My Story
How It Started
It was April of 2020, in the middle of the Covid-19 pandemic, and I was a bride-to-be, trying to finalize the details of my fast-approaching (end of August) wedding date, despite the ever-changing restrictions. When it was announced that all gatherings had to be under 15 people, we made the decision to abandon our original wedding plan and get married within 30 days, for fear that the restrictions would reduce our guest count even further and prevent our own immediate families from being able to attend. Unable to find a florist who could work with such a short timeline, I decided to make my own wedding flowers. I had been dabbling in floral design for a couple of years already, but I had never done a wedding before. While making my wedding flowers, I discovered I had a passion and talent for wedding floral design, specifically. After doing my own wedding, I assisted in the planning and floral design of many friends' weddings as well.
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How It (Briefly) Went
In February of 2022, I officially launched Simply Celebrate as a business. I was was heavily pregnant at the time, but I worked to build a clientele and acquire a vast rental inventory. In May, I had my first full-wedding set up... and it was only two weeks after I had given birth to our son. After the chaos started, it did not slow down. Over the course of that summer and the 2023 wedding season, I did over 200 weddings while juggling being a new mom and dealing with all that entails. The business grew despite these challenges, and I was able to add items such as dinnerware, fresh florals, and linens to my inventory. I was able to hire summer staff. But the more the business grew, the more it demanded. I was exhausted, and ultimately wanted more time with my family than I was able to take.
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Near the end of the 2023 season, my family suffered loss and a series of medical issues. I pushed everything in my personal life aside to get the job done and finish the wedding commitments I had made, because in the wedding world, the show must go on. But that time of pushing through solifidied in my mind that I needed to change the way I ran my business.
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How It's Going
Once I had wrapped up the last of my 2023 weddings, I decided to shut down the entire rental portion of my business, except for a few of my most popular backdrops. I also decided to no longer offer fresh or completely custom florals. These changes enabled me to finally prioritize my family and my health (and my sanity).​ My last change was shifting my focus to artificial flowers. Since I already had all of the contacts, it just made sense.
Currently, I offer artificial flowers by the bunch - perfect for DIY brides who want quality without having to spend a fortune. DIY packages and pre-made options will be available soon as well (stay tuned!). My current goal is to expand my inventory and offer a wider selection of artificial flower varieties. Eventually, I also plan on adding more options for customization and custom pieces.
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This arrangement is 100% artificial / faux florals and greenery
What's Next?
Honestly, I don't know yet. Perhaps one day, I will do full wedding decor rentals again. But for now, I'm focusing on helping brides have affordable, realistic, and beautiful flowers. And I'm doing it in a way that enables me to enjoy doing it! ​
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- Teigan Anderson, Owner