Today we’d like to introduce you to Bronte Baird.
Hi Bronte, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers.
I started my flower journey in college when I got a Horticulture/Floral Design degree and went from there to a small town in Colorado to be partners with the farmer-florist I had met during one of my summer breaks. I worked a season with her growing flowers and designing them for destination mountain weddings, helping build a website, and learning about marketing and all things business.
I also worked in a brick-and-mortar flower shop and as a wedding florist before I realized what I liked best was being my own boss so that I could have more control of the style and type of clients I took on and the way things were run. I started my business in 2018 and did a few friends’ wedding flowers. Through word of mouth and social media, the business has about doubled every year since then.
Over time I’ve been able to take on bigger clients and more creative projects and in 2021 I was able to go full-time with the business and have honestly never been happier in my life. I feel like I have truly found my calling.
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 definitely struggled with growing the business and had to hold a lot of other jobs while it grew in order to survive financially. I was a substitute teacher, tax customer service, and landscaper, and worked in water conservation. I worked a lot of late nights putting together weddings after I got home from a full day of work at my full-time job. I spent an immense amount of time on social media to grow awareness that my business exists. Paid to join associations to network with other people in the wedding industry.
Gone to a bunch of workshops to keep up my education and stay with the trends. I also struggled with building my portfolio to show I can take on high-end weddings. People don’t want to hire you to do something until they’ve seen that you’ve already done it- which is a catch-22. The biggest thing to help with that was that I put together a lot of “photoshoots” which is basically like paying for the flowers and getting together all the vendors to take pictures of a “fake wedding” so you can show people that you can do certain things so they will hire you to do them.
For example, if I do a photo shoot at a venue I want to get into, people will see pictures of me having “worked” at that venue and will then hire me for their wedding at the venue. Same for certain arches or centerpieces, etc. And taxes and finances are a struggle. Figuring out how to charge correctly so I can pay myself and taxes and licenses and not go under, etc.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I do flowers for weddings and events. I like figuring out how to make as much of someone’s dream wedding happen as I can. And I really like to take the burden off their shoulders- just show me pictures you love, we come up with a list of where we need flowers and then I take care of the rest: sourcing the flowers, researching which one, all the designing and set up, cleaning them up after the event.
I have this natural style but with lots of really fluffy gorgeous blooms. When people hire me I’m not just putting carnations and daisies and a bunch of cheap flowers together, it’s going to be roses and ranunculus and lisianthus and lots of texture and beautiful colors. I’m really this crunchy earthy person so I’m always looking for ways to make my business more eco-friendly and sustainable, I love incorporating a natural look into my designs and taking into account how flowers grow in the wild.
Where do you see things going in the next 5-10 years?
I think trends-wise things in the wedding industry are always changing.
The color trends and style will of course change, but I see big changes in favor of sustainability and using earth-friendly products, and for couples, I see changes towards doing what really shows off their personality rather than just the same traditions everyone has been doing for years.
Contact Info:
- Website: brontesflorals.com
- Instagram: @brontesflorals
Image Credits
Orange Photography, Savanna Richardson Photography, Takke Photography, Ariel Kenzel Photo, Jadie Jo Photography, Gideon Photo, Sara Bingham Photography, Chelsey Black Photography, Bagshaw Photo, and Nicole Aston Photo
