Crystal Strickland is the Owner and Creative Director of Southern Posies, a role she has held since October 2012. She leads the planning, design, and floral teams across every event the company produces, guiding the creative vision from concept through execution and working closely with both her team and clients to ensure each event feels intentional, elevated, and deeply personal.

Among her most meaningful career highlights are designing florals for Auburn University’s commencement ceremonies and producing weddings out of state—complex, logistics-heavy events that have taken Southern Posies across Alabama, Washington, Virginia, Texas, Tennessee, Florida, and Georgia, including a particularly memorable multi-day wedding in Virginia featuring immersive themed spaces and more than 60 vendors.

While those experiences remain unforgettable, Strickland considers her greatest accomplishment to be her team and the clients who trust Southern Posies with their most meaningful celebrations. She is also deeply involved in her community, sharing her love of flowers—especially with children—through speaking engagements, workshops, and school demonstrations, and looks forward to expanding those efforts, including hosting a Valentine’s Day workshop at her daughter’s school.

Key to Success: Always keep learning. Never assume you know it all or the best way to do something. Continue to expand your knowledge, surround yourself with people that love you and believe in you and always remember that regardless of the circumstance, kindness always wins. I would also say, look at every problem as a learning stepping stone. I would venture to say that some of my greatest business successes came from “failures”.

Guilty Pleasure: Diet Coke and dark chocolate.

High School Superlative: Cannot remember, but I think if I had to choose, it would be “Most likely to bedazzle her shoes.” I loved designing and sewing at a young age and was always adding embellishments to shoes and bags—even leaving trails of beads and glitter down the hallways in school.

Childhood Aspirations: I originally wanted to be a fashion designer. Ironically enough, what was my passion for dressing people is now a passion for dressing events.

First Job: My first job out of college was working for a social and event planning magazine. It was a great experience that gave me marketing and sales experience, coordinating fashion and styled photoshoots and event planning.

Best Advice: You always have “no” in your back pocket. If you do not try, the worst thing that could happen would be something you already had if you did not try. Why not go for it and give yourself the opportunity for a “yes.”

Biggest Influence Personally & Professionally: There are a few people who have shaped both my personal life and my career in the most meaningful ways: my husband, my daughter, and my parents. My husband, Trip, has been my biggest supporter from the very beginning, working alongside me in the early years of Southern Posies and continuing to support behind the scenes today. Our five-year-old daughter, Mary Leighton, reminds me daily to focus on what matters most and find joy in the little things. My parents, coming from a line of entrepreneurs and dreamers, instilled a mindset that anything is possible and shaped how I approach life and business.

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