Jasmine Lilly

Wedding Designer | Florist | Culture Critic

This journey started 10 years ago when I entered the wedding industry as a babe in the woods filled with artistic verve, wild hope and zero understanding of weddings and marriage.

I’d graduated from university with a studio art degree (metalsmithing and ceramics) and a work history peppered with restaurants, bakeries and coffee shops. I’d make a few wedding cakes for friends and as I looked out over the great capitalist expanse of 2014 I knew I wanted to open my own business. Something creative and (ideally) lucrative, so I did. It was called Whipped, it was a smash, and suddenly I was steeped in wedding culture. The expectations were bananas, the vibe was collaborative, and in four short years I had fully burned out on baking.

I had peered behind the veil and found the truth about weddings was a lot less perfect than we’d been led to believe. Sure, it was rewarding, fascinating, meaningful… but it was also wildly problematic in a variety of systemic ways (isn’t everything?)! So I decided to stick around and do some shape shifting. I opened Jasmine Lilly Creative, transitioning into wedding design, planning, stationery and flowers - and if that sounds like a lot, you’re right. Turns out I have ADHD!

Working in this holistic way is far more fulfilling but the industry continues to be a real mad house. I’ve sunk countless hours into guiding couples through this process with intention; educating folks on all the myriad ways wedding planning will pull the rug out from under you; refining my boundaries in a desperate attempt to protect my mental health; encouraging clients to let go of the cultural narrative (perfection exists) and ground themselves in the messy magic of impermanence (no, it doesn’t).

Simply put: we’ve lost the plot and I am ready to chart a new course. I’m strapped and ready to air out the dirty laundry, laugh at the ludicrous and celebrate the real deal at the center of this pearl encrusted bedlam (spoiler alert: it’s connection).

So I’ve set out to ask all the questions we’ve shied away from in service of the status quo. I’m ready to share my insights and hot takes, learn from others and see what’s buried under the perfectly polished visage of modern weddings. Join me in this rollicking, transgressive conversation and bring a bottle of wine because we’re gonna need it!