Meet the team:
Emma Bates- Maryland
Emma is a checklist enthusiast, a recovering architect who’s passionate about form and good design, and is most likely to get teary when she delivers a bridal bouquet.
Haley Weisbecker- Maryland
Haley is a former wedding planner for Disney World at Disney’s Fairy Tale Weddings, a fruit stacking queen, and is most likely to keep her cool when a catering manager is yelling at her in the midst of a wedding set-up.
Kaitie Meeks - Washington D.C.
Kaitie wins first place for navigating bungee cords in a Uhaul, is our only D.C. city resident, and is most likely to break our closed toed shoe policy (she vibes with nature better when she has sandals on).
Ali Caddenhead- Virginia
Ali is a wildflower supporter who always roots for the underdog, raises chickens, and is most likely to have a back-up for the back-up plan.
Bryanna Smith- Virginia
Bryanna is a fiercely optimistic left-brained girl living in a right-brain world, is our organization queen and is most likely to use exclamation marks (!).
Mary Ellen LaFreniere- Virginia
Mary Ellen is our founder, grit enthusiast, flower encyclopedia, and most likely to tell everyone else not to overthink it while simultaneously overthinking every single detail.
About Us
We believe in Grit and Grace.
Yin and Yang.
Whatever you want to call it, magic happens at the intersections of life— the place where thorn and petal collide, where sunlight glimmers on an icy pond, where two hands join as one after the officiant says ‘I pronounce you…’
Our floral designs aim to capture the full range of emotions, because we believe there’s beauty in all of it.
We express this through flowers with unexpected groupings such as garden roses in full bloom paired with foraged seed pods, always looking to nature for cues while keeping our clients at the forefront of our work.
Steelcut was founded in Baltimore, MD in 2014 and has expanded to include studios in Charlottesville, Lynchburg, and Washington D.C. We will forever believe in the importance of flowers for weddings, because the flowers are the only living element at a wedding besides the guests. The flowers, with their heads held high, remind us that we humans are strange and lovely, that senseless beauty still exists, and that falling in love is always worth the risk.
Today, the Maryland studio is headed up by Emma Bates and Haley Weisbecker, Washington D.C. is led by Kaitie Meeks, and the Virginia studios are run by Ali Caddenhead, Bryanna Smith, and Mary Ellen LaFreniere. By having lots of women who “lead” weddings, our goal is to have the person you connect with during your consultation be the same person placing the order for your flowers, putting the finishing touches on your bridal bouquet the week of, and guiding the team setting up your wedding on the day of. Weddings are highly personal and this one to one connection allows us to get to know your person so that we can make decisions on the wedding day with your preferences in mind.
In the past eight years, we have been humbled and overwhelmed with joy to see our flowers featured by the following publications: MarthaWeddings.com, Once Wed, Style Me Pretty, Baltimore Bride, Washingtonian Bride & Groom, Grey Likes Weddings, Ruffled, Design*Sponge, Real Simple, and Domino mag.
About You
Weddings are kind of a big deal…in fact, that’s the only service we sell. Our brides and grooms get 100% of our attention, and we wouldn’t have it any other way. After flowering for over 200 weddings, we’ve noticed a few commonalities amongst our clients:
You want your wedding to be amazing, but not look like you tried too hard.
You want the wedding to reflect who you are as a couple, but you want your guests to feel loved.
You want to help cast a vision, but you want us to take that vision and run with it so that you can relax and enjoy your engagement. You don’t need to become a floral expert, that’s why we’re here!
Getting Started
Getting started is easy, but we only take a limited number of events per year and we book up fast. Click “check your date now” and give us the deets so that we can connect you with the best designer for your event!
