Biography

Flowers have been part of my story for more than two decades. What began as a high school vocational interest gradually became a creative career built around weddings, meaningful celebrations, education, and a lifelong love of growing beautiful things.

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My floral journey began at Sierra High School, where I competed in FFA floriculture from 2000 through 2003. Through those competitions, I learned the foundations of floral design, plant identification, teamwork, and working under pressure. My team traveled throughout California to compete, and in 2003 we earned third place in the state. That experience gave me confidence as a young designer and showed me that floral design could become much more than a hobby.

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From 2004 to 2005, I worked at my mother’s flower shop in Auberry, California. There, I gained hands-on experience with the daily workings of a floral business, including customer service, processing flowers, creating arrangements, and preparing designs for special occasions. I also began designing weddings independently in 2004. Even at that early stage, I was especially drawn to wedding flowers because they allowed me to combine creativity, emotion, color, and storytelling in a way that felt deeply personal.  I also spent many Valentines and Mother's Days working at my aunt's shop in Petaluma, CA from 2000-2016 when she retired and closed the shop that had been in her family for 0ver 50 years.

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In 2012, I made the decision to focus exclusively on weddings and launched my business as Maile Floral Creations. Those early years allowed me to refine my style and develop a more intentional approach to wedding design. I became increasingly interested in creating florals that reflected each couple rather than repeating the same arrangements from event to event.

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In 2015, the business was reintroduced as Red Door Florist. The new name marked a fresh chapter and better reflected the welcoming, personal, and creative experience I wanted to offer my clients. Since then, Red Door Florist has continued to evolve into a wedding and event floral studio centered on thoughtful design, seasonal inspiration, and meaningful collaboration.

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My professional life has also taken me beyond the floral studio. In 2018, I began working as a school bus driver for Sanger Unified School District. In 2023, I took a job driving for Selma Unified School District. Working in public education strengthened my communication skills, reliability, organization, and ability to remain calm and adaptable—qualities that also serve me well when managing weddings and events.

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In 2019, I returned to college with the goal of strengthening both my business knowledge and my ability to serve others. I earned an Associate of Applied Business with a focus in Digital Media Marketing in 2021. In 2023, I graduated cum laude with a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration focus in Leadership. I then completed a Master of Business Administration with a focus in Operations Excellence in 2025.

My education has helped me see floral design through both a creative and operational lens. I understand that a beautiful event depends not only on artistic skill, but also on communication, planning, budgeting, logistics, timing, and a seamless client experience.

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In 2023, I began pursuing a single-subject teaching credential in science, and in 2025, I started working as a substitute teacher. Teaching has become another meaningful extension of the work I have always loved—helping people learn, grow, and discover confidence in their own abilities. Whether I am working with flowers, students, or clients, I am drawn to opportunities that allow me to create, guide, and encourage.

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During the pause in events brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic, I returned to flowers in a new way: by growing them. I began experimenting with different flower and foliage varieties, learning more about seasonal production, seed starting, harvesting, and the relationship between the garden and the finished arrangement.

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Growing my own materials deepened my appreciation for the full life cycle of a flower. It also changed the way I design. I became more attentive to movement, texture, seasonality, natural form, and the small imperfections that make flowers feel alive. Whenever possible, I enjoy incorporating locally grown and garden-inspired materials into my work.

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Today, Red Door Florist represents the many paths that have shaped me: floral designer, business owner, gardener, educator, and lifelong learner. My designs are inspired by nature, art, the changing seasons, and the people at the center of each celebration.

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I believe wedding flowers should feel personal. They should reflect the mood of the day, complement the setting, and become part of the memories guests carry with them. No two events should feel exactly alike, because no two stories are the same.

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After more than twenty years in floral design, I still feel the same excitement when a collection of individual stems begins to take shape. I still love seeing a client’s vision become something tangible. And I still believe flowers have an extraordinary ability to transform a space, mark an important moment, and tell a story without saying a word.

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Above all, I'm a mother. Raising my own two children has been the greatest privilege of my life and inspired an even deeper appreciation for the many ways families are created and celebrated. That perspective eventually led me to become a gestational carrier, where between 2014 and 2026 I had the honor of helping six families welcome children of their own. Today, I continue supporting intended parents as a recruiter and coordinator for an international surrogacy agency.

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Red Door Florist is where experience, education, nature, and creativity come together—and I would be honored to create something meaningful for your celebration.