Meet Trailblazer Lauren Zanotto

Today we’d like to introduce you to Lauren Zanotto.

Lauren, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
In 2015, my best friend was married and asked all of the bridesmaids to build their own bouquets. I was ecstatic and couldn’t help but dream about a job where I could arrange flowers all day long… over the next few years, I jumped at every opportunity to help with weddings or arranging flowers for church events. After assisting with a friend’s wedding in August of 2018, I finally acknowledged that I not only loved being a part of weddings, but I was actually pretty good at it too. With an eye for detail and a mind that functions best with organization, schedules and timelines, it was a natural fit. I decided I would give it a shot and try opening a small wedding floral and events business. My initial motivation was to start the business as a way of paying for nursing school, however, in the spring of 2019, just a few short months after deciding to commit to starting the business, wedding inquiries started coming at me left and right. Soon, I had a near-full schedule in just my first summer out. I couldn’t believe it! I decided to give myself the summer to focus fully on the business alone and see where it would take me.

Over the course of the summer, I grew to love my role at weddings. Whether the florist, the coordinator or both, I love having the opportunity to care for and serve brides and grooms and their families on their wedding day. I’ve learned I have a knack for bringing both beauty and calm into highly emotional and stressful environments. That may even be my favorite part of weddings – being able to bear the weight of the stress for my brides so they can be fully present to enjoy and celebrate the coming joy of marriage. When I work with a bride, I want her to know she is heard, seen and so cared for. She has nothing to worry about. It is my absolute joy to make her wedding dreams come true.

By the end of summer, I accepted a job with an events venue in town, The Loft Theater. It was and is a seamless partnership that benefits everyone. I am excited to see how this partnership continues to grow my business as well as theirs.

Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Not at all! My biggest bumps have all involved figuring out proper licensing and financials. I didn’t take many business courses in college and those things have been pretty tricky to figure out.

I also am not a social media influencer, by any means! I don’t really even love social media in the first place. This can be difficult when one of the largest platforms for marketing is social media…

To both of these things, I would say: surround yourself with people who have these strengths! You can’t do it alone, and you shouldn’t have to. It’s the old, you will only be as successful as your weakest link, adage. Even business owners have things they aren’t good at and that is OKAY. I’ve been working closely with an accountant to help me with my finances and to ensure that everything is above board – she tells me what to do when and how to handle the challenging pieces like reconciliations. As for marketing, I am lucky enough to have a few friends who are gifted in this area, and they have all sorts of ideas for me.

All of this to say, your friends and others in your circle have gifts that you don’t! It doesn’t make you less successful to ask for help, it will actually make you far more successful.

Please tell us about Vanilla Pines Floristry – what should we know?
I am a wedding florist, primarily. Floral design is my absolute favorite and is quickly becoming my wheelhouse. I love the challenge of making an order that fits a bride’s budget and style while also working through the challenge of working with wholesalers to track down the right product. Creating arbors and bouquets are the most fun!

However, I also do wedding coordination and some small scale floral orders around holidays or for church/corporate events.

I’m most proud of being able to make brides feel heard. I really do want the absolute best for them, whether in florals or coordinating. I love being able to fight for them behind the scenes to make their wedding dreams come true.

We’re interested to hear your thoughts on female leadership – in particular, what do you feel are the biggest barriers or obstacles?
The most difficult aspect in my industry as a woman… Luckily the wedding business is predominantly run by women!

I think if you have any struggles, it’s generally around the price I charge. People are pretty quick to question the price, but from my perspective, almost all of that cost goes directly towards covering their product. Thus, trying to get clients to understand that flowers, even wholesale, are expensive, can be quite the challenge! Situations like this and others make me feel questioned as a professional, but I’m not sure if that’s specific to being a woman or not.

Contact Info:

• Website: vanillapinesfloristry.com
• Instagram: @vanillapinesfloristry

Image Credit:
Anna Sees Photography – Anna Toll
Shutter Chef – Jonathan Shea
Lexie Davidson

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