It was only five years ago that Melanie Kay Hugele, while employed as a bank branch manager, was spending her break time each day at local flower shops.
“I used to walk around and smell the flowers and think, ‘Wouldn’t [it] be wonderful to just day in and day out be surrounded by such beauty?’” she said.
Hugele’s daydreams would eventually become reality. Today, she owns and runs MK Events, where she plans floral arrangements for events with a focus on weddings. She said she has taken on weddings spanning a variety of themes ranging from Halloween to Star Wars.
Hugele started her transition to the world of flowers by taking a job with a Dallas florist in 2011. She trained in every aspect of the business and learned all she could about flower names, caring techniques, floral design and style.
After a year of intensive floral education, Hugele decided to launch her own business where she plans events from the initial brainstorming process to execution on the day of the celebration.
When a bride starts working with Hugele—typically six to nine months prior to her wedding—she brings a vision of her own that Hugele said she interprets and makes come to life.
“I think the biggest challenge right now is being able to find brides that trust you with your vision,” she said. “Most brides these days live and breathe by Pinterest, so they think it is exactly what they want. What a true florist can do is bring something that is even better.”
Over the years, Hugele has adapted to each bride’s unique personality. She is in the process of tackling an outdoor-themed wedding for a Washington state bride. Hugele recently took on a Galveston beach-themed wedding, complete with starfish in the bride’s bouquet, and has even embraced a Disney-themed ceremony with a Mickey Mouse ears-shaped floral arrangement.
Although wedding trends and floral fashions change, Hugele said her passion for bringing the bride’s vision to life will remain constant.
“When I hand [the bride] the bouquet, I get misty-eyed because I can see all the love and anticipation,” she said. “I try to put that same amount of love and care into my work that I know the brides are feeling at their weddings.”
Making flowers last
- The No. 1 enemy of flowers is bacteria. Clean the vase daily with warm, soapy water.
- Refill the vase with new cold water so flowers have as much as possible.
- Cut stems of the plants at an angle.
- Orchids do not do well around natural gas. Make sure they are stored outside the kitchen area if it has a gas range.
