Today we’d like to introduce you to Jenny Preston.
Jenny, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
I loved being a part of the homecoming planning process in high school, which led to an internship with the city of Delray Beach’s event cooperative, which lead to a few years in marketing, where I met a wedding photographer, and ultimately led to me starting my own business. I then joined a creative coworking space where I was encouraged to expand my wedding planning offerings to also include floral design. Which I thought was crazy because I had zero experience in the field. But I had someone who believed in me, gave me opportunities to flower for their events and I quickly fell in love with the creativity that came with it. It is such a visual medium, and I was able to grow my business incredibly quickly (thanks 2016 instagram!) and now it is the main focus of the brand!
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
Oooh hell no. But thank goodness, right?
I started this business ten years ago when I was 25, and that comes with a lot of evolution along the way. Personal struggles will always seep into what I can physically or emotionally handle. I’ve had to restructure my offerings along the way, trust other people who do meticulous hands on work beside me, the pandemic rocked the wedding industry, and now we’re entering an era where large weddings are becoming less of a priority or financially difficult.
But I love it. I love seeing how I evolve, how the business evolves, and how society determines what we get to do next.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
I specialize in floral design and event planning.
I feel like a few things set me apart from others in the industry. I don’t follow recipes, every arrangement is unique to that one event. I don’t think I could really recreate most if I tried. There are always a few surprise flowers that end up in the mix when I walk through a cooler the week of a wedding and they are always my favorite pieces. I feel like I struggle to find what my precise style is because I’m always more interested in using the medium of flowers to bring a client’s own vision to life.
I come with experience in event planning for large scale events, content writing, marketing for women’s health, and management of hospitality teams. Which surprisingly helps in so many aspects of the business. I feel like attention to detail is a through line for each of those.
I’m most proud of the boundaries I’ve been able to set for myself. It allows for me to stay focused and provide what I think is the best possible experience I can give my clients. I have to remind myself constantly that some days are for admin, mechanical feeling work, while other days are fully devoted to being a creative space cadet. I don’t have to exist in both spaces every day to be successful.
What does success mean to you?
Creating joy, making someone else’s life easier, making someone else feel seen and understood.
Being able to do something for work that still allows me to give time to my family and friends.
Keeping all of the flowers alive for three days.
Pricing:
- Full Service Wedding: Average cost $6,800
- Private Workshops: $135/person, $1,300 minimum
- Floral Arrangement Delivery: Starts at $200
- Micro Wedding: $700
Contact Info:
- Website: https://portandpalmco.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/portandpalmco/?hl=en
Image Credits
Ace Photography
Kallima Photography
Hannah Forrester
Stephanie Tarno
