The Spotlight Shined Brightly on Fiestas With Flair and a Whole Lot of Floral Fun!
San Antonio was the place to be on April 3, 2025, when florists gathered for an afternoon and evening of floral fun! Hosted by Platinum Level Texas Floral Education Underwriter Bill Doran Company, this Texas State Florists' Association (TSFA) event celebrated Fiesta — the culture, food, music and, of course, flowers.
Bill Doran Company Business Development Manager Scott Jewett and presenter extraordinaire Beth O’Reilly AIFD CFD TMF developed the theme around Fiesta, and the timing was perfect! Fiesta is celebrated with numerous events across the city of San Antonio from April 24 to May 4, and what better way to celebrate than having fun with flowers! A mariachi band serenaded while Jewett went all out with a Mexican food buffet and awesome prizes and merchandise giveaways. Each attendee also received a Bill Doran medallion — unique to Fiesta — that helps locals promote and get involved with the celebration.
“The entire city decorates! You should have seen all the wreaths and Fiesta decor in the airport when I arrived,” shared O’Reilly. "And, let me say that the Bill Doran Company had all the florals and supplies a florist would need to 'Fiesta it up' all over town!”
The TSFA team helped to create delightful designs for the Spotlight! One celebrated Easter with a flowering cross. Another was the quinceañera, a traditional Latin American celebration of a girl’s 15th birthday. Featured syles included dramatic color and creating quite the splash with tinted foliages. Wedding adornments, culinary inspired designs and head pieces and bouquets, perfect for the parade, were planned and presented. Explore the carousel of images below to view the TSFA Design Assistants’ favorites!
Photos courtesy of Bill Doran Company.
History notes that the Battle of the Flowers Parade started it all and, today, provides a theme for parade designs that can be sold by retailers throughout San Antonio. The name comes from the tradition of participants tossing flowers at one another during the parade. This "floral battle" was a central part of the early festivities. The parade, which began in 1891, was also intended to honor the heroes of the Alamo and commemorate the Battle of San Jacinto.
The wreath design is quite important to these festivities, because it is the chosen design used in the pilgrimage to the Alamo where participants honor the fallen heroes of the Alamo and Texas’ fight for independence. Homes and businesses are most often adorned with this placement in a vivid color palette.
“We talked about ways local florists can promote flowers during this time and become part of the celebrations to increase their sales in creative ways,” shared O’Reilly. "One may start with a wreath or a floral crown for the parade, but the possibilities are endless!”
Meet the Team
Learn more about the TSFA members who volunteered as event chair and design assistants. You may even learn their favorite design of the day!
Cheryl Vaughan CFD PFCI TMFA
Cheryl Vaughan is a TSFA Past President who chaired this event and worked closely with the Bill Doran team to ensure success! “TSFA always connects design assistants to each and every program as a way to provide one-on-one floral design educational opportunities for members,” said Vaughan. "What we often find is a shared experience that highlights individuals who are truly passionate about our organization and floral design! Beth was quite pleased with each of these designers!”
Dawson Clark TMF
“The opportunity to be involved with a celebration of San Antonio Fiesta was really exciting for me. I knew that the colors would be bright and vibrant, which is a shift from most of the wedding work that we do in our practice at HighPointe Estate. But little did I know that the brightness and vibrancy of my experience would primarily revolve around working with the uber-talented Beth O’Reilly.
"Gaby, Betsi, and I had such a great time learning new techniques and experiencing the joy of Beth’s amazing approach to floral design. The team at Bill Doran was super supportive and the workshop attendees appeared to revel in learning from Beth.
"I was thrilled to be involved in the design that featured a watering can with a floral waterfall pouring out of the can into a tray [pictured in carousel above]. Beth trusted me to address the mechanics of supporting the watering can and then masterfully coached me to use an initial structure of chicken wire, embellished by lime green tinted Plumosa fern, and ultimately covered with individual blooms of bright blue Delphinium to represent the water flowing from the watering can. The design was whimsical and beautiful, and I’ll be forever grateful for the opportunity to have worked with Beth and trusted by her to be a part of several beautiful designs in the program!”
Betsi Doherty TMF
“As someone new to TSFA and its incredible learning opportunities, I was truly honored to be invited to work as a design assistant. Filled with curiosity about what to expect, I drove to San Antonio.
"First, I enjoyed exploring the expansive Bill Doran facility and its wide range of products. It was a pleasure to meet Beth O’Reilly and experience her inspiring enthusiasm for design and boundless creativity. She presented her ideas in a fabulous sketchbook, explained the materials, and let us loose! The assistants worked closely with Beth to bring her vision to life.
"Observing the work of other designers provided the best inspiration! We shared our floral backgrounds, and I, along with Gaby and Dawson, learned new designs and techniques. This included creating ombre effects with spray paint, innovative Fiesta designs such as flower crowns and scepter bouquets, creating sympathy work and wreaths, all the way to Della Robbia designs. One of my favorite arrangements involved combining fresh papaya, cherry tomatoes and oranges with florals [pictured in the carousel above].
"Our team collaborated exceptionally well and the two days were filled with laughter. With great joy, we watched as our efforts transformed into the vibrant explosion of color that Beth had envisioned. This was such a fabulous experience! I highly recommend volunteering!"
Gaby Ponsaerts TMF
"Beth was so chill, easy going and energizing all at the same time, the day turned into fun right away. She had sketched out a plan, brought a few supplies to soon learn that a large amount of flowers were at customs and unavailable. She pivoted and reconfigured her plans with the flowers that the awesome staff of Bill Doran graciously pulled from their inventory. To me, that is a sign of a great designer. I will definitely remember this the next time I do not get exactly what I planned on! Beth also has a great way with words. We all use “negative space” in our designs, but when I was designing florals for the cross, she casually said, “incorporate some poetic space”. Rght away I knew, that “poetic space” is going to be the term I will use from now on when talking about those very profitable areas we create in our arrangements.
"As for my favorite design, that is so hard to choose, kind of like picking your favorite singer on The Voice! After all, at least 30 designs were created in a variety of styles, sizes and color palettes to make your head spin. So I’m going to pick one that I made because to me it was the most “out of the box” of all.
"Beth put on heavy duty gloves, dug into a plastic bag and laid out Nopales or cactus leaves on the table. Because for the Della Robbia segment, she wanted me to use these in a contemporary styling. Since I like experimenting, this was right up my alley. She gave me some pointers on mechanics, I suggested some flowers and creativity did the rest. To be quite honest, I really, really liked the result [pictured in the carousel above]. So now I am on the look out for an event with a southwest or Fiesta theme so I can wow my customers with something they have never seen before: Nopales in their floral arrangements.
"And that is what I realize now, working back stage you learn new mechanics, you get hands-on experience with materials you would never dream of using, you get invaluable tips and tricks on design, you get energized, and you broaden your view on design. So I am hooked! Little secret … I already signed up to assist a designer at Expo in June. Hope to see you there!"
Thank you, Scott and the Bill Doran team, Beth, Cheryl, Dawson, Betsi, and Gaby for all you contributed to brighten this Texas Floral Spotlight!