Darling Blooms NWA
Each month Aisle to Altar will feature a different wedding vendor in the Northwest Arkansas area. These vendors are the crème dela crème; each one with unique skills, expertise, and services. 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 their passions, their stories, their services, and their work. The 2021 February Vendor of the Month is: Darling Blooms NWA.
Jess Matlock, Owner, Darling Blooms
Photos by Leslie Nice Photography.
The Woman Behind the Flowers
Darling Blooms was launched in April 2020 by Jessica(Jess) Matlock. Jess was born in Michigan, but has been a Northwest Arkansas resident for going on 10 years. She is married and has a beautiful daughter named Emma Kate. Like most of us, starting her own business wasn’t Jess’s first career move. Jess attended the University of Arkansas, Fort Smith and has been a part time dental hygienist for the last 10 years. However, Jess’s creative desires and love for people took her down a different path. On a whim Jess started planting flowers in her backyard which to this day has grown into a 1/4 acre flower farm.
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Planting the Seed
Jess’s love for flowers didn’t start overnight. Jess’s grandmother shared this same passion for flowers and was known in her circle’s as “The Flower Lady.” “My grandma and my great grandma, though no longer with us, both adored flowers. They loved growing them and arranging them. So much so that my Great Grandma has a statue by her graveside that reads, “the flower lady,” a name given to her by those closest to her. I know they would both be so proud to see me carry on the legacy of growing and arranging flowers.”
How does starting a flower garden in your backyard turn into a growing and budding floral company? It’s fairly simple really. Jess’s hobby of growing flowers and making arrangements caught the eye of a bride. “A bride reached out to me and asked if I could do the florals for her wedding and my first response was ‘I don’t know”. Darling Blooms has become the creative outlet that Jess needed. She loves creating beautiful designs for people and seeing the joy that flowers bring to her customers. “I have always admired the beauty of flowers, the uniqueness of each variety, the vibrant colors, and fragrant smells. Growing flowers from seed, for me, is healing. To bless people with flowers is to bring them joy. Just one small thing I can do to make the world a more beautiful place.” Jess’ hobby of gardening and floral design has grown into so much more. Darling Blooms has grown and blossomed from the seed that Jess’s grandmother planted in her.
Jessica and the Darling Blooms Flower Cart.
Photos by Leslie Nice Photography.
Darling Bloom Services
Darling Blooms serves Northwest Arkansas, the River Valley, and Northern Missouri providing beautiful fresh cut flowers, bouquets, wedding floral designs, floral design workshops, flower subscriptions and even Northwest Arkansas first ever flower cart. You can find Darling Blooms at the Cave Springs Farmers Market, her flower cart pop ups locations and online at her website. Darling Blooms can provide all of your floral needs year round. In her 1/4 acre flower farm, Jess grows an array of different flower varieties. In the spring her farm is filled with flowers like Ranunculus, Anemones, Snapdragons, and Bells of Ireland. In summer the farm is brimming with Zinnias, Dahlias, and Sunflowers. These locally grown season flowers are stunning. Darling Blooms also has sourcing abilities to provide more varieties year round.
Your Wedding Florist
If you are planning a wedding in Northwest Arkansas and you’re looking for a florist, Darling Blooms is an amazing choice. Darling Blooms provides brides with custom wedding floral designs. Her designs are beautiful, whimsical, and airy. Darling Blooms gives complimentary in person consulting to all prospective brides interested in her booking her for their wedding. She will create unique vision boards using your pick of colors and flowers from her flower farm. Each wedding is different and has a different budget and needs. Darling Blooms offers custom quotes with no minimum for each of her brides.
Advice from your Florist
Planning a wedding can be stressful and with so many different vendors and options it can often be overwhelming. Jess has some amazing advice for bride’s planning their weddings. “It is your wedding day, figure out your style and pick vendors that have similar styles to your. Create a Pinterest board or vision board and keep an open mind when it comes to your budget, some things may be worth the extra expense.”
Jess Matlock and her floral company Darling Blooms is the first of many wedding vendors to be featured in this series. If you are planning your wedding in Northwest Arkansas, this series and the vendors showcased are here to help you. Come back next month for another amazing vendor. To get more wedding content and get notified of our next vendor of the month, subscribe to our newsletter below.
Cheers,
