It wasn’t that long ago that M on the Square’s Missy Poth was a bride. This September, she’ll celebrate her second wedding anniversary with her high school sweetheart, Johnny Poth.

“Our wedding was just beautiful,” Poth says. “No one was at all surprised that I was so into planning our big day—my friends have always called me the ‘flower girl.’ But I really leaned into the process and realized how much I loved all of the details that go into making a wedding such a memorable experience.”

As Poth marks her third year at the helm of the floral design shop and retail space once owned by Molly Flavin in Lake Forest’s Market Square, weddings are becoming more and more of her focus. “I am a constant student of what’s popular and trending and can execute any style that a bride is looking to achieve,” Poth says, having spent time studying under some of the nation’s award-winning floral artists and describing her personal aesthetic as romantic. “When you have one team work on the full event, it truly makes it so much more cohesive. Our goal is to design a fully dressed event—where we assist you with everything from choosing your color scheme, to selecting your invitations, to finalizing the linen choices that we will accent with our flowers—everything you need to make your day just as you have dreamed it.”

Poth says all of this is possible with the assistance of her longtime friend and head floral designer, Sara Gorstein.

“I’ve always been so impressed with Missy,” Gorstein explains. “She is incredibly creative and so pulled together—these are wonderful things to have in someone you’re hiring to help you with your wedding or special event.”

M on the Square is poised to help a number of brides this summer who were forced to reschedule their weddings because of the pandemic.

“When we first meet with a couple and their families, we present them with an entire mood board for how we envision their event,” Poth says. “For some of our brides, this conversation happened a long time ago, way before the pandemic began. It’s been so nice to have them call and ask me if we can meet again to go over things. They love to talk through all of the details—and so do I.”

While Poth is known for the large weddings she has done in the past, many of the current weddings she and her team are working on are smaller, more intimate affairs—and M on the Square is reveling in this.

“One of my favorite things to come post-2020 are the long tables being used at wedding receptions,” she adds. “There’s something so special about all of the guests gathered at one table.”

Smaller guest lists are also giving brides permission to make bolder color choices.

“Two years ago, many of our weddings were using greens, whites, with a touch of blush,” says Poth. “But today, because of the smaller scale of things, I’m seeing more bright fuchsias and deeper purples—it’s so much fun! This rich color combined with the high quality of the flowers we’re working with—you can’t even imagine what they add to an event.”

Poth loves working alongside a bride’s wedding planner, so appreciative of their skill set.

“A wedding planner is focused on the timeline of the day and the schedule that ensures everyone is where they need to be,” she says. “Our focus is on making the day beautiful.”

M on the Square is located at 259 Market Square, Lake Forest, 847-604-4255, monthesquare.com.