58 | DECEMBER 15 • 2022 

NEXT DOR

S

ix years ago, floral designer 
Danielle Perczyk was living in an 
apartment complex that gave its 
residents garden beds on a first-come, first-
serve basis.
“There was an extra garden bed that no 
one was using,
” she recalls, “but I didn’t 
want anything to do with veg-
etables.
”
Instead, Perczyk, 39, want-
ed to use the space to create 
“something beautiful to look 
at.
”
The floral designer, who 
now works with CTM Flowers 
creating arrangements for Orthodox Jewish 
weddings, didn’t know at the time that she 
had a green thumb. Yet, when she filled the 
garden bed with flowers, she noticed that 
her plants were thriving.
“I got to see how they expanded 
throughout the season,
” she says. “That was 
my first real hint that I was good at work-
ing with flowers.
”
On her own time, Perczyk continued to 
explore gardening. She made floral arrange-
ments for events at Chabad Detroit and 
grew house plants after purchasing a home 
in the Boston Edison neighborhood of 
Detroit with her husband, Jeffrey Perczyk.
Then, as Perczyk considered growing 
her love for floral into a career, an opportu-
nity presented itself. Aleksandr and Elena 
Khusid, close friends of Perczyk’s, had 
launched CTM Flowers in 2019. In 2021, 
they asked the budding designer to join the 
business.
“It was a wonderful little gift that I didn’t 
know I needed,
” Perczyk recalls.

THE ART OF FLORAL DESIGN
Now, Perczyk is an essential contributor 
to CTM Flowers. Throughout the year, 
the small flower business crafts custom 
wedding floral designs that include bridal 

bouquets, table arrangements, chair and 
backdrop accents and, of course, magnifi-
cent chuppahs.
“It’s mild-to-medium scale,
” Perczyk says 
of the weddings they handle. “But that can 
always be zhuzhed up to be much grander.
”
While CTM Flowers mainly works 
with the Orthodox Jewish community 
and Orthodox Jewish weddings, Perczyk 
says the business is looking to expand and 
support the entire Jewish community as a 
whole, including mixed Jewish weddings.
“We’re in the more affordable package 
tier, so we can be accessible for everyone,
” 
she explains. 
Still, bridal floral is no easy feat. The 
planning process can take months, then 
prepping the flowers and greenery for the 
big day can take anywhere from 24 to 36 
hours.
“We have to cut the flowers, trim the 
stems, take off the plastics and de-leaf 
them,
” Perczyk explains of the plants, which 
are purchased wholesale. “We have to be 
delicate with it. We can’t be too rushed 
because we don’t want to break the flowers.
”
Then, setting up floral arrangements at 
a wedding venue takes an additional 12 to 
18 hours. It’s a lot of work, she says, but it’s 
a process that truly allows her creativity to 
shine.
 
A DIFFERENT TURN 
Looking back, Perczyk never imagined 
she would work in floral — or even live in 
Michigan.
“I grew up in California,
” she explains. 
As a child, Perczyk lived in the valley of Los 
Angeles and later in the East Bay area.
Her mother was a Metro Detroit Jewish 
community native while her father hailed 
from Seattle. The two met on the West 
Coast and started a life there, but Perczyk 
still had a lot of family living in the Detroit 
area.

Floral designer Danielle Perczyk makes 
creating beautiful life cycles her mission.

Blessed with 
a Green Thumb

Danielle 
Perczyk

ASHLEY ZLATOPOLSKY CONTRIBUTING WRITER

Samples of 
Perczyk’s floral 
designs

VOICE OF A NEW GENERATION

