Exploring Life & Business with Maria Ianiro and Dominique Amar of Wild Doves Floristry

Today we’d like to introduce you to Maria Ianiro and Dominique Amar.  

Hi Maria and Dominique, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today.
We are Maria Ianiro and Dominique Amar, and we are your Wild Doves! To give you a quick background. We started our beautiful friendship together 14 years ago in Columbus, Ohio working together at Giuseppe’s Ritrovo in Bexley and then shortly after became roommates. Over the years we had always talked about starting a business together, but the timing was never right. At different times in our lives, we moved away from each other. During Covid, when we had more than enough time, we revisited our ideas. We knew we wanted to get involved with florals, which is more of Dominique’s passion, and events, which is more of my (Maria) forte. In 2020 Dominique purchased a book about Floriograhy which is also known as the language of flowers. Right then and there I was like, Dominique this is the concept for our business! This could really be something special but how do we bring it out to the world? We brainstormed, and about two years ago we took a trip to Nashville which is one of our favorite places and it was also a middle destination from Florida which is where Dominique was living at the time, and Cleveland where I was living. We knew that we wanted to start a business and take it to Columbus Ohio where everything really started for us. Columbus is Dominique’s Hometown and my second home away from Cleveland. We worked apart for two years before we both moved back to Columbus. And now We are back to being roommates and working together in our home studio in the Brewery district. 

I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey has been a fairly smooth road?
With starting a new business there will always be ups and downs. For the most part, it has been a very fun ride for us. The best part is that we are doing this together! Our biggest struggle has been our pricing! In the floral industry prices are always fluctuating, and we are still feeling the effects of Covid. With being a new business, we would like to be able to offer our products to everyone, but it is more important to stay true to who we are and what we stand for, which involves more time and attention to details in our services. We take pride in offering high-quality sustainable products by not using floral foam and taking extra steps to provide a longer-lasting product. 

As far as individual struggles for me (Maria), I’m a bit of a workaholic, so I would say my biggest challenge has been knowing when to shut it off especially when my workspace is also my living space. Also, trying to stay up to date with all the trends of social media has been pretty exhausting, but at the same time, I really do love it! 

As you know, we’re big fans of Wild Doves Floristry. For our readers who might not be as familiar, what can you tell them about the brand?
We incorporate Floriography in each of our designs which I mentioned from the book we purchased, and that simply is a fancy name for the language of flowers. Within the art of Floriography, every flower carries its own special meaning and symbolism, and it can also be influenced by its variety and color. For example, a red rose is universally known as a symbol of love and passion. While white flowers represent purity and innocence. All of this dates back to the Victorian era where open forms of communicating feelings were not considered proper etiquette during the rains of queen Victoria. So, people would send mini bouquets, known as tussie mussie, that would hold these ‘secret messages.’ Suitors would deliver these mini bouquets and watch to see how they were accepted. If they were held at heart level, they accepted. If held downwards, that was a sign of rejection. To answer a question with the answer, yes, it was given in the right hand, and no it was given in the left. 

So, through our floristry, we’re trying to educate people on this beautiful lost language. We don’t just provide beautiful floral arrangements and pick out what looks good and in season. This is a true art form for us, where we put a lot of thought and detail into each piece. We really take the time to plan out the flowers and understand the message that you are trying to communicate. We want to help there be more depth and thoughtfulness behind the flowers. We have even put a lot of thought into our packaging. When you receive flowers, you will get a wax-sealed envelope with sentiments that include a card with the floriography of that specific arrangement, a flower care card, flower food, a Wild Doves sticker, and the sender’s personal note. As well as our most prideful sentiment, a mini polaroid that we take of your specific arrangement because – Flowers fade, but a photo lasts forever. 

Where we are in life is often partly because of others. Who/what else deserves credit for how your story turned out?
We have received so much love and support from more people than we could have ever dreamed of! Our biggest cheerleaders and supporters have been our families and friends! Our biggest cheerleader, who has contributed more than we could ask for is Dominique’s husband, Andres Weber! He is a man who sometimes wears more hats than us! He helps us whenever and wherever needed. Other people that have played a big role in our business is Jessica Roux, the author, and illustrator behind the book “Floriograghy: An Illustrated Guide to the Victorian Language of Flowers” Without this book we would not have incorporated Floriography into our designs. This book has led us to design with intention and become storytellers through our floristry. Other Florists that have been true inspiration to us along the way are The Wild Mother, Blue Jasmine, Siren Florals, and Wild Flora. Our relationships with our wholesalers have been our most important one. Carolyn Graves from Mayesh Wholesale Florist, Inc in Cleveland is a floral queen, and all our friends at Sunny Meadows Flower Farm and Blue Green Gardens have provided us with the most stunning quality blooms! While struggling with our pricing, we discovered LuAnn Dickson, the founder of EveryStem Florist Software that has given us confidence in our pricing strategy. She has been a true supporter and mentor along the way! Jeremy and Dona Kiner from AMPED creative have been with us since before we became official and brought our vision to life by creating the most beautiful website for us! And we can’t forget about our friend PJ Ford! He is also a Giuseppe’s Ritrovo alum, and it was so special to have him photograph our work for our website! 

Pricing:

• Bouquet Occasions – $80-$180
• Centerpiece Occasions – $95-$200
• Subscription Bouquets – $75-$135
• Subscription Arrangements – $90-$155

Contact Info:

• Website: https://wilddovesfloristry.com/
• Instagram: @wilddoves_floristry
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/WildDovesFloristry/

Image Credits
PJ Ford
Taylor Grey