As the flower mama of this blog I get lots of emails from young designers or those hoping to start a flower business. As you have probably already guessed being of service to others or helping other businesses or people is something I enjoy doing and its something I believe in. However it’s really hard to read some of the emails I get.  The below email is from a young lady I adore. We have been communicating for almost 2 years now. Her very true and telling confession about her first year as a wedding florist, perfectly describes the harsh realities of being a floral designer…

Holly I wanted to give you an update of what I’m doing with my flower business.  Last year was a great first year.  I worked really hard and I did almost 20 events which was great for building up my portfolio.  I also did a wedding show, and had 3 photoshoots with a wedding magazine.  I got great reviews from my brides and MOBs.  A florist/flower magazine editor in Europe wants to feature my business.  These are all so rewarding.  However, in terms of income, I was earning a fraction of what I earn at my day job (which makes me sad).  I feel that very few brides in my community appreciate flowers enough.  At the wedding show another florist was charging way under market value for her bridal bouquets.  I was told that $12 for a boutonniere was way too expensive.  A bride emailed me yesterday and she wanted a Holly-ish style bouquet, a maids bouquet, 8-9 centerpieces, head table design, plus boutonnieres and corsages.  She specifically wanted garden roses and ranunculus and her budget was $200-$300.  I seriously thought she was missing a 0 or she just meant $200-$300 for a bridal bouquet but that was her total floral budget.  I now have a minimum of $1000 and I charge around $250 for a bridal bouquet and brides think I’m too expensive.  My work this past year confirms that I love flowers and people in the industry like you, and the other flower sisters I have met via social media, but I feel like it won’t ever be possible to make this a viable business.
I talked to other designers I know and my decision now is “wait and see”, which means I will continue to do my best, charge what I think I need to charge and have to accept it if brides walk away from me, and I’ll have to assume for now that this can only be a side job because I simply can’t afford to change to a career where I am actually making about $5/hour.  

I am sorry that I am sharing negative news Holly, but I really wanted to tell you a bit about the sad reality I am experiencing as I move towards my goal of being a full time floral designer. It simply does not make sense to leave an excellent paying job for one that is high stress, very physically draining, and one that offers very little profit and no benefits.  If you have any advice at all I would great appreciate it.

Reading my friends email nearly broke my heart, but I have to admit, all that she said is true. I hear this from floral designers all across the country. A floral designer is providing a service, a skill, and a knowledge that is valuable.  Thankfully most of my clients seem to respect this studio and our art. Our work seems to be cherished and appreciated but in general there is a lack of understanding for the process that a floral designer must go through, and a true lack of understanding that a flower is a miracle. Honestly this note from my flower baby, truly disheartens me as I think about the countless hours I spend working on pulling an event together. It takes hundreds of hours of skilled work to execute and bring an event to life. No matter how easy it all looks in the latest DIY article or blog post, its work and lots of it!! I truly do not want my budding flower followers to give up, but I can’t in good faith tell them that walking this path is an easy one. We have quite a few weeds a long the way!!!  I love my flower babies, don’t give up… just keep blooming!!!