Meet Lauren Lopez | Floral Designer

We had the good fortune of connecting with Lauren Lopez and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Lauren, we’d love to hear about how you approach risk and risk-taking
I am an Aries sun, so I love an impulsive risk. But also the fear of failing is a huge factor in why risks are terrifying to me. I used to subconsciously live by the rule of “if you never try, you never fail,” living in a world of comfort zones, not pushing my potential, and staying within the walls of my safe little complacent bubble. I am about to out myself as a true corny person, but when I met my boyfriend is truly when I realized how much more I wanted out of my life, how capable I was of really fighting for my dreams. He really is such an inspiration to me for constantly working towards goals, and not giving up even when the future feels bleak. Risk is full of ups and downs, and I am so grateful for all of it. I’m grateful to be able to see Adelita Florals be what it is today, for taking the risk of leaving jobs that may have felt safe, but weren’t fruitful to me. I also believe in setting boundaries, to safeguard my own mental and emotional health, but also with that I do believe that I must continue to push myself. Never stop working towards something. I feel like every failure is a stepping stone to achieving goals. I’ve learned so much in failure, and I feel it has made the little wins in life taste so much sweeter. Life truly is a game of trial and error.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
Adelita Florals started when I was working for the incredible 3 Porch Farms. I have always felt like I would never belong in an office job, that I would not be able to fit into a work environment that made me feel stagnant. I discovered through 3 Porch that there was a world out there I had not tapped into yet; a world of floral design. I’m very happy as my position as freelancer. I believe that through freelancing I have been able to learn from some of the best in the industry. I always leave an event week so inspired. I feel like I need to be in a position where I am moving around and working with my hands and using body.  The amount of times I have had people tell me, “I wish I could play with flowers all day too.” This industry is hard, it’s full of long days and lots of manual labor. But I love it. The mechanics behind ever installation is like solving a puzzle. Fixing of issues on the fly is exhilarating. Using my hands, body, and mind to create something beautiful truly is a gift. This job is hard, but it feels like the missing piece in my life, something that had been waiting to be discovered.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
I love Atlanta so much, I never want to move. And I love food, and feel like Atlanta has a wonderful growing food scene. I have to roll my eyes when people compare it to other cities, like LA and NY. Atlanta has so much potential and it’s great to be able to witness industry folks start their own restaurants. For breakfast, I feel like an obvious one is Ria’s Bluebird. Everything on the menu is a winner, but pay attention to the specials. And always split a stack of pancakes. For lunch, Petit Chou or Pollo Primo. For a lazy dinner out, Nuevo Laredo or Nam Phuong, or really anywhere off Buford Highway. If you’re looking to impress your friend a bit, I’m a sucker for Kimball House. I just had their smoked trout curry dish and I’m still dreaming about it. Atlanta has seen some great pop ups turn into tiny titans in the industry, such as Talat Market and Gigi’s Italian Kitchen. If you had a little too much to drink over the weekend, get some Soba for brunch/lunch. Don’t skip out on the fried tofu.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
Shoutout to Ginger Rose Florals and Samara Floral. I feel like they are both such mentors of mine, whether they know it or not! I know I trust Alyssa and Sheridan with any questions and moments of doubt. They are truly some of the most talented people I’ve met. Honorable mention, DRL.FLWRS who has grown into an incredible powerhouse in this industry in such a short period of time. I think she’s only 23 but has the work ethic like no other. She should be so very proud of herself.

Instagram: @AdelitaFlorals

Image Credits
Freelance work for Ginger Rose Florals and Heidi Harris Photography Freelance work for Nathanial Savage an photo by Lillie Cornelison The Tinsley Co Photography Sarah Stover Photography