Content creator and entrepreneur Sam Hwang set Instagram abuzz with her September nuptials in Desert Hot Springs. As the founder of two wedding-focused businesses, The Mad Florist and For the Table, Sam brought a laser-sharp focus to creating the wedding of her dreams—a celebration that seamlessly blended non-traditional elements with eclectic yet personal touches.

We had the pleasure of debriefing with Sam to get her unique perspective on planning a high-style, tailor-made wedding day that perfectly reflects individuality as a creative individual and wedding-centric entrepreneur.

Before we dive into your big day, tell us about you and your businesses.
My name is Sam, and I was married on September 26 in Desert Hot Springs. For 10 years, I worked as a content creator and influencer, but I found myself longing to create with my hands. This desire led me to start The Mad Florist in the fall of 2022 and later co-found For the Table alongside my best friend at the beginning of 2024.

When I launched The Mad Florist, I had no prior experience in the floral industry. I dove in headfirst, starting with an Instagram account where I shared my floral arrangements purely for fun. To my surprise, inquiries soon began rolling in from followers who wanted me to create arrangements for them.

My first wedding was in October 2022 and I fell head over heels for floristry, and I haven’t looked back since. I immersed myself in the craft, networking with fellow florists and learning everything I could through observation and self-study to refine my skills.

I leveraged my experience in social media management and PR to build a clientele and build my presences on Instagram and TikTok. This lead me to wonderful opportunities including installations for Disney and National Geographic, teaching floral workshops, and meeting many wonderful couples for their weddings.

For the Table grew out of my love for designing tablescapes and floral arrangements. I saw a natural synergy between the two and wanted to bring them together in a cohesive, artful way. By combining my expertise in floral design with my love for tabletop aesthetics, I have been able to offer a unique and comprehensive service to my clients.

Pictured: Arpeggio Stand

Tell us about your big day. Did you have mission-critical details?
We had our wedding at a beautiful venue called Penny Lane Ranch in Desert Hot Springs. It was the very first place we toured, and we instantly fell in love.

As a wedding professional, I loved the idea of staying on-site for three nights, which gave us extra time for setup and made the whole experience more relaxed. Since we brought so many of our own items to personalize the space, this was a huge advantage for us.

For our big day, our priority was to relax, be present, and truly enjoy the event we had spent a year and a half planning. We were mindful of how easily couples can get swept up in the festivities and miss out on key moments—like sitting down to eat dinner!

To stay organized, I created a detailed PDF and delegated tasks to others. I knew it would take a village to make this wedding come to life. 

Our venue was a blank slate, so we had to bring in everything. Many brides shared that you forget about the details the day of, but I knew my attention would be most focused on the details. From the flowers to the place cards, I lived for the design process and execution.

Pictured: Arpeggio Stand

How did you balance your professional knowledge of weddings with your personal preferences? 
My professional experience as a wedding vendor came in handy, giving me a realistic perspective on what could and couldn’t be executed. We focused on prioritizing the elements that truly mattered to us and cut back on things that didn’t align with our vision.

One thing I always emphasize with brides is the importance of managing the timeline. Time flies when you’re planning a wedding, and it moves even faster on the actual day. Remembering this helped us decide which elements we wanted to include. To keep things manageable, we chose to outsource half of our initial DIY projects. This decision allowed us to stick to our timeline without sacrificing the details that were most important.

Pictured: Nuovo Drinkware, Capricorn Compote, Adeline Candleholder, Glass Sleeves

Did you collaborate with another floral designer(s)? How did you collaborate with others ensuring a seamless (and beautiful!) execution?  
I enlisted my team at The Mad Florist to design the florals for both my rehearsal dinner and wedding. I trusted my two leads, Sam and Gabby, to take ownership and bring my designs to life—and spoiler alert, they did an amazing job!

When you’re handling design without being involved in the execution, there’s twice as much prep work required to ensure your team knows exactly what to do. I created design decks, task lists, floral recipes, and inspiration boards for my team to reference. And, of course, communication is key.

I knew I didn’t want to be hands-on with the execution so I could enjoy my wedding day. However, I decided to make all of the personal florals since I’m a perfectionist. I made my husband’s boutonniere, bridesmaids’ bouquets, and my bouquet.

How did you use flowers to reflect your personality and relationship with your husband? 
Choosing the aesthetic for our wedding florals was challenging, so we decided to select our top three choices for our rehearsal dinner, ceremony, and reception. We didn’t want to be limited to one color palette.

My husband graciously gave me the freedom to select the flowers. He had faith that my vision would represent us both, and it certainly did!

Looking back, what was your favorite floral element of your wedding? What about your favorite non-floral element? 
My favorite floral element was the reception table centerpieces. They brought so much vibrant color to the neutral barn which lit up the space!

My favorite non-floral elements were the candle holders and glassware. They added so much umph to our tabletop design.

Pictured: Nuovo Drinkware, Capricorn Compote, Adeline Candleholder, Glass Sleeves

What advice can you offer a fellow Creative who is planning a wedding?
For anyone planning a wedding, remember that your wedding is for you and your partner- not for the publications or social media. The more personal you make your wedding, the more you will enjoy it.

Connect with Sam Hwang online or @wear.is.sam , @the_madflorist and @forthetable.club Instagram.

To shop Accent Decor’s wholesale decor for events and wholesale decor including all new and flower, plant and home products, visit accentdecor.com.

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Photo Credit // Tessa Marie Photo, @tessamarieephoto