Floral artist Kiana Underwood is the celebrated owner of...
Floral Designers
378 REVISIT: MINDY RICE of MINDY RICE DESIGN – Creating Feelings Instead of Just Events
When we think about wedding and event floral designs, our imagination is often limited to bouquets and centerpieces. Today, I am talking to one of the premier event designers in the world. She sees flowers and foliage as a way to create lasting memories of events your guests will never forget. Mindy Rice, of Mindy Rice Design, is a native Californian with a creative lineage. Growing up, Mindy was taught how to think like a designer. Never feeling confined by the “rules” wedding floral arrangements like to follow, Mindy seemed to fall into the wedding business after designing events for the corporate world.
What makes Mindy unique is how she encourages her clients to step into their most daring self. She turns dreams into reality—no Pinterest board copy-cat ideas here! Today, Mindy is going to walk us through her process, from the exciting ideation stages to actually executing her most memorable pieces. She will share stories of how she has transformed a simple barn into a Redwood wonderland. Mindy will describe her favorite pieces, and how she uses color and perspective to transform any event space. Mindy’s goal is to create unique elements for each event that guests will really remember. She is not afraid to take a risk because she knows the risky pieces will always pay off. Every bloom and bough is placed thoughtfully so that guests will feel something long after the last toast and dance.
“Everybody has two personalities—who they really are, and who they dare themselves to be.” ~Mindy Rice
Today is not just about flowers and spectacle! Mindy and I will chat about what it means to own our own business, and how we can successfully balance our creative endeavors with family life. The event design business sometimes feels as though it could take over everything! Mindy embraces the life she’s been given and chooses jobs that will both fulfill her creatively and best support her family. Mindy is inspiring in so many ways, and I know she is going to transform the way you’ve always thought about flowers. Expect the unexpected when Mindy is around!
353 THE NEXT LEVEL: Sean Low Discusses HOLLY CHAPPLE – Working The Big Vision
Today's guest co-host, for The Next Level, is Sean Low. Sean’s...
352 HOLLY CHAPPLE – Working The Big Vision
"Because the vision, ideas, and concepts that I come up with are...
341 THE NEXT LEVEL: Kurt Macher discusses RICHARD EAGLETON/McQueens Flowers – Never Let A Crisis Go To Waste
Richard is the CEO of McQueens Flowers, the internationally renowned luxury floral design brand and flower school. Founded in London’s east end in 2001 with customers in Mexico, the United States, Japan, France, Korea, Kuwait, Singapore, Hong Kong, UAE, Saudi Arabia, Italy, Spain, and Australia. They have provided flowers for Vanity Fair’s Oscars afterparty for the last twenty-five years and were the floral design partner for the All England Lawn Tennis Club’s Wimbledon Champions Ball and the London Evening Standard Theatre Awards.
Kurt Macher is our guest co-host and is the General Manager of the absolutely stunning Shangri-La Hotel at The Shard, London.
340 RICHARD EAGLETON/McQueens Flowers – Never Let A Crisis Go To Waste
“The power of flowers to lift our spirits shouldn’t be underestimated.” Listen as Andy and his guest Richard Eagleton discuss the power of flowers, social prescribing, and how he feels that mental health and well-being will be the greatest human global challenge arising from the pandemic, plus much more on this episode of The Wedding Biz.
Richard is the CEO of McQueens Flowers, the internationally renowned luxury floral design brand and flower school. Founded in London’s east end in 2001 with customers in Mexico, the United States, Japan, France, Korea, Kuwait, Singapore, Hong Kong, UAE, Saudi Arabia, Italy, Spain, and Australia. They have provided flowers for Vanity Fair’s Oscars afterparty for the last twenty-five years and were the floral design partner for the All England Lawn Tennis Club’s Wimbledon Champions Ball and the London Evening Standard Theatre Awards.
Listen, as Richard shares when he discovered his passion for flowers and his journey to McQueens. He discusses their flower school and how he handles being creative and working the business simultaneously. When Richard asked his team what they saw as McQueens vision, they responded to be the best flower business in the world to work for. Richard strives to make that happen every day.
Richard talks about what they did during the pandemic to make their online store profitable; he believes when you have falling or zero sales, it’s an opportunity for improving margins. He discusses what he sees happening in the event industry post- Covid.
When asked for his advice at the beginning of the lockdown in the UK, Richard said be kind because it costs nothing and will always come back, keep an eye on the horizon because the bumpy road to get there is easier to travel if you know where you are heading and third, just worry about the things you can change and stop worrying about the things you can’t.
