Written by Angela Flynn
Photography by Erin Schmidt
Since 2014, Monica Brown of M. Dawn Floral Design has been providing couples with custom flower arrangements to celebrate their big day. While her company may be just shy of 10 years old, Brown herself is a well-seasoned entrepreneur.
At the age of 12, she started her own nail technician business, influenced by her grandmother who owned a salon and taught at several local cosmetology schools. It wasn’t until several years later in 2001 that a family wedding ignited her interest in floral design.
Her sister was planning her wedding that year, and their family’s go-to florist was no longer available. Instead of using another vendor, Brown and her sister purchased artificial flowers and created their own arrangements. “It just kind of took off from there,” she says. “Family and friends were calling to have their weddings done, as well.” Thus, Silk Memories by Monica was born.
A friend introduced her to fresh flowers by taking her through a local wholesale shop, and she soon shifted from using “permanent botanicals” to fresh flowers. With this transition, Silk Memories turned into M. Dawn Floral, which officially launched in 2014.
She now provides floral arrangements for around 40 weddings per year. In addition to centerpieces and bouquets, Brown also creates wedding brooms for couples to jump the broomstick. “I have couples give me the colors they’re interested in and sometimes they have an actual theme that we’re working with,” she says. “I love doing them because each one is so unique.”
She may have a creative eye for design, but she also is an accomplished scholar, having a bachelor’s and master’s in social work. Her background in therapy and social work also helps her successfully partner with clients as they plan their big day.
“My expertise with therapy and working with families comes into play a lot when I’m doing consultations,” she says. “I want to calm couples, and I think that’s something too that comes from being a therapist and talking to people in a way that lets them know they can trust you.”
For as much as she helps couples bring their floral vision to life, her business also brings her a sense of peace as well. “Being a therapist and social worker, and having a difficult job in terms of holding people’s emotions and experiences, to be able to take time away from that and do something different such as floral design, it’s kind of my therapy!” Brown says. “That’s one of the things I love about it.”
To learn more, visit mdawnfloral.com
