Boothbay Region Greenhouses has announced the arrival of a new floral designer and wedding consultant, Laura Wiltse-Tibbetts. Laura and her husband have recently moved to the area from outside Buffalo, New York, where she was operating her own business as a boutique designer of wedding flowers and a cultivator of dahlias. Laura takes over wedding responsibilities from new mom, Maddie Kaler, who will be dividing her time between managing kids and the dining room at Kaler’s Restaurant.

Laura has been actively pursuing her passion for flowers through training in classes and workshops with floral designers around the country. Her design work was featured in the March issue of Florists Review Magazine (“Field to Vase, Farm to Table, & Forage to Art” March, 2019) which described her teaching of tablescaping and design as part of the Maine Slow Flowers Collaborative. Her diverse experience includes a strong business background and education in both horticulture and travel and tourism, all of which combine to make her uniquely qualified to take on the busy and challenging business of destination weddings.

Her arrival in the flower shop at Boothbay Region Greenhouses just a couple of months after moving to Maine was serendipitous: a friend had encouraged her to attend a design class as a guest of the Boothbay Region Garden Club. Once in the class her talent was obvious, and shop manager Susan Hodder, who was already fretting over losing Maddie, quickly realized that destiny had spoken. She invited Laura to jump in and help out during the Valentine’s Day rush, and a partnership was born. They’ve already begun visiting the area’s wedding venues and establishing relationships with various vendors.

“The opportunities that have come my way since moving to Maine have been endless,” said Tibbetts. “Good things happen when you realize you’re finally in the right place. I believe I’ve laid a good foundation for the next chapter and the rest of my life. I am blessed to be able to earn my living through flowers, which are my creative outlet and my undying passion. I feel so welcome, surrounded by good and talented people, and I know that together we can do great things.”

Laura and her husband are eager to begin cultivating their 52 acres in Waldoboro, and she looks forward to making her locally grown dahlias and other flowers available to BRGH customers. Laura also has a modern, on-trend take on corsages and prom flowers that will no doubt delight area students. You can follow Laura on Instagram at boothbayregionflorist and westwindflorals. To arrange for a personal wedding consultation with Laura, call 633-2400 to schedule an appointment.