Ever April Floral Design Studio

10/05/2026

The hardest moments of our lives do not get to define us. They challenge us, question our strength, and sometimes even break us. But those hard moments aren’t meant to stop us.

21 years ago today, I lost my mom to cancer. She had just turned 63 and was only into her second year of retirement after teaching music for 38 years.

I lost her when I was 27, just getting into “adult” life. She wasn’t here for so many of those big moments — a new career, buying my first house, meeting my husband, becoming a grandma, giving parenting advice, shopping for a wedding dress, holidays, birthdays, joys and hurts.

She and my dad never got the retirement they had planned either — a big motorhome cruising the country, taking her ’57 Chevy to car shows, and seeing just how many things she could collect from eBay, which had only recently become a thing. She may also have been the original inventor of Pinterest with all of her savvy storage ideas!

She gave some amazing life advice that, at the time, I completely took for granted. Now, being the age she was when I was a middle schooler, I hear her words coming out of my mouth with my own daughter.

“Put it in the coulda, shoulda, woulda category and move on!”

“When you’re a mom and your daughter wants to (fill in the blank), you can do whatever you want!”

But my favorite was this:

“Marriage is like two trees over one path. The two trunks symbolize you as your individual selves. The branches that intertwine over the path are the things you want to do together. The branches that don’t touch are the things you get to do by yourself, and the path below signifies that you choose to take this road together.”

Some of the best advice I have ever received.

Which brings me to Ever April.

I’ve loved floral design since I first started working with flowers in 2000. What began as a college job turned into a passion — and brought some of the best friends of my life into it, too. They still help me design some of my bigger weddings. 🩷 You Ramas!)

This particular journey with Ever April has pushed me to find my strength, break through barriers, and keep moving through my own insecurities. But don’t stop if I get stuck.

I know my mom never really left me. I look for her. She comes through in songs, in words, and in those moments when I think I’ve forgotten the sound of her voice — and then someone says something that sounds exactly like her.

And then there’s this picture.

At the bottom, in the middle, there is a painted portrait of a woman. That was my mom — her college portrait.
It was NOT planned. A complete fluke.

But there she is.

Reminding me to keep going.

To keep stretching those branches of my own tree.

To keep staying true to myself.

And to keep things simple:

“Coulda, shoulda, woulda.”

And I’ll be just fine.
Love you, Mommy. 😇

10/01/2026

Wedding Wednesday Tip 💍🌸
What you see isn’t always exactly what you’ll get, and that’s not necessarily a bad thing.

We all save inspiration photos to help make sense of the million ideas floating around in our heads. Pinterest boards, screenshots and wedding vision boards are wonderful tools for showing your florist the overall aesthetic, colors and feeling you’re drawn to.

But here’s something important to remember: photos can change how flowers actually look.

These are the exact same bouquet.💐

The photo on the left is one I took before leaving for the wedding. The photo on the right is the professional photograph from the wedding day.

Both beautiful. Both full and lush. But look at how differently the colors read.

Lighting, location, camera settings, editing and filters can all affect the way colors appear. Certain flowers may look brighter, softer, warmer or more muted in a photograph than they do in person.

So when you bring inspiration photos to your florist, think of them as just that — inspiration, not an exact recipe.

Instead of focusing on recreating one photograph perfectly, talk about what you love about it:
the softness, the movement, the fullness, the color palette, the garden feel.

That gives your florist the freedom to create something that captures the feeling you fell in love with — while still making it uniquely yours.

💐

09/27/2026

A little preview from the Ever April brand shoot.
Final images coming soon. Thank you Moments In Time by Molly for capturing so many behind the scenes moments!

09/23/2026

I have always loved floral design, but there is something deeply meaningful to me about creating flowers for a Celebration of Life. It’s a large part of why Ever April has shifted its focus. 🕊️

I am truly honored each time I’m trusted to represent someone’s life through flowers.

This piece was created for a woman who left far too soon at just 52 years old.

A mother of two. A wife. A daughter. A sister. An aunt. A teacher. A traveler. And an over-the-top Disney fan. 💗

Celebration of Life flowers have a different feeling than any other design work I do. They aren’t simply meant to be beautiful—they are meant to tell a story.

My hope is to capture a memory, spark a conversation, and bring pieces of that person back into the room, even if only for a little while.

Her wedding bouquet had Stargazer lilies and pink roses, so they became part of her story again.

Her love of Disney was legendary, with a collection of Mickey ears to prove it. Lavender and blue were chosen as a nod to Cinderella Castle at Magic Kingdom.

And the Mickey ears?

There was no question. They belonged among the flowers. 🐭

Every life has a story. Let the flowers tell it.

View the Ever April Celebration of Life portfolio at everaprilfloral.com

09/13/2026

Nothing celebrates a life more beautifully than allowing the flowers to reflect the person behind them.

For Sharon, that meant incorporating the purple Rose of Sharon that once grew at her family home, colors she loved, and her own crystal vase to hold the arrangement.

Saying, “See you later” is never easy. But surrounding ourselves with the little pieces that belonged to them—the colors, flowers, memories and treasured things—can make them feel a little closer.

Because a Celebration of Life should look and feel like the life being remembered.

09/11/2026

9/11. We will Never Forget 🇺🇸
We will Always Remember ❤️🤍💙

09/07/2026

There’s an old belief that when a cardinal appears, someone we love is near.😇❤️

This cardinal found me during a season of change, stress, grief, and growth — the same season that quietly became Ever April.

I named him Scout, since he was always coming to check in on us. He initially appeared during moments that were heavy, with timing that was hard to explain as a coincidence. Even the moment I announced Ever April, I hoped he was near by. Lo and behold, he flew up and sat in the tree across from me while I wrote the post. (Bottom left picture) His presence became a reminder for me to slow down, notice the beauty still around me, and trust that even after hard seasons, something meaningful can still grow.

In many ways, Scout became part of the heart of Ever April — a symbol of remembrance, hope, and the quiet ways love continues. ❤️

09/04/2026

09/02/2026

For many years, you have known me as The Swedish Garden.
Since 2017, when I started it, floral design has been a source of creativity, connection and purpose. That foundation remains, but the work has grown and evolved—and with it, the name.

Over time, I have come to understand grief in a deeply personal way. This past year, experiencing Celebration of Life services from the family’s perspective numerous tomes, reminded me just how personal—and how meaningful—saying goodbye can be.
The people we love cannot be represented by a standard arrangement chosen from a floral book. Their flowers should reflect who they were: their colors, personality, hobbies, memories and the things they loved.

That understanding became the natural next chapter of The Swedish Garden: Ever April Floral Studio.

“Ever” represents what remains—the love, memories and stories we carry with us.
“April” represents renewal, rebirth and the hope that, even after the hardest seasons, something beautiful can grow again.

Ever April will continue creating flowers for weddings, gatherings and meaningful moments, with a special focus on personalized Celebration of Life floral design.
Because every life has a story.
Let the flowers tell it.

Every life has a story, Let the Flowers Tell It Ever April Floral Studio creates thoughtful, custom floral designs for Celebration of Life, weddings, sympathy and special moments throughout Central Iowa. Every arrangement is designed with intention, reflecting the people, memories, relationships and...