Las Vegas, Nevada is home to some of the most amazingly talented and unique wedding vendors around and I want to take this opportunity to share with you some of my favorites! I interviewed several of my absolute favorite small business owners (who I have had the pleasure of working with) to get to know their passions and business just a little bit better. I want to help you gain some insight into the valley's most sensational and unique wedding vendors that you may end up choosing for your special day. Perhaps I can help alleviate some of the stress of wedding planning with these Vegas wedding vendor spotlights.
Special thanks to the photographers who contributed photographs to my blog....Vegas is truly an amazing community.
One of my favorite florists and event design companies in the Las Vegas Valley is none other than Flourish. I met the owners of Flourish, Jennifer and Molly, when I first moved to Las Vegas in 2017. I was planning a styled shoot and needed a florist. We met for coffee and collaborated on a lovely vintage desert bridal shoot at Ethel M Chocolate Factory Botanical Cactus Garden. It was amazing and the bouquet that Flourish designed was out of this world beautiful. They are both super sweet women and create the most breathtaking floral installations. Flourish has brought my vision to life with just a few simple words of what I am looking for and they knock it out of the park, every time.
above photo courtesy of The Emerics
Tell me about your business and what you have to offer?
We are a floral design and decor business in the Las Vegas area (and recent expansion to Reno/Tahoe !!) We specialize in unique, hand-crafted floral for weddings and special events. We also love to create design elements for the event which includes custom decor pieces such as backdrops, seating charts, signage; whatever we and the client can dream up together.
(the above photos are from the vintage desert bridal shoot at Ethel M
I also just realized I haven't blogged that shoot! shame on me. Stay tuned for that)
What made you decide to open business and is there a story behind it and your business name?
Molly and I have both owned businesses prior to coming together and starting Flourish over three years ago. I guess you can say entrepreneurship is in our blood. Molly had a very popular and unique retail store (3 stores at one time, actually) in Las Vegas called Artifact, where she worked with artists from all over the area and even other parts of the country who created one-of-a-kind pieces for the store. Molly also has an art background and is a born creator. She made amazing custom items for the store and became renowned throughout the Valley. As soon as she would create and put a new window display up, someone would come along and buy it! Soon, event designers began coming to her for unique pieces for their events. I (Jen) had a very busy floral design studio near Napa, California (where I’m from) working almost exclusively with weddings. I had closed the business when I moved to Henderson in 2011—my kids were both very small at the time and I spent the next several years doing my most important job ever—being a stay at home mom. However, there came a time when I was definitely ready to get back to work but I found out quickly that working for other companies wasn’t a good fit; with being a mom, I really needed to be in charge of my own schedule. When Molly and I met, we had both recently spent some time working for other companies here in Las Vegas, and we were a little disillusioned by the lack of work-life balance (IE never seeing our children) and also what we saw as a huge lack of care and customer service toward brides and people planning events who were not the “big/luxury” events— but who still wanted a beautiful wedding. We really felt like we could fill a void for those lovely people who weren’t getting the service and attention they deserved just because they maybe weren’t spending 10K + on their floral and decor. So, Flourish was born!
There definitely is meaning behind “Flourish” and it’s sort of a double-meaning. “Flourish” because we created the business as two moms who wanted an outlet for our creative energy to grow as well as for ourselves and our families to flourish by being able to create a life that we loved... it is part of our core set of values that we, our clients, our vendor partners and our employees are all able to FLOURISH within our environment.
The second meaning of the word FLOURISH is an ornamental flair or extra special gesture or action, to attract attention... an artistic embellishment... and this is at the core of our art and our aesthetic. Everything we create we lovingly give an extra special flourish to... whether it’s the whimsical addition of a special flower to an arrangement, a creatively designed backdrop or unique aisle entry—whatever we can do to make a clients’ event truly unique and meaningful to them.
(you can see more of Kacper and Deanna's shark themed wedding here)
What sets you apart from all the others?
Aside from a combined 40+ years of experience between the two of us, working in events, art, retail, styling and floral design (I don’t call myself old, I call myself wise), we just really see the whole event as one cohesive, living, breathing entity. We don’t just see the flowers—we see everything as important—every aspect of the wedding brings it all together. We love working closely with the other vendors on the team—and we truly do see us all as a team: the photographer, the planner, the venue, the hair and makeup team, and the extended families of the couple—we all have a common goal: to create a beautiful, memorable event and to make our clients happy. AND of course to walk away with memories and beautiful photographs they will cherish for a lifetime!
(above photos courtesy of Kristen Marie Weddings + Portraits)
What do you love about running a business?
There is nothing more exhilarating than getting to see an event through from the very beginning stages of exploring ideas and design options, to the end result, when you can stand back and see all of your hard work come to life. I love being able to be the person who hands a bride her bouquet and see the look on her face and know that I truly had a role in making her special day extra... special!
(above photos courtesy of Taylor Made Photography)
If there is one thing you could tell your future clients (a tip or advice or
something you want them to know), what would it be?
My best advice to anyone planning their wedding (especially when they come to the floral and decor part of the planning process) is to be open and honest with your vendors. When I meet with a couple I want to hear all about their vision and big ideas and “if money were no object” desires. This is how I can really get into their head and see what excites them. But, I also really need them to be honest about budget and which parts of the design are the most important aspects and carry the most meaning. That way, I can create a custom design for them that speaks to their unique personality and style, but also being mindful of their real world budget. The thing is, everyone has a budget. Whether it’s 2K or 20K the budget is the budget, and your vendors will respect that and work with you to give you the most they can offer—but it really helps to have a clear idea up front. That way, we can come up with creative options for you to choose from.
(above photos courtesy of Julia Stockton Photography)
