First Lady's Luncheon

florists’review

18,000 all-American-grown flowers took center stage
at the 105th First Lady’s Luncheon in May.
A Floral Fete
for the First Lady
By Debra Prinzing
Photos by Susie & Becky Photography; susieandbecky.com
At a gala event in Washington, D.C., where
more than 2,000 influential guests gathered
in a famous hotel ballroom, luxurious
floral arrangements expressed a fitting sentiment:
to honor America’s first lady with the
freshest, most gorgeous American Grown Flowers
designed with exquisite attention to detail.
Kelly Shore, of Petals by the Shore in Damascus,
Md., one of a team of three lead designers
who volunteered their creative services, says
the experience was unforgettable. “Because we
were showcasing American Grown Flowers, I
wanted to include the incredible variety that
U.S. flower farms produce. I wanted people to be
blown away. I wanted them to say, ‘Whoa! This is
American Grown?’”
For the second year, flowers and foliages from
domestic family farms adorned more than 170
tables and cascaded across the VIP head table at
the First Lady’s Luncheon. The annual event to
recognize America’s first lady is staged by members
of the bipartisan Congressional Club and
raises funds for charities supported by the Congressional
Club, like Southeastern Guide Dogs
and Partnership for Drug Free Kids, who received
funds from this year’s luncheon.
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The Congressional Club event dates back to
1912. According to luncheon committee member
Betty Ann Tanner, whose spouse is former Rep. John
Tanner (Tennessee’s 8th District, 1989-2010), floral
décor has always played a role in the festivities,
“from the ladies 105 years ago making big poppies
out of tissue and crepe paper to having a local florist
or a florist from the chair’s home state make all the
flower arrangements, to even having an assembly
line for a couple of years when Congressional Club
members made the flower arrangements.”
This year’s decorating committee co-chair with
chair DeDe Walsh (spouse of former Rep. James
Walsh, New York’s 24th District, 1993-2008), Betty
Ann says American Grown Flowers elevated the
décor to a new level.
Luncheon chair Carolyn Yoho, whose spouse is
Rep. Ted Yoho (Florida’s 3rd District), delivered a
personal message to First Lady Melania Trump and
the other guests in the room, saying, “These beautiful
flowers that you see on your tables were grown
right here in the United States. And I would like to
encourage everyone, including the White House, to
support American Grown Flowers.”
Co-designer Christy Hulsey, of Colonial House of
Flowers in Statesboro, Ga., became teary-eyed while
listening to Carolyn’s remarks. “I realized what we
had just done and that there’s a possibility that the
first lady could use American-grown flowers. That
was the defining moment for me, to realize why we
were there and what we were doing for Americangrown
flowers.”
In addition to Kelly and Christy, Margaret Lloyd,
of Margaret Joan Florals of Montecito, Calif., rounded
out the core design team, all of who are members of
Slowflowers.com. Other volunteer florists and flower
farmers traveled to Washington, D.C., in early May to
assist the designers, working from two hotel conference
rooms to create the arrangements.
“The American Grown Flower farmers have
been integral to making the last two First Lady’s
Luncheons beautiful, elegant events,” says Jennifer
Messer, president of the Congressional Club and
spouse of Rep. Luke Messer (Indiana’s 6th District).
“Simply put, the flowers are exquisite and abundant,
and the growers and designers have become central
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to the Congressional Club’s First Lady’s Luncheon team. We
so greatly appreciate the tremendous contribution.”
Spearheaded by administrator Kasey Cronquist, the
Certified American Grown program currently enjoys participation
from more than 50 farms across the U.S. Despite
the demand for their flowers during the busy Mother’s Day
season, member farms donated their best varieties for the
First Lady’s Luncheon décor. “This is about giving American
flowers a national stage and Americans working together to
advance an American-grown message,” Kasey says.