321 PRESTON BAILEY’S Big Announcement!
Andy is excited for this special episode with floral and event designer Preston Bailey. Listen as they discuss how Preston is handling the pandemic both personally and professionally, what he’s learned about himself, and how he’s using the slow down to further his path both personally and in the industry. Preston also has a big announcement he is sharing with us, plus much more on this episode of The Wedding Biz.
Preston shares how he is handling the pandemic and what he has learned during 2020. Preston discusses how he thinks the event industry will change once the pandemic has been eradicated. He believes that event professionals will need to become better salespeople because consumers will want more value for their money.
Preston is hosting his own podcast called Stop and Smell the Roses! Listen as he shares why this is a dream come true and the content listeners can expect to hear. Preston also speaks about his segment called Dear Preston, where he will answer listeners’ questions live on air. His podcast will air every other Thursday starting January 14th on The Wedding Biz Network. See you there!
Don’t forget to listen to Andy’s new podcast, The Music Makers. It’s a podcast about behind-the-scenes stories from some of the most influential music industry pros around, including artists, recording engineers, record producers, songwriters, managers, record industry executives, and more. You can find The Music Makers podcast by searching for it in your cell phone’s podcast app or visiting
318 TONY CRESPO/FMI Farms: Innovative National Floral Wholesaler
“If you see an opportunity, even if you don’t succeed, it’s a learning process. There is no such thing as failure.” Listen as Andy and his guest Tony Crespo discuss him being a drummer for a Salsa band for fourteen years, his grandfather growing roses in Ecuador, and how that shaped what he does today, plus much more on this episode of The Wedding Biz.
Tony is the Co-Founder of FMI Farms, a national floral wholesaler that innovatively offers a web-based marketplace for florists and event planners. They exclusively carry luxury quality that either ship farm direct or they offer a repacking service out of their facility in Miami, Florida. FMI Farms website has over 20,000 line items of flowers from all over the world, including other distributors in Miami and for next day delivery.
Tony shares how the values that his father and grandfather instilled in him have directed his path, how his definition of success has changed over the years, and his journey to being a distributor for other growers. Tony discusses how he and his brother developed the marketplace with inspiration from a company in Holland while being modeled after Amazon.
Listen as Tony talks about what he learned from the recession of 2008 that helped him trim his business down during the pandemic. He shares how the sales from Mother’s day stopped them in their tracks and made him realize that the pandemic might not be as big of a disaster as they expected.
305 THE NEXT LEVEL: ALEJANDRA POUPEL discusses ROB VAN HELDEN, Perfect Simplicity and Floral Design for Royalty
Andy’s guest co-host today is Alejandra Poupel from Alejandra Poupel Events out of Paris, catering to an international clientele including Chinese, Middle Eastern, Russian and American, all of whom have different expectations based on their cultural perspective. Listen as they discuss Rob’s idea of perfect simplicity, how he likes the natural beauty of flowers, and the royal events he has done, plus much more on this episode of The Next Level.
Rob is the owner of Rob Van Helden Floral Design Limited, out of London. His previous clientele includes Nelson Mandela, Joe Malone, Elton John, and Royal weddings and events including Princess Beatrice, Princess Eugenie, and Princess Margaret’s 70th birthday.
Alejandra discusses how Rob respects the flower’s beauty, his use of props when he designs arrangements for events, and the Royal events he’s done and how beautiful they always are. Alejandra also shares the one thing in Rob’s interview that surprised and pleased her the most.
Listen as Alejandra shares how she is handling the pandemic personally and professionally and how the industry as a whole is coming together to support each other and lend a hand when needed.
304 ROB VAN HELDEN – Perfect Simplicity and Floral Design for Royalty
“I personally believe that flowers speak for themselves.” Listen as Andy and his guest Rob Van Helden discuss ‘perfect simplicity’ and what he means by that. Rob also talks about starting a business out of the back of a car with his sister Patrice and how through word of mouth they were able to grow, plus much more on this episode of The Wedding Biz.
Rob is the owner of Rob Van Helden Floral Design Limited out of London. His previous clientele include Nelson Mandela, Joe Malone, Elton John, the Beckham’s World Cup party, Alfred Dunhill and James Bond film premiers, and Royal weddings and events including Princess Beatrice, Princess Eugenie, and Princess Margaret’s 70th birthday among others.
Rob shares why he likes to work with a lot of just one type of flower, how instrumental props are in the design, and setting the theme. Rob shares his process when he works with clients. And he speaks about taking his clients to the flower market with him so they can see firsthand what he has in mind for the design and experience their responses.
Listen, as Rob describes the flower arrangements he designed for his own wedding and some of the biggest challenges he has faced at an event. Rob shares how he is handling the pandemic personally and professionally, and that success to him is having happy clients.