Wellman

Planning a blue-themed wedding? Requesting an out-of-season flower? No worries, Wellman’s Farm Fresh Flora has the flowers needed to stay on theme.

Melanie Schweitzer, owner of Flora, worked in the wedding industry long before she opened shop in 2017. Schweitzer has 29 years of landscaping experience, and before Flora, worked at an Iowa City landscaping company while consulting for weddings on the side.

“I've always enjoyed [the wedding industry]. I really like to work with the brides and help bring their visions to life,” Schweitzer said. “It's been great fun, [and] the great thing about modern floristry is that we have stuff available from all over the world, year-round.”

Schweitzer recommends people look online to get an idea of what types of flowers they like, then visit a local shop for consultation.

Since Schweitzer focuses on just a few weddings a year, she can order flowers specifically for an event rather than having a stockpile.

“I think you're going to get a lot more value for your dollar with a smaller company, and a lot fresher product. [Some bigger outlets] are bringing in stuff that came out of South America that was on a plane and has been in a cooler, sometimes for several weeks before it gets to the store. And then it's in the cooler for several weeks before it goes to the homeowner,” Schweitzer said.

“When you're dealing with a local person, they're living with the local community, and we have a vested interest in doing things that are going to make customers happy. If there's an issue, we're going to take care of it, where you might not get that same level of customer service if you're dealing with a larger outlet,” Schweitzer said.

Schweitzer’s style of wedding consultation can be described as very relaxed.

“We'll meet for a consult and I’ll get an idea of what they're looking for. Then, I would put together a proposal based on what they'd like to have with prices,” Schweitzer said. “I always tell people, [you’ll get] as much or as little [help] as you want from me. Quite often, people will pick flowers up here and do their own setup. That's becoming more common.”

Schweitzer’s floral journey began with floriculture classes at Kirkwood Community College.

“I've always enjoyed working with plants and flowers and that sort of thing, so I just started doing it. Once you learn the basics of how to manage and condition flowers, the rest is really more about your personal vision and artistry,” Schweitzer said. “It’s a good creative outlet, and I enjoy doing that. People seem to respond well to it.”

When she decided to open Flora, the goal was to run a local floral shop with landscaping on the side. However, her landscaping work began to take over, leaving Schweitzer to focus on landscaping and events like weddings rather than a 24/7 floral shop.

“[Landscaping is] getting busier and busier,” Schweitzer said. “I'll do a few weddings per year, typically. The bulk of my time is spent [at her Wellman location], drawing and writing bids and that kind of thing.”

Schweitzer is most busy between April and August. August is when things start to slow down for her. During these months, Schweitzer employs a team that she calls the “girl gang” as most of her employees tend to be young women. The girl gang helps Schweitzer with landscaping labor.

“I can come up with the concept and get the project in motion,” Schweitzer said. “I often will do plant material myself.”

Schweitzer also has a list of nine different contractors she works alongside who can do the bigger jobs like retaining walls, decks, outdoor kitchen installs and more. Once she has the blueprint, she’ll contact contractors if the homeowner does not have a plan.

Fundraising efforts

Schweitzer has cemented Flora as a pilar of the community by supporting local fundraisers. One supported in 2023 came out of the destruction the March 31 tornado brought to the area. Schweitzer worked alongside Trees Forever, a non-profit dedicated to planting trees in Iowa, to replant trees uprooted from the tornado.

That project is not complete. There are still a few more trees yet to be planted. Schweitzer will help finish the project this year.

Clients typically reach out to Schweitzer on social media or discover her by word-of-mouth. If she can fit the wedding into her busy schedule, she’ll do it. But she is always looking ahead to the next project, sometimes more than a year out, giving her plenty to work on each day.

If you’re interested in flowers by Melanie Schweitzer for your wedding day, she can be found on Facebook, emailed at melanie@farmfreshflora.com and called at (319) 631-5328.