Walking down the aisle there’s one thing that every bride holds — a bouquet of flowers.
Anna Gardner started her business in 2020, the same year she was getting married herself. She previously took flower arrangement classes in college, where she first fell in love with the art of floral design.
Now, as owner and principal florist of Anna Gardner Events, Gardner travels around the southeast making flower arrangements for weddings. Although she is based out of Wetumpka, the farthest wedding she has done was in Kentucky, but she also has worked weddings in Georgia, Mississippi and Florida.
“I really enjoy connecting with the bride the most,” she said. “(The bride) is so happy during her wedding planning process and anything I can do just ease her when she’s stressed out, bring her a little more light throughout her day, that’s my favorite part.”
With any job, the challenges come with figuring out logistics. Sometimes people want flowers on rooftops or over doors. Gardner said she is going to find a way to make that happen for them. With the design process, she added a lot of her inspiration comes from her brides.
“They bring me the best ideas,” she said. “I normally do a venue walkthrough with them. I have a really creative mind, I think, that allows me to visualize what they are wanting and put it into a work of art.”
Gardner enjoys the process of guiding brides through where flowers might look best in the venue or which flowers best incorporate the themes and colors of the wedding. Anna Gardner Events also does bouquet bars as a vendor for local events. Last month, Gardner was at Clarabelle and Co.'s Galentine's Day event.
While Gardner is busy designing flower arrangements outside of work, her day job is working for the Department of Environmental Management on air pollution control. Gardner said even though she found an unexpected love with floral designs, she still didn’t want to give up engineering.
Gardner got her bachelor’s at Mississippi State University and later went to Auburn University for her master’s in environmental sciences. Even with her career in engineering, Gardner has been in the wedding industry for the past 10 years.
For those looking for florals, be it weddings or other events, individuals can learn more at annagardnerevents.com or call her at 334-399-8275.
