Sarah Luthy | A-List Vendor Profile

May 27, 2020

You may have noticed Gwen Floral Co. is not named after its owner, Sarah Luthy. In fact, Sarah named her business in honour of her late grandmother, Gwen. (Cue tears!) Gwen always nurtured her granddaughter’s creative endeavours – little crafts, seashell collecting, piano-playing, and in her final days, flowers.

I would venture to say Sarah is doing her grandmother proud with her beautiful creations and heartfelt approach to her craft and business. I asked Sarah to let us in on what makes her tick, how she got started in wedding floristry, and what’s trending in 2020-2021 wedding flowers!

Sarah, tell me about how you came to work in the wedding industry.

I’ve always loved weddings. I remember when I was 12 and I was invited to my older cousin’s wedding, I was SO excited. I paid so much attention to the details — I still remember the favours, the seating chart, the dress, the moment she walked down the aisle.

My love for weddings was reignited when I got married in 2016 – this was around the time I was creating flowers for my friends’ weddings. I loved planning my own wedding and communicating with my various suppliers, and not long after I got married, I decided I wanted to work in the wedding industry!

The business is three-years-old now, which feels so young, but at the same time I can’t imagine doing anything else. I’ve been blown away with the growth of the business over the last three years and am honoured that so many couples have chosen US to play a part in their day. As the business was quickly growing, I realised that I couldn’t possibly do it all on my own so I now have a small but mighty team of assistant designers that help me out when needed.

What lead you to become a wedding florist?

I’ve always been a creative. Music and art were my ‘things’ in school. I’d picked up flowers as a bit of a hobby when I was freshly out of high school while I was studying my music degree. After creating flowers for a few friend’s weddings, I realised how much I loved it and that just maybe I could make a living out of it! I quickly decided to change my career plans and started Gwen Floral Co the following year.

What’s trending in wedding floristry right now?

The sophisticated luxe and lush floral theme is definitely in! Dried flowers are also a hit. We are definitely seeing trends move away from rustic more of a chic look. Brides are opting for quite lush floral-heavy designs with quite minimal greenery and incorporating interesting dried textures. I’m here for it! Buuut I’m also a lover of all things romantic and whimsical, so I do love creating luxurious garden-inspired designs too.

What’s something you live for?

I’ve watched the FRIENDS series at least seven times. It’s kind of embarrassing. My husband and I have it on repeat; it’s our go-to show when we want to watch something that doesn’t involve thinking! I’m also a dog mum to two labradoodles. If you like FRIENDS or dogs, then there’s a very good chance we will get along really well.

You have a completely free day to hang out on the Sunshine Coast. Get out about! Where are you going, what are you doing and who are you with?

We recently moved to North Brisbane (I’m thankful that it’s NORTH Brisbane so driving to the Sunshine Coast is only an hour drive). I love the beach, but Montville and Maleny have always had my heart. You’ll probably find me wandering Montville with my husband or girl friends, indulging in a delicious fancy lunch.

GwenFloralCo_PeterandMaePhotography&Videography2

Take me through your process of your on-the-day job.

The funny things with wedding floral design is that 80% of the work is done before the wedding day! It of course all starts at the initial enquiry when we begin unpacking the client’s vision. After months and months of planning and preparation, the real action starts two to four days before the wedding day. Early market trips, hours of flower prep, making the bouquets, buttonholes, centrepieces & all the rest (not to mention the relentless amount of cleaning and bucket-scrubbing!)

On the day, we typically start off early in the morning by tying off the bouquets and getting everything safely packaged up and loading the vehicle for delivery. We usually deliver the bridal party flowers on the way to the venue/s before arriving at the venue and getting everything unloaded. Depending on various logistics we’ll typically design the arbour and ceremony space first before setting up the reception florals and any other decor we are providing.

Often we are required to stay close by during the ceremony so that we can transfer the ceremony florals to the reception space. After that, we get the last few things back in the vehicle, drive home, usually pour a sneaky glass of wine and rest after a BIG week!

What makes Gwen Floral Co. stand out from the crowd?

Our clients are so much more than a number or ‘just another booking’. I deeply care about my client’s individual vision for their day and will bend over backwards to ensure that vision is brought to life. I also love building more of a personal connection with them so they feel valued and cared for throughout the process, as I know how emotional and overwhelming wedding planning can be.

What do your happy clients always say after having worked with you?

My favourite one it “you exceeded my expectations”! I also often get comments about how smooth and easy they found the planning process – that makes my heart smile!

Fallen in love with Gwen Floral Co.?

You’d better act fast, because Sarah’s availability for 2020 weddings is limited! She’s so popular, 2021 dates are filling fast as well, so enquire today to find out if you’d lucky enough to land her and her incredible florals for your Sunshine Coast wedding.