Kelly Shore – A Designer of Breathtaking Moments to Create Tablescape at the Arroyo Grande Field to Vase Dinner

Kelly Shore, of Petals by the Shore and The Floral Source, has become quite renowned in the American Grown community. If you have ever attended an American Grown event, you’ve more than likely seen beautiful work from her floral design company Petals By The Shore. From First Lady’s Luncheons, to Field to Vase Dinners, and everything in between, Kelly has been highly involved with our farms. This year, she is the designer for not one, but two Field to Vase Dinners: our upcoming one in Arroyo Grande at Ocean Breeze Farms on August 6, and our last dinner of the year in Seville, Florida, at Fern Trust on November 5.

Kelly’s floral journey started when she took a job at a flower shop in college. At the time, she didn’t have a background in floral design and never even intended to enter the field. While she loved doing weddings and other event designs for family and friends as a hobby, Kelly didn’t pursue floral design as a full-time career until 2011 when she decided to start her own business. This decision opened a door of many opportunities, and soon, her passion for American Grown flowers was born. 

Shortly after starting her business, Kelly had her first encounter with an American Grown farmer. She met Dave Dowling at a farmer’s market and he showed Kelly his farm. This experience sparked her interest in American Grown. “Dave invited me to his farm and encouraged me to walk the field with him…he really guided and encouraged me to source from him and the other farmers,” Kelly said. 

From there, she made other connections and eventually was asked to design the 2017 First Lady’s Luncheon. Two months later, Kelly traveled to Alaska to spend a week at Scenic Place Peonies and had the opportunity to help with their harvest and witness everyday life on a farm. She credits these events as eye-opening experiences that helped her realize the importance of American Grown farms throughout the country. “It really sealed the deal for me that this was something I wanted to support,” Kelly said. “It wasn’t just about the flowers for me anymore, it was about the people.”

With Kelly’s love for everything American Grown, it should come as no surprise that her favorite types of events are immersive, multi-sensory experiences that involve direct interaction with farms. Although she enjoys doing weddings and other events, her true passion lies in anything that brings people to farms and helps consumers understand where their flowers and foliage come from and who grows them, so they can feel a greater connection to their local farmers.

Kelly’s goal for the Field to Vase Dinners is to create these sorts of experiences for everyone involved. She wants attendees to have a “wow” moment where they can feel truly immersed in the and connected to the setting that blends all the senses together. Kelly plans to incorporate as many as each farm’s products as possible within the decor, with their primary blooms and/or foliage being the focus. There will be floral decorations both on the table and hanging above it, to create a breathtaking, mirror-like effect that will surely impress each guest. If you want to witness Kelly’s gorgeous designs in person at Ocean Breeze in a few weeks or at Fern Trust later this year, buy your tickets to one (or both) of these dinners to reserve your spot. Hurry before spots run out!

***Join Kelly Shore, owner and lead designer of Petals by the Shore, for a floral design workshop on Friday, August 5th. The workshop will be held from 10 am to 11 am at the Ocean Breeze Farms in Arroyo Grande, California. Each attendee will create an arrangement using a cylinder vase and farm fresh florals. This can be purchased as an add-on to the dinner.