Preserving special memories

By CANDICE N. HALE

A Mountain Brook business is offering an alternative option for bridal bouquets after the wedding day.

Combining their interest in art, flowers and resin, Heidi Cat specializes in wedding flower preservation that will create memories for years to come.

Heidi Hallman and Catherine Romero, longtime friends of over 20 years, make up the duo behind Heidi Cat. They wanted a name for the business that would be catchy and memorable, so they combined their first names.

“Other names sounded stiff and forced,” they said. “[The other names] didn’t sound right and failed to embody our personality,” and the name Heidi Cat represented both of them more fully.

Romero, who is the lifelong DIYer of the duo, says the idea for the business somewhat fell in her lap after watching a video on YouTube about resin and art design. She thought this would be perfect for her and Heidi to do.

“Resin is a tricky medium and would take a while to get right, though,” Romero said. “We both love resin, antiques and art. A random 2+2 came together and made 4.”

As Southern women, Hallman and Romero value the preservation of these bouquets and enjoyed seeing the flowers preserved in the creations they made.

“She didn’t want the younger generation to not experience that concept after their wedding days by just having photos on a camera or stuck in the cloud,” Romero said.

The duo knew there was a better way to capture the memories for brides. They attended an assortment of weddings, and realized nobody was doing this type of flower preservation.

Heidi Cat officially launched in early August 2022. Hallmann and Romero were able to meet with brides, local florists, wedding planners and coordinators to discuss Heidi Cat’s new products. Through word of mouth and social media, Heidi Cat’s bouquet preservation became a product in hot demand.

“There was no option other than to dry flowers and it wasn’t appealing 25 years ago, and now there are more options — to shape, to dry from Auburn University in 2007, completed an internship in medicine and surgery in North Carolina and then practiced for four years in South Carolina before moving back to Hoover in 2012. She has two dogs and two cats.

Left: Ross Scruggs and Dr. Lindsay Floyd sit on their patio swing with Jack, center, the couple’s 12-year-old dog, and Dave, a 6-year-old sphynx cat, at their home.

Above: Compassionate Crossings, an athome end-of-life pet service, offers families a variety of options of remembrance for their pet through pet cremation packages. Photos by Erin Nelson.

Hope Ausley of Cahaba Heights said she and her husband, Francis, also found Compassionate Crossings to be a big help when their 16-year-old cat, Simon, was nearing the end of his life this fall. Simon hated getting anywhere near a car and would not have liked the trip to the vet’s office, she said.

Floyd came to their home about 10 p.m. one night and was absolutely wonderful, Ausley said. She didn’t rush the process at all.

“We were able to hold Simon, have him in his heating pad and blanket,” Ausley said. “We sat in his favorite chair by the fireplace.”

It was better by far than having Simon get agitated about getting into a car and going to a veterinarian’s office, she said. “It was a real blessing.” and to color — it’s different from the yesteryear,” Romero said.

For more information, go to their website at compassionate-crossings.com.

“Today, art can be an heirloom.”

Hallman said, “It’s in demand because it’s a new fresh take on preserving memory. [Our art] looks like it’s floating in water because it is 3-D, or it’s a functional piece of art you can use like bookends.”

Heidi Cat takes around 10 to 15 reservations each month. All pieces are custom and handmade and can take up to a year or longer to process and preserve. While Heidi Cat does take last-minute reservations, they usually prefer bridal parties to give them three months’ notice, well in advance of their wedding days. The flowers are rehydrated, cut and placed in a sclera base to dry for four weeks. Heidi Cat provides a design for the plan to be approved by the bride, and begins the pouring process with the resin layers one by one. The process is completed by sanding and a top coat is placed on the final product.

Heidi Cat is excited to help those who are looking for a new way to refurbish wedding bouquets.

“We create a great, beautiful timeless piece of art [for brides] that should be a part of their special day plans,” they said.