My Style Influence
My first floral job was a position in the floral department at the Whole Foods Market, in Hadley, Massachusetts in 2004 following my graduation from UMass. I mostly processed flowers and stocked the display, cleaned vases, changed the water, refreshed product and assisted customers. In 2005, I moved to Portland, Maine and had hoped to transfer to the new Whole Foods location they were building but due to construction delays, the timing for the seamless transition didn’t align. In retrospect, I’m glad it didn’t. I saw an advertisement for a retail floral designer at Minott’s Flowers in downtown Portland and knew it was the job I wanted. I was hired and trained to design in the french-country, compact style. I was taught to create tight, rounded arrangements with flowers cut short, neatly presented in simple, low vases. My manager at the time was trained in Boston at Winston Flowers and carried their signature style to the downtown Portland shop. After 5 years at Minott’s Flowers, I took a position as a freelance designer for Flora Fauna. The owner’s style was looser and more gardeny. She incorporated foliage and flowers from her own garden, which I loved. As her assistant designer, I was able to be a little more expressive and looser with the designs. in 2013, I moved back to Massachusetts for a few years and assisted a Greater Boston designer who owned a wedding and event floral design company called, Nectar. Her style was a blend of Winston Flowers and a more delicate, deliberate garden style. Her arrangements were flawless and she focused a lot on small details and textural elements. She was meticulous about budgeting and was determined to create a profitable business doing what she loved. When I returned to Maine in 2016, I worked for 5 years as a design assistant for Pretty Flowers in Brunswick until the company switched gears to focus solely on fine gardening. The owner was a self taught designer and artist. Of all the women I had worked for, her designs were the most free- form. Loose and wild and completely unconventional. Admittedly, it was a challenge to emulate her style at first. I was used to tighter, more calculated designs based on budgets and mechanics. It was a challenging role, but I owe a great deal of my current style influence to what I observed over that time.Throughout my years of experience, what has always remained constant has been my love of specialty flowers, unique foliage, texture and color. 
Nectar, Boston wedding reception flowers
Nectar’s Chuppah design, Lyman Estate, Waltham, MA
Pretty Flowers’ arrangement
Pretty Flowers’ bridal bouquet, photo by Jamie Mercurio
A compact design influenced by my work at Minott’s Flowers.
Nectar’s floral studio, Woburn, MA
Pretty Flowers’ arrangement for Bowdoin College
Pretty Flowers’ arrangement
Pretty Flowers at the Chelsea Flower Market, MA