Debbie Turner of Debbie Turner Originals is a Minnesota florist who knows her way around a topiary. From decorating at the White House to designing floral décor in our area, she has a Hollywood history and floral talents you should know about.
DEBBIE TURNER: A HOLLYWOOD BEGINNING
Turner started acting as an infant. “I was 6 months old when I did my first of many TV commercials.” Following in the footsteps of her two older sisters, she continued acting and eventually auditioned for, and got, the role of Marta von Trapp in “The Sound of Music.” With that role, Turner, “embarked on the adventure that would follow me to this day!”
ONE WREATH TURNS INTO A FLORAL CAREER FOR DEBBIE TURNER
“All my life I had been an art student taking classes in everything from drawing, painting, ceramics & sculpting, to photography,” Turner tells us. Having never designed flowers, “With $250.00, I purchased twig & grapevine wreaths, dried, preserved and silk flowers and ribbons. I put together about 20 wreaths [for a holiday art show]. By the end of the show I had sold all but two, and the remaining two were sold in the parking lot as I loaded my truck. I thought, ‘Hmm, maybe I’m pretty good at this.’ From there, one of my customers asked me to do her daughter’s wedding. I did, and while I was setting up, I met a veteran wedding florist setting up another wedding in a different ballroom of the same venue, looking for someone to send her overflow business. I took her up on it and my wedding floristry began.”
THE ROLE OF A LIFETIME INFLUENCES HER ART
“During the filming of the movie [“The Sound of Music”] we spent a lot of time in Mirabelle Gardens and the countryside of Salzburg, Austria. To this day, it is still one of my favorite cities in the world to visit. We hung out with Julie Andrews between filming and she often had a song to sing with us, or a joke to tell. I loved riding the bikes, and loved learning how to operate the puppets for the puppet show.”
These fond memories and experiences have led Turner to other passions such as biking, designing small flower gardens, and painting. Other inspirations for her floral work include, “Music (all kinds), nature, pleasant smells, colors, a happy ending, animals, architecture, and a person’s kind disposition.”
Her Work at UNVEILED
Recently, we tasked Turner with creating the floral masterpieces that were part of our Trend Experience at UNVEILED. The theme was “Bohemian Rhapsody” and Turner used the bright hues of blue, orange, yellow and hot pink and an unusual combo of flowers to create something that was, according to Turner, “completely nonsensical, but once combined, it made for a beautiful burst of COLOR and TEXTURE. Along with the “shabby chic-ness” of mixing unrelated and unusual greens” Turner used, “tropical greens like palms, ferns, eucalyptus, pine cones, Birds of Paradise, hydrangea, roses, spider mums, succulents, carnations, lisianthus, daffodils, and alstroemeria.”
DEBBIE TURNER ORIGINALS IS JUST THAT
Describing her aesthetic as “fresh, untamed & extraordinary,” Turner takes great care to make sure she understands her clients’ vision. “My favorite aspect of my job is the challenge of taking someone’s dream or vision and making it a reality.” And she really loves the wedding day, when she can pass the bride her bouquet, “I think my favorite [moment] is seeing the excited look on the bride’s face when I hand her the bouquet. I love it when they say, ‘This is SO BEYOND what I envisioned! I love it!’ ”
LIGHTNING ROUND
Book on your night table: The Bible, and one book I am excited to get is called “Cultivated” by Christin Geall
Favorite Season for a wedding: Autumn
Veil or no Veil: No Veil
Favorite vacation locale: Salzburg, Austria or Kona, Hawaii
Favorite Color Combos: I’ve always loved brilliant colors. Purple, emerald green, Classic Blue, Orange
Flats or Heels: Heels definitely for photos. Flats for everything else.
Red or White wine: Organic, either in small amounts. Prefer still water over everything.
Chocolate or vanilla: CHOCOLATE!
Go-to comfort food: Mexican (and maybe a Margarita)
Favorite genre of music: Rock, and classical, but I like it all.
Favorite movie: Wedding Planner, Midway (the original), The Sound of Music
