Today we’d like to introduce you to Sarah Le Duc.
Sarah, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
I’ve always had a passion for floral arranging. I first started working with flowers in college and quickly fell in love with making people happy with flowers. When my husband, Nathan, and I got married, I wanted to be able to keep my bouquet forever, so we sent our flowers to a major flower preservation company. Unfortunately, that company did not take good care of our flowers and the preservation we received didn’t replicate the feeling of our wedding day. Because of this, I decided to try my hand at flower preservation and discovered a new avenue to channel my love of flowers. I wanted to be able to offer the highest quality experience to other brides and families with the assurance that I would treat their flowers the way I would treat my own. Nathan and I have now had the honor of preserving hundreds of wedding and funeral arrangements and haven’t looked back since! We feel so incredibly grateful for this opportunity to be a small part of such meaningful moments in people’s lives and especially that we can do so while raising our own little family.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Getting into the flower preservation industry was a big learning curve! Beyond knowing how to arrange flowers and understanding the needs of each type of flower in its living state, there’s a bit of science that affects the outcome of a preservation. With lots of trial and error and many, many test flowers, we’ve discovered the secrets of flower preservation that allow us to give these beautiful arrangements a second life!
In addition to the hours of learning and growth, my husband and I have had many late nights processing orders to make sure the flowers are cared for according to their natural timelines and to return them to our clients as soon as possible. It’s definitely been a labor of love, and so rewarding to feel the trust from our amazing customers.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
This work is a combination of art and science. Because flowers are living beings, we want to treat them with the utmost respect and give them the best chance of transforming into a state that maintains the feelings they portrayed before the preservation process. This means that we have to know how each individual species will respond to both pressing and resin preservation methods, as well as what materials to use for color correction and repairs if needed. We don’t just simply cut and place flowers into a press – we often have to deconstruct them petal by petal, then spend hours reconstructing them once they are dried. There is so much that goes into a finished piece that many people don’t realize how long it can actually take from start to finish!
As artists, at Eternal Bouquet we are known for going the extra mile. We’ve picked up flowers from an event late at night to make sure the flowers get preserved before they wilt. We spend extra time rearranging a design until our clients love the final arrangement. And on top of all of that, we communicate directly with customers to keep them updated each step of the way so they always know where their flowers are. Most flower preservation companies only allow a limited amount of design iterations which is bound to leave some people trapped with an arrangement they don’t love. We find this unacceptable and want to make sure that the flowers that carry so much meaning still represent the moments they hold for every client.
I am so proud of how far Eternal Bouquet has come and of the personal growth it has allowed me and Nathan to experience as husband and wife. I love working together as a team and I think that is part of the charm of our small business.
In terms of your work and the industry, what are some of the changes you are expecting to see over the next five to ten years?
This industry seems to grow more and more every year! As people have learned more about the possbilities for their special event flowers, the demand for flower preservation has only increased. My biggest hope for the future of this industry is that despite this growth, flower preservation artists never lose sight of the sacred memories being preserved every day. This is not the time or place for emotionless mass production – every arrangement deserves the same amount of care and respect as if it were our own!
Pricing:
- Our preservation services start at $300 and change depending on the type and size of the final piece. Even our smallest pieces take hours to complete, and we always make sure to allow for ample time to work with our customers to find an arrangement they will love forever!
Contact Info:
- Website: https://eternalbouquet.com
- Instagram: @eternalbouquetco
- Facebook: @eternalbouquetco
