Juniper Flowers

Juniper Flowers

I met the lovely and talented Jean Louise Paquin Allen at the 2006 Seattle Wedding Show.  She had transformed a 5×10 space into a wonderland of greenery and florals.  It was amazing!  I couldn’t believe how she was able to transform her small space into the beauty before my eyes.  (I wish I had a photo to show you guys!)  Ever since that moment, I have been a huge fan of Jean Louise and her business, Juniper Flowers.

Jean Louise Paquin Allen
Owner of Juniper Flowers
Seattle, Washington (sell nationwide)
www.juniperflowers.com
established in 2003

What is your favorite thing about weddings?

Seeing everything come together…I love stepping back and looking at it as a whole – coordinating bouquets, centerpieces, table linens and any other accents…it is interior design to me.

What is your best tip for time management?

Making notes on how long things actually take to assemble…that way you know how much advanced notice you need to prep, how many freelancers you need to hire, etc. For example- I have a log of how long it takes to make a flower ball,wrap 400 favors in ti leaves, string orchids from ribbons, that type of thing.  Also, I just bought an old fashioned “minute minder” timer to stay on track.

What is your little marketing secret?

Not a secret at all, its pretty simple…put your best work out at all times- it doesn’t matter if it’s a corsage for prom, $35 floral in a restaurant ladies room, or a $200 centerpiece. Someone will always ask “who did the flowers?”  Word of mouth and good referrals are free marketing essentials.

What is the funnest trend you are seeing in the industry?

This really isn’t a new trend but its still great…green flowers, greenery, shades of green table linens.  I like to accent all these green tones with black river rock, either scattered on tables or in bottoms of vases.  Also for green toned bouquets, I add little bits of moss or succulents.

If you were starting your business all over again, what would you have done differently?

I wasted a lot of time in word, excel is the word!

Thanks JL!  You rock!

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