Written by Lauren Walkup of Lauren's Lasting Florals:
I am one of those people who has always enjoyed creating things or doing things myself even if I don't quite now how to do it when I start out. That is really how I started Lauren's Lasting Florals where I create beautiful and unique wood flower pieces that can be bouquets for brides, wall decorations for nurseries, home decorations for counters and tables and much much more. It all started with my own wedding bouquet. I really struggled with spending hundreds of dollars on real flowers that would just die a few days later, but I had never made a bouquet before. To the internet I went and tried to find something alternatively that I could make for myself and I happened upon pictures of bridal bouquets made from brooches. The brooch bouquet really intrigued me because it meant that I could collect brooches and jewelry from family members for my big day. I spent a ridiculous amount of time hunting down brooches to compliment items I received from family and I watched several videos of how others had put them together. I soon found out that I needed a base to really hold my bouquet together and faux flowers just weren't doing the brooches justice. Eventually after more time on the internet I discovered wood flowers and they have changed my crafting life. I ended up being able to use them for the base for my bouquet and it turned out better than I had expected!
After my own bridal bouquet experience I was able to learn more about the versatility of these wood flowers and went crazy learning to make different items with them. The truly best thing about these little flowers are that they don't die. Pieces can be made well in advance for specific events and can be delivered before they are needed giving my customers piece of mind that they wouldn't have when ordering live flowers, especially brides. Bridal bouquets are my absolute favorite thing to make and I am able to give updated photos as bouquets, boutonnieres, centerpieces and arch swags are being created. They can be dyed any color of the rainbow and come in a plethora of different flower styles. Peonies, daisies, sunflowers, succulents, roses, tulips, carnations, cherry blossoms and so many more styles makes creating with these so much fun and there is an infinite amount of possibilities through working with them. They don't have a time when they are out of season so you don't have to plan your wedding date around when you can get the type of flowers you want. That sounds crazy but I know some people who have done just that when they went with real flowers.
Starting up and selling pieces has been a whole lot of learning but it has been good for me. I have had a Facebook account since I was a teenager but fielding a business page is a whole new ballgame. Before this journey started I didn't even have an Instagram. My friend died laughing at me as I asked her all my silly questions until she resorted to borrowing my password and helping me start up my account. I have since become a lot better navigating my different accounts and my next course of action is learning how to take better pictures of my pieces, because currently I know they don't do them justice. There is way more that goes into making and creating pieces then just sitting down and making the pieces. You have to be able to share your work with others and get interest through several different sources whether that be through social media, leaving pieces on display at bridal boutiques, attending open houses at venues and so much more.
My biggest regret through this whole journey has been not learning about these flowers sooner! I love how my own bridal bouquet turned out but if I had known then what I do now then I probably would have gone a whole different direction with my own bouquet. I recently made a bouquet for a display in a bridal shop that would of been the perfect colors to match my wedding colors and I just thought, "Man this would of been so pretty!", but the evolution of my different styles and pieces has been fun to look back on. Now I squeeze in whatever time I have to get better and better at this skill as a wooden flower florist and challenging myself to create new styles and types of pieces with every chance I get. I love working with new brides and helping their vision come to life. It is the best thing knowing that I get to create such a special and unique piece for them and to know that they can keep their flowers for years to come. Creating wooden floral pieces has become a bit of an obsession for me but I wouldn't have it any other way.
2 Comments
Aug 2, 2019, 8:30:22 PM
Adrianne O'Kane - I like that idea!
Aug 2, 2019, 5:05:33 AM
Dave Walkup - I am envisioning a UTube video with snippets of you making an arrangement. That would show how intense the process is, but maybe that would reveal to much of your trade secret.