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This week, Third Degree is happy to spotlight one of our preferred vendors, Petal Pushers STL. Petal Pushers STL is based on love and service, and with each bride, the focus is on creating the flowers of her dreams and making the experience a fun, personalized journey. We are always amazed by their professionalism, attention to detail, and their beautiful arrangements, of course!
Here’s a quick Q&A with the owners, Ken and Cyndi:
Tell us about Team Petal Pushers STL…
We’ve been married 37 years, and we’ve got 2 kids and 3 grandkids – probably not your average wedding florist! ☺ I guess you could say we’re a little different in the way we came to this business Ken has worked in IT all his life, and still holds down his full-time job, and I taught for 30 years, finally going part-time 3 years ago because the flower business needed more attention. We’re kind of crazy – most people in their 50’s don’t start a second act floral business – but we both are creative, and the business gives us the chance to work together, be creative, and keep our minds off missing our grandbabies who are on both coasts. It’s kind of been a dream that God put on our hearts, and when we’re doing flowers, we can really tell we’re in our lane, so to speak.
When did Petal Pushers STL open for business? Tell me about how it started:
Ken’s loved flowers all his life. He remembers growing Four O’Clocks with his grandmother, and from the time we were first married, he made arrangements for my desk at school each week. That continued until 2010 when another teacher at Cyndi’s school asked if Ken would do the flowers for her daughter’s wedding. As Ken likes to say, “It was a pretty big leap from doing desk flowers to doing wedding flowers, but we did it, and it all turned out great.” The business grew little by little, and the last few years, Team Petal Pushers caps off at 58 weddings a year.
*Adorable mention* Ken and Cyndi still do each wedding’s bouquets themselves, and like the flower-loving romantics they are, they still tear up when they see a bride walk down the aisle.
What is the core focus/mission of Petal Pushers STL? Describe your business philosophy?
Our mission at Petal Pushers STL is to serve brides and their families well, create beautiful, one-of-a-kind florals, and to bring joy and stability to what can be an overwhelming, emotion-filled time in a couple’s life. That’s really pretty much it. We like to say a Petal Pusher wedding is more thoughtful, more detail-filled, more lush, more ‘loved’ because we go the extra step. We care. It may sound corny, but we really try to treat our customers like family, and more often than not, when the wedding is over, brides often say we’re like their family. At the end of a long design day (and those days can last 14-16 hours), one of our best rev-up tricks is to talk about the bride(s) we’re making flowers for and imagine how excited she’ll be about some little detail she didn’t know was coming or some little extra something we included because we know she’ll love it.
Tell me about the services Petal Pushers STL provides…
Petal Pushers STL walks with brides through the entire wedding process from start to finish. We usually begin by meeting with a bride for an initial consult where we get to know her and talk about everything she’s dreaming of for her wedding flowers. We set up a secret Pinterest board for each bride – many florists aren’t Pinterest fans, but we love it, it’s kind of our secret sauce. Here, she’ll pin all things floral for each part of the wedding. These pins will get worked into a vision board that kind of serves as our true North from here on out. Next, we’ll take her, her family, her bridesmaids, whoever wants to come, on what we call a Cooler Walk. This is where we let brides touch the flowers, see what’s available, and choose the flowers that will go in their bouquets. After that, we’ll meet again to choose vessels and firm up details. Then, the day of the wedding, we deliver the bouquets, pin on bouts, flower the reception, and basically do everything from fluffing the bride’s dress and opening church doors to flowering trucks, dogs, and wayward grandfathers.
Fill us in on any upcoming exciting news?!
So, the big news in our part of the world is we’re going to start offering flower classes! The happiest part of our job is sharing our love for flowers and meeting wonderful people, and by adding a teaching component into our business, we’ll get to do just that. We’re starting with a Holiday Wreath Making class December 15th, and planning Wedding Centerpiece and Spring Flower classes in early 2020. Keep an eye on our Instagram page for updates and registration – https://www/thirddegreeglassfactory_725/public.instagram.com/petalpushersstl/?hl=en
We are here to help! Third Degree has an extensive preferred vendor list from tried and true professionals. From custom design and decor to creative signature cocktails, our staff can help you create an unforgettable event with our Unique Extras. To schedule a site visit, book your event or gather more info, contact Rachel at events@stlglass.com / 314-367-4527, 204.
KUDOS
“Third Degree was the perfect place to have our wedding reception! Our guests raved about how unique and open the space was. They loved that they could peruse the glass gallery, hit the dance floor or chill on the outside patio.” –Laura H.