Today we’d like to introduce you to Angelica Zelenov.
So, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
I am originally from Russia, where the winters are long and the summer days are short. Since I was a young girl, even four years old, I remember those cherished summer days and going through the spacious fields full of wildflowers. When all my friends would grab fistfuls of those flowers to make their bouquets, I would admire and choose each flower individually. I admired what each flower added to the arrangement. When the long, cold winters set in, I would scavenge for dried flowers to make decorations for our home.
I never dreamed of becoming a florist as a child, it simply wasn’t a profession at that time during the former USSR. There were no techniques or places to study such things. I believe that God gave me this ability to create lovely art from flowers as a natural talent.
In 1999, I visited the United States for the first time. It was on that trip that the wife in our host family, Anna Jarrett, showed me that arranging flowers could actually be a profession. She worked as a florist for Hallmark and let me come to work with her, showing me many things and techniques that were very interesting to me. She noticed my enthusiasm and talent and encouraged me to pursue this path back in Russia. At that point she provided me with supplies, tutorials, resources and encouragement to continue developing my passion to serve people with my gift to create.
Upon my return to Russia, I began routinely decorating our churches for the girls who would be married there. This, shortly after, morphed into a full-time business that has since become quite successful and popular in Russia. It continues to operate as one of my affiliates.
Seven years ago, my family moved to the United States. We had only a couple of suitcases and no specific plans to pursue. I started working in the floral department at Costco and began to generate a growing side business as more and more people would ask me if I could do the floral arrangements for their wedding. Since then I have made this my full-time profession – doing weddings every weekend. Many thanks to the team of talented women that work with me. Many thanks to Sergey, my husband and greatest support, who comes with me to most every wedding and helps me with set up. I can truly say that America is the land of opportunity, and the American Dream is attainable to anyone.
I take great joy in working with brides of all styles and budgets. I want to make each bride’s wedding dreams come true. As it was when I was a child, I still take great care in choosing each individual flower, adorning the memories that will last a lifetime.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
After Russia, where it is very difficult to start and maintain an honest business, having a business in America is very easy. In America, I haven’t needed to do any specific advertising. I believe, if one does their job well here, the word of mouth advertising is very effective.
From A to Z Design – what should we know? What do you guys do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
I mostly do floral arrangements and decorations for weddings. I meet with each bride and groom beforehand, getting to know them, their personalities, their dreams and then work with them to materialize this. I believe that each bride and groom’s special moment in time deserves to be captured in such a way that their personalities are reflected in the flowers and arrangements. As the bride walks down the aisle, my goal is that others can say, “that is so her.”
I also have a great network of people, rentals and other wedding resources that I can offer if desired.
What moment in your career do you look back most fondly on?
One particular wedding that I did at the Bass Hall in Fort Worth. This was a very large wedding with rare and unusual flowers, very captivating for my creativity and requiring a lot of forethought for excellent executing. As I looked back at my work after the last flower was in place, I knew that my work was masterful. Being part of a wedding with such history and class was truly an honor. Every part of this wedding was exquisite and unparalleled.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.fromatozdesign.com
- Phone: 817-897-8293
- Email: atozflowers@outlook.com
- Instagram: fromatozdesign
- Facebook: from a to z design
Image Credit:
Chris Frailey Photo, Dexter Evants, San Angel Photo
Getting in touch: VoyageDallas is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.
