SK Designs
Each month Aisle to Altar features a different wedding vendor in the Northwest Arkansas area. These vendors are the crème dela crème of what Arkansas weddings have to offer. Each one with unique skills, expertise, and services. From wedding photographers to food trucks, Northwest Arkansas has some of the best wedding vendors. Not only are these vendors amazing at what they do, but they are amazing people. Through this series you will meet the names and faces behind these local companies, and learn about their passions, their stories, their services, and their work. If you are a bride planning your wedding, this is the perfect way for you to get connected with our local vendors and hopefully find some of the vendors you will hire for your wedding. Without further ado, the 2022 September Vendor of the Month is: SK Designs.
S & K The Dynamic Duo
SK Designs is owned and operated by two University of Arkansas Alumni, Shelby and Kaitlyn. Shelby, originally from Oklahoma, studied communication while Kaitlyn, who grew up in Little Rock, Arkansas studied communication and marketing. Their majors weren't the only things they had in common. The two met through the University’s Pi Beta Phi Sorority. Kaitlyn became Shelby’s “Little Sis”, and the two have been best friends ever since!
Shelby and Kaitlyn, SK Designs. Photogrpahy by Alyssa Simpson Photos
After graduating college, both Shelby and Kaitlyn moved on to other things. Shelby accepted a corporate job and worked in communications while Kaitlyn got a job working for a marketing company. After 3 years of working in the corporate world, Shelby decided that it was time to move on to something new where she could be passionate about her work and use her more creative side. It was about this time that the Covid Pandemic had reached the United States, and if there was ever a time to start a new chapter in your life, it was then.
It was actually Kaitlyn who proposed the idea of starting a floral preservation business. Thinking back to her college days when she worked for a florist, she remembered people were always asking about how to preserve their flowers and for floral preservation recommendations. The idea of preserving your wedding florals was still a rather new concept. Unfortunately, there weren’t really any options for floral preservation in Northwest Arkansas or elsewhere. Kaitlyn saw the need for floral preservation in her area, and they now had the time to learn a new skill and turn it into a successful business.
It took months of practicing and experimenting with different drying techniques and flowers to develop a mastery of floral preservation in order to launch their business. After honing this new skill, SK Designs born. It took time, patience, and dedication, but in September 2020 Shelby and Kaitlin had finally launched their floral preservation business. Today, both Shelby and Kaitlyn are working for SK Designs full time.
What is Floral Preservation?
Floral preservation can mean a few different things. It can be hanging your florals in a dark dry place and allowing them to dry naturally that leaves them very fragile and delicate. It can be pressing them under pressure to create flat 1 dimensional preserved flowers that can be framed, or it can be drying and encasing your flowers in a block of resin to create a 3 dimensional piece of art using your florals. It is these 3 dimensional pieces of floral preservation that SK Designs specializes in.
SK Designs Services & Prices
SK Designs specializes in practical floral and display floral preservation pieces. They offer a variety of options. You can choose to have your wedding day flowers preserved in beautiful coasters, display trays, wall hangings, ornaments, keychains, and other decorative display pieces. Each piece is customized using your flowers and can be personalized with lettering and foiling. With so many different options, you are sure to find a functional piece that you will love.
Florals from your wedding day are an investment, therefore, you should also invest in floral preservation. You are able to find SK Designs current pricing and products on their website. SK Designs has spent over a year perfecting their techniques to provide you with quality products that will last a lifetime. Without preserving your flowers, they will only last a matter of days.
How does it Work?
SK Designs makes floral preservation easy. First you need to reserve your date. Check the SK Designs website for availability and reach out via email to secure your spot. You will need to book about 6 months in advance as they get booked quickly and can only take 40-50 projects a month. Once booked, you can select your piece, or bundle that you would like your florals preserved in. Once your wedding day has concluded, your florals will need to be mailed or dropped off to SK Designs within 48 hours of your wedding. Once they receive your flowers it will take about 3-4 weeks to dry your blooms before they can be preserved. Your floral preservation artist will then design your piece and set it in resin. It takes another 4-5 weeks for your piece of resin art to completely cure. The total process takes about 6-8 weeks. These hand created pieces are worth the wait! Once cured, your piece will be sent to you for your enjoyment for years and years to come.
Wedding Advice from you Floral Preservation Artist
If you are preserving your flowers, be sure to keep your arrangements and bouquets in cold water whenever possible. This will ensure your flowers will retain their color and shape longer in order to be shipped after your wedding. Both Shelby and Kaitlyn are married and when asked to offer up any advice to brides planning their wedding, they offered the following advice,
“Trust your vendors, they are the experts and you should take vendor advice.”
“Don’t overthink the details, they always find a way of working themselves out.”
Shelby and Kaitlyn’s floral preservation company, SK Designs, is just one of many amazing wedding vendors in the Northwest Arkansas area. If you are currently planning a wedding and are in need of vendors, this series is the perfect tool for you to learn about each vendor and decide which ones are the right fit for you and your wedding. Comment or Subscribe to our newsletter below so you don’t miss next month’s vendor.
Cheers,
