Annette is a Chicagoland and Southern Wisconsin wedding florist that I personally love working with. I had the pleasure of meeting Annette on-site at a wedding I had worked in October of 2022 and I knew from then that she was a lovely person to work with! She had such a light, sweet personality and created such beautiful work that matched the couples’ vision perfectly. I knew I would want to hear more about her and her business after that. I had the opportunity to talk with Annette so that you can get to know her as well! I wanted to spotlight her as a vendor that I trust to do amazing floral pieces for couples looking for a florist.

Meet Annette Michaelson:

What is your background? I was born in Chicago and have been a lifelong Chicagoland resident. I service all of Chicagoland and southeastern Wisconsin including Milwaukee. My husband Joe and I found our happy place in Antioch, IL 8 years ago and have been loving the lake life ever since. My floral studio is located in my home. That gives me the flexibility to work long hours in the days leading up to a wedding which is required when working with perishable flowers. This also allows me to keep my pricing reasonable for my clients - no expensive rent payments and no additional utility or building maintenance expenses to pass on to my couples! My background is in marketing and advertising, where I built a career for 14 years. I was definitely feeling burnt out by the 80+ hour work weeks, intense pressure, and sometimes ugly behavior by coworkers looking to climb the corporate ladder. I left the corporate world in pursuit of a more fulfilling and creative career, and I fell into floral design by accident when I happened upon a busy flower shop in need of extra hands for Valentine's Day. I was immediately in love! The owner saw potential in me and gave me the knowledge and confidence to become a designer; I am forever grateful to her for this beautiful gift. I love what I do and have never been happier.

What do you do when you aren't working at weddings? Floral design is my full time job and I dream in flowers (sometimes literally)! Sustainability is important to me and my business, so I grow many of my own flowers to reduce the effects of commercial farming and global shipping and spend a lot of time gardening. My husband and I are explorers. When I'm not working on a wedding, we're off traveling the world together. I am emotionally attached to my design work and to the couples I serve, so the days following a wedding are reserved for winding down after an intense work week on our boat or camper, or watching the sun set over the lake on our deck with our pups. Life is good!

How She got Started:

How did you get started in your business? I freelanced for multiple flower shops in the Chicagoland area and watched with devastation as several closed their doors permanently during the pandemic; they couldn't sustain their business without income from weddings, funerals and events. I realized I had the design skill and business and marketing experience to continue their work of serving weddings and events with a business model that's more flexible and accommodating to my clients' needs and more nimble in this unusual market. My years in client services in ad agencies led me to focus on wedding design; I had the skills required to serve brides seeking a customized design experience and knowledge of the marketing tactics required to attract them. And, I love weddings! I officially launched my business in November 2021 and my calendars have been full ever since!

How would you describe your business or business model? I am a sole business owner and only work on one wedding at a time. This helps me give my couples my full and undivided attention unlike other designers and flower shops who may serve up to 7 or 8 weddings in a day (Bless them! I prefer a more focused, thorough, and detailed approach). For larger weddings, I bring in a team of florists to help with design and setup. Most days, my most loyal assistant and biggest fan (my mom!!!) joins me for design and setup. This business has brought us closer together over the years and I am grateful for this extra time with her.

What are your next moves for your business if anything is coming up or changing? My business is continuing to grow in 2023! I've brought on additional floral designers to allow me to take on larger weddings that require more floral elements and more on-site setup. My rental inventory is continuing to grow, giving my clients the ease of having a one-stop solution for their decor needs. I've also partnered with several new niche, intimate wedding venues in Lake County as their preferred florist. I'm excited to be a part of their startup team and look forward to announcing our partnerships later this year.

Her Favorites:

What is your favorite wedding you worked and why? I love color! My favorite weddings are those that incorporate color into their floral designs. The combination of white, blush and greenery is so classic and pretty for a wedding, but the designs that incorporate pops of color are the most fun to work with, look the best in wedding photos, and result in much happier brides. I recently had a wedding where 2 months before her big day, the bride called to ask if I would be willing to change her design plan from shades of white to a much bolder palette including pops of peach, burgundy, and blue for her fall wedding. I was more than willing - I was excited! I knew she'd be much happier with the new design in the long run and she was thrilled! The photos from that day are my most liked on social media. I encourage all of my clients to incorporate color into their designs.

I definitely understand and agree with this! Color is becoming more popular for florals and it really can add some flair and personality into your wedding day. I recommend looking at some more “unique” palettes, flowers, and designs from your florist to see what you really can do! Some of the most beautiful flowers are the colorful ones - so it only makes sense that adding those into your wedding day will make you even more excited about how everything comes together! Make sure to have a conversation with your florist about the possibility, and I’m sure with their incredible eye for vision they can implement as much color as you’d like!

What is the most interesting/unique/cool thing you've seen at a wedding? To honor his mother's Mexican heritage, a groom I recently worked with arranged for a surprise appearance by a mariachi band to lead the bridal party grand entrance at the reception. The bride and groom swapped their all-white florals for a brightly colored boutonniere and flower crown just before their entrance and wore them for the rest of the night. The groom's mother was in tears. Such a beautiful moment!

Her Advice to You:

What is something that you wish that couples knew when planning their wedding? Flowers are an expression of love, joy and celebration, and care should be put into their design and selection. Please take time to look through inspiration photos and work with your floral designer to find flowers and arrangements that speak to you as a couple. Although it's true your flowers won't last, your wedding photos are forever and this makes them worth the expense! Also, please book your florist early. Many couples believe they can wait until later in their timeline to find a florist (sometimes just a month or two before, eek!), but most independent, full service floral designers book 8-12 months out and many of us will only serve one wedding at a time. I've had to turn away dozens of couples last year due to late booking requests.

This is absolutely true! It’s really important to take a look on Pinterest, but also on florists’ websites and Instagram, to really get a feel of what things you like and don’t like in the floral design. If you can pinpoint certain colors, flowers, and styles that you love for your florist, this will help them create arrangements that are sure to make you swoon! And it is true -things are booking up very quickly. It’s better to look for and book your vendors sooner rather than later to make sure you can get the really good ones.

Final Notes:

Anything else you would like me to add? I love giving back to the community but am struggling to find ways to do so that are meaningful and relevant. For example, I recently provided a free quinceañera bouquet to a young woman living in an orphanage whose counselor threw a surprise quinceañera party for. She was thrilled! I'd love some help with ideas from you on how I can contribute to others in need in this way. Please let me know if you have anything in mind while reading this and shoot me an email!

Where to Find Her:

You can find Annette at her website here. You can also find her on her Facebook and on Instagram. If you’d like to reach Annette directly, you can email her at loveandlightflorist@gmail.com.

It was so great to hear from a florist that really enjoys the work through and through! I love that Annette grows some flowers of her own to make them more accessible to her couples, and it really shows her dedication to the craft. It is a pleasure getting to know some amazing vendors better like Annette that I have also worked with before! I hope to work with Annette again soon myself - and if you’re looking for a Chicagoland/Southern Wisconsin florist, definitely reach out to her!

If you need any help planning your wedding or finding amazing vendors like Annette, reach out to me here. I would love to help bring together amazing vendors to make your wedding day as enjoyable as possible.