Meet Francesca Lopez

We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Francesca Lopez. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Francesca below.

Francesca, thank you so much for taking the time to share your lessons learned with us and we’re sure your wisdom will help many. So, one question that comes up often and that we’re hoping you can shed some light on is keeping creativity alive over long stretches – how do you keep your creativity alive?

In a world filled with constant change lies the beauty of an object, idea or movement to never stay the same. I find my creativity through appreciation of adapting, learning, noticing intricate details to these constant changes that get me excited, motivated and overjoyed to see life through possibilities of creations that my eyes and hands see fit. I keep my creativity alive through gratitude to see the world as I see— a world filled with endless opportunities to create all things wondrous and to never stop dreaming.

Let’s take a small detour – maybe you can share a bit about yourself before we dive back into some of the other questions we had for you?

I was always consumed of imagination to dream the dreams filled with books and pages of, “happily ever after” growing up as a little girl. A world filled with fairytales, love, enchantment and new beginnings. These wondrous moments shaped my lifestyle of yearning to be a part of what I’ve always dreamt of in my adolescent years. I found the love of flowers and creations. I embodied these gifts to surround my livelihood in these special moments and focused on specializing in Wedding Florals.

Floristry is my passion and I’m ever so thankful I get to share my creations with the world. Starting this business was once just a thought and to now see it as my reality fills my soul in the most joyous of ways.

In the beginning I only created floral arrangements for fun or for friends and family members. It wasn’t until my husband who really pushed me to seek my hobby professionally after receiving numerous comments that I had an eye for it. I then enrolled in Southern California School of Floral Design and became a Certified Florist.

From there my floral journey was starting to unfold filling my heart with more hope of what’s to come. The blessings I’ve received thus far has been more than I could’ve imagined. So much so, my lovingly and supportive husband was able to leave his 9-5 and partner up with me full time. He is the backbone in our business managing operations and logistics while I solely get to create.

Alongside one another we continue to build together, dream together and live a life together all thanks to that little girl inside of me I always held on to. This October will mark 5 years of living out the dream.

Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?

Looking back, three qualities and or skills that was most impactful during my journey is making myself known wherever I am working and building relations with the property staff members and management team, it then allowed them to remember me if in the event there was an event they think would make a good pairing. Second, would have to be precision because as a florist who orders in bulk in preparation for an event, it’s crucial to know your stem count/quantities to better structure your budget. Lastly, is pivoting. I can’t emphasize enough that things are just not within our control at times due to weather, a possible last minute change from the coordinator or any type of circumstance that involves abrupt maneuvering. I believe it’s vital to be quick on your feet mentally and physically for any sudden changes because, “life” as we know it tends to happen quite often.

To close, maybe we can chat about your parents and what they did that was particularly impactful for you?

The most impactful thing my parents did for me was having a strong work ethic and persevering in all that they did. Both of my parents were born and raised in the Philippines, came to the US for better opportunities that both reached for success to give me a life filled with success. They created a lifestyle for themselves that if in the event I needed something to fall back on, it would be there as I weaved my way through my own life after college. My dad worked and retired in Medical Sales, whereas my mom owns her business in Elderly Care Home Facilities. I’m thankful to have parents like mine who have given me a safe net to allow me to try whatever it was at the time that I wanted to become. Although I have a degree in Kinesiology, I followed my dream in choosing a world filled with bliss and wonder and became a Wedding Florist.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: @simplychescafloristry
• Other: Simplychescafloristry@gmail.com

Image Credits

@purityweddings
@paulineconwayphoto
@ariele_photography