Floral Wedding Design Careers
We asked the floral designers we interviewed for our Special Report:
Floral Wedding Design about how they got into the field. There's a wide range to their
answers about what drew them to become floral designers, but they all share a passion for
the work.
Karla Ramirez, Karla Ramirez Floral Design:
"After a successful corporate career, I decided to pursue the career
I always wanted as a floral designer, so I went through the New York
Botanical Garden's floral design program and started my own company.
I always knew I wanted a studio specializing in weddings and events,
as opposed to a retail shop doing mostly daily deliveries."
Pamela Cravens, The Flower Girls:
"My mother was a floral designer."
Rebecca A.S. Kim, Gardenia Floral Design:
"Like most brides, I wanted to do something creative and special
for my own wedding – even though this urge was inspired by my
small budget. I did centerpieces for a few tables, and then started
volunteering to help friends with their flowers. A couple of years later,
I had been working as an office manager at a collections law firm and
was trying to think of a career change to something happier and more
satisfying, and one of my husband's friends came to me needing flowers
for her wedding, and I decided to make a business out of it. That was
four years ago, and apparently we're doing something right!"
Petal's Edge Floral Design:
Gerry Rogers: "I have a degree in art history and graduate degrees in education and
leadership and organizational studies. I spent 10 years working in the
art museum field as an educator and curator. At one point, I started
working with a florist on the side, and after getting that valuable
hand-on experience, I felt this was something I could do and started
the company."
Rebecca Kim: "It was a long and circuitous route – I have a
degree in horticulture, and a master's degree in landscape architecture.
I spent a few years as a landscape architect, and decided it wasn't for me.
I had decided to leave my job and take some time off to figure out what
I wanted to do when I met Gerry, my business partner. She was just
starting the company, and a mutual friend who knew I had been interested
in floral design in college thought we might be interested in meeting each
other. It was kismet – we quickly decided a partnership was the way
to go, and it's been a fun roller coaster ride ever since. We decided
to concentrate on event floral design, since it requires a different
kind of structure than running a flower shop. And we had both recently
gotten married, so we felt we had some idea of what the industry had to offer."
Resources
- Karla Ramirez
Karla Ramirez Floral Design
www.karlaramirez.com - Pamela Cravens
The Flower Girls
www.theflowergirls.net - Rebecca A.S. Kim
Gardenia Floral Design
www.gardeniafloral.com - Gerry Rogers & Rebecca Henry
The Petal's Edge Floral Design
www.petalsedge.com
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