Hello. I’m Lisa Monday.

Even as a child, when other little girls were playing with dolls, Lisa was planting flowers and herb gardens as her favorite pastime. So early in her career, when she began working in the floral department of Safeway, one of the nation’s largest grocery store chains, Lisa knew that her fate was sealed. Under the mentorship of a talented woman whom Lisa believes also had been “called” into the florist profession, she learned the art of floral design while working on arrangements for special events.

Over the next decade Lisa built on that standard of excellence, learning from her mentors and colleagues alike. In 2000, after relocating from Idaho to Maryland, Lisa worked four years as a designer at a family-owned business, and then several more years at another local florist, before she moved into a management position at a new floral service. Meanwhile, Lisa’s talent earned her another position, as the “preferred florist” for ThorpeWood, a retreat center and popular venue for weddings, as well as for Morningside Inn Bed and Breakfast.

Finally, after accumulating more than 15 years of experience in the flower industry, along with raising her two children, Lisa gave birth to her own business. On January 1, 2011, she opened “An Elegant Affair by Lisa” in Frederick, Maryland, specializing in floral designs for weddings and hotel interiors. Her mission is to help her customers make that special day, or place, as beautiful as they imagined by bringing in an elegant floral presence. As she explains, “Flowers are God’s way of bringing that little extra beauty into our lives.”