Today we’d like to introduce you to Sarah Stewart.
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
As a young child I was always doing things with my hands, thanks to my mother’s abundant and available art supplies. I would say I have been artistic my entire life, although I would never have claimed to be an artist until recent years. I fell into floral design as a diy bride. While I kept my design simple, it is my favorite cautionary tale; without the help of many extended family members the day would not have come together. Leading up to my wedding I sought many sources to learn as much as I could about flower arranging and found a passion.
From 2018-2021 I flowered on the side for friends’ weddings, moving out from a smaller circle to acquaintances, friends of friends, eventually referrals. After having my first daughter, I knew I would be leaving my full time position of almost 4 years to be a full time stay at home mom. That prompted me to officially start my business in the spring of 2021, starting with my largest wedding so far, for my brother and sil.
Since 2021 I have learned, worked, bled, cried, and been so thankful for flowers and floral design. I also now have three daughters. So it’s been a busy season of life. Flowers have allowed me to be an artist in a way I would have never dreamed. I can assure you it is almost entirely an unglamorous job, but seeing the final design and our thrilled clients makes it worth it every time.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
As a floral designer our medium is flowers. Something alive, well dying actually, fragile, inconsistent, and not exactly moldable. When the flowers are magic they just are, but my job is to always make that happen. That comes with a myriad of challenges, sourcing, shipping, weather issues, color issues, I could go on and on. Over the years I have had a handful of incredible wholesale flower reps that make that part of the job a bit easier, and they are the behind the scenes flower fairy godmothers.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I specialize in floral design for events and weddings and my company offers event coordinating and planning as well. My florals are known to be intentional, natural, often whimsical. I strive to bring together nature and art, manipulating it just enough that the eye can see there is something to lean in and observe.
In recent years I have been fascinated by ikebana, a Japanese arranging technique. I am still learning more about it and I am not the only designer bringing that into the wedding and event space, but it is something I enjoy and find brings a lot of impact to almost any floral design.
I am also very thoughtful about color palettes and am always sourcing new flower varieties. I like to find a unique and interesting flower for every event. Making each event unique keeps me inspired and delivers a specialized experience for our clients.
Do you any memories from childhood that you can share with us?
I’m one of five and have four brothers. Every summer my parents would load us all up in the mini van and make the 14 hour drive from north Indiana, where I grew up, to east Texas, where my dad’s sister lives with her family. 10 cousins, 10 acres, and 100 degree days in June or July for two or three weeks; we ran wild and loved every minute. Family has always been something I cherish and I am so thrilled to be raising my own now.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.ivyfarmflowers.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ivyfarmflowers/
Image Credits
Tiffany Delk Photography
Kristen Weaver Photography
Bri and Bryce Photography
