Q&A: The Vision and Creativity Behind Love Is Blind’s Wedding Florals

Behind-the-Scenes & Logistics

How far in advance did you learn you’d be designing for Love Is Blind, and what was your initial reaction?
1.5 months. We were ecstatic! It was such a hard secret to keep!

How much time were you given to plan and execute the floral designs for four weddings in four days?
Obviously, you don't know how many couples are going to make it to the altar, so we couldn't start preparing until a week and a half before they started! We worked with Slomique Harlow, who was directly in contact with the couples. She gave us her vision board, and we worked day and night to make things come together!

What was the biggest logistical challenge of executing so many distinct designs back-to-back?
There were a few! Finding staff who could come in that last minute, ordering specific flowers (I usually order three weeks in advance to get the best quality), and managing without floral coolers at the venue. Keeping huge weddings separate while constantly transporting flowers back and forth was definitely a task to manage!

How big was your team when putting together these weddings?
We had a total of about 30, but 10-15 every day.

Were there any last-minute changes or unexpected challenges that you had to work around?
Every day. Things had to move and shift, a bridal bouquet had to be changed, and we didn’t know if each wedding would go to a reception. As soon as we found out, we had to repurpose everything—while staying out of the way of cameras!

How much time did you have for setup on each wedding day?
That’s such a complicated question! Bavaria Downs was kind enough to give us 24/7 access during the weddings. The goal was to start filming around 1 p.m. each day, so we had to stick to that time! My team arrived at 7 a.m. daily and immediately started prepping for the next day's wedding as soon as that day’s setup was complete. Personally, I spent 20+ hours a day at the venue.

What kind of guidelines or requests were you given from production and/or the couples? How much creative freedom did you have?
Slomique Harlow, the wedding planner, created a vision board for us to work with but very much encouraged us to be creative within her inspiration! The themes were given to us, but there was a lot of freedom within that!

How did working in a reality TV production setting compare to a typical wedding?
It was so different! For a regular wedding, I just have to make sure things are perfect for the couple and the guests. For TV, I had to do that and hide cameras, pay attention to filming angles so florals didn’t block visibility, and constantly rearrange designs to accommodate different shots. And because you’re on a strict timeline, you have to make adjustments fast—and make them perfect at the same time!

Design & Inspiration

Each wedding had a completely different aesthetic—how did you approach making each feel unique yet cohesive with the overall Love Is Blind experience?
We had certain foundational elements that stayed for each wedding. For example, our greenery walls never moved, Phos did a beautiful chandelier install that stayed, and we added ceiling florals that paired well with it. The altar remained in the same place, so we designed within those confines!

Can you walk us through the creative process for each wedding?
At Hana April Inc., we do it all—so Hana and I sat down together, chose furniture, decided what inventory we wanted to showcase, and then talked to Julie Harstad about what flowers we could get in time. The creative process just came naturally! I’d have the flowers in front of me, envision exactly what I wanted, and just start making. Thankfully, I had an incredible team that could perfectly replicate any sample I made!

Were any of these styles particularly outside of your usual design aesthetic?
I love the challenge of doing different things! My personal style is very modern, with showstopping, reflexed flowers and little greenery, but I enjoy taking classic styles—like the white and green wedding for Daniel and Taylor—and putting a twist on them!

The Tuscan-inspired wedding featured Greek busts with florals—how did you bring that vision to life?
I’m obsessed with those heads and use them whenever I can! Slomique was in our office, saw how I had used them for an event a few weeks earlier, and asked if I could incorporate them. Naturally, I jumped at the chance!

The all-white baby’s breath wedding—how did you create volume and texture to keep it visually interesting?
Using baby’s breath correctly is extremely technical. I was so grateful to have talented florists on my team who either already knew how to work with it or took instruction well! For that wedding, I focused on flower blocking to create dimension and used baby’s breath for a cascading effect. It was the most difficult wedding because we had to ensure the cascade met perfectly while working around cameras and angles!

Which design pushed you the most creatively, and why?
The Tuscan wedding. It was my favorite, but figuring out how to fill the gap between the stage and the wall was a challenge. We originally planned to push it back, but because of cameras and lighting, we had to shift the design. The solution we came up with—using trees and plants—ended up adding so much dimension!

Personal Reflections & Favorites

What was your personal favorite wedding to design and why?
The Tuscan wedding. I loved using so many of our signature pieces, and of course, the Greek heads!

Which floral element or installation from these weddings are you most proud of?
Pulling off Daniel and Taylor’s spiral cake floral was so difficult—I want to do 100 more cakes with that concept! The baby’s breath arch was also an intense undertaking, but figuring out the mechanics using only real flowers was such an accomplishment!

If you could go back and tweak one thing, what would it be?
The balloons in the bridal suite! There was so much to do every day that I wish I had more time for fun, creative touches.

What’s one thing viewers might not realize about designing for a high-profile TV wedding?
You are constantly on your feet! There wasn’t much time to stand back and make major adjustments, so we had to be confident in every decision. It pushed me as a designer, and I’m excited to incorporate everything I learned into my future work.

Do you have a dream wedding style or concept you’d love to design in the future?
I’m dying to use Pantone’s Color of the Year, Mocha Mousse, in a monochromatic design with rich texture and light!