Vendor Of The Week: Sweet Pea's

Sweet Pea’s Floral Design is a floral boutique located in Woodbury that specializes in all your floral needs, from your wedding day to showers and anniversaries, Sweet Pea’s is the go-to florist for Minnesota bridal needs. This stand-out floral boutique is on its way to becoming the only retail floral shop in Minnesota with two qualified American Institute of Floral Designers! This week we spoke with Tara, who filled us in on everything you need to know about wedding floral in this week’s V-O-W!

Q: What does Sweet Pea’s specialize in?

A: We specialize in special/corporate events and weddings, but we are a full retail florist and do everyday designs as well for birthdays, sympathy, holidays, ECT.

Q:When did Sweet Peas open and where are you located?

A: Sweet Pea’s opened in October of 1996 by two women who owned it for 8 years. They sold it to a gentleman who owned it for a little over a year, I purchased the existing shop as of October 1^st, 2006. In 2011, we expanded the shop to double the store space along with more much needed work space. I just celebrated my 11^th anniversary as an owner this last year! We are located in the heart of Woodbury on Radio Drive and Tamarack Road.

Q: What makes Sweet Peas stand out in terms of wedding floral design?

A: We love to learn and try new design styles and techniques, incorporate unique blooms and foliage’s that are not typically seen. My head-designer, Lindsey Busch is an active member of AIFD (American Institute of Floral Designers) and has an extensive background in design and mechanical skills. She is one of 15 designers in the entire state of Minnesota that has this qualification. We always take what we’ve learned and apply that to our wedding work and everyday designs. I personally tested this past summer and PASSED! (Whew!) I will be inducted this coming summer in Washington D.C..

Q: What makes wedding floral and wedding décor different from other events?

A: Being a part of a couple’s wedding day is a process, it is definitely different than a corporate event. We work with the couple closely throughout the planning process to help them choose what fits their style, needs and budget. Typically this process goes on for months and we create a personal relationship with each couple. Many times after the wedding has past and couple has settled into their lives, we become their go-to florist for future events, such as baby showers, anniversary bouquets, etc.

Q: What is an average day at Sweet Pea’s like?

A: It can change quickly, as it can vary given what type(s) of orders are coming in. Typically, we get our everyday orders ready for deliveries, make sure our cooler is cleaned and stocked. We will meet with couples regarding their weddings, we also spend a lot of time on email correspondence with couples. Earlier in the week, we prep for the upcoming weddings and events. Thursdays and Fridays are spent designing the events, Saturdays are usually spend delivering and setting up events and cleaning up from the week and getting ready for the following week.

Q: What would you want a couple searching for their perfect wedding florist to know?

A: It’s extremely important to make a connection with your florist. Not all styles are alike, not all personalities are alike. You will have a much more pleasant experience with someone you feel like you connect with and feel you can trust.

Q: How far in advance should couples book a florist?

A: Usually, I would say 6-8 months out is plenty of time. However, the busy fall months (September and October) tend to fill up quite fast and we would prefer you contact us 10-12 months out for those months. We do take a limited number of weddings each weekend as we are quality based, not quantity based. There isn’t a specific number each weekend, it depends on the amount of work for each. Once we start booking a weekend, we start tracking the amount of work to determine if we can properly take on another wedding.

Q: Should brides decide on ceremony or reception floral elements first?

A: Typically we would start with the overall color scheme and style of the Bridal Gown and the Attendants dress colors and work from there for the floral. We would go through the bouquets and make that our base-line for the rest of the event. It really depends on the venue as to where to start with ceremony verses reception as we can always try to reuse things for each part of it. In that case, I would start with the reception décor.

Q: Do you have any unique or memorable floral arrangements you have designed recently?

A:Last October I did an amazing wedding where the Bride carried a floral ‘Boa’ instead of a bouquet. It was incredibly stunning! I loved that she was wearing it throughout her ceremony so it was in each picture. It became a part of her gown verses a hand-held bouquet that was passed to her Matron of Honor to hold.

Q: What is your favorite flower?

A: A cymbidium orchid. I love all of the colors, but my favorite are the lime green and the burnt orange. I love their longevity!

Q: What is your favorite part about working in the wedding industry, specifically with floral design?

A: I love how we get to know the couple, how we are never repetitive in our work. It’s very uncommon to create a replica of any bouquet…. A lot of people will find a picture of something they like and we tweak it to more reflect their style. I like how we can sit down and talk about their event, follow through with it and the day comes to set-up and we get to see it all come to life.