Hi, We're Fern

Hi, we're Fern

Specializing in painterly floral designs on a large-scale, we use flowers to create a living extension of any environment for a garden-inspired experience that is extraordinary. Named one of Martha Stewart Wedding’s Top 62 Floral Designers in the Country , we book a limited amount of events each year, allowing us to fully invest our creative energy into each one.

Sarah Swinson Shell
Owner & Floral Designer

Growing up in her mother’s garden and riding horses in the country, the outdoors have always been a big part of Sarah’s life. She officially started as a florist in the garden city of Savannah, but her fondness for arranging flowers began as a child, making daisy crowns in her backyard.Sarah has a degree in Studio Art from Furman University in Greenville, SC. She took a tiny career detour and spent a brief period as a lawyer, but quickly came to her senses, got back to her roots, and attended FlowerSchool New York, before opening Fern in 2010. When she’s not in the studio, she can be found doing home projects with her husband, Brad, making clover bouquets with daughter, Florence, and chasing her little ones, James and Everett.

Sharon Young
Studio Director & Designer

Sharon started in the floral industry at just fourteen, working after school at the local flower shop. After several years, she took a break to have her daughter and son, but her love of all things floral never stopped. Now, that her kids are in school, Sharon is back doing what she loves most, creating and working with clients to make their floral dreams a reality. When she isn’t in the studio you might find Sharon sourcing vintage finds, planning a classroom party for her kids, or sneaking away to the mountains with her husband, Joey.

Molly Brantley
Marketing Director & Designer

Molly has been a part of the Fern team for six years. After relocating from Columbia to Brooklyn, NY 2+ years ago, she knew she wanted to stay involved in helping Fern grow. These days she dreams up fun marketing ideas, oversees the Fern brand, website and social media, and meets the crew for a destination wedding or two each year.

Ashley Thigpen
Floral Designer

Ashley is a designer and the breakdown queen at Fern. Her Fern and flower love began in 2015 during her internship search as a student at USC where she studied Visual Communications and Fashion Merchandising. Her internship ended, but her role with Fern did not - and we are so thankful! She’s a loving mom to a cat named Bunny and approximately a thousand house plants. When she’s not flowering, you can find her in any and all Columbia coffee shops, music venues and plant shops.

Hannah Baker
Floral Designer

Hannah is a designer and professional packer at Fern. She moved to Columbia in 2016 after finishing her fine arts degree at Temple University and soon found her new favorite medium: flowers. When she’s not at Fern you can find her at home with her fiancé, Carter, and their two fur babies Sirius and Ghost.

Meagan Jenkins
Floral Designer

After moving from Louisiana with her husband, Meagan was looking for a change from her days in the governor's office when Sarah took her under her wing. Her five years at Fern were a combination of many favorite things: exploring nature, pushing design limits, and getting to know both teammates and bridal families. Now back in her home state, you'll find Meagan keeping up with her three little ones - Lottie, Sam, and Daisy - alongside her husband, Dustin. And, of course, planning her next day destination meet-up with the Fern team.