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Mon, 07/27/2020
As we all know, florals can add so much to a wedding or celebration of any kind! We have had the pleasure to work with some of the most talented and personable vendors in the wedding industry. We interviewed a few of the fantastic floral designers who often add beauty to the Lace House. Keep reading for great insights and beautiful photos!
First on the list is Vicki Walker, owner and founder of Carolina Blossoms. Vicki’s love of flowers started with happy childhood days gardening with her grandmother and since then, gardening has always been one of her favorite hobbies! She is an outdoors person, a nature lover, and has never seen a flower she did not think was pretty!
Q. How long have you been in business?
A. I started my business out of my home in Shandon in 2007.
Q. What sets you apart from other vendors in the floral industry?
A. I always try to not only bring the client’s vision to life, but to exceed their expectations.
Q. What do you enjoy most about working in the floral industry?
A. Working with the great vendors and in beautiful venues in our state, like the Lace House, and being a part of one of the most important days in a couple’s 
life gives me joy.
Q. What current trends do you personally like?
A. My floral style is a natural, garden style - sometimes with a classic touch and sometimes with a twist. Classics are always beautiful but adding in bright and happy colors and unusual flowers and elements is always fun!
Q. What is your favorite flower?
A. Very hard to have one favorite, but peonies, tulips, garden roses, ranunculus are just a few…can’t forget anemones and orchids too!
Q. Anything else you would like to share?
A. I try to be mindful of our environment, to avoid products that are not biodegradable and to use products and items that are sustainable and reusable. We have a beautiful world and we need to protect it for our children and for the future.
Connect with Carolina Blossom via their website, Instagram or email!
https://www.carolinablossoms.com/ 
@carolinablossoms 
vickigwalker@yahoo.com
Next, we spoke with Scott Jones, owner and founder of American Floral. 
Scott started American Floral with a small 2 door cooler and delivering flowers in a 1980 Lincoln his parents gave him! American Floral is a family owned, family oriented, full-service florist specializing in events of all kinds, but they especially LOVE weddings! Some of the team are biologically related, but they are all a family. They live by the saying, “when you become a customer, you become part of our family too!”
Q. How long have you been in business?
A. We have been proudly helping families with life's special moments for over 27 years including over 3,000 weddings. American Floral has done weddings and events for three decades during floods, hurricanes, tornados, hail, ice, snow, recessions, 9/11, murder hornets, and now a pandemic! They say, "May you live interesting times.", and I think we have that covered!
Q. What sets you apart from other vendors in the floral industry?
A. These days we have a wonderful Award-Winning team of talented and caring individuals. We collectively have so many years of experience and continually stay focused on the overall mission: to make the customer happy!
Q. What do you enjoy most about working in the floral industry?
A. When we work with a family (bride, groom, mom, dad, grandma, etc.), we are focused on what they want. It is not our event, it is YOURS! We want you to have what YOU want! We ask a lot of questions about style, look, size, and feel of the event to make sure it is exactly what you want. From planning, design, and implementation, we take your vision and turn it into reality! That is the part we love the most, making people happy. Awards are great, but the look on a bride's face when she sees her bouquet... that is worth 10 awards!
Q. What current trends do you personally like?
A. Speaking of styles, we have seen a bunch in 27 years! From big hair and shoulder pads on dresses with lots of huge florals and no greenery showing, to today's styles of low back mermaid dresses with bouquets of mostly greens with a pop of flowers. My personal taste is somewhere in the middle. I love the sexy mermaid dresses but with a nice mixture of flowers and greens and a bit funky! I like to create arrangements that match in colors but have them all a little bit different.
Q. What is your favorite flower?
A. As far as a favorite flower, I have lots! Some of my favorites are garden roses, ranunculus, and lisianthus. Kim loves peonies, Lynn loves Dahlias, Carol Anne is a Tulip nut, Mimi loves her orchids, Kera absolutely adores babies breath and rest of our team has their favs! You see, there is no wrong answer, there is what YOU like!
Q. Anything else you would like to share?
A. We are and have been blessed to work with such wonderful vendors and venues. Columbia really has a fantastic group of talented and caring vendors. The Lace House and their team are tops in their field! We have SO enjoyed doing what we do and where we do it for all these years. With continued vision to the future, we would be honored if you asked the American Floral family to help with your special day!
