Meet Leslie Cabrera Fuentes | Wedding & Event Floral Designer

We had the good fortune of connecting with Leslie Cabrera Fuentes and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Leslie, what’s something about your industry that outsiders are probably unaware of?
I am huge on expressing all of the hard labor and process behind floral design. Aside from working with beautiful blooms, we spend most of our time in front of a screen invoicing, quoting and e-mailing our couples for the big day or for any special occasion order. During wedding and holiday seasons, you don’t stop working until the work is done. There’s constant e-mailing back and forth with not only the couple but the wholesalers, maybe event freelancers, sometimes their venue. For example, depending on the size of the wedding I sometimes begin prepping as of Wednesday or Thursday before the event. That’s about 3-4 days worth of work nonstop until the day of the wedding when people see us work with the flowers. There’s a lot that happens in between until we even get to work with our florals. Then there’s the breakdown, the bucket and vase cleaning, reorganizing the studio and cleaning out the car from all of the greenery that might’ve fallen out or water that might’ve spilled out. It can be tedious and harsh but seeing everyone’s reaction to the final product is always worth watching and heart warming.

Alright, so for those in our community who might not be familiar with your business, can you tell us more?
Everyone goes through challenges when building a business. For me, I am a first generation Mexican American daughter and the oldest sibling of 4. The hardest part of starting my business was the fact that no one was truly able to help me with getting my registration done, learning how to file my business taxes and things like that. All of the investment a business takes, while balancing a full-time job and in college has been stressful and tiring. All of it has put me where I am today. The ultimate goal is to be able to educate others who want to pursue floral design through workshops and mentoring to help them as much as I can and continue to create art through flowers for everyone. There’s been so much sweat, tears and restless nights I have put into my business, so I hope to inspire others to pursue their passions.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
I am a huge coffee enthusiast, I have my own espresso machine at home and all. The first spot I would definitely take someone would be Window Seat Coffee on Lower Greenville. I love traveling so that spot is just heaven to me. The perfect combination of enjoying a cup of coffee while getting away for a bit and catching up with friends. For lunch, I would highly recommend grabbing pupusas from La Pasadita in Old East Dallas. Best pupusas in DFW, you’ll definitely go back for a second round. As a flower lover myself, I always enjoy a beautiful day at the Dallas Arboretum or White Rock Lake. I am more of a morning person than a night person but for night outs I always enjoy a walk around Downtown’s AT&T district and a couple of drinks at Vidorra in Deep Ellum. Dallas just has so many places to eat, drink and see that you can’t even pick a favorite one.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
My business is nothing without the help of my friends and family. Sounds cliche, but they have seriously pushed me & continue to motivate to help my business flourish. I am fortunate to have amazing supportive parents that always find little ways to help me. My dad recently built me a small studio/office space right outside of our house so I won’t have to continue to work from our dining room. My mom always helps out handing out the arrangements when I’m not around or going on supply runs before my events when I’m swamped with work or school. My boyfriend (who so happens to be a wedding photographer) always photographs my final work, gives me tips pursuing the wedding industry and is always there for me when I doubt my work. My neighbor, Wendy, whom I have been friends with since a kid, always comes over on busy weekends to help out and support me. Last but not least, my regular clients who continue to support my business no matter the occasion or how busy I am. I believe being a business owner is already a huge load of work for a single person, but it doesn’t feel that way when you have a wonderful support system. These amazing people have shaped me and my business since and thanks to them, the business flourishes everyday.

Website: www.lafuentedeflores.com

Instagram: @lafuentedeflores

Twitter: @fuentedeflores

Facebook: La Fuente de Flores

Image Credits
Anthony Ray