LAKELAND, Fla. - Wedding cancellations are having a major impact on some florists. 

“It’s nothing like I’ve witnessed before in my 25 years of experience,” said Heather Taylor, owner of Taylormade Floral and Event Design. 

Taylor said her bookings started dwindling when the coronavirus started to take its toll in March. 

“During a busy season, I can do anywhere to probably…I would say eight to 10 weddings a month. That starting mid-March basically dropped to zero,” Taylor said.   

Mother’s Day provided a glimmer of hope.

“I was very blessed because I had a lot of my past brides and grooms order for their moms,” Taylor said. 

New brides are starting to inquire about 2021. Taylor said she’s growing concerned because her calendar is pretty empty until October. Fortunately, she’s married to an essential worker, but her family depends on her income too.

“I’m still waiting on unemployment and some answers to some grants,” explained Taylor. 

One of the grants is the Polk Cares 2020 program, which provides Polk County business owners up to $5,000 in assistance.

It’s not just her struggling. She’s hearing of others in the industry being impacted too.

“I have seen some stories that there were even floral farms that were having to destroy their product. It was sitting there going to waste because there was nobody buying,” Taylor said. 

While she’s contemplating getting a job in the meantime, she hopes weddings will pick back up in the fall and next year.