SLOW FLOWERS HEROES BY DEBRA PRINZING
gina lett-shrewsberry. inspirations by gina | sacramento, california Launching a floral studio after working in entertainment banking and public sector finance for decades felt to Gina LettShrewsberry like coming home. "I was making great money in finance, but it didn’t give me joy,” she recalled. Inspirations by Gina began with event design for the Black Student Club at her son’s school, and soon expanded into planning weddings—including for ceremonies at San Francisco City Hall—which approved Gina as a preferred vendor. The planning business was originally her “side hustle,” intended to generate additional income after the state of California (her employer at the time) asked employees to take a 15% pay cut. While booking wedding clients was a success, Gina often felt frustrated when DIY couples bought flowers in bulk without having a plan for arranging them.
"I couldn’t let things fall apart, so I often found myself pulling things together."
SLOW FLOWERS SUMMIT June 26-27, 2023 SLOWFLOWERSSUMMIT.COM Gina Lett-Shrewsberry will speak at the 6th Slow Flowers Summit as part of the Floral Design Track on Day Two. Her presentation, “Sourcing Local Flowers for Your Wedding Designs,” will be accompanied by a floral design demonstration.
A colleague recommended that Gina study floral design at American River College, which offered programs in hospitality and horticulture. With an expanded set of design skills and training gained by freelancing for other florists, Gina inched her way toward full-time floral design. “I had a hybrid business from 2017 to 2019. Wedding planning
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