Partnering with Petal Pusher

Gather has been trusting Petal Pusher to create beautiful bouquets and floral arrangements for more than five years, suggesting them to most bookers for their decor. Petal Pusher opened its doors and services to the wedding scene in 1992, so they can always be trusted to produce amazing quality displays in a timely and professional manner. Current owner, Nichole Campbell, gifted Gather’s Stories writer, Kira Doman, with her time in June to discuss what owning and working for Petal Pusher has been like through her own eyes, and what guests can expect when booking the flowers for their event or wedding.

“Before I became the current owner in 2006, I worked for the previous owner for many years, going on to earn the title of lead designer and wedding consultant,” Nichole Campbell smiled. “I've been with this place for a long time now, and have organized and helped with events such as weddings, bridal showers, baby showers, corporate events, nonprofit events in the Green Bay community…I’ve worked within the entire floral realm and am always excited to utilize my knowledge for bookers' peace of mind. ”

Beautiful bouquets since 1992

According to Nichole, most couples book their flowers approximately eight months to a year in advance. Visiting their website allows individuals to learn about what is available both in season and what can be specially ordered, leaving more time for the couple or bookers to prepare for what they’re looking for.

“Couples can view what we grow on our farm and what we can order for them all on our website, where they can also find our consultation form,” explained Nichole. “This allows them to upload already saved images they might have so that I can gauge the aesthetic they’re after.”

With Nichole’s extensive past in the floral arrangement business, specifically with Petal Pusher, she knows what questions to ask bookers to direct them down the right path of what they’re looking for out of the business’s selection. 

“Our job is to guide them through confusion and to produce something that looks good,” she affirmed. “Trust me, I don't want to make something that doesn't look good. I’ll always steer you in a direction with a beautiful result, that's my job!”

Similar to the booking process with Gather, Petal Pushers assures couples they can call for a meeting at any point. They want to be sure each booker is feeling comfortable with the steps they are taking and the decisions they are making, since the end result won’t be able to be viewed until the day of. 

“We can meet as much or as little as needed,” she said. “We'll handle little details via email or phone calls, but sometimes you start the planning process and things evolve! We always make sure we touch base with couples at the one-month mark, which is when we order flowers, and then again the week of the wedding, giving them a little reminder and making sure everything looks accurate. Weddings have many moving parts, so we do our best to ensure we're keeping in touch with bookers as much as we can.”

These meetings are organized to reach an understanding of the couples booking so that the team can put out the best and most fitting pieces, just as Gather meets with their bookers to gain a full understanding of the atmosphere they should create. Petal Pusher and Gather emphasize the customization and personality that should be seen within each wedding, and due to both businesses’ extensive background in event planning, guests have no need to worry about feeling lost throughout the process.

“This is many couples' first wedding, but this is definitely not my first wedding [nor Gather’s],” Nichole assured. “I’ve been doing this for a long time so I have some tips regarding what works well, and what might not work as well as it seems on paper. We want to be honest with them about what makes the most sense for their budget, their look, and their dates. We’ll draft an itemized estimate with flower and color recommendations and go over all of the pricing in that step.”

Of course, bookers are welcome to bring in pieces of their own to incorporate into their decor, as well as the entire selection from Ruby Design to choose from if you’ve booked with Gather’s other very trusted partner. Like Ruby Design, Petal Pushers lists their entire stock and offerings on their website, making the booking process even easier!

“Weddings are so uniquely personal, we never see the same wedding twice because of all the personality involved in the decor choices,” she smiled. “We give our customers local options and options from across the globe that we can ship in, which can all be viewed on our website! Our website offers arrangements for special occasions such as birthdays, anniversaries, thank yous, or even sympathy bouquets, and can include features such as local handmade soaps, candles, and other self-care items.”

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Farm fresh flowers

Something Nichole is absolutely glowing about lately is Petal Pushers’ recent addition of a farm for the business, which has broadened their availability and creations quite extensively. The two-acre farm, located 45 minutes northwest of Green Bay, was purchased in 2017 and grows many different kinds of greenery including perennials, annuals, shrubs, wooded features, and so much more!

“We use these in all of our events, daily deliveries, and wedding work,” Nichole listed. “It doesn’t produce year-round, as a Wisconsin winter can be quite harsh, but that’s when we order greenery and florals online.”

She has found many ways to utilize the farm and its offerings aside from the projects they’ve been booked for, using the fresh flowers and greenery for the gift packages mentioned above, as well as a brand new farm share program.

“The farm share program is one of my favorite recent additions,” she beamed. “Every two weeks, May through October, the recipient chosen from the program gets a full arrangement of farm fresh, seasonal flowers. They’re so fun because the availability changes all the time and I often don't even know what I'm going to make until I get to the farm and see what's ready. I find magic in combinations I might not have thought of without the seasonal offerings – it's fun to work with whatever Mother Nature has given us to work with.”

Nichole has been enthused not only by the selection of quality products on their farm, but also by the relationship she now has with the florals. Being able to be a part of their entire growing process, rather than a small selection in their store and the rest being ordered online, adds to the magic of the process not only for Nichole, but also for her customers.

“My favorite thing I get to experience is having the farm,” Nichole gushed. “Dahlias are currently a trending wedding flower, but they don't love being shipped in a box...we used to have to order them online and just hope they looked beautiful when they arrived. Now, I plant the tubers, watch them grow, and wait until the right day to harvest them! Having a relationship with the product brings in another level of the experience, rather than importing it in the box and processing it.”

