The Borrowed Blossom | Aubrie's Portfolio

How I created a six figure floral rental company (with no floral experience!)

The Borrowed Blossom is a replicable, systems-driven model for circular wedding decor that proved both desirable and scalable. It reduces wedding waste by offering a sustainable alternative to traditional florals.

The work

I started The Borrowed Blossom after observing the world around me. As a UX designer, the tech world was crashing, the economy was not improving, and people would be looking to save money- but they would still be having weddings.

I had created all the floral arrangements for my own wedding, and so designed a system around how I could profit from offering this service to others.

My role

As founder, I led every part of the business and product:

Brand identity — Naming, logo design, and visual language
UX design — Customer journey mapping, web UX and design, customer touchpoints and service
Ops & logistics — Inventory planning, packaging design, returns process
Marketing & Brand positioning — Social strategy, SEO, and real wedding content

The impact

The Borrowed Blossom launched in 2023 and:

Booked 40+ events in the first year
Diverted 300+ arrangements from landfills
Built a profitable system within 6 months
Partnered with local stylists and venues for brand exposure

User research

After having the idea for The Borrowed Blossom, I needed to prove that it had traction. I went on Facebook and joined many wedding related groups, making posts offering to do faux florals for brides at cost.

I quickly found that brides were hungry for lower cost floral alternatives and some were even searching specifically for faux floral options. I spun up a website in a matter of days, and quickly chose and learned software to manage projects and take payments.

I then signed up for the Rhode Island Bridal Expo, and displayed a variety of faux floral arrangements I had made in various color schemes. I did not have a defined business model, but I got to talk to real brides and met many interested brides who eventually became paying customers.

Photo below.

Determining market differentiators

I pin pointed two major user pain points in the event floral experience

A large online company offered a lower cost model and included shipping, but this required the customer to ship them back. Not only did this mean storing and transporting many boxes, but also the hassle of organizing and setting up decor on your wedding day. NOT something you want to worry about while getting hair and makeup done. I saw an opportunity.

In addition to set up worries, I saw lots of feedback on public forums about how many brides had the preconceived notion that faux florals were tacky. I myself having identified as one of these brides, I knew of a higher quality alternative to typical silk flowers. They were called "real touch" flower, and were coated in latex so they not only looked real, but felt real as well.

Rebranding. Previous branding shown in above image.

Defining the brand

I chose a name, designed a logo, color palette, and tone of voice

This process involved first determining my brand values and building on those. I made sure to cross check competitors branding so as to appeal to the same market but have enough differentiation.

My first round of branding was rushed- I had paying customers before I had a defined brand. I ended up making a initial logo that was not visually scalable, and my color palette lacked uniqueness in the overarching floral market. I rebranded after the first year and improved on these aspects.

I optimized my materials for sustainability and versatility

In addition to optimizing the user experience and scaling the business model, I also went through trials of creating the most sustainable and durable rental pieces possible.

I discovered floral "cages" for centerpieces, which helped eliminate the use of floral foam which is terrible for the environment. In addition, these cages allowed me to add and remove different color blooms without damaging the arrangements, in order to make the collection colors customizable for clients.

Achieving a scalable business model

I systematized my fulfillment process by observing user patterns

My first year of renting faux florals, I took all completely custom orders. I realized this was not a sustainable model in terms of time, but also in terms of product.

The most economical products were sourced from other countries and took months to arrive, and by making custom arrangements I couldn't accurately order quantities or advertise what I had in stock for other clients.

I looked for patterns in color schemes, styles, and arrangement quantities over the first year of client orders. I then developed collections that were a one-size-fits-all wedding package for an unbeatable price compared to the minimums of other florists in New England.

Marketing

I designed all user touchpoints and conceived marketing strategies

I designed and built everything from theborrowedblossom.com to car decals to employee uniforms. I hired a photographer for product shots and hosted a collaborative styled shoot with other wedding vendors. I regularly attend bridal expo shows and post in wedding facebook groups for exposure, as well as maintaining The Borrowed Blossom instagram account.

Early in the process I made in-person visits to venues and networked with venue owners and event planners with much success.

I continue to optimize theborrowedblossom.com for SEO and utilize AI for customer service and messaging.