Today we’d like to introduce you to Casey Scherrer and Jeannie Zuehlke.
Casey and Jeannie, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
I began doing flowers in 2012 while she was teaching at a Montessori school. I would wake up hours before school each day to make runs to the wholesaler, and work in the basement until it was time to go teach at school. Later I would return to my home studio and continue working on the flowers for friends’ weddings, birthday parties, and small events. While all of this was happening, I met Jeannie in Montessori teacher training while we were working toward our certification. Jeannie’s penmanship was perfect and I noticed she would always keep herself busy by doing calligraphy during the down times at training. Eventually, my small floral business grew large enough that it was became too challenging to do both jobs. In 2015, I made the decision to transition from teaching to running the business full time and founded VEIL Event Design. Around that time, Jeannie welcomed her son, Owen, into her family, and made the decision not to return to school the next fall. We reconnected and began working together at VEIL. Calligraphy became an add-on service to our clients that came to us for floral, and it was clear that offering both services would put us ahead of the competition and be way more fun. Pen and Petals was created in the spring of 2017, and the rest is history!
Has it been a smooth road?
Entrepreneurship is not for the faint of heart. It takes a lot of grit, determination, and patience, especially when you’re starting out. So much of being an entrepreneur is learning as you go, and we’ve definitely had ups and downs while building the business. Doing things by myself in the beginning was a challenge in itself, especially because I had been so used to being on teams my whole life. It’s great having two people running a business so that different ideas can be discussed and decisions can be made after thinking things through from every angle. It’s also great to have a partner for accountability purposes – we don’t ever want to let each other down, and we’re also each other’s biggest encouragers when challenges come our way. Another obstacle we face is that the wedding industry is really a six month business in Chicago. When we changed our name, it allowed us to not only identify with our specific services more clearly, but opened the door to other clients that are in need of our services, not just for weddings. Pen and Petals has already done more corporate events this year than it ever did under the previous name.
So let’s switch gears a bit and go into the Pen and Petals story. Tell us more about the business.
Pen and Petals is a floral and calligraphy design studio in Chicago that specializes in combining both services together for a cohesive design experience. Instead of having to go to separate vendors for floral and calligraphy, you can get both done right at our studio! We also offer additional styling services for rentals, linens, place settings, and lighting so that our clients’ events look cohesive and beautiful throughout. The greatest thing about what we do is that Jeannie and I work hand in hand and discuss the designs at length when we’re brainstorming. We talk about color distribution between the floral, paper, and other elements, as well as the textures, sizes, and styles. We are able to accomplish a complete design that looks intentional throughout the space and is thoughtfully planned. Our style varies from classic and traditional to all the way to Bohemian and funky, but we are especially known for our romantic, garden-inspired designs. Our floral style is very lush, and is often inspired by organic, natural elements. Our work in Chicago has been featured in many blogs, including Style Me Pretty, but if we could do a wedding anywhere in the world, we would love to travel to Europe and design the table tops at a French chateau!
How do you think the industry will change over the next decade?
The floral industry is constantly shifting and evolving, and keeping up with trends is one of the most exciting parts of our job! Every floral and design style changes a little each year, but for us, we hope to see more brides willing to take big risks with their wedding flowers. We are in love with unique hanging installations, beautiful arches and creative installations, and nothing warms our hearts more than when a bride wants to create the most beautiful space imaginable in her venue. We’ve also seen a trend among our brides with wanting only lush and low floral centerpieces on the tables. There is a common misconception that elevated floral arrangements will keep guests from seeing each other across the table. A good designer knows how to incorporate stunning elevated arrangements without blocking anyone’s view. Not only that, but elevated floral adds a tremendous amount of depth to the room, creates a memorable experience for guests, and makes the images come out looking incredible. We also encourage our clients to do something unique at the head table and/or sweetheart table. Its focal point of the event, and the table with the bride and groom should be the most beautiful of all, not just decorated with bridesmaid’s bouquets in vases. Wedding colors are often dictated by the immediate Pantone color of the year, and we’ve had dozens of weddings each year with blush and greenery. We love when brides want to incorporate bold colors that are cohesive with the rest of the wedding, but stand out and look stunning with everything else going on. At our consultations, we discuss all of these things in depth with our clients and help guide them toward making design decisions they’ll feel excited about!
Pricing:
- We offer a la carte services to clients that want the Pen and Petals experience for their wedding, but have a smaller budget.
- A minimum of $4,000 is required for custom wedding floral.
- Our average client spends between $6,000 and $10,000 on wedding flowers.
Contact Info:
- Address: Pen and Petals
2939 W. Belmont Ave
Chicago, IL 60618 - Website: www.penandpetals.com
- Email: hello@penandpetals.com
- Instagram: @penandpetals
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/penandpetals/?pnref=lhc
- Other: https://vimeo.com/206589075
Image Credit:
Severin Weddings: Team Shot of Jeannie (left) and Casey (right)
Kristin La Voie Photography: (Series of Photos Published in Style Me Pretty)
Getting in touch: VoyageChicago is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.
