I have been going at this wedding planning thing for a year now and while it has taken some time, I have managed to develop relationships with some pretty cool people. I feel incredibly lucky and it's just a reminder to myself that I am exactly where I should be! One of these fantastic people I mentioned, is Emily Wright from Julep Floral. She is kind, smart, driven, & just a great person to be around. I look forward to spending more time with Emily (working and socializing!), and I wanted to share a little bit of her with you all. So without further ado, meet Emily:
1.Tell us a little about yourself!
Hi, I’m Emily Wright, the owner and Lead Designer of Julep Floral! A born Southern, my husband and I recently moved back south of the Mason-Dixon from Denver, Colorado to be closer to family after the birth of our son last year. Goodness, have I missed the humid summers (yes, crazy, I know), the food (duh.), the slower pace of the South, and a great thunder storm! If I don’t have my hand in a bucket of flowers, you can most likely find me eating something with an obscene amount of sugar, snuggling with my sweet little family, digging in the dirt, or talking about flowers over some caffeine.
2.When did your passion for flowers and design start?
I’ve always loved order and to make things look pretty in their most natural state. While I grew up in a small mom and pop flower shop, I didn’t find my way into weddings and specifically flowers, until 2013 when I quite my job as a Division I track and cross country coach. I had the opportunity to shadow a high-end wedding planner and florist, and I realized flowers were my medium I wanted to “pretty” the world with. I jumped in head-first and have never looked back!
3.Describe your style and how you came to develop it.
My personal goal is to create timeless, garden-esqe, and heirloom-like designs by enhancing the natural beauty of flowers. Why change what God has already made perfect? Since real flowers have movement, I love to mimic that in my designs with loose, whimsical bouquets. Also since each Julep Floral wedding is uniquely designed, I love to develop a wedding style based around the natural beauty of the venue space, again enhancing the best of what is around me. I want Julep Floral couples of love their wedding florals on their 50th anniversary as much as they did on their wedding day!
4.What advice do you have for brides when it comes to flowers?
Just like photographers and wedding dress designers, there are different styles of florists. Do some research before you meet with potential florists and familiarize yourself with their portfolios. What are their overall design styles (i.e.- opulent, modern, natural, boho, etc.) and what styles of weddings are seen most frequently throughout their portfolio? If you are planning for a modern, up-town hotel ballroom wedding, you may want to choose a florists known for their modern, ballroom wedding designs. If you are planning for an open-air, mountain-top affair, you want to look for a florist who is known for their lush and wild floral designs. Florists are not one size fits all.
5.What advice do you have for others trying to start in this industry?
Gosh, there is so much I want to share! Perhaps the best advice I can give for those wanting to become a florist is to have realistic expectations about what a wedding florist does. If you simply want to “play with flowers,” this probably isn’t the job for you. Actual flower design is a very small percentage of what a florist does. Much of your time is spent sourcing your materials and blooms, building valuable relationships with wholesalers, and CLEANING. If you are fortunate enough to shadow a professional, you are going to find yourself washing buckets, wiping down glassware, sweeping up spent blooms, etc. long before you get to actually design anything. Just as I was told as an intern, “You must be able to do the small things before you can do the big things."
6.Share some of your all time favorite pieces of work!
Be sure to check out Emily's work on her website here and follow her on Instagram: @juelpfloral
Have a wonderful week yall!! xo