Hey everyone, Mel from TGE here again for another interview! I recently got to catch up with our good friend Phoebe, the owner of Evoke Floral Design, to chat about her business, her success stories, her most standout booking to date, and how Evoke Floral Design came to be! This lovely lady will capture your heart, and inspire others through her beautiful work and words, and we’re so excited to share her story with our TGE readers!

So, buckle up lovelies, and let’s get to it!!!

The Girlfriend Edit Interview with Phoebe from Evoke Floral Design

M: Hi Phoebe, welcome! We’ve had the pleasure of working with you and your team before and we know you’re all about quality work, as well as good laughs, and I’m pretty sure you’d have run off with our little bub Theo given the chance hahaha…

But, let’s take a minute and shine a light on you and YOUR hard work, we want to hear about one of your most standout bookings, one that ignited the flame in your heart, you know what we’re talking about! One of those bookings that you’ll relive over and over because it holds a special place in your heart <3

P: Without a doubt, our most exciting booking has been and will always be Amy Sheppard and Lachlan Stuart, a week-long destination wedding celebration, in my hometown of Airlie Beach in the Whitsundays back in 2021.

I met Amy a year out from the wedding in 2020 and worked with her and Lachie to bring together a chic, coastal brief for their big day, as well as florals and styling for her bachelorette party, bridal shower, guest welcome party, and recovery brunch. To say I was nervous for our first meeting is a huge understatement, Amy happens to be a member of the band Sheppard, along with her sister Emma and brother George. They are extremely popular all over the world and so I was aware the wedding was going to be seen far and wide. No pressure!

It turns out that I had nothing at all to worry about, Amy is possibly the most down-to-earth soul I’ve ever met and Lachie is also so genuine and easy-going that I immediately knew working with them was going to be a dream.

From the beginning of planning to the very last moment, Amy and Lachie were so easy to work with and had such a beautiful vision for the day, it made it such a fun and rewarding experience and I’ll always be so grateful to them for that.

We still work with Amy and her family on all kinds of other projects, and they are always so much fun, we love them to bits.

M: Oh wow! What a star-struck moment, and what an amazing trip that would have been back to your hometown as well! The photos from Amy and Lachlan’s wedding are gorgeous, and ‘wow’ what an amazing team of suppliers Amy and Lachlan had!

Ok, let’s talk about you and your business for a minute, we want to hear about how you got started in the weddings and events industry, and what has inspired you to grow your gorg business into what it is today, and why it is that you believe that couples book with you, as well as a list of the services that you offer!

The date you started your business, what inspired you to start, any other highs and lows you want to share and what has inspired you to keep showing up, and why couples should book with you, any awards you might have won, what your services are and where you travel to, etc – pretty much anything that you think is interesting as it’s your time to shine! 😊

P: I technically started out as just a creative person who volunteered for ridiculous projects at an astounding rate, I like to call myself an accidental florist.

Floristry is actually something I grew up with, my aunt was part of a floral art group and I spent many a school holiday annoying her as she arranged on her back patio. I knew how to wire and tape a rose before I could cook a packet of noodles and in fact, floristry was always my ‘Astronaut’ job, you know the one that seems like too much fun to actually be for real?

In 2016 I started party decorating as a bit of a side hustle and not long after a friend of a friend asked me if I’d be willing to do their wedding flowers, she wasn’t fussy and knew I could make it look nice for her. Once I started, I just couldn’t stop, I knew that was where I was headed immediately.

I loved every bit of the process from consults, planning and designing to ordering, stripping, and on-site installation.

There have been so many highs and lows, I couldn’t tell you how many times I’ve thought I wouldn’t be able to do this crazy thing, but all the highs have reminded me that it’s so worth pushing through doubt and imposter syndrome of the lows to get to where we are today.

One of the reasons I’d give for why our brides come to us is that we’re realistic on what can be pulled off, but we’ll also move heaven and earth to make it work for you if we can, it’s rare for me to refuse a request. I have a very client-focused approach and so do the girls that work with me, we love to see our clients happy and that’s the ultimate goal of every wedding and event that we have the honour of creating for.

Evoke services include wedding and event floristry, creative event styling, corporate and editorial custom work. Our signature modern floral designs are on trend and tailored individually to each client and event. We work mainly in the Brisbane and South East area but we’re always happy to travel for destination weddings.

We’re a small team and only take on limited bookings yearly so we book out quickly, some dates are booked years in advance. This allows us to work closely with our clients and maintain the integrity of the design and styling process. When you hire Evoke, you know you’re having your flowers designed and personally created by the person you’ve chosen, who you’ve discussed all the little details with, whose work inspired your choice. You can trust that each element of your special moment has been loved and adored over as if it were our very own, with each one of those little details in mind along the way.

M: Well, there you have it, TGE peeps! Phoebe is a shining example of what can happen when you push past your personal boundaries, and believe in yourself, and your capabilities! She’s also a kick ass florist too, who will no doubt make your wedding day absolutely gorg, with her eye for design and detail..

To find out more about Phoebe and her business Evoke Floral Design, check out her website here.

To see more of Amy Sheppard’s wedding day as well as her very own featured wedding song, check out her music video here.

Do you have a wedding journey related story to share with our TGE Community?

Maybe you just celebrated your proposal, hen’s party, or you’ve had the most magical wedding day ever! Or your Honeymoon was something you want to share with our readers.

Maybe you’re a wedding vendor who has a stunning wedding, or shoot to share, or a new wedding venue/business opening.

If so, let’s chat! We’d love for you to share your story with us!

For wedding couples, submit your story here.
For wedding vendors, submit your story here.

TGE xx

Amy Sheppard and Lachlan Stuarts A-List Team of Wedding Vendors can also be found here!

Floral stylist @evokefloraldesign | Photographer @florido_weddings | Wedding planner @tildeath_events | Airlie beach-based planner/coordinator @euphoriceventproducers | Bride – Amy Sheppard @amysheppardpie | Brides dress @ella_moda | Brides shoes @loefflerrandall | Grooms suit @mjbale | Styling hire @azure_weddings_and_events | Venue @villaparadisecove| Catering @aquava_boutique_catering | Jewellery @hogansfamilyjewellers | Stationery @heartofjuno_designs