texture in our designs and creating beautiful movement in our arrangements.  Taking inspiration from how flowers naturally grow in nature, we pay homage to that natural beauty by ensuring our designs mimic what we find in nature.

What are some important questions that you recommend that couples ask when searching for a floral designer? 

In the age of COVID one of the most important questions a client can ask is what their COVID policies are.  We go through our policies with our clients during our phone consultation.  Hopefully this won’t be something that couples have to worry about for much longer, but while we are dealing with this pandemic, it’s an important one.  Another important question to ask is if your florist has other offerings besides flowers.  This can include rental items or assistance with wedding design.

What are the most common floral trends that you are seeing for the 2021 and 2022 seasons? 

As of right now, I am seeing lots of color!  If there is one thing that this pandemic has brought about is couples wanting to incorporate more color in their weddings.  Happy colors that can lighten the mood and create a festive and fun environment to celebrate their love.  I am also beginning to see a trend that I absolutely love involving more flower heavy designs but designed in a more artistic style.  It originated in Australia and I have been watching this trend for quite some time.  In 2021 I have booked a couple of clients that want this massive floral heavy design style and I am so excited about it.

What are some of your favorites? 

If I had to choose a favorite trend right now, I would say that more and more couples are incorporating interesting textural elements in their designs like dried flowers, mushrooms and fruit!  I am absolutely in love with that design style. It was inspired by the famous Dutch Master’s paintings we see from centuries ago and I’m totally here for it.

If you could give 1 piece of advice to our couples about their big day, what would it be?  

Relax.  Breathe.  We are living during very difficult times and adding a wedding to the already overwhelming amount of stressors that surround us can be hard to manage for any couple.  Just remember that when your wedding day arrives, you are marrying your best friend, your person.  Hiring a great team of vendors will alleviate that stress and allow you to enjoy your wedding day.  So the last piece of advice I would give is to trust your vendor team.  They will go above and beyond for you to make your wedding day all the more spectacular if you just trust them.  They got you.

Shanda truly believes that the value is in the details; she will listen and create based on the vision of her clients and we promise that when she does, her work will enhance your wedding day in the most important and beautiful way. She is a lover of all things natural, organic and beautiful and it’s easy to see how this carries over into her breathtaking and unique designs. Shanda is an artist and loves what she does, she treats her clients and their visions with the utmost respect and is truly a pleasure to work alongside.