Hello! My name is Bethany Ackiss. I am the owner, head designer, and instructor at Forage Joy Florals. As a professional florist, avid gardener, and lifelong floral fanatic, flowers are simply part of who I am.

I wanted to be a florist since I was about 15 years old. Through life’s many twists and turns, I followed other paths as I grew up. I studied magazine journalism. I taught English as a Foreign Language in South Korea, where I happened to meet a handsome American Soldier. I married him, and together we built a life full of love and adventure. We have two amazing boys and for many years, I was a full-time Army wife and stay-at-home mom. Our little Army family moved again and again, from one side of the globe to the other, and several states in between. Wherever we were, flowers remained a part of me.

I got my first job as a real florist in 2020, working in a flower shop at an air base in Germany (read my blog for the full story!). Being surrounded by flowers each day was a dream come true, but also incredibly comforting during the dark days of the pandemic. I realized that even more than the flowers, I enjoyed the people. I loved helping people make other people happy.

Finally, I decided to listen to my 15-year-old self and become a professional florist. I graduated from the Floral Design Institute in 2022 and since then, I have worked as a retail florist, luxury wedding and event florist, and freelance florist. I also grow my own cut flowers (and vegetables) now and spend much of my free time in my garden, a.k.a. my happy place.

I describe my floral aesthetic as classic with an organic twist. I combine professional mechanics with seasonal, locally grown blooms and usually a few unexpected elements foraged from my own garden, neighborhood woods or neglected roadsides. I am continually inspired by and in awe of nature, and I do my best to honor and showcase its miracles.

Flowers bring me endless joy, and through my workshops and bloom bars, my goal is to share the joy of flowers with as many people as possible.