Article and photos by Yulia Rock

The first wedding anniversary is celebrated with paper. What would you give to your loved one: perhaps a paper flower bouquet?

Erica Worrall, a Brooklyn-based artist, accidentally became one of the go-to makers of paper anniversary gifts. And all because “regular flowers make me sneeze a lot,” she said.

A few years ago, Worrall, 28, of Crown Heights, Brooklyn, planned her outdoor wedding, and she wanted to find an alternative to real flowers. So, she figured out how to make paper flowers and created centerpieces, boutonnieres, and bouquets.

At the wedding, everyone admired Worrall’s flowers. “They were trying to convince me to make paper flowers as an actual business,” said Worrall.

She did not wait long. Six months after her wedding, Worrall started an Instagram account where she shared her work. “People wanted to buy them, so I started selling them,” she said.

A year ago, The Knot, a website offering wedding news and inspiration, featured Worrall’s signature rose, calling it a perfect gift for a paper anniversary. Later, she was featured on ABC’s Good Morning America, which gave her business an additional boost.

Worrall, who has worked as a designer of boy’s wear for a fashion brand since graduating from Moore College of Art & Design, in her hometown of Philadelphia, now wears two professional hats. While she continues to work as a fashion designer, she also has turned her flower enterprise into a small business called Little Paper Flowers.

Her red rose is, by far, her best seller. It “sells like crazy,” says Worrall, adding that she sells several each week for $25 each.

Her bouquets range in cost from $60 to $200 depending on the complexity. The majority of her customers shop for anniversaries and 90 percent of them are men, who often ask Worrall to recreate the bridal bouquet for their first year anniversary, “I actually really enjoy it because I can make a flower that I never created before. Plus I learn from other florists how the build bouquets,” she said.

She sells her flowers at Etsy, where a 5-star rating reflects the attention she gives her clients. “I speak with my customers throughout the whole process, so there are no surprises when they are finished.” For her recent order, she even asked a person’s height just to give a perfect length for a requested flower lei. She also sends colors for approval and tells clients the dimensions of the ordered flowers.

For now, her business is set up in her spacious and sunny living room. With the help of her husband, she photographs all her products in their living room where, on a recent afternoon, a bunch of paper sunflowers sat next to their television. “It’s a giant wedding order for October, so by that time there are going to be millions of sunflowers around my apartment,” Worrall said.

In July, Worrall said, her apartment will be filled with dozens of roses she is making for another wedding order.“They add color to the apartment,” she adds.

Worrall is also very active in her local community. She teaches workshops and does ‘Friday favs’ on her Instagram page, featuring local artists for a day. Says Worrall: “It’s a good way to introduce artists to my community