Tahnee Skowron

Miller Rose Botanic

Miller Rose Botanic is Perth’s Eco Event Florist who uses local, in season flowers – along with plants! – to style weddings and events.

We want to show couples that you can have the Pinterest worthy wedding of your dreams while choosing sustainable options, and it’s a lot easier than you think!

Not only do we create stunning florals with local and in season flowers but we use potted plants and succulents to style events for the ultimate sustainable alternative. We use potted succulents to decorate guest tables and the guests can take them home at the end of the night = no waste! We create truly one of a kind succulent headpieces that can be replanted after your event and will continue growing. We use potted plants to decorate spaces that can be used over and over again and not thrown out at the end of the night like traditional flowers.

When did you start your business?

I started my business in 2020, during a COVID lockdown while on maternity leave with my (at the time) 5 month old daughter.

I started by making succulent arrangements for Mother’s Day and in 2021 it evolved into the beautiful wedding floristry business it is today.

What was the inspiration behind starting this business?

I originally started by making succulent arrangements for mothers day. It was during a covid lockdown and I needed a hobby!

It soon turned into the amazing Eco wedding floristry business it is today. For me, it was important to keep my business as sustainable and eco as possible. Why?  The wedding industry is an industry with SO much waste. After my wedding in 2018 (Before I knew I could do any of this, had no idea about the wedding industry or how important sustainability was) I spent WAY too much on wedding flowers which at the end of the night got thrown in the bin.

Of course they were beautiful but I thought there must be a better way.

Let me share a fact with you;

Did you know that if 10% of Australian weddings were eco-friendly it would be the equivalent of taking 111,293 cars off the road for one year!

* As studied by Edge Environment for Less Stuff More Meaning and using the EPA Greenhouse gas equivalencies calculator

Crazy right?

What are you most excited about in your business?

I’m excited to show couples how incredible eco weddings are! You usually save money (as you are focusing on what really means the most to you both as a couple) and you can have an absolutely incredible wedding!

What has been the most challenging thing about starting your business?

Where to start haha

Starting my business I had the thought that I would be able to spend more time with my daughter. But in reality I feel like I would spend more quality time with her if I worked a regular 9-5.

I am extremely lucky though, even though I’m working she can still come with me most days and is at an incredible age where she loves ‘helping’ and getting involved with everything I do.

It has also been extremely challenging starting from scratch. Before working in my own business I have only ever worked in corporate jobs, I would never have considered myself creative!

So if you were to tell myself 5 years ago this would be my life, I would never have believed you!

What advice would you give to other women thinking about starting a business?

When you find something you are truly passionate about you have to go for it! Making the decision to start and believing in yourself is the hardest thing you can do.

But once you start, you are setting up your life for something truly incredible.

You will have days where you are wondering if it’s all worth it and days where you really remember why you do.

But 5 years from now you will look back and be so incredibly proud of what you have achieved.

Why did you enter the AusMumpreneur Awards?

I wanted to help spread my message and share what I do. My usual marketing is really only targeted to my Perth clients but I want others in the wedding industry to see what I’m doing and be inspired to make a change!

It’s an industry with so much waste, we can all do better.

What did you enjoy the most about being part of the awards?

I really loved pushing myself outside of my comfort zone! I was SO nervous to do the zoom judging but once I finished them I felt absolutely incredible and like I could achieve anything!

What surprised you most about the awards?

Winning? haha

No really though, I only started in the events industry at the beginning of 2021 so to win gold in the events business award was absolutely mind blowing.

How did the awards help you in your business?

It is helping me spread my message and share what I do! I hope I can inspire couples and others in the wedding/event industry to make small changes to their weddings to make them more eco friendly.

What advice would you give to other mums thinking about entering the awards?

What have you got to lose? Push yourself out of your comfort zone and do something for you and your business. You never know where it could take your business!

What has been the best thing about starting your own business?

Being able to do what I love everyday, spending the days with my daughter and not having to answer to a corporate boss haha

What’s happening next in your business?

I’m going to keep staying in my own lane and sharing what I do and the crazy ideas I come up with! I’m working with other incredible eco vendors that trust me to bring those ideas to life!

I’m also hiring my first staff member! YAY!

What are your big plans for the future?

Ultimately, to change the wedding industry (No big deal right?)

Why isn’t using local in season flowers the normal rather than always using imported roses? (Fun fact – pretty much all roses used for weddings in Australia are flown in from Ecuador and Kenya and not actually grown here)

Why can’t it be the normal?

Why isn’t it normal to reduce our waste wherever possible?

Why wouldn’t couples want to be saving money by reducing their waste?

What is your website and/or social media links (eg. Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram)

Website – www.millerrosebotanic.com.au

Instagram – @miller.rose.botanic

Facebook – @miller.rose.botanic