Meet the Carlsbad Field to Vase Designer – Shawna Yamamoto!

We are so excited for our first in-person Field to Vase Dinner in over two years! This upcoming dinner will feature Southern California-based floral and event designer Shawna Yanamoto. If her name sounds familiar, it’s because she worked on the virtual event in 2021. Recently, we had the opportunity to speak with her about this year’s event, her involvement in American Grown, and take a deep dive into her creative roots.

From the beginning, Shawna has always considered herself a creative person. Growing up on a farm, she didn’t have other children nearby to play with and never had many toys, so she found other ways to stay entertained. “I remember being eight years old, my mom and I would go out to the fields and pick dried flowers,” Shawna said. Her mom would then use those flowers to decorate the house. Growing up in this environment, it’s no surprise that Shawna would pursue a creative career; however, she didn’t end up in her position right away. She originally worked at a desk job. After having her first child, she decided she wanted a career change, so she took time off from work to enroll in a floral design class. From there, her career in the creative industry started to bloom.

Today, Shawna works on a variety of events, both big and small. While many might associate floral design largely with weddings, Shawna and her team have worked with almost any type of event you can think of. “My favorite type of events are events that allow us to be creative, and do things that are more unique, such as social parties.” Social parties include anything from birthdays, anniversary celebrations, album release parties, and essentially any type of events that have branding. 

With so many different events, it may seem challenging to continuously come up with a vision and find sources of inspiration, but the process, according to Shawna, simply involves closely listening to her clients’ wants and needs, doing research, and brainstorming with her team. Collaboration is key! And this year’s Field to Vase Dinner will surely attest to Shawna’s hardworking, collaborative approach that makes the magic happen for her clients. For this event (which has been nearly two years in the making!), her goal is to create moments that people want to capture in photographs. She aims to bring a special non-floral element that will make this event one that attendees will remember.Although Shawna has only worked on recent Field to Vase Dinners, she has a long history with American Grown flowers and foliage. She was first introduced to American Grown through Mellano and Company. As a long-time purchaser and customer of Mellano and Co., she believes in supporting their business, and American Grown, through more than making purchases, so she enthusiastically took on the challenge of creating a memorable Field to Vase Dinner. “When this kind of opportunity arises, I want to give back however I can,” Shawna said. 

If you want to be part of this experience and see Shawna’s spectacular creations in person, don’t miss out on this year’s Field to Vase Dinner on Thursday, April 21 at The Flower Fields in Carlsbad, California!