Today we’d like to introduce you to Nicole Fawn Fernandes.
Hi Nicole, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
I was born in St. Petersburg, FL and lived a pretty typical Florida life, spending lots of time swimming and hunting shells at the beach. My father died when I was only six months old, but my mother had a strong support system with my grandparents to help her make sure I got everything I could need growing up. My mother worked hard to set me up for a life in the equestrian industry, which I embraced passionately through my adolescence. I don’t think I ever considered doing anything else until my late twenties when a close friend Alicia who I previously rode horses for started having weddings at her farm Barrington Hill in Dade City. She knew I was creative and crafty, so when she had a big wedding coming up with many florals, she asked if I could come to help her.
At the time, I had recently gotten married and had my beautiful daughter, so I enjoyed being a stay at home mom and taking a break from working which I was feeling burnt out and stressed out from. The idea of getting to be creative and “playing” with flowers sounded like a ton of fun, so I agreed to help Alicia and I was hooked from that wedding on! I came home and watched tutorials, YouTube videos and read books all about floral arranging. I helped Alicia part-time for the next five years until my daughter was ready to attend school full time. I have now started up my own floral company, Fawning For Florals LLC. I still have a wonderful partnership with Alicia at Barrington Hill Farm and now have the added benefit of offering my services to other venues and companies. I’ve recently joined as a vendor with a South Tampa company called Brown Sugar Event Co that offers intimate dinners and picnics all around Tampa Bay. I love the creative freedom being a florist provides me with. It’s truly wonderful to have someone give you a color scheme and then see their face light up with joy when you bring them their flowers. While I loved horseback riding and I wouldn’t change a thing about my upbringing in the equestrian industry, I’ve truly found my peace and real talent with floral design.
We all face challenges, but looking back, would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
It’s been a relatively smooth road. I think I had some emotional difficulties in the sense that I didn’t want to disappoint my mother by any longer pursuing a career in riding and training horses since she had worked so hard to provide that for me. I believe that she is proud of me now, though, for following my passion and providing a life of happiness and calm for myself and my family. I certainly ran into some roadblocks when the timing of starting my own company was right before the coronavirus hit. I had weddings and events booked for the spring of 2020 and of course, those all got canceled or delayed, which was frustrating, but it gave me time to get creative and find others to collaborate with! I put my energy into collaborating on some styled shoots that ended up being very successful and getting published in a few magazines and online media formats. I went into the coronavirus times with the outlook of making the best of an otherwise not so great situation, always trying hard to stay positive and focus on my craft!
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar, what can you tell them about what you do?
I’m a wedding and event florist. I specialize in wedding florals and I love collaborating with other creatives on style shoots as well. I find an excuse to have a floral arrangement at just about any event, lol. I love using greenery or flowers that grow native to Florida; I even have a good-sized garden in my backyard to incorporate into my arrangements when possible. I’m most proud of the progress I’ve made with my company this year despite covid 19 and that my work has been published many times this year! I’m known for my ability to take a customer’s idea or inspiration and turn it into a floral design that reflects what they feel and want to express with the floral aesthetics. One thing that sets me apart from other Florists is that I have a keep it local, farm to table approach. I care deeply about the environment, so I make an effort to use practices that decrease my negative impact on the environment. I source what I can locally, grow a cut garden of my own, and reuse rubberbands and boxes that my purchased florals come in. I also pride myself on excellent customer service and communication!
Is there anyone you’d like to thank or give credit to?
My dear friend Alicia Trias at Barrington Hill Farm has played a big role for me since she introduced me to floral design and taught me the basics. My dear friends Michelle, Ami and Meghan, have also been big supporters of me. They are always there to help with advice or recommend me to others. Brown Sugar Event Co has been an awesome client for the past few months. The founder, Heather, is just the kindest person who is absolutely a pleasure to work with! There are also a handful of other vendors I’ve worked with who are amazing and are constantly recommending me, Journey’s photography 941, Alexis Malin Photography, Fierce Vanity Bartending, Becca Carrigan at Glamour & Grind and Exclusive Lens Photography. My mother, daughter and cousins are fabulous cheerleaders, always complimenting my work. My biggest supporter by far is my husband. He owns his own plumbing contracting company and no matter how tired he is at the end of the day, if he saw I needed help filling my LLC or comparing insurance quotes, he was right there helping me. He even builds my arch frames for wedding backdrops and any other crazy idea I come up with, lol! I couldn’t ask for a better group of people to surround myself with.
Contact Info:
- Email: Fawningforfloralsllc@gmail.com
- Instagram: Www.instagram.com/Fawning_For_Florals
- Facebook: Www.facebook.com/fawningforfloralsllc
Image Credits
Journeysphotography941
Exclusivelensphotography
Thinkpinkphotography
