Heidi Jo Lauber, Owner

Sugar Magnolias is the centerpiece of my existence. My life has revolved around the space and my brides for over twenty five years. From the first day it has been about love and weddings and work that smells delicious. My home is around the corner and my beautiful labradoodle, Leon, sleeps on the cool workspace tile as I put together the designs of a lifetime. My parents live five minutes away, retired in the house I was raised in. My Dad still visits almost daily to fix and support. I’ve watched in wonder as the young girls I employ grow up and have weddings of their own. Now they are beautiful women, some with grown children, others raising their babies right here amidst the boxes of flowers and piles of green stems. I love when I can hear them playing with a discarded flower box on the grassy hill just out the front door..

There is labor, and there is love. We work hard and long. We are true laborers. The flowers are temperamental; they have a short life span that needs prompting and prodding so they will peak, not before, not after, but only on that one day. There is a world market with prices that fluctuate, and summer heat, and there are the trends. My clients are emotional as they begin their march towards married life. They need guidance and corralling and help with prioritizing. There are budgets, venue logistics, and family dynamics. “Spend your money where your guests spend most of their time…”, I say over and over, “…your ideas can be tailored to fit your budget”. I love my couples, their mothers, their families. I love the fathers that sit quietly, so willing to let the wedding wave wash over them. And I love that there is love. I am honored to be a part of that love, never passing up the chance to watch as the vows are finally exchanged.

Flowers have been the way I express myself for over forty years. I have seen the trends come full circle more than once. I have weathered recessions, pandemics and whirlwinds of change. My first job as an eleven year old paid me $2.25 an hour. When I celebrated my opening, the internet was just blooming. I have worked alone and managed a staff of twenty. I can grout a tile floor, cook for an army, and mow my own lawn. But, after a lifetime, flowers are still my first true love.