Today we’d like to introduce you to Michelle Lewis.
Hi Michelle, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I grew up in gardens with my mother and grandmother. But, my dream as a little girl was to carry a briefcase and run a business. Although there is no briefcase, I did grow up to run my own business. In between that time of being a little girl and now, I have had several other careers. For over ten years, I worked for several fire departments and an airline. While I loved both of those careers, moving to Florida to be with my husband allowed for a step back to decide what I really wanted to do in life. I apprenticed for a local wedding florist in Orlando for over two years. After she closed her doors, I started working out of my house and acquiring new clients. We have outgrown our space three times to lead us to where we are now. We run our business out of a flex space (mostly warehouse) in Orlando. We have nine employees that work for us and a few freelance designers and setup crew. We have participated in more than 120 events per year, sometimes doing six events in one day. Unique Designs, using Quality Flowers with Southern Hospitality is our motto.
Alright, 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 almost fear writing this answer. Yes, for the most part, it has been a smooth road. I have enjoyed almost every minute of it. Of course, there have been challenges, the most obvious being 2020! I have spent the last 8.5 years growing our business as the money allowed. As we book more events for the same weekends, I have been able to grow our staff and rental items for events. We have not over-extended or stressed our resources. Producing events and weddings as opposed to a retail florist has allowed us to forecast 3-15 months out, financially and logistically. This is not something that all businesses can do. Continuing my education through business conferences and hands-on training has allowed us to become very competitive in our field. Our staff loves flowers and weddings as much as I do.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
We say our style is rustic elegance. We are known for a garden style of design. This means many different things to our clients. Sometimes it means we combine natural resources with a bit of sparkle, farm tables with mercury glass. Other times it means we use an abundance of greenery to bring the natural feeling of the gardens inside for our clients. We love texture and an organic design style. Creating an experience for our clients to host their loved ones are what we love to do. Layers of candlelight, flowers and textured linens are our passion. When we get to hang flowers and greenery from the ceiling, high and low centerpieces, floating candles and a complimentary linen, it makes us so happy!
Is there something surprising that you feel even people who know you might not know about?
I used to be an Emergency and Business Continuity Manager for an airline. What this means is that I planned for the worst-case scenario for all types of accidents and emergencies. How that translates to what I do now is simple; logistically make good decisions on what events we can take, how we will execute and install, what designers we will need and for how long, and budget the event to make a reasonable profit. Weddings and events are a small production, and changes will need to be made. Being calm under pressure and thinking outside the box is what you need on the day of an event. This is my speciality. All the vendors work together to create a magical experience for the guests. But coordinating the timing of all of those pieces to come together perfectly is a puzzle I love to work!
Pricing:
- Our average wedding for 100 guests is $4500
- Bridal bouquets start at $185, but our average is $325
Contact Info:
- Email: info@bluegrasschic.com
- Website: https://bluegrasschic.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bluegrasschicweddings/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/bluegrasschicweddings
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/bluegrass_chic
- Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@bluegrasschicfloral
