By Alex Wilson | Photos by Viktor Budnik
Michelle Rein has been working as a florist for decades, and her artistic designs are among the most sought after for weddings in Ventura County.
Passion Flowers, the flower shop she and her husband, Rick Zepf, opened in Downtown Ventura during 1996, gains high marks from customers partly due to the artistry imbued with every creation.
“My background is art. And so, I think my artistry is reflected in the flowers,” Rein told Ventana Monthly. “And so, people come to me because my flower designs are unique and creative.”
Passion Flowers was originally on Thompson Boulevard, but after about two years relocated to 920 East Main Street, the former home of Colonial Flower Shop. That spot has now served as a flower shop for about 100 years, with a small retail space fronting a larger craftsman-style house where the co-owners also live and raised two daughters.
Rein said about 40% of their business is wedding-related. Thanks to Passion Flowers’ retail storefront, however, they are positioned to serve all kinds of flower needs, from get-well bouquets and graduation gifts to flowers purchased on a whim.
“Because I have a storefront it changes daily. But you have the romantic Valentine season. You have the spring season. You have the stronger wedding season in the summer. And our location here in Ventura, the wedding season is all year round,” Rein said.
Having spent so many years helping couples plan weddings, Rein has a lot of good advice.
One of her biggest suggestions is early planning.
“They need to have all their venues and ideas kind of lined up. I mean, we sometimes talk to a bridal party for a year,” Rein said. “You want to be able to get your vendor booked, you know, at least maybe three to six months ahead of time, because certain seasons your florist will get booked and then you’re scrambling trying to figure out how you’re going to do this.”
Rein said flowers brighten up any room and play a bigger role in weddings than people may realize. “If you imagine a ballroom or even your dining room without any flowers, it’s very sterile and it’s an unfinished feeling. Flowers bring in romance and life, and create happiness and the mood.”
Styles of bouquets and wedding decor preferred by brides and grooms changes over the years, she has found.
“The soft, romantic trend, the monochromatic flowers are still in style,” she explained. “But there’s also this pop of color. Because with everything being monochromatic, now the pop of color is always interesting and they want that. You know, it’s not an all-white or beige wedding anymore. You know, that was a trend for a while. There was a yellow and white trend.”
Couples are also getting creative by asking to blend dried flowers with fresh ones.
“Dry flowers are big,” Rein said. “There’s a lot of dried flowers that are incorporated in the bouquets for a whimsical, natural look that’s popular as well. And then minimal. Yeah, they like it minimal as well.”
The longtime florist advises couples to be flexible since some flowers may only be available seasonally. Decorating a wedding venue with flowers is more about creating an overall vibe and color than any specific bloom.
“Let’s say the classic peony flower,” Rein offered as an example. “Everybody wants it all year round, but they’re not always available. And so that’s not always a possibility for us to please a client when they’re adamant, you know, when they want something specific and [are] not willing to change. That probably wouldn’t be a booking I would do.”
Even after all these years of making couples happy with wedding flowers, Rein said she gets a little nervous about how it will all look and be received. “If the bride sees their bouquet and loves it, I’m relieved, actually. There’s a little bit of anxiety. And all my flower friends say the same thing, even though we’ve been doing it for so many years. You know, all of us, we still get anxiety with each wedding. It doesn’t matter how big or small it is.
You know, we want them to be, like, overjoyed with the bouquet and that’s everything.”
Rein’s favorite thing about the flower business is making people happy.
“I reflect on it. Like, ‘What am I doing? Why am I in it?’ And basically, it’s because flowers relate to love, and I’m surrounded by the beauty of the flowers and the customers’ love. And weddings are love. So, you’re in the moment of pure love. And it brings me joy just to be around all that.”
Passion Flowers
920 East Main Street, Ventura
805.641.1076
www.passionflowersventura.com
@passion.flowers
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