Sara Perez Ekanger is the owner and creative behind Antigua Floral, a floral design studio in New Orleans. We fell in love with her designs via her IG grid which is full of the most dreamy images of her incredible bouquets (seriously, go follow her to add a little floral magic to your feed). Sara created the most stunning arrangement inspired by our exclusive Birth Flower Jewelry Collection using daffodils (March’s bright and spring-y birth flower) and talked to us about her passion for flowers, how her home city of New Orleans inspires her work, and her advice for fellow creatives who dream of owning their own business.
On Starting Her Career
“I started my career when we first moved to New Orleans. My husband and I had just gotten married and were young, wide eyed, and just so excited moving to a new city. Around the corner from where we used to live there was a small little flower shop, and I thought it would be so cool to work there. I thought they were too cool for me to even ask for a job, my husband literally had to push me through the doors and say “Just go ask for a job,” and I did, and the rest is history.”
On Her Love For Florals
“I’ve always loved flowers. Growing up in California, my mom always had a garden with plants and flowers just blooming everywhere in our little backyard. We’re also from El Salvador, and we would go visit our family in El Salvador and there were even more tropical plants and flowers everywhere. It’s just something that I’ve always held onto, even when I went off to college, I’d always have plants in my little dorm room.”
On The City of New Orleans
“The city of New Orleans is a beautiful, charming, legendary city. From the people and the community that we have here, to the historical buildings and the colors all coming together, the city is alive and it celebrates every event and every season.”
Advice For Fellow Creatives
“For any fellow creatives starting their own business, I would say keep going. Don’t get discouraged. Just keep going. Some days are going to be amazing and incredible, other days, you will feel discouraged. But you know what? Don’t let it stop you. Because at the end of the day, I promise you it’s worth it.”
Sara’s passion for what she does and her incredible daffodil creation are inspiring us to carry that floral magic with us everywhere we go. Shop our exclusive Birth Flower Jewelry Collection for wearable blooms to brighten all your days.