Margaret was emotionally moved by the experience, especially
when she saw luncheon guests admiring the lushly
decorated head table. “Many of the flowers — the Cymbidium
orchids, the white roses, the Gerberas — are grown in my
own community of Carpinteria, Calif., just 10 minutes away
from me,” she says. “Who’s in the White House will change,
but the farmers who grew those flowers will still be working
their lands in the next generation. I’m hoping that agricultural
America continues. I don’t want us importing all our
food; I don’t want us to import all our flowers. It matters to
me. I want to drive down the road and know people have
jobs in those flower greenhouses in my community.”
BY THE NUMBERS:
• 170 centerpieces for 72-inch round tables
• 16 Raquette arrangements for the runway and the
62-foot-long head table
• 21 volunteers, including Margie Tygart, designer
Christy Hulsey’s 90-year-old grandmother
• 3 days for production
• 18,000 flower and foliage stems
• 21 Certified American-Grown flower farms across the
United States
ABOUT THE CONGRESSIONAL CLUB
Lasting friendships have been built through the years
as Congressional Club members work “shoulder to
shoulder” on various causes, with their bipartisan values
reflecting a positive element in today’s complex political
dynamic.
Founded in 1908, the original purpose of The
Congressional Club was to provide a nonpartisan setting
for friendships among the spouses of members of the
House and Senate in Washington, D.C. Although the
scope of the club and the breadth of its activities have
increased over the years, its purpose remains the same.
The first president of the club, Mrs. James B. Perkins
of New York, and her board decided to seek a Congressional
Act of Incorporation. On May 20, 1908, Mrs.
John Sharp Williams, wife of the House Minority Leader
who was opposed to the Act, invited her husband to
lunch. While they were dining, the House of Representatives
passed the Act unanimously. The Congressional
Club, with 95 members, became the official organization
of congressional wives. From the beginning, the
club has been self supporting.
An active member is the spouse of a sitting or former
member of Congress, Supreme Court justice, or
member of the President’s Cabinet; and once a member,
always a member, upon payment of annual dues.
Associate membership is open only to active members’
adult children or spouses of adult children.
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FLORAL AND FOLIAGE DONATIONS
CallaCo
Dramm & Echter
Eufloria Flowers
FernTrust
Gallup & Stribling Orchids
Golden State Bulb Growers
Green Valley Floral
Holland America Flowers
Joseph & Sons
Kitayama Brothers
LynnVale Studios
Mellano & Company
Myriad Flowers
Ocean Breeze International
Ocean View Flowers
Oregon Flowers
Pyramid Flowers
Resendiz Brothers Protea Growers
Sun Valley Floral Farms
Top Star Floral
Westland Orchids
IN-KIND SERVICES AND PRODUCT
Accent Décor
Armellini Logistics
DV Floral
Potomac Floral Wholesale
Smithers-Oasis North America
VOLUNTEER DESIGNERS
Kelly Shore (Petals by the Shore, Maryland)
Christy Hulsey and Margie Tygart (Colonial House of Flowers, Georgia)
Margaret Lloyd (Margaret Joan Florals, California)
Mary Kate Kinnane (The Local Bouquet – Rhode Island)
Rachel Ziegler (Floral & Bloom, Maryland)
Blair Roberts (Sweet Blossoms, Maryland)
Jimmy Lohr and Rose Kocher (greenSinner, Pennsylvania)
Nancy and Wayne Zimmerman (Fancy Florals by Nancy, Illinois)
Beth Van Sandt and Kurt Weichhand (Scenic Place Peonies, Alaska)
Lisa Ruf (Goodness Gracious Florals - Maryland)
Lisa Smith Thorne (Thorne & Thistle, Alabama)
Ellen Seagraves (Chic Floral Designs – Maryland)
Dana O’Sullivan (DellaBlooms – Maryland)
Katie MacGregor (Rose Gold Events & Styling - Maryland)
Elizabeth Joyner (Georgia)
Lillian Brown (Georgia)
Flo Fordham (Georgia) •
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