We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Marcia Alphonso. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Marcia below.

Marcia, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Alright – so having the idea is one thing, but going from idea to execution is where countless people drop the ball. Can you talk to us about your journey from idea to execution?

I started my business in 2019 as a wedding planner and designer, but it didn’t take long for me to realize that my heart was always in the creative side of events. I’ve always been a creative person, and the more weddings I worked, the more I found myself drawn to the floral designers and creative teams bringing everything to life.

I loved the flowers, the tablescapes, the candlelight, the textures, and the way thoughtful details could completely transform a space and create a feeling. While planning focused heavily on logistics and coordination, I realized what truly excited me was the artistry and design behind the event itself.

In 2022, I made the decision to transition into florals full time. It wasn’t about starting over, it was about refining my direction and fully leaning into what I truly loved. I immersed myself in floral design, attended workshops, practiced constantly, and continued building my portfolio and relationships within the industry. A lot of it was learning through experience, trial and error, and simply continuing to create.

At the same time, I was balancing all of this while working my full time corporate job in healthcare. There were many late nights spent working on proposals, client communication, sourcing flowers, and practicing designs after long workdays, but creating always brought me joy and peace.

During my personal cancer journey, creativity took on an even deeper meaning for me. Designing became therapeutic and reinforced what I already knew deep down, creativity has the power to heal, connect, and transform not just spaces, but people too.

In July 2023, I officially rebranded to Marcia Alphonso Design, which felt like a true reflection of the direction my business had evolved into. Today, I focus on creating elegant, timeless floral experiences filled with thoughtful details and intentional design.

Looking back, the biggest lesson I learned is that sometimes you have to trust what naturally pulls you. Once I stopped forcing myself into a role that didn’t feel aligned and fully embraced design, everything started to make sense.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

I’m the owner and creative director of Marcia Alphonso Design, a wedding and event floral design company based in Maryland serving the DMV area. I create elegant and timeless floral designs for weddings and events with a focus on thoughtful details and creating a beautiful overall experience for my clients.

I originally started my business in 2019 as a wedding planner and designer, but the more weddings I worked, the more I realized I was drawn to the creative side of events. I loved seeing how flowers and design could completely transform a space and change the atmosphere of an event. While planning focused heavily on logistics, I found myself most excited about the flowers, tablescapes, candlelight, and all the design details that brought everything together.

Over time, I leaned more into floral design and continued learning through workshops, hands on experience, and simply creating as much as possible. What started as an interest quickly became something I truly loved.

What sets my work apart is the level of care I put into every event. I pay close attention to details, I listen to my clients, and I always try to go above and beyond for them. I want my clients to feel supported throughout the process and trust that I truly care about bringing their vision to life in a way that feels cohesive, elevated, and personal to them.

A lot of my clients come to me feeling overwhelmed by inspiration online or unsure how to make everything work together. One of the things I enjoy most is helping them simplify the process and guiding them toward designs that feel timeless, beautiful, and true to who they are.

More than anything, I want people to know that I truly love what I do. I care deeply about my clients, I care about the experience they have, and I want every event to feel beautiful, intentional, and memorable.

For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?

For me, the most rewarding aspect of being creative is seeing an idea come to life and knowing something I created helped make a moment feel special for someone else. I love the transformation process, taking a space and completely changing the atmosphere through flowers, candlelight, and thoughtful details.

I also love that creativity allows me to continuously grow and evolve. Every event is different, every client is different, and every design challenges me in a new way. There’s something really fulfilling about creating with my hands and seeing everything come together after starting from just an idea or vision.

What’s even more meaningful is the emotional connection people have to flowers and design. Seeing a client’s reaction when they walk into their event space for the first time or hearing how beautiful and memorable everything felt makes all the hard work worth it. Those moments remind me why I love what I do.

Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?

One story that really illustrates resilience for me is balancing the growth of my business while working a full time corporate career in healthcare. Building a creative business is already demanding on its own, but doing it while managing a full time job required a lot of discipline, sacrifice, and persistence.

There were many nights where I would finish a full workday and then spend hours working on proposals, client communication, flower orders, or preparing for weddings and events. I’ve had moments where I questioned myself, felt exhausted, or wondered if I could truly balance both worlds, but I kept going because I genuinely loved creating and believed in what I was building.

Another major part of my journey was navigating breast cancer while continuing to grow personally and creatively. That season of my life changed my perspective in many ways and taught me not to take time, purpose, or creativity for granted. It also reminded me how resilient we can be even during difficult seasons.

Looking back, resilience for me has been about continuing to move forward even when things felt uncertain or overwhelming. I’ve learned that growth doesn’t always happen in perfect conditions. Sometimes it happens through challenges, long nights, self-doubt, and simply choosing not to give up.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://marciaalphonsodesign.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/marciaalphonsodesign/
• Linkedin: https://linkedin.com/in/marcia-alphonso-4955481a

Image Credits

@marybell.photo
@toridelphotography
@burroughs.photo