Today we’d like to introduce you to Tammy Chandler.
Tammy, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
When I began my flower business, I was serving the students of Frisco ISD as the elementary math coordinator. I had been in education for over twenty years and loved researching and designing a math curriculum. In 2013, I was diagnosed and received treatment for Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma, I needed to find another outlet for ridding my body of stress even though I spent time weekly at the gym. Growing up, I loved arts and crafts, I spent much of my free time with creative projects including drawing, making macrame plant holders, cross-stitching, needle pointing, etc. During a Christmas holiday break, I helped out with arranging florals for a local event at a family-owned gift shop in west Texas and absolutely loved it. So, when I returned home from the break, I enrolled in night classes on floral arranging and found that when working with flowers I felt peace and calm. I always get caught up in the moment of simply designing and brings me joy each time I complete a job. You can’t put a price on the feeling you get when you see your client’s happiness or the effect the florals have on adding that much more beauty to a wedding or event. I began my business, Celebration Flowers, part-time as a florist serving the north Dallas area in 2014. For the past year, I have gone full-time with Celebration Flowers, being named 2018 Best Weddings Pick at The Knot. I have been blessed to work with the most amazing brides and have been cancer-free for over 3 years.
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc. – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
Keeping balance in your life for overall health and happiness as you pursue your career/passion is the best advice I can give to young women beginning their journeys. It is important that a woman is able to independently support themselves but also maintain a healthy balance between work and living life (physically, mentally and emotionally). Know also that you can develop unknown passions at any point during your journey so remaining open-minded because we all have multiple passions. Ultimately, developing/maintaining confidence and having a growth mindset are key attributes in achieving career goals.
We’d love to hear more about Celebration Flowers.
The market niche that Celebration Flowers targets is primarily weddings and events. I love working with brides as they begin planning their vision of their perfect wedding day. My job is to make it a reality whether creating bouquets that are original or re-creating from a bride’s inspiration board. The floral design and arranging include all the florals for the bridal party such as bouquets, boutonnieres, corsages, altar arrangements, aisle pieces, flower crowns/wands. I also provide floral arrangements for the reception venue along with some decor pieces as well. We primarily serve the north Texas area including Frisco, McKinney, Carrollton, Prosper, Aubrey, and Celina; However, I have done a share of weddings in the greater DFW area. Much of my business is word of mouth, social media or The Knot. Since being a pick for best of weddings in 2018 by The Knot which is based on 2017 reviews from my past brides, my business has increased.
So much of the media coverage is focused on the challenges facing women today, but what about the opportunities? Do you feel there are any opportunities that women are particularly well positioned for?
I believe today that women have a significant amount of opportunities in almost any field of work. Women are well-positioned for what they believe they can accomplish. In the wedding industry, there is a large representation of women with respective careers. There are many opportunities for women besides florists, including wedding coordinator, event venue coordinator, photographer, DJ, baker, caterer, design consultant, event furniture rental, etc. As in any field, networking is so important. I have experienced much support from my colleagues (other florists in the field) and from other types of businesses as listed above in the wedding industry. Many of the florists in the DFW area lean on one another for ideas, rentals, help, etc.
Contact Info:
- Address: Tammy Chandler
Celebration Flowers LLC
Frisco, Texas - Website: www.celebrationflowers.net
- Phone: 1-214-460-4801
- Email: celebrationflowersfrisco@gmail.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/celebrationflowers/?hl=en
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/celebrationflowers/
Image Credit:
AveryEarlPhotography
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