An Interview with a Florist: Anthera Floral
I’m excited to start featuring more intentionally some of my favorite vendors to work with in the industry! I’m so excited to introduce you to Melissa Pack — I’ve had the privilege of working with Melissa a few times now and she is always one of my first recommendations to brides looking for a florist. She is incredibly talented, but not only that — her heart behind her work + her care and intentionality towards her clients and her flowers is just not something you get all the time. She truly loves what she does, and it shows in the magic she creates. I am always blown away by what she does! I know you’ll fall in love with her and want to hire her immediately after reading this interview — enjoy!
Anthera Floral / http://antherafloral.com/
Stories featuring Anthera Floral / Orcas Island Elopement The Dress Theory
1. Who is Melissa? What’s your heart behind what you do? What got you started in florals / where do you get your inspiration?
My connection to flowers, funny enough, began at birth, when my mother named me Melissa—which means “honey bee.” When I was 17 I got my first job as a florist at a tiny flower shop in my hometown of Edmonds, WA. After that I focused on college and nonprofit work before getting back into floral design a few years ago. I lost my mom to suicide in 2016 and it was an extremely painful time for me. I ended up leaving my job and looking for something that would be healthier and more life-giving. I ended up applying for a floral shop job on a whim, worked there for a bit, and then decided this was absolutely something I could do on my own. I chose the name Anthera because it means "medicine made from flowers" and the "anther" is the pollen-bearing part of the flower. It all felt very meaningful to me, as flowers had become a source of healing, as well as closeness to my mom, who chose the name "Melissa" in part because it meant "honey-bee".
So in addition to the healing elements of flowers and floristry, I'm also extremely inspired by color, texture, and shape. Color is definitely my #1, and I love experimenting with new palettes and choosing flowers where their colors flow together harmoniously. My clients have also described my aesthetic as organic, airy, romantic and whimsical.
2. From your standpoint - how should a bride approach her wedding florals? Why do you think flowers are such an important part of a wedding day?
Well, I know I'm biased here--but I would advocate for couples to go as far as choosing their date based on what flowers are in season! If you love peony and ranunculus--choose springtime. If you love dahlias--choose late summer/early fall. Check with your local florist to find out what's in season when. Many of my clients choose to make flowers the main decor of their wedding, and I think this is definitely a trend. Wedding flowers aren't just bouquets and table arrangements anymore. There are hanging installations, garden arches that flow all the way down the aisle, floral backdrops for photo booths--I mean the possibilities are endless! Flowers just have a way of softening the hard lines of an indoor venue, or connecting a space to nature.
3. What do you need from your dream bride/client to work together most effectively? Do the majority of your brides just trust you to make your magic?
TRUST! :) They can come to me at any point in the planning process and give me little or a lot of direction, but then I would hope that they would trust me to execute their vision. It's always a little nice when you get a ton of freedom, but it's their wedding day so it's completely understandable to want a certain look. I would say though that being open to unique ideas and additional colors also makes things easier. We florists like to try new things with our craft.
4. Your favorite ideas, things you want to try / trends for 2021 weddings?
Oh man, I could write an essay on this one. I love love love whimsical garden arches with meadow florals bordering the aisle. This look feels so magical! Also loving experimenting with shape and texture of hanging installations. I'd love to do a fancy floral chandelier one of these days. I really like the look of dyed babies breath in all kinds of arrangements to add an ethereal feel. I've also been really digging smaller, pared down bouquets that focus on just a few statement flowers with less greenery and filler.
5. Any other general notes that you’d want your dream clients to know?
I think that a lot of folks underestimate how much time and energy goes into floral design. I remember naively thinking I would do a bunch of flower arrangements for my own wedding years ago, and it was pretty much a disaster because I had no time or energy to put into it with everything else I was trying to coordinate the week and day of. I've seen many brides try to diy some of their flowers and it's really really hard and doesn't always work out. But for those who need to keep their costs of flowers down, I recommend choosing a few floral "moments" instead of trying to spread out flower arrangements everywhere in all the traditional places. Choose what will have the biggest impact and focus your flowers there. And we florists are always here to help you figure it out!