She said she learned all too quickly how expensive most things were – in particular the wedding bouquets.
So, she decided to take matters into her own hands – quite literally – and make her own floral creations.
The only problem? She had absolutely no experience with floral arrangements. Still, she threw herself into the endeavour and soon this impromptu foray into floral design proved to be the beginning of a thriving business – The Petalist.
Months after her own wedding, Gomez found herself in yet another floral emergency. “My best friend’s florist for her wedding backed out at the last minute, leaving us without any bouquets for the big day.”
Remembering how Gomez had pulled off her own stunning bouquets, her friend turned to her for help.
“Just hours before my friend’s wedding, I found myself Googling how to keep flowers fresh,” she said laughing.
She said she used a simple method of arranging the flowers with safety pins for the table decorations. This has remained her go-to technique till this day.
After the wedding, Gomez posted a photo of her self-designed bouquet on Instagram just for the fun of it. Within hours, however, messages from friends started flooding in, with many raving about her designs and asking if she had started her own business.
Although she thought nothing of it, her husband saw things differently. And after initial protests, Gomez eventually caved in and started an Instagram page featuring her floral creations for sale.
She mulled over several names for her floral business, but the unexpected way in which she finally arrived at the name she uses today is quite amusing.
“I was watching the series ‘The Mentalist’ that weekend, so the name ‘The Petalist’ came from there,” she said with a chuckle.
Contrary to what you might think, her talent as a florist didn’t come from an all-consuming love for flowers but from her natural love for styling and planning a design.
She took one class on the basics of floral design and continued experimenting from there to develop her own style, saying: “While anyone can learn to put together flowers, no one can teach you style. That is what makes you stand out.”
The Petalist was launched in 2017 and quickly gained traction through word of mouth and social media.
She soon found herself having to juggle two jobs – her full-time day job in the financial sector and her night job as a floral designer.
“I would head to the florist after work in the evening to buy the flowers, and I’d store them in buckets in my air-conditioned room. I didn’t even have a proper chiller back then. My uncle and my dad would then help me deliver everything,” she said.
When she had built a strong and loyal customer base, she left her full-time corporate job in 2019 to focus solely on growing The Petalist.
When business really took off, she realised she needed all-hands-on-deck to fulfil the orders.
“I have a WhatsApp group with all my friends, and everybody just comes in to help, to earn some extra cash. To this day I’ve never hired any outsiders to help with my business,” she said.
Running a successful floral business comes with its own set of challenges, and Gomez has faced quite a few. From last-minute requests to long hours in extreme weather conditions, she has been put to the test.
Stiff industry competition has also meant that she has had to constantly innovate and create fresh ideas to remain relevant.
Like many other businesses, hers was badly hit by the pandemic. But everything’s coming up roses for Gomez now, who has thrown herself back into her business after a two-year break.
Whether you’re looking for the perfect bouquet or a skilled floral designer for your special day, Gomez has got you covered.
Follow The Petalist on Facebook and Instagram, or send a WhatsApp message at 010-2052625.