Patty Davis, of Carolina Roses, has been a dear friend and colleague of mine for over 15 years. We have worked on countless weddings together and have also collaborated on many styled shoots. All of which have been published. Getting to be a part of Carolina Roses’ 20th anniversary shoot was so special!

Patty has been a rose lover most of her life, and that was love fueled even more after her first trip to the Biltmore rose garden decades ago. So it was only fitting that her business anniversary session take place in the gardens at Biltmore.

Patty has not only been a long-time member of the Lincoln and Cleveland County Rose Society, but she is also the caretaker of some of Charlotte’s finest rose gardens.

Now, let’s get to the story of how Carolina Roses began.

Over 20 years ago, Patty’s best friend was getting married at the Lake Lure Inn. Her friend could not afford a florist, but she knew that Patty had an immaculate rose garden at her home. So she asked Patty if she would be willing to use her roses to create and design the floral arrangements and bouquets for the wedding. Having no floral design experience, Patty was hesitant, but she agreed.

Patty spent the next few weeks watching tutorials on floral design, and got to work on her friend’s wedding.

When the wedding came, Patty was confident in her ability to decorate the event space. The photographer at the wedding was so impressed with Patty’s florals that she asked for business cards so she could spread the word to other vendors. Patty immediately went home and told her husband that she was starting a floral business. She made her very first business card that night and Carolina Roses was created.

Patty has every single business card she’s ever made. She even brought them to the shoot for me to photograph.

Not long after Patty started her business, a tornado came through and destroyed her beloved rose garden. She was so heartbroken that she never replanted. However, she is finally considering starting a new rose garden at her home. Just because she doesn’t have a large rose garden anymore, doesn’t mean she doesn’t have flowers all over her property. The flowers used to style her business cards came from her own gardens.

Over the past 20 years, Patty’s floral business has grown exponentially. She has been the floral designer for hundreds of weddings and now even offers planning and event coordinating services, along with equipment rentals. Her energy and fun-loving personality is unlike anyone I know! She has such a strong love for the wedding industry and always puts her clients first.

Working with Patty over the years has been such a blessing and I’m proud to call her my friend!

I’m honored to share her Biltmore anniversary session on the blog today!

XOXO,