Today we’d like to introduce you to Kristian Ellison.
Hi Kristian, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
As a high school sophomore, I decided to join FFA(Future Farmers of America). I began to work little by little with plants, soil, and floral design. I was one of the students who would take care of the school greenhouse and plant sales. I enjoyed getting my hands dirty and soaking up any knowledge about horticulture.
My high school years were marked by extreme shyness. I avoided raising my hand, doing presentations, and participating in extracurricular activities. However, a pivotal moment changed everything. My teacher, recognizing my potential, pushed me to compete in Floral Design competitions for FFA. I embraced the challenge, staying after school to practice designing flowers, learning the history of floral design, and identifying all types of cut flowers and greenery. This was the turning point that led to my full immersion in the world of floral design. My passion for floral design was all-consuming. I even secured a job as a floral designer for a local flower shop. I continued to work there until the spring of 2016, all the while harboring plans of opening my own business. The timing was uncertain, but fate intervened. In April of 2016, at the age of 19, I took the leap and opened my business, Kristian Designs.
I chose Kristian Designs because of one thing, well, two. My name is Kristian, but I also wanted my business model, me as a person/leader, and my designs to represent my faith. Whenever someone hears Kristian Designs, I want something positive from working with me and my flowers. I wanted the overall experience to be the job I came here to do, and I wanted to build a relationship with whomever I did flower work for.
Over the years, I have continued to grow and take on more weddings and events all over Georgia, South Carolina, Florida, and North Carolina. On top of that, in 2019, I got the privilege of doing flowers for an event at Georgia Southern University(which was a massive goal of mine), and I have continued to work with them since then.
I am so proud of the journey I have been on and everything I have been through to get to where I am today. I started with just one to two weddings a year and now get to work with so many clients on weddings and events yearly. Through the past few years, I have also come into freelancing which has helped my floral design skills grown while also building an awesome relationship with several other talented designers across the low country.
I am still truly amazed by this job and the opportunities floral design has brought my way. It feels like a dream!
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
There have been many obstacles initially, but I continue learning new things. Opening a business, at just 19, for one thing. That was hard getting others to trust someone so young in the industry with some of the most important moments in their lives.
Upon opening my business, I started with just one to two weddings a year and now sometimes exceed 40 weddings and events yearly. In the beginning it was hard getting new clients in a large city that I wasn’t very well known. I am so thankful for the community of vendors who have trusted me with their clients, which has made it possible to grow and build my business over the years.
Another huge obstacle that I am still currently facing is that in 2023, I was diagnosed with Lyme Disease, as well as a few other things that coincide with Lyme. This has brought many daily challenges to the duties of business owners in the wedding/event industry. From memory and cognitive problems, to extreme fatigue, this has brought upon a whole list of challenges that I have to face through the work week.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
Kristian Designs is a full-service, published floral design company servicing the low country area and beyond. We love bringing beautiful and unique arrangements to both weddings and events. I work closely with each client to give a tailored, custom, and fun experience. Using inspiration, I will create something original and beautiful for your wedding or event that showcases you. Besides florals, I also offer Wedding Coordination. We are the ones that put all the details together and handle the stress of the day. We are present for your rehearsal and wedding day from start to end. Anything and everything from coffee runs, helping you with your dress, calling out family pictures, serving the cake, the list goes on. I want to ensure that neither you nor anyone at your wedding party/family has to worry about anything!
As part of the floral design side of my business, I would say my design style is more on the modern side. I really like to incorporate fun details or something memorable to the arrangements to make them even more personable and special to the client. I want people to notice all the little details and sometimes wonder how we made it happen. From hand written notes, to adding fruit into the arrangements, it is so fun being creative and adding the details that set us apart in the industry.
I am also so proud of staying true to myself and running my business in a way that represents my faith and values. There have been many obstacles initially, but I continue learning new things daily. and persevere to make Kristian Designs better. I want anyone who works with us to feel the presence of the Lord in our work and actions. I am so proud of the journey I have been on and everything I have been through to get to where I am today.
We’d be interested to hear your thoughts on luck and what role, if any, you feel it’s played for you?
I don’t think I would call it luck, but more hard work. I am sure others who own a business agree, but something I have put in my mindset since the beginning is “If I don’t do it, no one will.” I really think that if you are to grow a small business, than working really hard at it, setting goals, and moving towards those goals is essential in the success of it all. So, I wouldn’t say I have good luck, but a very hard work ethic on myself to grow, learn new things, and achieve those goals.
Pricing:
- Wedding Florals Minimum-$4,000
- Coordination Minimum-$2,000
- Event Florals
- Personal Deliveries
- Corporate Events
Contact Info:
- Website: https://kristiandesigns.net/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kristian.designs/?hl=en
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/kristiandesignsflorals/
