Today we’d like to introduce you to Kellye Kodak.
Kellye, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
I began my floral design career in 2006, shortly after my first daughter, Chloe, was born. Becoming a mother made me rethink what I wanted my career to look like. I wanted to be home more with my children while also finding work that gave me a creative outlet.
Flowers were somewhat of an accidental passion. I have a degree in Interior Design with a minor in Art History, spent 15 years in retail management, where I like to say I earned my “street MBA,” and even had a short layover in the hotel world. I originally entered the wedding industry as a planner and interned in several different areas of the business. One of those opportunities was with the San Francisco florist who had created the flowers for my own wedding a few years earlier. That was it. I was hooked.
When maternity leave was ending, I was faced with returning to a wonderful sales position that unfortunately came with a terrible commute. After a lot of thought, I woke up one morning and decided, “I’m going to be an event florist.” I took a part-time job at a local invitation store while I slowly built my business, gained experience, and developed a client base, eventually making the move into floral design full time.
In 2012, my family moved from the Bay Area to California’s Central Coast, which meant starting the business over again in a completely new market. That led to opportunities throughout San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara, Los Angeles, and beyond, while still bringing us back to the Bay Area for events.
Today, we design everything from large-scale weddings to smaller, intimate celebrations through our À La Carte service. We’re also expanding into consulting for couples who want to self-style their wedding flowers, along with tools, supplies, rentals, and resources through our online Scent Garden.
Almost 21 years later, I’m still fascinated by flowers and still excited by the creative process. I feel most like myself when I’m making something with my hands, and I’m looking forward to seeing what the 2027 wedding season brings.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
The wedding industry is naturally cyclical and is often affected by the economy, consumer confidence, and even the uncertainty that can come with election years. Over the years, I’ve worked through recessions, changing markets, and a global pandemic that brought my business to a complete standstill and resulted in the loss of 100% of my revenue for nearly a year and a half.
Those experiences taught me a lot about being adaptable. As a small business owner, sometimes the plan you started with simply isn’t the plan that will carry you through the next season. I’ve learned to listen, adjust, find new ways to serve clients, and keep moving forward. Some of the most challenging periods in my business have also taught me the most about creativity, resourcefulness, and trusting that it’s okay to change direction when something isn’t working.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I’m a floral designer specializing in weddings and special events, and our style is probably best described as “timeless with a twist.” I want each wedding to feel like the couple rather than simply reflect whatever is trending at the moment. I pay attention to trends, of course, but I prefer to interpret them in our own way rather than recreate something that has already been done many times.
One thing that probably sets me apart is that I’m also willing to say no when an idea simply isn’t logistically feasible or isn’t going to work well for the overall event. Part of my job is helping a client dream, but another part is knowing how to turn that dream into something that can actually be executed beautifully.
I’m also not a huge fan of what I jokingly call “fast fashion florals,” where everything begins to look the same because we’re all seeing the same imagery online. If someone looks at my work and thinks, “Her feed doesn’t look like everyone else’s,” I actually love that. And if they don’t see the exact thing they’re imagining, that can be even more exciting to me because it gives us an opportunity to create something new.
I think one of my strengths is helping clients take a collection of ideas, feelings, colors, and inspiration and turn them into a cohesive event. I also enjoy working within different investment ranges and helping clients understand where their floral budget will have the greatest visual impact.
Over the past almost 21 years, I’ve been fortunate to work throughout California at some wonderful venues and alongside incredibly talented people in the wedding industry. Our work has been nominated several times for Best Florist by California Wedding Day, received a California Wedding Day Editor’s Choice Award, and has been featured by publications including People, Us Weekly, Brides, The Knot, Style Me Pretty, Destination I Do, Green Wedding Shoes, My Wedding, and others.
There have definitely been some “pinch me” moments along the way, and I’m grateful for all of them. But what I’m probably most proud of is that after all this time, I still care about the work. I still get excited about an unusual flower, a new idea, or creating something I haven’t made before.
Do you have any advice for those just starting out?
When I started, we didn’t have social media as a place to learn from, and “community over competition” wasn’t really part of the industry conversation yet. So much of what I learned in the beginning came through trial and error. I made mistakes, figured things out, asked questions when I could, and tried to do it a better the next time.
If I were starting again today, I would put systems in place much earlier, especially for production schedules, installation timelines, prep, and event-day logistics. Those are things that took me years to really dial in. I’d also tell anyone starting out not to be afraid to ask questions. I’ve been doing this for almost 21 years, and I still learn things from my floral friends and colleagues all the time.
My biggest pieces of advice are pretty simple: always buffer your time because everything takes longer than you think. Prep as much as you can early in the week. Never stop learning. Don’t be afraid to say, “I don’t know, but I’ll figure it out.” Stay hydrated on event days. Seriously. Electrolytes are your friend.
And most of all, remember that you’re an artist. You’re painting with flowers. The business systems and logistics matter enormously, but the creativity is what brought most of us here in the first place. Don’t lose that part.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://preciousandblooming.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/preciousbloom/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/preciousandblooming/
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/precious-and-blooming-floral-design-arroyo-grande-2
- Other: https://preciousandblooming.com/shop