Connect with American Floral via their website, Instagram or email!
https://americanfloralsc.com/ @americanfloral scott@americanfloralsc.com
Moving on, we chatted with Madison Wagner, Wedding & Event Manager with By Design. She is slightly 
obsessed with weddings and flowers and lives vicariously through each wedding she helps plan. Madison has an eye for design and is eager to try new ideas. She loves to meet new people and be surrounded by florals, but her favorite aspect of the job is learning from her mom, Denise. In her spare time she likes traveling, working in the yard, trying new recipes, and spending time with her two daughters and husband.
Q. How long have you been in business?
A. By Design has been in business for nine years! We started in Denise’s basement with two employees at her Lexington home and have since moved to our current location in West Columbia, now housing a team of six designers!
Q. Tell us about your journey starting your business.
A. My mom, Denise Bouknight, has been in the floral industry for 36 years, and in 2011 started her own company, By Design Holiday and Events, focusing on special event/wedding florals and holiday design for commercial clients. 
In 2017, I left my job to take over the wedding division of the business. I felt I had a pretty good background in flowers, design, and decorating, having grown up around it, but I have loved diving in and learning more as I’ve been immersed in it! Our team has grown, but we are really like a family. Each of us come from various designing backgrounds, which adds such a unique perspective.
Q. What sets you apart from other vendors in the floral industry?
A. It is all in the details! I love chatting with planners, clients, and their families - getting to know their story, vision, and important aspects of their special day. Every event we do is customized. I want to be as thorough as possible in placing my flower orders, designing arrangements, and following through into the execution on the day-of to make sure their dream has been carried out.
Q. What do you enjoy most about working in the floral industry?
A. There are so many things I love about what I do, but the people are at the top of my list! I get to meet families as they plan their highly anticipated big day, I have the opportunity to work creatively with inspiring 
vendors, and my team at By Design is truly a joy to work with. I also really enjoy the flowers themselves. The endless varieties of textures, colors, and combinations is so fun to work with. No day is the same!
Q. What current trends do you personally like?
A. I am really into bleached foliage right now, especially used in a monochromatic style. I think foliage add a lot of interesting textures and design flow, and the white really makes them pop! Bold color palettes are also something I am really loving, especially playing to the different seasons! I think I’ll always be a blue and white girl at heart! And finally, highlighting existing features at venues with statement floral installations is definitely a way to make your event one to remember!
Q. What is your favorite flower?
A. I could give you a list a mile long for this because I like different flowers for different reasons! If I have to choose one, I would say a poppy. I love their long skinny stems, crinkled petals, and the bold colors possibilities. They seem cheerful too!
Q. Anything else you would like to share?
A. I love the versatility of the floral industry. From blush roses with soft eucalyptus to citrus blooms with trailing smilax and everything in between, there is really a color palette and design style for everyone! There is no “one size fits all” when it comes to flowers, and that is what keeps it so fun and ever changing. I love having the opportunity to hear a client’s vision, offer my own professional advice, and watch it all come together on the big day!
Connect with By Design via their website, Instagram or email!
https://www.bydesignsc.com/ @bydesignsc madison@bydesignsc.com
Lastly, we spoke with Grant Lorick, owner of Something Special Florist & Gifts.
Q. How long have you been in business?
A. The shop has been in business for 45 years and I have owned it for 22 years.
Q. Tell us about your journey starting your business.
A. I started right out of high school in the floral and plant business, which makes this July 35 years that I have been in the industry.
Q. What sets you apart from other vendors in the floral industry?
A. We really listen to what the client says and asks for, so we can give them what they want, not what we want to do.
Q. What do you enjoy most about working in the floral industry?
A. I always have enjoyed being on the creative side of florals! I really like when a bride comes in and says, “I don’t want my wedding to look like it came from a catalog.”
Q. What current trends do you personally like?
I really like the use of dried naturals that we are seeing a lot of now!
Q. What is your favorite flower?
A. I’m a gerbera daisy fan.
Q. Anything else you would like to share?
A. We really do like to listen to the bride so that she gets what she is looking for (or the vision in her head) and not a cookie cutter wedding.
Connect with Something Special Florist & Gifts via their website, Instagram or email!
https://floristonmain.com/ @floristonmain floristonmain@aol.com
If you are planning a wedding or event in the Columbia area, do not hesitate to reach out to the great individuals mentioned in this blog. We are sure you will not be disappointed. Happy planning!
For more information regarding the Lace House, email us at lacehouse@scprt.com
or give us a ring at 803-737-2235. We look forward to hearing from you!
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@SouthCarolinaLaceHouse 
@SouthCarolinaLaceHouse 
@SouthCarolinaLaceHouse