A little more about me and how Sorella has been a huge part of that ...
Hey I'm Courtney! Firstly, I obviously love flowers but even more I am so passionate about floristry as a trade. Most people don't know that Floristry is actually a qualified trade, YES, people study to become florists! I really want to encourage more designers to go on and get qualified, if you love what you do don't let true floristry die and go and get qualified! Flowers are purchased with high emotion and need to be arranged with skill and knowledge. Funerals, weddings, births are all once in a lifetime occasions and are best celebrated with beautiful flowers made in a way that not just anyone can, quality put together floral decoration can make an event and something that's not up to scratch can certainly let your whole vision flop. I absolutely love creating for people and showcasing the best of the craft. I have this dream that one day I might be able to open up my own accredited floristry school where I can make more passionate qualified florists. I'm not quire there yet, but we all need a dream I reckon!
I must admit I'm not the best at sitting still, I think that's why I love working weddings so much, they take up so much time, emotion, adrenaline, energy. You feel like your running on fumes but you push on and make the most beautiful things! I just love it! When Tam and I first started Sorella we really did want to be successful in this business we thought doing 10 weddings a year would be great and very successful for us, lets just say in our first year of opening Sorella 10ish+ years ago we did a whopping 60 weddings! Each year after that it grew. One year we did 80 weddings and that was when we decided to rein things in a bit and remember what was important to us, because fumes only go so far. We did get to a point in life where we were 6 years in doing enormous amounts of weddings and we made the tough decision to take a short break and close up Sorella for little while. Through our time operating Sorella we lost close members of our family and had no time to grieve, we cleaned out two family homes after the passing of loved ones. I had a terrible break up which saw the end of a 7 year relationship, the loss of my own home I had built and home for our business, having to start again from scratch in dads spare room. Tam raised two young children. When Sorella started I'm sure Tam's daughter was only 5months old. It was an absolutely hectic time and you don't realize how taxing it is to be locked in to a date that is so important to someone else, you can't back out. That person is putting a lot of trust in you to be there and you do not want to let them down, you are emotionally invested. This is the nature of working in the wedding industry. We were proof of what is sacrificed to make a dream reality and proudly still here. We have seen the closing of many businesses in the area during tough times and the opening of new ones. I hope by sharing this people do understand a little what it is like for people working in this industry, it is tough and done with so much passion because if you didn't love it and weren't passionate why would you push through such tough times for your couples? Because it's your lively hood and you really want your couples to have the best day of their life, one that they will never forget!
I am so grateful that we built such a strong business. No one ever knew the hardships that went on behind the scenes and the name we had built for ourselves was still strong when I decided to take the leap and re open Sorella after a 2 year break (initially planned for 1 year,
thanks covid!), like I said, I can't sit still and I missed the intensity of the wedding industry. For Tam the love of being present with her family is too important and I am so lucky she still steps in to keep the Sorella dream alive and well when I need her. Along with Tam I have support in my friend Tina. Tina and I worked together back when I very first qualified as a florist and started work in a very busy Subiaco shop, we hit it off and Tina has always been a part of my life. Tina helped Tam and back in the busier times of Sorella years ago and still travels 3 hours to come help me to this day. I really love Sorella and I love that I have been able to continue doing what I love since re-opening several years ago.
A shout out to all my fellow wedding vendors and the understanding that we have with one another to work in an industry that becomes such a huge part of our lives, even though it can be difficult at times we stay strong and continue to show up. In all my 10 years of running Sorella I have always turned up to my couples weddings, sometimes very ill with the flu but this is a commitment I make to my couples, I will be there. I said I'd be with you all the way and I will. Pick a vendor that will be with you all the way and love your vendors!
Courtney x