Bride & Blossom Welcomes Schuyler Polk, Marketing Director

Dear Bride & Blossom Readers,

We are delighted to introduce to you Schuyler Polk, our new Marketing Director! It’s a very exciting time at Bride & Blossom. We are growing as a wedding floral boutique, collaborating with more and more of New York City’s brides to make their visions become a reality. Schuyler’s skills, dedication, and creativity will be an invaluable asset to our work and we can’t wait to see what she brings in her new position!

Get to know Schuyler more by reading our interview. Here, she talks about her start working with wedding flowers, thoughts on social media’s impact on the bridal industry, and artistic endeavors.

 

 

We our so excited to have you joining Bride & Blossom as our new Marketing Director! Can you tell our readers a little about your background?

I am beyond excited to join the team!

I first came to Bride & Blossom in October 2016 as an intern. I have always had a love for flowers, and I figured weddings would be the most intense kind of event space to learn in. It was a quick search to discover Bride & Blossom and their beautiful work and lucky for me, they were simultaneously looking for an intern. Many proposals, heavy buckets of water, excel sheets, studio days and Instagram research docs later, Rachel and Elianna offered me the incredible opportunity to come on full time on the marketing team.

Prior to Bride & Blossom, I worked in advertising as a talent agent and at Saks Fifth Avenue as an Assistant Planner in Menswear. I am a strong believer in trying out as many different career paths as you can and never saying no to new growth opportunities. My previous career experiences (though less aesthetically pleasing than spending my time surrounded by flowers) prepared me with the sales, creative and production skills necessary to run Bride & Blossom’s marketing efforts.

I graduated from Harvard College with a degree in American History and Literature and wrote my senior thesis on Dapper Dan, a living legend and Harlem native who really defined luxury consumption in hip hop fashion and culture.

Did you always have an interest in floral wedding design and styling?

I have always had a passion for event planning, from my first job in high school at a boutique invitation and stationery studio through college in social organizations. The floral element really clicked when I was asked to do flowers and décor for my great aunt and uncle’s diamond (60^th) wedding anniversary. I discovered this whole world of Pinterest boards, candlelit tablescapes, wholesale flower ordering… it really opened my eyes to a potential career path in event styling and décor.

During my internship with Bride & Blossom, one of the first weddings I worked on was Jenna & Matthew’s wedding at the Museum of Jewish Heritage in Battery Park. The florals and décor had completely transformed the reception space from a large conference space into a romantic and enchanting enclave. We suspended delphiniums, roses and stock flowers from the chuppah and over the dance floor and covered the room with floating candle terrariums and stemmed floating candles. The last thing we do at weddings is light all the candles, and there was this silent moment where everyone’s breath was taken away by how the room had transformed. I was hooked at that point!

 

 

Can you describe what your work as Marketing Director entails?

My role as Marketing Director is to make sure that Bride & Blossom is at the forefront of bride’s minds as a destination for wedding flowers and décor. What sets Bride & Blossom apart from other floral companies is that we exclusively do weddings and that Rachel and Elianna take a boutique approach to design. Our company was not built by a floral designer, and that allows for us to really be flexible and versatile in the kinds of styles, themes, and floral arrangements and décor we provide to brides.

I am in close communication with our brides and vendor partners, like venues and photographers, to make sure our work is proudly displayed on our website, Instagram, Facebook, and Pinterest accounts as well as in bridal trades and blogs. I also have the pleasure of making sure we are engaging with our followers! We’ve seen so much more interest in our blog and Instagram posts recently thanks to your fantastic writing and research Kate!

Thanks so much, Sky! Social media has been an invaluable platform for marketing. How has this influenced the wedding industry?

Social media plays an outsize role in marketing within the bridal space. It’s an extremely visual and tactile industry, which lends itself well to platforms like Instagram and Pinterest. Social media allows for trends in the bridal space to be communicated and popularized quite quickly and has limitless inspiration for couples everywhere. You can find absolutely any style, theme, bloom, venue, or inspiration from a simple search. Our Pinterest board is a fantastic resource for wedding décor, as we’ve organized our inspiration boards by color, by item (bouquets or centerpieces) and by season.

