Rethinking Wedding Planning with Lauren Bercier and Laken Swan of Something Borrowed Blooms
You don’t need a movie like Father of the Bride to tell you something obvious: planning a wedding is a stressful experience. You need to find the perfect dress or tux. The wedding playlist has to be a blend of romantic and danceable. And THOSE two people can’t sit next to each other—that would be a disaster!
Well, Lauren Bercier and Laken Swan, the co-founders of Something Borrowed Blooms, are making one element of wedding planning a breeze. The company offers reusable rental silk wedding flowers, which customers use and then mail back. Something Borrowed Blooms has more than 20,000 unique items ready to rent, including bouquets, garlands, lanterns, candlesticks, boutonnieres, corsages, and more.
Lauren and Laken sat down with Good People, Cool Things to chat about the inspiration behind their business, trends they see in the wedding industry, and song considerations for your playlist.
Where did the idea for Something Borrowed Blooms come from?
We were both inspired by Rent the Runway and the adoption of the share trend. We loved the concept of renting an item that’s only used once or for a limited time to minimize the investment cost. We looked to apply that concept to different industries and landed in weddings.
At that time, we saw many brides looking for ways to save money on flowers by either cutting back on their selection of fresh floral or DIY silk florals. That’s when things became very clear, and we knew we had an idea worth pursuing — rent and return wedding flowers!
What’s the most unusual item you have available for people to rent?
We don’t really have anything too unusual, but one of our most fun pieces on our website is a dog collar! It’s so fun to watch couples incorporate their furry companions for their "I dos'' and reception festivities! Our floral dog collars are adjustable to fit any size dog.
How have you grown your business? What’s worked well and what hasn’t?
We are currently averaging 1,000 weddings per month and delivering nationwide. We are seeing numbers soar as the fresh floral industry continues to experience supply chain issues. By the end of the year, we’ll be fulfilling 2,000 orders monthly.
As we’ve penetrated the fresh flower market, we’ve seen an increase in our clients’ average order value, now up to $550. Clients are seeing the value in getting more for their budget with silk flowers. In addition to that, word of mouth and brand awareness has really increased and has been a large part of our business growth.
Is there a song that HAS to go on a wedding playlist? How about one that’s on your “do not play” list?
A must-have song for any wedding playlist is “Uptown Funk” by Bruno Mars. “YMCA” seems overdone and is on our “do not play” list!
What’s your personal favorite flower?
We absolutely love peonies! Something Borrowed Blooms is great because we can guarantee to have the flowers you love (like expensive peonies or out-of-season anemones) without the high price tag of traditional wedding flowers.
What’s next for you?
We have big plans for the future of Something Borrowed Blooms. We see opportunities outside of the wedding market. Possible endeavors include opening multiple distribution centers, a home decor department, and expanding into private sector events.