In the coming weeks, we’ll introduce you to some of the top-notch Maine wedding vendors we’ve worked with at French’s Point. This month, meet Judy Bourgeois, owner of Flora Fauna in North Yarmouth, Maine, a floral design studio where flowers are just one part of making your dream event come true.
What drew you to floral design?
FLORA FAUNA: After teaching for 10 years and having my two beautiful boys, I retired and began Flora Fauna, a nod to my two favorite things in the world: flowers and animals. We specialize in weddings and events only, and we do not have a retail shop, nor do we want one. We love focusing on those most special days in peoples’ lives and bringing their dreams to reality.
Tell us about Flora Fauna’s services.
FLORA FAUNA: We help our clients with the full design of their event, including color selection, flowers, linens, rentals, soft seating areas, lighting, and other decor. We work on a very personal level with our clients to turn their ideas into a cohesive design for their event. On the day of the wedding, we are on-site, taking great care in every detail, no matter how small, to make sure the event is everything the client wants and more. More than 95% of our work is weddings.
My goal is to listen and learn about the bride and groom as a couple, their personal style and the overall feel they want to evoke the day of the wedding. One thing that sets us apart from other retail florists is that we have the time and ability to serve our clients extremely well. Brides come to us at various points, from having no ideas at all to a full design board with photos, fabrics and Pantone color swatches. I know I have done my job when I hear comments from friends and family members that the wedding looks just like the bride’s style.
What should brides know about booking Flora Fauna?
FLORA FAUNA: Booking season for us is year-round, with most bookings occurring November – March. About half of our brides book us a year out from their wedding date, and another 40% book 6-8 months before the wedding. Most of my clients book me without ever meeting me in person and a small number I don’t meet in person until the day of the wedding.
When a bride/client contacts us, we send out information via email: references and a pre-planning sheet to help organize their thoughts around their floral and decor needs. If possible, we meet in person. This meeting is also done via email, Skype or phone calls, as many of our clients are not from Maine. A client is then sent a contract to secure my services and save their date with a required minimum deposit.
The design process begins with visiting the ceremony site and venue, and the client shares their vision of the day. We talk about their budget right from the beginning, which helps us figure out the best design to suit their needs. Most of the time we visit the site twice: once at the beginning and once again about a month before the wedding to go over final details. Developing a personal relationship builds trust and helps us to translate their style on the day of the wedding.
You were just at French’s Point in early June to design a wedding. Share some details about that special day.
Lisa and Jesse, a couple from Brooklyn, N.Y., wanted a small, intimate wedding with gorgeous flowers and great food. We went with an aubergine, lime green, white and silver theme. We created Lisa’s bouquet with peonies, orchids, Picasso calla lily, deep aubergine ranunculus, Tye leaves and cymbidium orchids, and wrapped it with a piece of silk from the sash on her dress.
Every table had pretty votives made of different styles of vintage cut glass, and we used a mix of wooden square vases and vintage Fenton glass vases. For the ceremony, we created large sprays of flowers at the gazebo and we hung cute green glass buckets on the chairs.