In the Spotlight: Featured uBloomer, Tracy Park

Tracy is from Battle Creek, MI, she is married with four children and is the owner of Affordable Elegance, a wedding and special event floral design studio.So Tracy, how did you get your start in floral design?As a little girl I loved to attend weddings….not to see the bride but to see the flowers! I was awestruck at how beautiful the designs were and knew immediately that floral wedding work was my calling. As a teenager, I got my first official floral job working at a local florist. Later, after earning a business degree in college, I managed a bridal store (for 17 years) and did wedding flowers on the side. Then, five years ago, I quit my job at the bridal shop and went full time into wedding design, thats when I started Affordable Elegance.What is your favorite floral wedding piece to design?The Bridal Bouquet, most definitely.Who do you look to for inspiration?My mother. She is very creative and "crafty." She can do just about anything: painting, crocheting, building decks (yes, she’s actually built one), etc. You name it, she can do it.What magazines do you subscribe to?Florists’ Review, Michigan Florist, and a new one I just ordered, Flora MagazineWhat has been your favorite wedding venue to decorate?The Yarrow Golf Club in Michigan, I did an outdoor wedding there. The setting is just gorgeous and it has a pavillion, where the ceremony took place, that overlooks the golf course and the beautifully landscaped grounds.What is your favorite flower?Well, right now it’s Bells of Ireland. I love it’s chartreuse color and the different ways you can use it in design work.If you could design flowers for any celebrity, who would it be? I would love to do the flowers for Jenna Bush (President Bush’s daughter) for her upcoming wedding. .When you aren’t working on flowers for a wedding, what other hobbies or activities do you enjoy?I enjoy scrapbooking, stamping, canning (jellies, pickles, tomatoes), gardening and presiding as President of the InLand Lakes Garden Club here in Michigan.What was the last thing you bought on impulse?A baby bunny from the local feed and seed. It’s one of those really cute, lop-eared rabbits.