Today we’d like to introduce you to Celina Wong.
Thanks for sharing your story with us Celina. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
After finishing college, I was at a loss as to what my next steps were to be. I stumbled across a flower shop that happened to specialize in weddings and figured I could have some fun there while I searched for an entry level position. I expected to enjoy myself but didn’t plan on discovering my niche. Every day was a new experience.
A different flower — a new texture but my favorite part was watching the happiness enter a client’s face because of something that I made. From that moment on, I knew I wanted to chase that feeling. I left my floral assistant job and became a copywriter. While saving for my storefront I produced weddings on the weekends in order to keep learning. When I felt that I had enough inquiries to sustain a shop, I took a leap and left my desk job. Today I have a work studio that I can only accredit to the faith of my first clients and the support of my family and friends. With each new project, my gratitude grows for the clients who continue to trust our work.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
I definitely experienced my own set of challenges. In the early days I did not have a cooler and an entire wedding would have to be produced overnight. The earliest I could start making arrangements was on Thursday nights. I didn’t have a team so every single arrangement was made by myself. I also had a day job so wedding production would not start until 6pm. For a large project there were definitely all-nighters.
Floral installations were also new territory to me at the beginning. I would encounter problems I did not foresee on delivery days. Troubleshooting on the fly was very common.
I had to learn through trial and error how much flowers to purchase in order for the arrangements to look full. Figuring out pricing was also another hurdle to overcome.
Lastly, learning the availability and the care required for each flower was a challenge. Many a stem were lost because I did not know how to properly care for them and the correct timing for putting them into an arrangement.
Violette’s Flowers – what should we know? What do you guys do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
We are a boutique floral company specializing in weddings and events. Our arrangements are inspired by nature and we aim to keep our flowers from looking overly arranged. We love using foliage in order to give our pieces an organic aesthetic, our goal is to create arrangements that are an extension of our clients and to provide a relaxed experience.
What moment in your career do you look back most fondly on?
Ever since starting out, there were certain esteemed vendors I really wanted to work with. Through constant studying of how fine art florists arranged their flowers, I am proud to see that I was able to hone my craft. By elevating what I was able to create this past year I found myself working beside some of these top tiered artists.
Pricing:
- We have a project budget minimum of $2000.
Contact Info:
- Address: 922 E. Las Tunas Dr.
San Gabriel, CA 91776 - Website: www.violettesflowers.com
- Email: [email protected]
- Instagram: @violettesflowers
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/violettesflowers/
- Yelp: http://www.yelp.com/biz/violettes-flowers-san-gabriel
Image Credit:
Bowtie & Bloom Photography
Anya Kernes Photography
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