Breaking the Rules

 “I enjoy working with couples whom aren't afraid of being daring and breaking the rules when it comes to the flowers and the design” enthuses Sarah Rubalcava, one of the founding members of the Wedding Circle.

 “I really enjoyed doing a recent wedding at Halloween. The theme was American Thanksgiving and rather than flowers there was a really earthy and wholesome feel. From pumpkins to corn-on-the-cob, I love working on interesting unique ideas like that” 

Wedding Circle

Sarah and an old school friend Aisling Nelson, creator of Rangoli the bridal jewellery specialist, along with cosmetic engineer, Kate Conkey and hair stylist, Sandra Crosbie set up the Wedding Circle to aid brides-to-be in the areas of floral design jewellery, make-up and hair. After using Sarah, Sandra and Kate for her own wedding, Aisling saw the benefits and importance of being able to recommend these talented professionals to her own wedding clientele through Rangoli.  Such was the success of their joint venture that, within a year, they had linked up with a further eight other likeminded businesspeople that were providing specialised services to couples getting married.  Today there are now twelve firms intertwined in the Wedding Circle.

“Whether the couple use only one or all of us is not the critical factor. We all recognise each other as separate enterprises within the group. A couple will rarely employ all of us in one wedding and that's fine, we are really here to offer recommendations to the clients who are looking for a reliable photographer or fabric supplier. Our recommendations, whether taken or not, assist people in making the right choices.  We offer the very best so that they know what to look for in other suppliers.”

How it all started

Sarah's route into weddings was through her love of plants.  As she explains:  “Before I went into Flower Design I got a degree in Horticulture and spent my work experience in garden centres working on landscape design. I'm really a hands-on kind of person. 

“I'm the doer not the delegator”

She recalls the transition from garden design to floral design as being relatively easy.  “It obviously helps if you can get a degree or even a diploma on certificate in Horticulture. As I have my degree I found the movement easy because I knew my flowers and I had basic knowledge of what I was doing.”

Floral design has progressed in the last few years and is recognised as a job requiring a new artistic element which Sarah enjoys. “I don't see myself as an artist but more a person who is allowed artistic licence.  Certainly flower arranging has moved on since people just put some flowers together with a sprig of baby's breath.”

Flowers for Weddings

Doing flowers for a wedding involve more than just flowers.  Sarah finds many new and different materials available now. She enjoys using both natural materials made by Mother Nature and also more modern materials like coloured wires and beading.

“People now usually know what they want, very rarely someone comes in to talk to me about flowers and not have a clue what they want. Access to the internet is an excellent place to source ideas. Everyone is so organised now and boundaries keep widening.

Every single arrangement that Sarah does is different.   “Even if someone wanted a replica of a design I made, it would ultimately be different because every flower is unique, this is another part of the job I love. I feel that if I was in a job that was doing the same thing over and over I would just get bored, very quickly”

Sarah works from home allowing for the average nine to five brides to come when they are free and doesn't necessarily mind doing her consultations on a weekend or after office hours. She feels the initial consultation is probably the most important because they can extend and developing ideas and even begin the starter plans.

Flowers come in from everywhere. They can be sourced from countries as far away as New Zealand and South America.   Wonderfully creative bouquets go nationwide just as frequently and keep Sarah on her toes. She is enthusiastic and loves her job. This comes across in her work and keeps her cutting edge designs all the rage with the consumers.