Welcome to our YCL Women's Series; a space created to share the stories & insight of women all around the world, whom inspire us.
YCL Women's Series | Sarah-Mae Amey
We spent five minutes with the talented woman behind Gold Coast based floral studio Florals & Co, Sarah-Mae Amey. Being in the floristry industry for 15 years, Sarah-Mae has gained experience as an in-house event stylist for some of Australia's leading venues, in addition to planning and executing the floral styling for hundreds of weddings, events & editorials.
1. How did you get to where you are today? Tell us a little bit about your journey.
My journey to get to where I am in my business today has been quite a long but exciting one with a lot of hard work involved. When I was 12 years old I started working in a beautiful local Florist shop on the Gold Coast where I worked for 10 years building my skill set from the ground up (starting with all the junior duties that no one loves to do ha ha - like sweeping the floors, cleaning buckets, stripping countless rose thorns) before moving to Sydney 5 years ago & moving into the world of Wedding/ Events Floristry. It was there that I started my little flower baby business – Florals & Co.
After an amazing & successful 3 years in Sydney I decided to move home to the Gold Coast and bring the business with me. I’ve been back on the GC for two years now & It’s the best decision I’ve ever made.
2. Who is your ultimate muse / inspiration?
I don’t have a single person that comes to mind but instead different channels of inspiration, When it comes to creating floral designs for weddings, I actually get really inspired by my client's personalities and I try to create something that really reflects them as a person.
A lot of my inspiration also comes from travelling which I love to do. I always come back from being away so inspired by trends & ways of life that I’ve seen in other countries.
As well as so many of my beautiful insanely talented Florist girlfriends, I am so lucky to have so many in the industry in both Sydney & the Gold Coast who inspire me all the time. It really is a ‘community over competition’ vibe and we all lift each other up with lots of support. Its super inspiring and so nice to be a part of!
3. You are based on the Gold Coast. What are the local sights, cafes and restaurants you frequent?
We are so spoilt on the Gold Coast with such a beautiful lifestyle, the best beach, the friendliest of people and so many incredible hospitality spots opening up in the last few years. My favourites are:
Beaches: Currumbin Alley, Burleigh Heads Beach, Snapper Rocks
Cafés: Stable Cafe at Cornerstone Stores, Paddock Bakery & BSKT
Restaurants: Rick Shores (a very long boozy Rosè filled lunch & Bug Rolls is an absolute must), Tasca, Halcyon House, Hellenika & Etsu.
Things to do: Picnic on Burleigh Hill, PBC High School Farmers Market on a Saturday or Gold Coast Arts Centre Farmers Markets on a Sunday, Currumbin Rocks Pools, Day trip to Byron Bay.
4. What is your favourite piece of jewellery and what story does it hold?
A gold ring that my Grandmother gave me years ago. It’s so simple but so special because it was her who gave it to me.
5. How would you define your style?
Very simple, neutral and feminine. To be honest working in the Weddings & Events industry is such a messy job so I normally live in a T-shirt, shorts & sneakers so when it comes to life outside of work I do love to get dressed up, throw on a pair of heels and feel all girly.
6. What aspect of floristry brings you the most joy?
Floristry is all I’ve ever done for almost 16 years now and I couldn’t imagine doing anything else. The scale of Wedding/ Event Floristry that we do is really full on & hard work but I cannot even describe the feeling of getting home from a big wedding set up so exhausted but also so extremely proud of what you have created that day for a lovely couple’s dream day. It’s the best feeling in the world for me!
7. YCL stands for Your Core Light, what does Your Core Light mean to you?
To me, Your Core Light means staying true to who you are and embracing the unique person that you are supposed to be. Don’t ever let anyone dull your sparkle, instead sparkle even more than before! Don’t look on social media or to other females and ever compare yourself because that shit is dangerous and honestly how boring would be world be if we were all the same.
My personal core light that I have always tried to project is kindness and warmth. I am very outgoing, a chatter box and such a hugger. I hug most people that I meet and some people don’t know how to take it ha ha but I just try to always have warmth because you never know what someone is dealing with behind closed doors.
8. What advice would you impart on the next generation of women?
Oh gosh I feel like I have so much to say on this question so I'm going to put dot points ...
- Get out there and believe in yourself. You really can achieve anything that you put your mind to and don’t ever let anyone tell you otherwise, but if they do then just prove them wrong instead.
- If you fail, get back up and try again. Be persistent.
- Listen to your intuition always! If it doesn’t feel right, DON’T do it! I believe as women we have this super power of intuition. I have felt this so strongly and mine is usually always right.
- The best piece of advice I was ever given: Enjoy the heck out of your 20’s as they will start shaping you as a woman. Travel, have fun, make memories, sort out the true friends, date guys & figure out what you do/don’t want in a partner (kick the losers who don’t deserve you to the curb). I am almost 28 now & my 20’s have been the best time ever where I have learnt so much about myself.
Words by Emily Scholtes | YCL's Styling & Communications Coordinator
