Meet Emma Van Vranken: Wedding and Event Florist

We had the good fortune of connecting with Emma Van Vranken and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Emma, what is the most important factor behind your success?
Without a doubt, the most important factor behind the success of Emma Lea Floral has been community! When first starting my business I had incredible support from family and friends. Those referrals and helping hands turned into a portfolio and organic leads. I also continue to receive invaluable support from my fellow wedding florist in Denver. Colorado is lucky to have a warm and open community of creatives that come together to offer advice and help keep our industry strong. Covid-19 has pushed us to explore new services like weekly deliveries and smaller wedding packages. My local community has helped to kept us afloat during this exceptional time by choosing to shop small.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
2020 has obviously thrown a lot of curveballs our way. While this year has been incredibly challenging, it has also given us unique opportunities to hone our craft. Myself and Megan (my designer and rock) have focused on perfecting our wedding prep and setup strategy. It has resulted in our 2020 weddings being some of the smoothest we have ever executed! We also introduced weekly floral arrangement deliveries which has allowed us to experiment with some really fun color palettes and texture combinations that are giving us inspiration for future events. Color and texture are so important in our work and really what we think sets our aesthetic apart from others in the industry. We are also really excited to be streamlining our A La Carte Event Floral offerings so that they provide a really wonderful experience for our clients that fits their needs without the price tag of our full service design. Emma Lea Floral is 5 years old but it is ever-evolving!

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
I absolutely love to eat so everything would pretty much revolve around food. We would have to go to Mister Oso for tacos and coconut rice. I love their patio and the service is great 🙂 Ash’Kara is also a must! Its the kind of place where you want to order every single thing on the menu. I don’t need any excuse to go to Bonnie Brae Ice Cream for their lemon custard ice cream so that would 100% be on the itinerary. The Clifford Still museum is one of my favorites to visit (and you can turn it into a full day by visiting the Denver Art Museum nextdoor). Not only is the art beautiful, but so is the space itself. I might be biased because I am a florist, but our Denver Botanic Gardens is a great choice any time of year. With Cheesman Park nearby you can spend the whole day outside enjoying Colorado’s perfect weather.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I have received so much help along this journey, but it all began with two woman who I am grateful to still have in my life. Buffy Haramaki of Pink Posey Design was my mentor and the reason that I started along the path of floral design. She was my foundation and remains a true friend. I also met Stefanie Hofmeister during my time at Pink Posey Design. She has since gone one to start the Colorado Flower Collective where she does incredible work connecting local flower farmers and designers. Stefanie has been there the whole way as a confidant and friend who gives me the courage to think big.

Website: www.emmaleafloral.com
Instagram: @emmaleafloral
Other: Info for the Colorado Flower Collective – www.coloradoflowercollective.com – Instagram: @Coloradoflowercollective

Image Credits
Tara Bielecki Photography Cassidy Brooke Photography Callie Hobbes Photography Kim Mitiska Photography Kristen Pierson Photography Carrie King Photography