I accidentally became a florist.
Okay, it wasn’t really an accident, but it was not something I’d ever thought about or dreamed would be a part of my life until my roommate was getting married and she asked me to do her flowers. “You bring home cool stuff and arrange it and it’s beautiful. You can do it” she said. I remember how incredibly nervous and inadequate I felt. But you know what, she loved it and that gave me a desire to continue. Before I knew it, I had another person ask me if I’d consider doing their florals. I said yes, improving my skills and knowledge with each job I took. Eventually, I was making too much to not start a business because the state now required a percentage of my cut. I also wanted to freelance. Basically the rest is history and I now have done dozens of weddings on my own!
My desire is to create beautiful things with live florals. I love lush, whimsical florals with unique greens. My absolute favorite thing to design is a big installation. I love making what should be the most beautiful moments in people’s lives even more beautiful by designing the perfect additions to their day. I find creating to be restful and life-giving to my heart. That feeling when it’s all put together, when the guests can start arriving, being able to make the magic happen and hearing the reactions of others to the beauty, that makes it worth it.
But I also want to see beauty be made in other lives, specifically women that have been affected by domestic oppression, violence, and trafficking. My ultimate goal for my business is to support these women with finances, employment, and hopefully beyond. Audrey Mae Floral is about more than just creating beauty for a moment, but beauty for a million moments by giving women a way to have hope after surviving some of the most ugly moments we can imagine. Here’s to making beauty in all we do.
