What we’re proudest of from 2024
Holy cow, it’s 2025?!
As always, we are awestruck and exhausted and happy and hopeful and trying to process what this year brought for our business and family and personal growth. So we thought we’d share more about what we are proudest of from this past year. Some of it is about flower farming, but certainly a lot is related to our broader life experiences too.
#1) Diving headfirst into expanding our wedding floral design work
We are incredibly proud of how Moondance has grown and evolved during our 2nd season, especially as we've expanded into more wedding floral design. What started as a simple passion for growing beautiful blooms has blossomed into a thriving business that allows us to be a part of couples' most memorable moments.
We were part of over 20 weddings this year - ranging from full services events for hundreds of people to hosting a bride and her best friends for a yoga & U-pick experience on the farm to jointly build her wedding bouquet. Watching our flowers adorn these special occasions is a truly fulfilling experience, and we’re so grateful for the opportunity to help bring more beauty and joy into the world this way.
As part of this exciting journey, we’re now offering micro weddings right here on the farm, providing couples with an intimate, breathtaking setting surrounded by the flowers we've carefully cultivated. What we have heard from our first two couples who have gotten married on the farm - it’s a personalized and unforgettable setting. We feel lucky to be able to provide a serene, private space where couples can celebrate their love with close family and friends. We can’t wait to help more couples celebrate their love in such a magical way!
Another exciting part of our wedding work is our wedding bouquet preservation art. We love making bouquets for weddings, but getting to give them a second life by pressing them and creating everlasting artwork really is incredible!
If you know anyone getting married in 2025 (or beyond!) who is looking for a wedding florist, one-of-a-kind wedding floral art, or a venue on the cutest flower farm on earth… please let them know about us! Forward this email or send them to our inquiry page… we can’t wait to meet them!
#2) Farmer Levi is potty trained!
We’re thrilled to share a personal milestone alongside our farm updates—Levi has officially mastered potty training! It was a lot longer and zig-zagged path than we expected, but we made it just in time for our international travels (more on that soon)! As busy parents running a flower farm, juggling work and family life can be a challenge, but moments like this remind us of the joy and growth that happen both on the farm & at home.
It’s also reminded us, as most things with parenting do, that there’s really no use comparing ourselves to others. Every step, whether in parenting or farming, comes at its own pace, and we’re learning to embrace the unique path we’re on, celebrating each milestone along the way. It’s a valuable lesson in patience and perspective, one we’re carrying with us as we continue growing both our family and our farm.
#3) Building New Partnerships
This year we formed new partnerships that have allowed us to bring our weekly bouquet subscriptions to even more people in our community. We teamed up with Mundos Coffee and Evo Athletics to offer convenient pick-up locations, making it easier for our customers to enjoy fresh, farm-grown flowers every week. These partnerships have not only expanded our reach, but they’ve also connected us with two amazing local businesses that share our commitment to supporting the community.
We’re proud to be part of such a vibrant network of local businesses and are excited to continue growing these relationships in the future. We’d love to know what business you think we should partner with! Send us a quick note and we’ll definitely follow up! We are always eager to expand ways we can get our beautiful blooms into flower lovers’ hands!
#4) Getting to the Beach Consistently
We made a commitment to get to the beach on the shores of Lake Michigan at least once a week from June to October, and we stuck with that most weeks! It’s become a vital part of our routine, giving us time to recharge, find inspiration, and connect with nature in a different way. Those moments of peace on the beach help us maintain balance and bring fresh energy to our work.
Farm dog Panda absolutely loves the water, & watching him happily splash around is always a highlight of our beach visits. It reminds us to embrace the simple pleasures, and we’re so thankful to have his energy and enthusiasm as part of our weekly routine. As a family, we value the importance of stepping away from the daily hustle to recharge, & we’re grateful to have Lake Michigan as our reset button - to help us stay grounded, creative, and inspired as we continue to grow our farm and serve our community!
#5 Maintaining our Commitment to Charitable Giving
We are proud to have upheld our commitment to charitable giving this flower season, continuing to support causes that are close to our hearts. In 2024, we partnered with UpNorthPride, Michael’s Place, GiGi’s Playhouse, Habitat for Humanity GT, the Grand Traverse Land Conservancy, & Direct Relief for hurricane relief. Whether through donations of flowers or financial contributions, it’s been fulfilling to give back to our community & make a positive impact while doing what we love. Thank you to everyone who helped make this possible through your support of our farm!
#6 Growing Ranunculus for the first time (& loving them!)
We tried growing ranunculus for the first time in 2024, a beautiful yet labor-intensive flower. It’s been a rewarding challenge, as ranunculus require careful attention, precise timing, and a little extra patience compared to other varieties we grow. Despite the extra work, seeing them bloom was so fulfilling, & we’re thrilled that they’ve become a favorite of our customers.
In fact, we’re so excited about their potential that we’re expanding our ranunculus production five times over next year! We can’t wait to share even more of these stunning flowers with you in the coming seasons, as we continue to grow and explore new varieties to bring more beauty to our bouquets. They’re a part of our spring flower subscriptions - alongside tulips & peonies! So get on our list now to enjoy these special beauties!
#7 Traveling Abroad for a Month
Another personal growth area for our family this year was spending a month abroad. We recently took a big trip exploring the diverse & breathtaking landscapes of South America! The adventure also included Farmer Lindsay’s mom, brother, & sister-in-law for the first part of our journey, traveling to Patagonia and Uruguay. We marveled at the stunning mountains, glaciers, & wild beauty of the region… including penguins!
One of the highlights was spending a lot of time in Buenos Aires, Argentina—where Farmer Lindsay lived for a semester in college. During that part of the trip, we were joined by our dear friend and Farmer Levi’s godfather & also got to spend time with Farmer Lindsay’s host family. We ate all the empanadas & had such a blast! We’re proud of ourselves for taking the time to explore and recharge, and we can’t wait to share the fresh inspiration and energy we’ve brought back to our work & our flowers with you!
We’re so looking forward to new adventures and spreading more flower power in 2025! XO, Mark & Linds
