From Fashion Shows to Floral Displays: Florist Yoan of Yoantaway’s Bali Reset

Creative director, floral stylist and founder of yoantaway.project and yoantaway.floral, Yoan left Jakarta’s fast-paced fashion world for a slower, more intuitive craft — one where flowers became her truest form of expression.

Most careers in fashion pivot toward consulting or a second label. Yoan, on the other hand, traded fabrics for floral arrangements. After years in Jakarta’s high-speed creative industry — fashion school first, then deep into the fashion scene — she hit a wall so much so she said she didn’t even want to see a needle anymore.

Flowers, it turned out, were her calming answer. Today she runs yoantaway.project (creative direction and styling) and yoantaway.floral (her Bali floral practice), alongside Studio Kambang, which roots her work back in the materials and culture of Kalimantan.

We sat down with Yoan to talk tropical blooms, intimate villa weddings, and why the most important design decision you’ll ever make is knowing what not to add.

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You went from runways in Jakarta to gardens in Bali. What pulled you toward flowers?

I didn’t start with flowers. I started with how things feel. Fashion gave me structure, movement, and presence — how something holds space, how it sits. But at some point, I hit a wall. Complete disconnection. I didn’t even want to see anything related to fashion anymore — not even a needle or a measuring tape.

Flowers came in at exactly that moment. They felt different, and unexpectedly, very healing. When I began working with them, I realised they behave like fabric, but with emotion. They respond, they shift, they don’t stay perfect. And that’s what makes them feel alive.

You work primarily with intimate weddings in Bali’s private villas. What makes that setting different?

Intimate weddings allow more depth. In villa settings, I don’t see it as decoration — I see it more like tuning the space.

I remember one project in Canggu: a small private villa, around 25 guests, six months of preparation. The concept was bold — full tropical, almost technicolor — but the venue was already very green. The challenge was not to fight nature, but also not to disappear into it.

We thought carefully about the flow: ceremony, then cocktail hour in the garden, then dinner where everyone sat closer. Different moods, but all connected. What I remember most isn’t the flowers; it’s that the guests were actually present. Not photographing everything, but genuinely in the moment. For me, that’s the entire point.

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What florals work in Bali’s heat, and how should couples think about availability?

Tropical materials naturally belong here. Orchids, anthuriums, heliconias, and local foliage move well with the humidity. I also love mixing in dried elements or branches — something fresh alongside something aged, a balance between what’s new and what’s already lived.

Delicate imports — peonies, tulips, certain garden roses — can work, but they need careful timing, especially outdoors, and they’re considerably more expensive here. As for availability: a lot of flowers are imported, so what you planned sometimes shifts.

My advice is don’t get too attached to one specific flower. Shift the conversation from “what flower do I want?” to “what do I want to feel?” No one goes home thinking “was that a peony?” They remember the atmosphere.

How do you make a wedding feel personal? And where should couples splurge when it comes to their budget?

I don’t translate a couple’s story literally. I observe — how they interact, their energy, their rhythm — and build a visual language from that. The goal is that by the end, it feels like “oh, this is so us,” without needing to explain why. Restraint matters enormously here. Knowing what to leave out is just as important as knowing what to include.

When it comes to budget, focus on the ceremony. Here, everyone is present, everything feels heightened. Also focus on the dining setting, as it’s where people stay longest. If those two spaces are done properly, you don’t need to fill every corner. One area done well speaks louder than everything done adequately.

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Finally, what are your do’s and don’ts for a Bali villa wedding?

Trust your designer, not just to execute but to guide. Let Bali do its thing — the light, the air, the green is already beautiful, and you don’t need to compete with it. And focus on how it feels, because people won’t remember every detail, but they will remember the atmosphere.

On the other hand, don’t try to control everything as it usually takes the magic out. Don’t force flowers or ideas that don’t belong here; Bali has its own beauty and it’s better to work with it. And don’t feel like every corner needs something. Sometimes the empty space is exactly what makes everything else stand out.

Planning your own Bali villa wedding? Read these next:
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Bali Wedding Villas: Your Guide To A Beach (or Jungle) Wedding In Paradise
20 Years After Eat, Pray, Love, What Is It Like to Visit Bali Now?

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