LONG BEFORE HER LOVE OF FLOWERS TOOK CENTER stage, Zhana Pesa spent three decades immersed in hospitality. Her career in hotel sales and catering took root in New York, but after moving to Georgia, her passion for floral arrangements and design blossomed into Urban Blooms Atlanta. Today, her studio brings creative vision to weddings, events, corporate galas and holiday celebrations throughout the Southeast.
Three decades in hospitality continue to influence every part of how Pesa runs her business today. Anyone who has ever planned a big event knows that the difference between a good event and a truly seamless one often comes down to the details you never see: the backups waiting in the wings, the extra linens tucked away, the plan B for installation quirks. Pesa mastered that kind of behind-the-scenes complexity long before she ever arranged her first bouquet.
“We’re like ducks. On the surface, we look like we’re floating, but below the water we’re paddling like crazy,” she says with a laugh, describing what it takes to pull off a multiday regional conference. “But seriously, we’ve been doing this a long time. We eliminate surprises so everything runs smoothly, even with a lot of moving parts. We bring extras and always have a plan for just in case. This comes from 30 years of experience in hospitality, catering and hotel sales. We know the kinds of things that can go wrong, and we know how to anticipate them.”
That calm, practiced confidence is just as much a part of what clients are buying as the flowers themselves. Urban Blooms’ portfolio is wide-ranging and includes weekly floral service for hotels and law firms and seasonal décor for private homes and country clubs across Atlanta. For Pesa, it all comes back to the same instinct: turning a feeling into a space you can step into.
“It’s not just about visuals,” she says. “Of course, we talk about things like tones and textures, but in the end, the experience is not just about the physical things we touch. It’s about the context where the florals will be and the feeling the client wants to convey for the event. It’s the details that matter, just like with interior design. You want things like linens, candles and florals to talk to each other. It needs to be one space and one story.”
Ask Pesa about trends, and she lights up. She still loves the loose, playful feel of garden-style arrangements, but she’s also seen a growing interest in more structured, architectural designs from clients who want something serene and sculptural. Monochromatic palettes are especially popular right now, and Pesa enjoys the creative challenge of working within a single color family. Over the past decade, she’s watched tradition relax its hold, with brides skipping bridesmaid bouquets or reimagining old customs without hesitation. In a city as diverse as Atlanta, that evolution shows up everywhere, from timeless country club weddings to bold, unconventional venues and menus, sometimes all in the same season.
This year, Atlanta weddings are exploring even more distinct directions. Sleek, single-variety bouquets featuring calla lilies or lily of the valley are making a comeback, bringing a sense of quiet sophistication. Fruit is also having a moment; citrus garlands or grape clusters add color and texture to centerpieces. Monochromatic palettes are becoming more layered, with multiple shades of the same hue creating depth. Neutral bases are being paired with richer accents, like terra-cotta, plum or jewel tones. Couples are also asking more of their florals—from dramatic overhead installations to arrangements that move from ceremony to reception—creating moments meant to be experienced as much as admired.
Urban Blooms intentionally has no storefront because Pesa prefers to meet in person, often right at the venue, when possible. For weddings, it’s about getting to know the couple or company she’ll be working with, not just their favorite colors. “I like to understand the person I’m going to serve and their family,” she says. “Some clients just say they want white and pink and make it pretty, and I love that, but I also want to know what you want to feel.”
Pesa, who is trilingual, says her own story has helped shape her aesthetic. Growing up in Croatia, she absorbed the relaxed, sunlit spirit of the Adriatic coast: tables scattered with olives and fruit and the easy pleasure of gathering with loved ones. “My international exposure helps me serve a very diverse clientele,” she says. “I’m able to have a global perspective on event design and every year grow to love every culture even more. The world is a beautiful place.”
Corporate events have become just as big a part of Urban Blooms’ business as weddings. The studio handles everything from galas and product launches to awards ceremonies, not just arranging flowers but also styling lighting, linens, signage and furniture, and managing the entire flow of a room from setup to teardown.
One long-running partnership with the annual Pediatric Oncology Nurses Symposium shows how the studio approaches this work. Knowing what the attendees face in their daily lives, Pesa felt that a cold, empty meeting room wouldn’t do. Instead, the team brought in ferns, moss and hydrangeas to add warmth and comfort. Every year since, the design has been revisited and refined, a small example of why clients return. Urban Blooms remembers not just how a space looked but the feeling behind it.
That same attention to detail carries over into the studio’s quieter, ongoing work. Urban Blooms creates weekly arrangements for hotel lobbies, law firms and other commercial spaces, visiting once to install and again mid-week to refresh. Every arrangement is designed with the season in mind, and the team checks in quarterly to be sure the look still feels right for each client.
The holiday season reveals another side of Urban Blooms’ full-service approach. The team designs and installs Christmas décor for private homes and country clubs across Atlanta, whether working with a client’s own decorations or providing everything needed. They trim trees, dress entryways and style both indoor and outdoor spaces for the season. When the holiday or party is over, the team returns to take everything down and pack it away, storing it at the client’s home or in the studio’s warehouse until next year.
After all its years in business, Urban Blooms is still guided by the same instinct that inspired Pesa from the beginning: Design should never feel generic, and the relationship with each client is just as important as the finished space. After three decades spent with flowers, weddings and some of life’s biggest moments, Pesa still talks about her work with the excitement of someone just starting out. The studio’s real signature isn’t a single style; it’s the care and attention behind every detail. *
Robin Howard is a freelance writer in Charleston. See more of her work at robinhowardwrites.com.
