“Brides are more budget conscious now than they were,” Catapano said. “They care more about budget than design and want to know what everything costs. When I work with a bride, she doesn’t become a number in my filing cabinet. I spend two hours with each client and if they need more time than that, I’m there.”
   For the past seven years, Catapano, alongside her mother Doris, father Freddy and one full-time worker who quickly learned the ropes, has operated the business out of her home. The floral designer, who said she’s always had a knack for arranging flora, even as a child when she helped her grandmother attend to her plants, has combatted the recession by offering smart arrangements that fit a couple’s budget. Can’t afford those amazing cherry blossom flowering branches you’ve always wanted? Don’t fret: Catapano will suggest using dogwood or attaching roses to curly willow — two less expensive but equally stunning alternatives.
   Catapano is a certified floral designer who received her formal training from the New York Botanical Garden’s Floral Design Program. She said she continues to develop her talent by taking lessons with international designers.
   Of course, all the classes in the world couldn’t prepare her for the hustle and bustle of the wedding industry. Just this week, Catapano received a call from a frantic bride who was set to marry in Mexico before the Swine Flu scare severed her plans. With just a few days’ notice, she whipped up a medley of centerpieces and bouquets for the client.
   Mostly through word of mouth, the florist has grown her business into one that keeps her busy almost every weekend of the year. A typical Saturday or Sunday for her means a 5 a.m. wake-up call followed by an entire day spent traveling from Queens to wedding catering halls, churches or temples throughout the five boroughs, Westchester, Long Island and parts of New Jersey.
   “You get so stressed out and worried, but at the end of the day, when you go into the catering hall and see it all or when you get a thank-you card from a couple who loved your work, it’s worth it,” Catapano said. “I love what I do.”
   Despite her status as a neighborhood fixture, Catapano said many of her clients actually hail from Manhattan. With this in mind, the entrepreneur offers to pick them up at the train station or meet them at a halfway point. Her adaptable nature has won her a legion of fans — though it’s debatable how many of them feel as strongly about Catapano’s talents as her mother and business partner Doris.
   “Rose is so creative and talented,” Doris said. “With Rose, it’s never an assemblyline. We have girls who come in with $500 budgets and girls with $20,000 budgets. She’s been able to take everyone’s vision and make it a reality. Whatever it is, she’ll make it work.”
   To learn more about Designs by Rose or make an appointment, call (718) 848-7511 or visit designsbyroseinc.com.