Hey Ashley, we’ve been long time admirers of your work. But would you mind sharing with us a bit about yourself, maybe even some things people might not know about you?
Sure! My name is Ashley Beyer and my business is Tinge Floral. I specialize in larger scale, destination weddings and events. I’ve been in business almost 10 years, and live in the Salt Lake area. I have one 3.5 year old daughter and one on the way.
How did Tinge Floral come to be and did you always dream of being a florist?
I don’t recollect dreaming about it, but my mom says that I always talked about having my own flower shop as a child. However I more or less fell into it as an adult! I worked in a flower shop in high school, but then moved on to college and was getting my degree in PR. I would help a friend occasionally with flowers for weddings she was doing and in the process really fell in love with it. At the time I was working in a cubicle and feeling very trapped and uninspired so I decided to start my business and gave myself a year to get it going. Thankfully that worked out, and I quit my job a year later and pursued Tinge full time.
The name, ‘Tinge’ is brilliant. Mind explaining a bit about what that means to you?
I wish the process of selecting that name had a more romantic story! I really have always resonated with the expression of color and the way different colors and combinations can evoke different moods and felt strongly from the beginning that color would be a major defining factor in my work. I wanted to choose a name that felt simple, timeless, and reflective of the work I was producing, and am grateful 10 years later I still feel very connected to it.
If you could distill your brand down into three words, what would they be?
Feminine, sophisticated, soft
What life lessons have you learned from working with flowers and plants?
The temporal quality to flowers is beautiful and with time I’ve come to really appreciate and love the life cycle of a flower or a plant. I think it adds to their romance and appeal. The gift of giving flowers and allowing someone else those moments of getting to appreciate each stage is a tradition I hope never fades.
We’re always wanting to bring my plants into our homes but haven’t got the greenest thumb, any tips to keep them alive?
I think this is a misconception! That florists are green thumbs, I’ve gotten better with time but most of the house plants in our home are kept alive because of my husbands diligence! Definitely making sure they are in the right spot and getting enough light it really important, and don’t over water!
What are your current top 3 favorite flowers, and top 3 favorite house plants?
Favorite flowers changes with the seasons but right now, I love lily of the valley because it’s so small but dynamic in every way, pink frost hellebore, and hyacinth, every variety! Favorite house plants are angel vine, olive (I’ve never been successful with one however) and begonias (the unique leaf varieties).
Your taste in colors and flower selection is beyond. How do you cultivate your aesthetic, and push yourself to stay creative?
I really like the challenge of utilizing the season and my surroundings to pull together new combinations and color palettes. I think pushing yourself to think differently and not relying on crutch varieties and allowing to see flowers with new eyes helps so much!
After working so hard, what are the big pay-off moments that make it all worth it?
Honestly eating food at the end of a long work day and really enjoying a meal and laughing about the day is the best reward. And whatever it is, it must have cheese.
Have there been any surprises along the way in business that you maybe weren’t expecting?
Yes! The job has very little to do with actual flower arranging and much more to do with strategy, planning, numbers, and anxiety.
What are a few of your greatest sources of inspiration?
I pull a lot of my color palette ideas from a flower or leaf that nature has had it’s way with so there are subtleties in the transitions. I love to challenge myself to recreate that palette with an arrangement as a whole.
Could you share with us a couple of hurdles you’ve overcome as you chase your dreams?
So many lessons learned in almost 10 years of doing this. But approach business with more practicality and not inserting emotion into it! Good life lessons for all.
You have a beautiful daughter named Maci. What do you hope she learns as she watches you create with Tinge?
I just want her to feel inspired to do what makes her happy and fulfilled whatever that is. I love that sense of smell has the ability to connect itself to memory and I hope the scents of certain flowers help her remember the special bond we have now that she’s so little!
As a working mother, what are a few things you do that help you to juggle home life and work life?
I say no a lot and prioritize what’s important and works for me. I love my time at home, and I love being elbows deep in flowers. I take the time to appreciate both and really soak it in, and don’t overlap the two worlds very often.
We love hearing people talk about their dreams. What are yours, big or small?
Been following @designmom’s Instagram of her house renovation in the French countryside, and I’m obsessed. Would love to live abroad at some point in my life and be immersed in a different world.
