Designing with flowers has absorbed Terrianne Burns for twenty years. From running two florist businesses in Brisbane to creating floral designs for world mega stars including Kylie Minogue, Robbie Williams and John Travolta. It’s what she’s always wanted to do. Terrianne is now running a thriving floral design business from Maleny where brides come from as far afield as New York and London to be married on the Hinterland of the Sunshine Coast.
TERRIANNE and her husband Trevor moved to Maleny from Brisbane in 2005 with Terrianne setting up Mondo Floral Designs and Trevor managing the production of the glossy Sunshine Coast Brides magazine, and more lately the Little White Wedding Church.
This active couple are a wedding industry in their own right in a market that is booming on the Sunshine Coast. Terrianne’s focus is servicing a wedding market that shows no sign of letting up. “We’re not a retail florist in the sense of people coming through the door wanting a bunch of flowers to take home. We specialise solely in wedding requirements and that’s a very big market”, says Terrianne from her large Maleny studio.
It’s not just flowers either because the modern bride is very conscious of ‘ theming’. So Mondo offer a package of creative ideas and are often called upon to provide the whole styling package including, designer mirrors, tea- lights, glass vintage vases, and candelabras.
“Each bride has a different vision for their wedding day and want individual floral touches”, says Terrianne, “and we work in with all the local restaurants, venues and suppliers so that we can assist in achieving the end result.”
What is surprising is that most of the bridal couples you see posing for photographs on the Hinterland, have come from somewhere else.
“Many come from Sydney or Melbourne”, says Terrianne.
Some come from overseas, and for us that involves a lot of email communication. Of course that’s very challenging with something as creative and demanding as floral design. Some people do come here to see us, like a couple from New York who are getting married at Maleny Manor in January. They are here for a week now and are touching base with us about their requirements. Sometimes we never see the brides. It’s all by email and there has to be a lot of trust from their perspective. But we have a very comprehensive website that presents our service and style perfectly” (created by Maleny’s Nathan Arrowsmith).
Terrianne has seen a large increase in her business each year since 2005. She now employs four people and is delighted to have just taken on a trainee. “She is a school- based trainee from Maleny High School and is very creative and spent an initial five weeks with us. She is so excited by floral design that we have just confirmed a government school-based traineeship for her.”
Mondo Floral Designs selects its flowers from all over Australia, including many varieties from local growers. Terrianne and staff visit their wholesalers, taking care always to have the final say over what they will take. “We tend not to import anything at all”, says Terrianne. “All of the product we receive is Australian grown, much of it is from NSW and Victoria where the roses in particular grow better. All our beautiful bulbs come from down south.”
“Because we’re now doing 6-9 weddings each weekend, we find that we need to get the very best product from wherever that may be across Australia”. What pleases Terrianne most about her very busy work schedule are the beautiful thank you cards she gets in the mail each week.
“We get to know everyone personally. I just love it because it’s a very involved service. We may do an hour or two hour initial consultation, and continue to keep in contact with our brides and on the day itself we deliver everything personally. We set everything up at the reception too. We make sure brides know how to hold their bouquets, and how to walk when they’re all dressed in their wedding gown. Often it’s the first time.”
Terrianne will design arrangements for church, reception and guests accordingly.” Many of our brides have a big focus on flowers. It’s the one day of their life when they’re allowed to have flowers”, she says with a grin. “A bride may spend $2000 – $3000 on bouquets ceremony and reception designs. At the other end of the scale, we have had $8-10,000 budgets just for flowers. That’s a very large event and it doesn’t happen every week”, she adds with a smile. “As far as the season for flowers is concerned, it’s definitely been extended with commercial growing techniques to what it used to be. It enables us to provide much of what they want … most of the time”, she adds with laugh.
It seems David Austin roses, hydrangeas and peonies are some of the most popular blooms. Sometimes particular flowers dictate the wedding day. For example, peony roses flower for only six weeks of the year so, if anyone wants a peony wedding says Terrianne, they have to get married from November to mid December.
“For us though, it’s about pleasing the client not what is easy for us. For example, last year we had a really large wedding where it was impossible for me to get what the bride wanted in Australia. The only way I could get the particular orchid that she wanted at that time of the year was to import it from New Zealand. She had no qualms and said I want it. Please do it. And I must say, we got a beautiful response card from her after the wedding.
Terrianne is delighted to be part of a thriving industry which depends on the natural attractions of the Hinterland. “Maleny has that attraction”, says Terrianne enthusiastically “because it has such beautiful accommodation and award- winning venues. I don’t think people realise the vast number of suppliers to the wedding industry are up here. Many of them are leaders in their field. So rather than just being here for one day, family and friends will converge on this area for three days. They make a big event out of it so that their wedding becomes memorable”.
CONTACT DETAILS:
Studio consultations by appointment 349 Mountain View Road, Maleny
5499 9479
0416 074 583
terrianne@mondofloraldesigns.com.au
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