“I am following nature without being able to grasp her, I perhaps owe having become a painter to flowers.”
We’ve all had this feeling once in our lives. You see a painting that is so beautiful, you wish you could reach in and tangibly hold it. In a world where we cannot physically jump into a canvas, we have flowers. These little breaths of art can bring happiness to you in the simplest way. Flowers have the ability to hold sweet memories on their shoulders and remind us of some of the best and hardest days of our lives. That’s why bouquet preservation is so incredible. You can hold the beauty of your most sentimental flowers as artwork in your home forever.
Heather Jones has made a career out of her craft and appreciation for floral preservation with Once Upon a Bloom. When Heather isn’t busy making the botanical art of our dreams, she is spending time with her sweet yorkie, Louie. Heather comes from a big family and is an aunt to some precious kiddos. And in her words, “Yes…I’m their favorite aunt.”
This 31-year-old powerhouse has been working in the wedding industry for her entire life. Heather’s mom has been a caterer since she was born. When most kids were learning how to walk, Heather was learning how to set a table. After college, Heather went into full time catering with her Mom.
“I quickly fell in love with florals and started offering florals in addition to the catering. One of my floral brides had her wedding bouquet preserved, and that really caught my interest.”
She thought adding a preservation service to her floral business would be something that could set her apart from other florists. After a couple months of extensive research, Heather started taking flowers home from weddings to practice her newfound skill.
“I surprised several brides with pieces that turned out well. In the beginning of 2021, I decided to officially separate my florals and planning from my Mom’s catering business, then Once Upon A Bloom was created.”
After a few months of perfecting the temperamental art of resin work, Heather felt comfortable enough to take on her first commissioned order. Heather’s ultimate goal is to create for the special moments in life. She hopes her resin pieces bring joy. Whether it’s the happiness you feel on your wedding day or a memorial piece, she wants her artistry to be a reminder of love.
“For some, the pieces represent a love and commitment between two people. For others, a piece represents an entire life and legacy of a loved one they’ve lost. I am honored to be able to create such meaningful art for people, and it’s a privilege I don’t take lightly.
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Heather’s favorite preservation art she’s ever created is one that will have you reaching for a tissue or two. Last fall, she created a beautiful memorial piece for a sweet three-year-old girl whose father tragically passed away in a car accident.
“To me, this piece represented so much. And the little “Daddy” charm in there just breaks my heart every time I see it.”
When it comes to bridal preservation pieces, Heather is a wonder at what she does. She loves when her clients give her creative freedom to create botanical magic. We love how she added the couple’s cake topper in this piece. It gives the best personal touch!
We couldn’t recommend Heather and her beautiful business more. Sometimes it’s easy for personability to get lost in business. With a lot of businesses the clients become another invoice in a long line-up of orders. Heather is a significant reminder that there are people out there that make it their purpose to make sure others feel seen. Seeing the smiles on her clients faces gives her the reassurance that she’s exactly where she’s supposed to be.
When we asked Heather who her DREAM client would be, her answer did not disappoint.
“Oh! I’d be lying if I said my first thought when Britney Spears posted pictures from her wedding wasn’t ‘Man... I wish I could get my hands on those flowers!’ I am currently trying to stalk my way into Mallory Pugh’s DMs in an effort to try to preserve her bouquet. I am a huge Braves fan, so Mallory and Dansby’s wedding is like my version of the Royal Wedding. I cannot explain how badly I want to preserve her bouquet!”
If you would like to talk with Heather about a floral piece of your own or take a look at her gorgeous portfolio of floral preservation pieces, you can visit her website here. She would love to give your florals a life that lasts as long as the love you have for them.