This entire lifespan of these florals and greenery is done organically and with the best quality materials they can find, shaping their products to be the most beautiful arrangements guests can imagine.

“At the farm, we are as organic as we can possibly be,” Nichole assured. “In addition to the fact that we're producing beautiful things, I love that we're doing it organically. I watched the birds, bees, and butterflies enjoy these flowers while still in the field. It's a wonderful full circle because it also benefits our environment, which makes me happy.”

Recently, Petal Pusher provided florals for a wedding that was booked in five days. What started as a small, courthouse wedding spun into something much larger than the couple anticipated. The bride called Petal Pusher realizing she should have a bouquet and a few centerpieces for their reception, and Petal Pushers cranked this out with no problems. 

“She was very open with what we had available in such a crunched timespan,” Nichole smiled. “We were working within the color palette of flowers that were available because we didn't have any sort of a timeline for pre-order, which we normally would at the one-month mark, but we totally made it work!”

The staff at Petal Pusher are very polished professionals, which pairs with Gather’s equally polished staff, and the clean and quick setup both businesses have become accustomed to. With both teams’ confidence and dedication to perfection to a beautiful setup, they’ve produced some of the most extravagant venues. 

“We completely transformed Gather for a winter wedding some time ago,” revealed Nichole. “We brought in fresh evergreen trees from our farm, making the room smell amazing and look phenomenal. We also did a wedding a couple of years ago that used solely dried flowers, which was new for us! We've used dried flowers in combination with fresh flowers, but we had never created one that displayed only dried flowers; both experiences were so fun and unique.”

Are you looking to set up your own uniquely customized event or wedding with Gather and Petal Pusher? It’s better to book sooner rather than later as even Wisconsin winters are starting to book up for both businesses.

“November and December have become quite busy for us,” she said excitedly. “We’ve started to become more known for our winter weddings which is really exciting to see, especially when that’s typically our slow season. It slows down a bit in January and February, as that’s when Wisconsin’s winter tends to be coldest, but throughout the Holiday season, we are booked! The coziness of a woodsy, Wisconsin winter is so beautiful and I think more and more people are starting to notice.”

A polished process

Petal Pusher provides full service for ceremony and reception setup, takedown, and room flips, just like Gather, so your event is effortless! Both teams want to ensure bookers enjoy their event, rather than trying to assist with the process. Just sit back and let the professionals take care of it all!

“We’ve done so many weddings that include ceremony and reception in the same space that the room flip has become a well-oiled machine,” she grinned. “When the curtain is drawn and all the guests are enjoying cocktails and appetizers on the other side, the staffs for Gather and Petal Pusher are working together to completely reinvent that space. You wouldn't believe how quickly and efficiently the room flip happens until you witness it; we're like little flower fairies behind the scenes that come and make all that magic happen.

Tables, chairs, food, centerpieces, and a dance floor are all involved in this now swift room flip. As guests enjoy their cocktail hour following the ceremony on one side of the large and heavy curtain, on the other side, Gather’s and Petal Pusher’s staff are hustling quietly to completely shift the direction of the evening and the decor of the room all within 45 minutes

“I love seeing the reaction when it’s complete, whether it's the bride, a mom, anybody,” Nichole began, “the moment we bring the flowers in and pull back the curtain, the reactions always make every stressful part of the event worth it. Flowers are one of the few things that you can’t preview, you try your dress on before the big day, and you order your invitations prior, but the flowers come the day of your wedding while you’re setting up, and it's very exciting to be a part of that.”

s a longtime employee and owner of Petal Pusher, Nichole has a great abundance of advice for couples in the booking process, and excitedly awaits her customers asking for her guidance and opinions as a professional. For example, repurposing decor from your ceremony into your reception saves money and includes more flowers!

“From a floral perspective, anytime you can get a double usage out of something is a win. If there's a way we can make decor choices that include ceremony decor in your reception as well, it's just getting more bang for the buck, which is always a great thing when it comes to a wedding budget. And who doesn’t love more flowers?”

“Weather always makes for an interesting challenge because it can be picture-perfect some days, and sometimes it can be anything but,” Nichole shrugged. “We have no control over it, it's just a challenge there's not much of a solution to, so we do our best to roll with it. Sometimes it makes for an interesting day when it's an outdoor ceremony, but it’s okay for plans to change! Odds are, your guests won't know that anything's wrong unless you let them know. So if couples can stay calm and positive and truly be in the moment, it makes a better day for everybody, most importantly for them.”

Thankfully Gather’s venue is inside, so being rained out isn’t much of an issue. Instead, guests can walk outside and enjoy the weather at their leisure. The most important tip to remember when organizing an event, according to Nichole, is not to let the anxieties affect you too much. Yes, this is much easier said than done, but from Nichole’s experience, guests don’t typically notice anything is wrong or out of place unless it is mentioned or stressed over.

If the beautiful flowers, terrific advice, and effortless setup and takedown services don’t quite pique your interest in booking, Pippa Pepper, Petal Pusher’s adorably sweet store cat, might!

“Our store cat, Pippa Pepper has brought in customers solely through her presence and social media, confiding one of the only reasons they booked through us or purchased a bouquet or arrangement from us was because of Pippa’s Instagram,” she giggled. “People have asked her to be a flower girl even, but she politely declines each one because she will not tolerate a car ride.”

Come give Pippa a few pets and chat over Petal Pushers' availability and offerings today by visiting their website.

“Weddings should be fun and low-stress for everyone, so we do our best to keep it that way!”

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