From a sales perspective, we’ve seen more and more brides consult with and book with Bride & Blossom because they’ve seen a ceremony arch or chuppah or centerpiece that they fall in love with. It is very important to Bride & Blossom to show our followers both the gorgeous end product of our wedding florals and décor, but also a bit behind the curtain.

Between behind the scenes in our Long Island City studio where we prep and design centerpieces to Instagram and Facebook Live broadcasts during our monthly flower classes, we’ve definitely allowed our followers have an inside look into the work that goes into Bride & Blossom designs. Another new and exciting thing we’ve been doing is filming more timelapses in the studio and on site when our designers are making centerpieces or putting together structures. I think our viewers are fascinated with how floral arrangements and structures are made, and it has really improved our engagement.

 

 

How would you describe your wedding style? What are your favorite wedding blooms?

I always think about my parents’ wedding when I think of my dream inspiration. They got married in their Brooklyn apartment with their parents and siblings present. They had a chef come in and cater dinner. My mom’s mom, a seamstress by trade, made my mom’s wedding gown. It was so romantic, simple and beautiful from what I can tell in pictures! I definitely gravitate towards simpler designs with lots of candlelight.

Since working with Bride & Blossom, my eyes have been opened in terms of blooms – some of my favorites are dinner plate dahlias, burgundy ranunculus and blush and burgundy garden roses with silver dollar, seeded and parvifolia eucalyptus.

 

 

You are also a talented stationary designer. Can you tell us about your stationary line aptly named Polk Paper?

Thank you! I have always loved stationery and invitation design and think writing personalized notes is a bit of a lost art. I created Polk Paper to share my love of design and writing personalized notes. It’s 100% handmade and I make every piece by hand at my kitchen table. Sometimes my grandma even helps out, I call her my employee of the year!

I use heat to actually emboss names onto cardstock and envelopes, which gives them a shiny and raised finish that looks absolutely beautiful. I also hand-line each envelope in fine art paper sourced all over the world.

Polk Paper started after I made a few stationery sets for friends and family over the holidays. I got such great feedback that I was inspired to start Polk Paper as an Etsy shop and see where it goes! I have worked for several female entrepreneurs throughout my career and that was another big inspiration for me. It’s a great feeling to be able to make my own business decisions and has been a fabulous learning experience on running a small company.

What inspires you creatively? Is there anything that you like to have around when you are working on a new design?

Not to sound too cliché, but there is so much inspiration just walking through the streets of New York. It’s a city with so much diversity – in people, architectural styles, colors, cultures and food that I love to draw from when putting together my designs. Since stationery is so personal, I also like to ask questions of my clients on what colors and patterns they gravitate towards. Perhaps their travels, experiences or cultural heritage inspires the design and color combinations.

 

 

Are there any trends in wedding invitations and other paper accents that you love at the moment?

I am so inspired by designs that incorporate new materials and mixed media. I recently attended the National Stationery Show, and there were some incredible vendors that were using materials like rich fabrics and leathers, lucite and wood in their designs. I also love and am learning calligraphy. Something about the tactile feel of handwritten names brings such a personal touch to wedding décor. You would be surprised at what a talented calligrapher can write on – agate stones, wooden bowls, even leaves! They become really beautiful place cards and even double as favors!

 

You keep a very busy schedule! What do you like to do in your downtime?

I try to keep my creative mind stimulated as often as possible! I have been learning calligraphy and reigniting my love for photography by getting behind the lens again! I am also an avid cook. I was the kid that watched Emeril Lagasse instead of cartoons. I’ve got the whole Thanksgiving meal down now, and am always trying to cook something new for my family! I recently visited Marfa, TX and hiked in Big Bend State Park (my first hiking/camping/teepee experience), I hope to definitely get in touch more with my outdoorsy side with more hiking (and glamping) in the future!

Please visit Polk Paper to view all of Schuyler’s gorgeous designs!