Today we’d like to introduce you to Heather Sandison
Hi Heather, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I always say that I was a gardener first, and a florist second. My story started when my parents gifted me my first flower garden when I was about 6 years old. I was hooked. My whole childhood I would live for spring and summer when I would wake up and eagerly peek out my window to see what was blooming. When the pressures of high school and college hit though, I stopped gardening.
It wasn’t until 2020 that I made my way back, as so many of us realized that we desperately needed a hobby, and I picked flower arranging. I started buying flowers from the wholesaler and grocery store, and realized that I was pretty good at it. So naturally, I followed a ton of Instagram accounts. The algorithm digested my newfound love of flowers and my desire for a more sustainable lifestyle, and before I knew it, I was being bombarded with information about how unsustainable the floral industry was. Who knew?! I learned about the insane carbon footprint of imported flowers, the poor working conditions for flower farmers in South America, and the chemicals that are sprayed on flowers to manage pests and prep them for packaging. That’s when I realized that I really should stop buying flowers from wholesalers. This realization brought me back to my roots, and I started investing in seeds, bulbs, and so so so so much dirt. Before long, I had an incredible cutting garden, and my arrangements were so much more beautiful, unique, and fragrant than before.
After growing flowers for my own wedding, my wedding florist became my mentor and friend. Eventually she talked me into starting Front Yard Florals. I’ve never looked back.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
I’ve got to say, it has been a pretty smooth road, and I feel incredibly lucky to say so. I was so intimidated by the whole notion of starting a business, and definitely was drowning in a pool of imposter syndrome at first. Once I decided (at the advice of my very dear friend/mentor) to dive in headfirst, I was shocked and humbled by how quickly and smoothly things fell into place, due largely to the (mostly female) small business owners who have lifted me up and supported me along the way.
I was afraid of not being accepted into this really intense industry, but instead I was welcomed with open arms by wedding coordinators, photographers, HMUAs, fellow florists, and more. I am consistently humbled by how much these people care for their art, for their couples, and for their fellow vendors.
Alongside this incredible community, I also found myself as a part of the flower farming community, which is composed of some of the most selfless, hardworking and loving people I’ve ever had the pleasure of meeting. They generously have shared their tips, tricks, successes, fails, plants, flowers, you name it with me, and have really welcomed me into the fold. I can confidently say that I would not be where I am without both of these communities.
With all that being said, the notion that florists “get to play with flowers” for a living, is far from the reality, and it is a heck of a lot of work!
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
I’m a sustainable wedding florist, utilizing 100% locally grown flowers, most of which are grown in my two front yard cutting gardens in North Park and Del Cerro. My work is lightly whimsical and largely garden inspired. Couples that choose to work with me get to know their wedding flowers on a more intimate level. I offer garden consultations to my full-service couples, where we select the flowers that I will grow for their wedding. All of my couples get to follow along watching their flower babies sprout, turn into plant teenagers, and eventually bloom.
I am really intentional with the couples that I work with, as there is a lot of unpredictability in what I do. You never know what will flop or flourish each year, so a level of flexibility needs to exist. When I have couples that trust in my process, and more importantly in my garden, pure magic happens. When I put together a bouquet, I know the story of each stem from seed to ceremony, and there is so much love in that. I believe that couples deserve that kind of love in every aspect of their big day.
What matters most to you? Why?
Approachable sustainability is really high up on my list. I truly believe that sustainability is on a spectrum, and it’s so important to be honest about what that looks like for all of us trying to make a difference. I never claim to be zero waste, and I never put down fellow florists for working with foam or imported flowers. There are still a ton of ways that I could be more sustainable in my life, and that’s okay.
What I can do is continually make conscious decisions to choose the more sustainable path both in my personal life and in my business. Every year, I strive to produce less and less waste, to invest in more sustainable gardening and floral products, and to always learn and always listen. My business is how I do my part. Every wedding that I flower is one less wedding with floral foam, and one less cart of imported flowers. Every time that I purchase from local flower farmers, I am contributing to our local economy and rejecting the idea that imported flowers are necessary. Every time I plant my garden, I am feeding a colony of bees and butterflies and helping create a more beautiful world.
Small changes really do make a big impact, and the more that businesses (big and small) make sustainable options easy and approachable, the better off the world will be.
Pricing:
- No Minimum for A la Carte Weddings
- $3000 minimum for Full Service Weddings
Contact Info:
- Website: https://frontyardflorals.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/frontyardflorals_sd
Image Credits
Brittanee Taylor
Christi Blanton (Captures by Christi)
Paloma Lisa
