I met Sonia and Max through Honeybee, unexpectedly, as I have so many other precious people. Some of our working neighbors and dedicated coffee regulars told her about my flowers after she got engaged.
Of course, any time someone tells me that they recommended me for a wedding, my heart swells. It's what I dreamed of for so long. It's so sweet of a friend to think of me and my flowers and appreciate them enough to want to share them with other people.
What I have chosen to pursue with my flower business is not for everyone. Sometimes I find myself holding my breath because of this. I know that certain brides are searching for a traditional florist. I am not that and that is okay. In this case, I was flattered that these regulars spoke highly of me and told Sonia to reach out to me. However, if brides don't come to me specifically for my style or my sustainable ethics, I fear that we might not mesh.
Fortunately, this was not the case with Sonia. At first she informed me she was just gathering information for her options for florists in the area. I didn't want to get attached. But after choosing to meet in person and discuss her vision, it seemed like an amazing fit.
She and Max trusted my creative mind enough to help bring their French-countryside wedding to life.
This is especially meaningful to me as a young artist who is building her portfolio. Trusting another person to participate in one of the most important days of your life is a big deal. These couples who have believed in me and my floral artistry have helped me gain confidence, experience, and start building an incredible portfolio ( shout out to Kelsi Walters who photographed Sonia's wedding and shared these BEAUTIFUL images with me!!)
Sonia's bridal bouquet ended up being one of my favorites I've ever designed.
I've reached some kind of creative sweet spot where each new bridal bouquet that I make is my new favorite. If I told a younger version of me who was trying to teach herself how to make a bridal bouquet that she finally figured it out, I think she would jump for joy.
I remember watching youtube videos, following step-by-step picture guides in floral books, and using my mom's leftover stems to practice with. My hands would get really tired and it would infuriate me that I would have to ask for help because I forgot to strip my stems or cut my tape beforehand. I wanted to do it all myself and be good at it.
Yes, I am a recovering perfectionist, thank you for noticing.
I'm not sure that younger version of me ever let herself dream as big as I what I've already achieved this year. What I mean is, I got my floral design photographed, professionally, for a real wedding that a real couple paid me to design using my family's locally grown flowers and upholding my sustainable values. And it turned out beautifully.
She didn't have the courage to dream that big. Now she does.
For Sonia's bridal bouquet I used foxglove, nigella, poppies, verbascum, peonies, delphinium, stock, hydrangea, orlaya, larkspur, scabiosa, snapdragon, and lemon mint tied with a beautiful ribbon from Honeysilks. I'm in love!
Thank you to everyone who has followed along thus far, encouraged me in person, believed in me from afar, and trusted me with their wedding florals. I am so grateful for you all.