Meet Kelly Babcock Tagan Hawker | Co-Owners of Ivy Wild Creative

We had the good fortune of connecting with Kelly Babcock Tagan Hawker and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Kelly Babcock, can you walk us through the thought-process of starting your business?
Tagan Hawker and I were both stay-at-home moms and friends, looking for a creative outlet. Our children were beginning to leave the house, and I think we both were looking for another direction to focus our energy and talents. When my daughter got married, I found that florals are one of the biggest expenses of a wedding. I decided to try and do the flowers myself with some help from friends. Tagan was the obvious choice in helping me bring my vision to reality. We had a lot of fun together, and we thought it would be fun to put our talents to work.

We both believe that every wedding or event can be beautiful, no matter the budget. We offer floral packages to fit any budget, from DIY to full-service, luxury weddings; we help create a beautiful event that our brides look back fondly on. Since starting our floral business, we have also added faux floral wedding rentals, a flower bar rental, and interactive display and treat walls that add a little extra touch for any event.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
Tagan and I are both creatives. We love entertaining, designing, planning, and working to put our plans into fruition. That is where the magic is. We get giddy when we watch guests or clients get excited as they enter an event. While we are relatively new to the floral industry, we are not new to putting together events of 100-300+ guests. Both Tagan and I have worked on committees and lead various organizations in our community, church, and schools. We understand and enjoy the work and organization that it requires to really pull off a seamless event. Decor and florals really pack a punch when it comes to creating the atmosphere and tone for the occasion. It takes hours of strategizing, planning, research and vision to bring a party to life.

Tagan and I compliment each other well when it comes to putting together a flawless and beautiful scene for an event. Through this whole process of starting a business, it has taken a lot of courage for us to step out of our comfort zones to try something new in a professional setting. In the end, we realized that we are applying something that we both do well, and sharing it with others. That brings us a lot of joy.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
That is a good question. In Colorado Springs there is so much to do. Garden of the Gods is a must. The rock formations are absolutely beautiful. If guests are up for a challenge, I would say hiking the Manitou Incline would meet that requirement. Hikes in general are pretty stellar in Colorado, and there are trails for most levels. The Arkansas river offers white water rafting in some sections and slower sections are great for floating or fly fishing. For the calmer crowd, the US Olympic Training Center is pretty neat, and we have great farmers markets and cute towns to visit like Old Colorado City or Manitou Springs.

Colorado Springs has a lot of new restaurants popping up downtown like Streetcar 520, White Pie, or Dos Santos. I also love Prime 25 and Marigolds for a quieter fine dining experience.

In the winter you are not far from great skiing at Monarch or Breckenridge ski resorts. For entertainment in the summer, there is the Pikes Peak or Bust Rodeo or you can attend concerts at Red Rocks or the Ford Amphitheater.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
Since we have started our business, we have had the support of many of our friends who were willing to take a chance on us. In the beginning, were able help with a few of our friends’ daughter’s weddings, and church events where we met Katie Waite from Katie Waite Events. When Katie heard that we were starting a floral business, she brought us on to help with a couple of weddings that she was working on. One was a small budget wedding where we created simple yet elegant table scapes. The other was with Wish Upon a Wedding, where we freelanced with Anna at Jack Rabbit Florals. We were honored to work with both of these fabulous women, and these experiences really gave us the confidence to stay the course in a highly competitive industry.

Website: https://theivywildcreative.com

Instagram: @theivywildcreative

Facebook: Theivywildcreative

Image Credits
Julia Davis Photography
Katie Blondin Photography