My Biz: Visions of Silk offers ‘budget friendly’ wedding floral artistry

When Linda Kula began working with silk floral arrangements 30 years ago, she thought it would simply be a hobby.

'My first mother-in-law was an entrepreneur. She had all the floral skills and as I worked with her, she trained me and I didn't realize what wonderful skills she was giving me,” Kula said.

A music major and vocalist by training, Kula taught school for 42 years before retiring in June 2014. She'd already been wearing two hats, however, having opened her silk floral business on the side in 2010. Today she runs the business full time entirely by herself.

Her product offerings for her bridal clientele include everything from bride/bridesmaid bouquets, boutonnieres, corsages, pew clips, aisle decor, and altar flowers to full reception hall decorating services.

'It is silk floral and real touch,” she said. 'By real touch, I mean you cannot tell they are not real unless you sniff them.”

Kula considers the silks an incredible product because her clients can have them as permanent keepsakes. But she noted the main attraction is that they save a lot on a floral budget.

'You can actually save 50 to 70 percent of what fresh floral would cost,” she said.

Her brides come from far and near, covering a 200-mile radius that includes Wisconsin and Illinois.

She meets with her prospective clients by appointment only.

'The first thing I do when they come in is show them many of the samples I have on hand,” she explained. 'They bring in their color palette and usually a photo of the dresses.”

Kula stressed the importance of listening to what clients want when it comes to running a successful business.

'I put my own needs or ideas aside,” she said. 'I take their ideas and their colors, and I listen to what they have in mind for decorations and so forth and then I put something together around what they want.” She said sometimes she may have to enhance their ideas to be sure there is a balance in the final floralscape product.

Before the day, the brides come back for a proofing, which is quite different from dealing with real flower providers, Kula added.

'They come in and the bouquets are together, as well as the boutonnieres and corsages and such, but I don't have the final ribbon on them so that if we need to make any adjustments, additions, or subtractions, we can do that at that time,” she said. 'They get to see exactly what they are going to have before their wedding day. This is a failsafe method.”

Another key factor is the bridal parties pick up their own wedding flower orders; there are no delivery services, and thus no delivery fees.

'They pick up their orders because they are done in advance,” she noted. Even if she is decorating the church or a reception hall - they do pay her a fee for that service - her clients still will pick up the order as it saves them additional money. 'It is budget friendly,” she said.

Area bridal shows play a key role for Kula in promoting her business, as well as online marketing.

'I am going to be starting an online store through Facebook,” she said, 'because the trend is more and more brides just want to do mail order, and you have to keep up with those trends.”

AT A GLANCE

' Owner: Linda Kula

' Business: Visions of Silk Wedding Floral Artistry

' Phone: (319) 286-9315, by appointment only

' Website: www.visionsofsilk weddingfloralartistry.com