Our Story
Building Something Together
by Andrew Piland, Junior Associate Floral and Photography Assistant in Training
Victoria and Andrew at Studio Fort Worth
The story of Studio Fort Worth did not start with photography. It started with a floral arrangement class at a bachelorette party.
In 2017, my wife Victoria fell in love with flowers and she fell in love with me. She took a floral arrangement class at her best friend’s bachelorette party, and from there she was hooked.
Victoria’s first floral arrangement class
Coincidentally, her friend was marrying one of my best friends from college. We met at their wedding and that was it. Not many people get to fall in love twice in one year.
Early on in our marriage, it became clear to me that florals were more than just a hobby for her. She quickly started booking small weddings and events. Before I knew it, our dining room table was a full-time workstation. Flower boxes stacked up in the garage, and cut flower stems strewn about the dining room floor on wedding weekends.
She started growing and completely took over the garage. We even walled off a portion and turned it into a craft room for her.
Snapshot of Victoria’s craft room in the garage
She thrived on meeting clients, designing unique arrangements, and handling the intricate logistics of wedding days. Spending the evening hours on marketing, bids, and ordering flowers her part-time venture continued to grow.
Now we needed even more space. The garage was overflowing back into the dining room. The house was becoming enveloped with green floral tape, recipe sheets, flower foam and vases. Time to kick her out again.
This time, we built a 20’x20’ studio next to the house.
Victoria’s new studio under construction
By now, you have probably noticed a pattern. It took her about two years to outgrow this studio, and now starts the beginning of Studio Fort Worth.
The search was intense, but we finally settled on our current location. Victoria had this large commercial space, but we didn't need every square foot for just the floral business…yet.
Instead of letting me have an epic man cave complete with golf simulator, bar, and weight room…we (she) came up with the idea of Studio Fort Worth.
Transforming the old warehouse into what you see today was a lot of work. This place was raw. No proper restroom, no changing room—just an unfinished shell. We put in long nights and full weekends. Thank goodness my father-in-law is good at finishing drywall and paint. Even our neighbors helped out (Thanks, Jeff).
Building out Studio Fort Worth
At night we would have endless discussions after putting the kids down. We spent hours thinking through how to create the best experience possible for our photographer friends. It’s something we still obsess over.
Studio Fort Worth Grand Opening
We're proud of what Studio Fort Worth has become. For us, it’s provided an opportunity to grow together. We’ve had more laughs and meaningful conversations because of it. I wouldn’t trade any of it for the world.
We hope you enjoy what Victoria and I have built together with our family and friends. Stop by anytime.
