About TROPIC OF FLOWERS
TROPIC OF FLOWERS is a Los Angeles-based Floral, Paper, and Event Design studio that works bi-coastally and proudly serves Los Angeles, Palm Springs, San Francisco, NYC, New England & beyond. We have worked all over the world including Latin America, the Bahamas & Europe. We have been named “industry-leading changemakers” by The Knot.
Since 2015, we have been realizing our clients’ visions through the careful curation of their most significant events. Taking stylistic inspiration from their favorite books, films, interiors, and more — we aim to create designs as unique as our clients.
At TROPIC OF FLOWERS, we understand the magical power of flowers, paper, and decor to transform an environment or create an experience. When we bring flora together in an arrangement, we look to combine the essence of each flower, amplifying its individual magnificence.
It is this same magic that inspires and infuses our event designs. We collaborate with our clients on a seamless look for your event. We create an aesthetic through line with color palette, stationery, and the perfect decor and flora.
We are lovers of nature & the earth so we are always striving to make our business more eco-friendly & sustainable.
TROPIC OF FLOWERS is a proudly Latinx & Queer Woman-owned and operated business that specializes in serving non-traditional, LGBTQIA+, and multicultural couples and brands.
Words by Marty Windahl |Photo by Kate Rautenberg
Meet the founder
I’m MARISA SUÁREZ-OROZCO (but you can call me Mari!) —
flower whisperer, botanical enchantress, design creatrix, and founder of TROPIC OF FLOWERS. For the past decade, I have helped people manifest their wildest event dreams into reality. In 2021, we were honored to be named “Industry-leading Changemaker'' by The Knot, for specializing in working with LGBTQ+ couples. As a queer, Latinx woman-owned business, our passion is working with diverse couples/clients and representing the under-represented.
As a child of immigrants, I grew up exploring the world and as a result, I love to travel (I have 5 planets in Sagittarius, so that will do it)! My other loves include disco, karaoke, my wife Jan (a carpenter who is so handy that you may see her onsite helping with installations or helping us build custom arches/decor), and our two dogs, Busy (a mini Aussie) and Bambi (a mini apricot doodle mix). Together, we live in Los Angeles and travel all over to bring flower and design dreams to life! You can check out our very own wedding here.
Photo by Kate Rautenberg
Mari, Jan, Bambi & Busy - Photo by Emily Wren
Mari is a magical human being to who I will be eternally grateful for making our wedding so so so beautiful. She did all of the design — save the dates, invitations, signage, table settings, and of course FLORALS. She is a floral wizard.
—Lilly S.
Training
I majored in visual arts at Hampshire College and then went on to study Graphic Design at the School of Visual Arts MFA program. I have a background in graphic design and branding, styling, event planning, and fine art. I’m told I’m warm, patient, sensitive, and creative which gives me the gift to intuit the desires of my clients to create something completely customized and fully reflective of themselves.
Philosophy
When I’m not designing flowers and paper, I am learning about Floriography, Gardening, Flower Essences, and Astroherbalism—my passion for plants goes deeper than just aesthetics. Flowers have long been used to convey meaning, and I’m very interested in the history of their symbolism. I believe in the transformative nature of plants - to heal the mind and body and to make a space feel sacred and magical. I have long practiced the alchemy of turning a mere bunch of flowers or a stack of paper into a feeling, an essence, and an experience. It is my honor to provide that for your most important milestone moments.
We are lovers of nature and the earth so we always strive to make our business more eco-friendly and sustainable. We recycle, repurpose, and compost whenever possible. We are dedicated to the No Flower Foam movement and avoid the use of single-use plastics in general. We also love to work with local flower farms to source Slow Flowers whenever fitting to the event! We love to look for ways to repurpose flowers and are in the process of incorporating floral essences and floral preservation techniques into our services.
DOSSIER:
Pronouns: She/Her/Ella
Archetype: Magician (with a pinch of a Creator and Explorer)
Briggs-Meyers: INFJ (Idealist/Advocate)
Enneagram: #4 (Visionary/Artist)
Big 3: Sun: Capricorn ♑︎ (loves work), Moon: Sagittarius ♐︎ (loves nature), Rising: Cancer ♋ (loves love) with Stellium in the 5th House (the house of love, joy, creativity, and the beautiful moments in life)
“Mari is gifted with creativity, vision, and execution. What I valued most was that she really listened to what was important to us and was able to translate that into real life. ”
— SARAH B.