This week on Behind the Door, I’m very excited to be visiting with a florist I’ve long admired – Grace from Floretta. Floretta are well known in the Melbourne wedding industry as a florist with design at it’s heart. Over the past few years Grace and her team have been very busy creating bouquets, arrangements, installations and floral works of art for weddings all over Melbourne.

Grace has a background in graphic design and was working in a big design studio when her love of flowers started to become a serious obsession. “I was so excited to create arrangements for my own wedding” says Grace, “I used it as an excuse to start studying floristry and not long after that I booked my first job”.  Grace put her design skills to work and quickly discovered that she not only loved being a florist, but her clients (loved up couples!) loved her unique designs and creative ideas when it came to decorating their big day.

Image 3 by Oy Photography

Floretta started in a small studio space where Grace quickly found herself needing more room. “Once we started doing multiple weddings per weekend and hiring staff, it just became too tight” says Grace. “Everyone had to clear as they went and it limited how productive everyone could be”. Grace’s husband Gus also came on board and hand built frames for installations, their own flower stands and hanging pieces and he needed space for a workshop too.

Grace and Gus started a search of warehouses located nearby the flower market and found their dream warehouse space in Melbourne’s North. “It’s perfect because it’s ten minutes to the market and there’s so much room that we can fit an office, multiple workbenches, storage, cool room, workshop AND a big communal kitchen for breaks and staff lunches.”

With a background in design, of course Grace set to work designing the warehouse to not only suit their needs but to look beautiful as well. “We painted the floor and Gus built handmade work benches so each florist has plenty of their own space. We designed the kitchen and bathroom with modern industrial features like exposed copper pipes and big cement sinks”. I especially loved the long shelves of vases in every size, style and colour imaginable.

A busy time finds the space full of florists creating bouquets, arrangements and feature pieces under Grace’s watchful eye. All the while Gus carefully packs everything into their custom fitted vehicles, ready for delivery. Grace and Gus’s ten month old baby Rocco is also a regular visitor and no doubt will be the cutest little helper in a few years!

Image 8 by The White Tree 

I ask Grace what her favourite parts about running Floretta are and she tells me she loves the beginning and the end parts of the process. “I love initial meetings, being creative and coming up with a custom concept for each bride, but I also love seeing it all come together on the day. Having a last look and taking a few pictures is always a highlight”.

Images 1,2,4,5,6,7,9 by Gus Reyes

Ms Zebra Says: Not only do these photo’s look amazing, but Grace and her company Floretta do the most stunning installations! Their Weddings are next level – definitely someone to keep in mind if you’ve got impending nuptials!!!

About Amelia Waddell of Make Your Day Wedding Styling: I’m a wedding stylist and proud store owner who loves to chat weddings with everyone and anyone! I love to talk shop with other business owners (particularly over some chocolate cake!) and am the first to try and have a sticky beak behind the scenes of any event. My free time is spent ‘investigating’ new cafes, stores and events. Make Your Day Wedding Styling is my creative outlet and I love nothing more than that ten minutes just before the guests enter the wedding reception, it feels like a special sort of magic!