Plum Sage Flowers: 10 Questions with Erin Hornstein

Florist - Erin Hornstein

Business: Plum Sage Flowers
Location: Denver, Colorado CO
Experience: 16 Years in Business, 23 Years in the Industry
Profile: Plum Sage Flowers
Website: plumsageflowers.com

1. Introduction: What's your story?

After years working in flower shops in Boulder and Chicago and on an organic farm in Boulder, Erin was approached by customers and friends to create wedding flowers. Her fresh and creative vision led to the creation of Plum Sage Flowers in 2005. By word of mouth, she began creating fabulous flowers for numerous weddings and special events. Erin works with all aspects of the business, including wedding consultations, design, business operations, social media, and industry relations for Plum Sage. Erin’s favorite flowers are the hellebore (seen in PS’s logo) and locally grown dahlias. Please head over to https://plumsageflowers.com/team/ to read about the other talented team members and be sure to look over https://plumsageflowers.com/our-dogs/ to read about our mascots.

2. What's your experience as a wedding florist business? How many weddings are in there in your portfolio?

We began creating for weddings in 2005 and since then have averaged 50 to 125 annually. As the business started due to referrals for event florals, we naturally grew into a reputable company for wedding designs. We were recognized by The Knot initially as a "Best Of" Colorado Wedding Florist in 2008 and have continued to receive the award every year since, to 2021.

3. How far in advance do couples need to secure your services?

We typically book 6 to 8 months in advance. I carefully manage our calendar and ensure we have a balanced design load and do not overextend our services. High quality and service is very important to Plum Sage.

4. How do you price your floral arrangements? What are the different packages that you offer and which one is your most popular package?

There are no hidden costs with Plum Sage. Our labor/design is included in the individual item pricing. Consultations are complimentary. Delivery costs (if applicable) are spelled out at the bottom of your order form, as is the 8.41% sales tax and 4.31% delivery tax. It is not our priority to tell you what you need to spend on this aspect of your wedding day. It is the practice of Plum Sage to create beautiful and unique arrangements to match your budget requirements.

Many of our clients ask us for an idea of our pricing as we get started. It is hard for us to give you an exact answer because all of our pricing is dependent on the flowers we select for you, the quantity in the bouquets or arrangements, the design style and the containers you purchase or rent. Once we have a consultation, we can provide a custom quote for you. We do not have packages, we custom-create every order. To give you a general idea, on average, bridal bouquets run $175 to $250, bridesmaids $65 to $100, corsages $24 to $30, boutonnières $12 to $15 and ceremony decor and centerpieces vary drastically depending on style, flower quantity and container selection/rental. We will create complimentary mock up for any booked event over $5,000.

5. How many meetings will you have with the couple, and how will they be involved?

We have a very detailed process that we walk our clients through from start to finish to create their decor. On average we connect 2-4 times in person or over the phone and most additional updates can be handled via email.

6. Who else is in your team and how many people on your staff will be at the wedding?

Taylor, Chelsea and Meredith are my full time team members. Taylor comes to us after two years of design experience with two top Colorado florists. Taylor studied Ecology and Evolutionary Biology at CU Boulder and continued to pursue her love of nature by working for local nurseries, farms, and florists. Taylor strives to combine natural elements, textures, and shapes, which serve as her inspiration for creating unique botanical designs. When she’s not designing beautiful weddings, Taylor loves to tend to her cut flower garden and incorporate these flowers into her designs. Taylor’s favorite flowers are clematis and sweet peas.

Meredith is a Denver native who has always been inspired by all elements of design. She discovered her love for flowers while living in San Francisco where the Flower Mart was her favorite place to visit in the city! Meredith has a degree in Marketing from CU Boulder and started her career in e-commerce merchandising, spent five years in the oil and gas industry and part-time event planning in her spare time. In 2018, realizing she needed more creativity in her life, she left the corporate world for the fabulous world of Plum Sage where she manages studio operations. Meredith brings an eye for design, organization and loves finding inspiration in the everyday. Meredith’s favorite flowers are the O’Hara rose and ranunculus.Chelsea hails from Nashville by way of DC and brings her six years of experience as an urban farmer, permaculturalist, and eco-educator to PS. She has a degree in Sociology and Environmental Studies from Maryville College.

She served as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Mali where she worked with her community on issues of food security and water/sanitation. Chelsea has worked on organic farms in Tennessee, California, Massachusetts, and in DC. Chelsea is interested in supporting the diverse network of local growers in Colorado. When she's not at the studio you can find her walking and fostering dogs for the Maxfund Dog Shelter. Chelsea’s favorite flowers are violas and carnations (yes, seriously). In addition to these three, we have numerous part time designers that assist us in processing, design and deliveries. Staffing for an event will ultimately depend on the amount of design and set up needed on site.

7. How would you describe your design style? (e.g. traditional, modern, rustic, organic)

Our style is brought to life by the client's vision. We are capable of creating any type of design. What is ultimately important to us is creativity and quality in execution and service.

8. Who will handle setup and delivery? What other services do you offer?

We have delivery teams that handle set up and delivery. We typically have an event "captain" that is one of our full time, highly experienced team members assisted by several part time workers. We do also offer strike, or clean up, services. We also offer donation of your product to a place of your selection after the event.

9. What happens to the flowers after the wedding?

See previous answer. Guests are welcome to take any of the floral product as long as we retrieve our rental vessels. If the guests do not want florals, we collect and can donate them to a nonprofit or location of the client's choice.