Guest Designers

Sponsored by: 

Louisville Wedding Network

Association of Bridal Consultants

Mon Amie Events, Inc was founded over 10 years ago by Monica Richard, MWP ™.   Her strength lies in making her clients’ experience less stressful and more magical.  This stems from her background at Walt Disney World. By focusing on logistics, Monica’s goal is to make each of her clients feel as though they are guests at their own events, while allowing them to step into a fantasy beyond their wildest expectations. 

Planning weddings and social events are often big experiences and life changing events.  Monica wants her clients and their guests to long remember these moments, so she ensures the planning process and the event itself are a time of great joy.  Working directly with each of her clients is important, so Mon Amie Events, Inc only takes a limited number of clients annually to give this personalized and couture service. That way, when the event comes, Monica’s clients can immerse themselves in the environment, and enjoy the memories with their guests.

While awards and accolades have come from a number of industry magazines, blogs and organizations, including being named to the Indianapolis Business Journal 2015 Class of 40 Under 40, Monica is also proud to be part of the faculty for Indiana University.  She is seen as the preeminent leader in social special event planning, so has served as an adjunct instructor at her alma mater Indiana University. (both in Bloomington, IN and at their Indianapolis campus.) 

Monica also has joined the exclusive ranks, being one of the first fifty people in the world who has earned the distinction Master Wedding Planner™

Sponsored by:

Fitz Designs

Doren-Engel Wholesale

Susan Ishkanian AIFD is a freelance floral designer from San Francisco, Bay Area. She has been an event designer for over 18 years working mainly on large scale weddings, parties and corporate events. 

She has served on several boards on the American Institute of Floral Designers. Currently she is serving on the Finance Committee and is also a Board member for her Northwest Region. She has participated as Artist in Residence for San Francisco City College and San Mateo Community College to share her event industry experiences with floral students. She has been invited overseas to participate in demonstrations, design work and hands on workshops. She is a lead floral designer for Fiesta Parade Floats for the Tournament of Rose Bowl.

She is looking forward to sharing her simple crochet hook techniques working with decorative wires to create body flowers suitable for weddings and proms. This technique can also be used to create structures designed as an accent to your centerpiece or wall structures with botanicals. 

Sponsored by: 

Doren-Engel Wholesale

Fitz Designs

FloristWare

Owner and lead designer by Vogt's in Sturgis, MI, Doug Bates has received numerous awards in the floral industry, including Designer of the Year 2012, Young Person of the Year 2013, and multiple design academy winner awards. Doug enjoys sharing his experience and talents in workshops and stage presentations for local and regional floral events. 

Sponsored by:  

Teleflora 

Pioneer Wholesale & Imports 

Syndicate Sales

Tom Bowling AIFD, PFCI is now in his 32nd year in the  floral industry.He has a background in owning his own retail business  for 20 years, working in the floral wholesale business, is a consultant  for some major industry growers, and is head of Education and Marketing  for Fitz Design.

Tom holds a Bachelor’s degree from Eastern Kentucky University and a Master’s of Education from Miami University of Ohio.

Tom is a member of the American Institute of Floral Designers (AIFD)  and currently serves as President. He is also a member of Professional  Floral Communicators International (PFCI), the Society of American  Florists (SAF) and numerous state and allied associations. Tom instructs annually for KFA's Floral Education Program.

Tom has been a featured main stage presenter twice for AIFD’s  national symposium. His floral career also includes working as assistant  floral director for the Academy Awards for 15 years as well as the  Pasadena Tournament of Roses parade. Tom writes a weekly internet  article for Florabundance, Inc., is creative consultant for Continental  Floral Greens in San Antonio, Texas, and Ocean View Flowers in Lompoc,  California. He has designed and commentated at numerous local, regional,  and national floral events, having designed for presidential  inaugurations as well as many society events around the country. 

He  serves on several advisory boards for floral related products and his  work is often seen in Flowers& and Flowers and Profits. He is a member of Teleflora’s acclaimed Education Specialist Team.

Sponsored by:

Floriology

Fitzs Designs

Angelyn was literally raised in her Mother’s flower shop. At the age of 16 she went to work for her mom as a designer/ delivery girl to have some “play” money. Angelyn was lucky enough to attend many Georgia State Florist Conventions, FTD and Teleflora National Conventions. With nearly 40 years in the industry, she shares her passion for flowers with everyone. 

She has continued her floral education to keep up with new floral trends. She has served on the Georgia State and Florida State Association for many years and is a Certified Evaluator for GSFA.  Angelyn also had the privilege of being able to decorate floats at the Rose Bowl Parade working for Fiesta Floats. Some of these include, Miracle Grow, City of Torrance, Kaiser Permanente, and Chinese American Heritage Foundation.

Angelyn is the Education Manager at Floriology Institute and one of the instructors. Angelyn uses her many years in the industry to guide new and mature floral designers in continuing their education within the industry.  She is an active member of the American Institute of Floral Design. She was elected to its Southern Board and serves as the President for 2023/2024..

Angelyn has worked as a freelance designer around the country. She has won awards for her wedding work as well as in floral design competitions. She just wrapped up working on several television and movie projects. Her work can also be seen in several industry magazines and was recently published in AIFD’s Artistic Floral Design Book and the AIFD Guide to Floral Design Vol. III.

Angelyn, is married to Donald Tipton and has 3 children Jonathan, Andrew and Katherine. She is also a 14-year cancer survivor!

Sponsored by:

Kentucky Florist Association

Daron is a professional floral designer and visual merchandiser of twenty plus years. He has designed for country music singers such as Faith Hill and Tim McGraw, Kelly Clarkson, Reba McEntire, Vince Gill, and Amy Grant. Daron’s work has been featured in People Magazine and the movie, Country Strong. 

Daron is a past Tennessee Designer of the Year and placed in the National Alliance of Floral Associations (NAFA) and MidAmerica Cup competitions. 

Daron currently works for Kerr’s Wholesale in Cave City, KY and loves designing over-the-top weddings and events and creating unique sympathy tributes. His design style is a mix of European garden and high-end contemporary with a Southern flair. 

Sponsored by:

J F Link Wholesale

Kristina Stubblefield is a digital marketing strategist, business coach, and host of the "Simplified Solutions" podcast, with a passion for leveraging the latest technologies to help businesses thrive online. With over two decades of industry experience, she has witnessed the evolution of technology and digital marketing, honing her skills to keep her clients ahead of the curve. 

As co-owner of So In Media Group with her husband Josh, Kristina specializes in creating innovative solutions that attract ideal clients and foster lasting connections.