Lauren Whiteside Mann was born and raised in Lexington, South Carolina. She grew up collecting irises, daffodils, and roses from her Grandmama’s garden (great-grandmother) and Nani’s (grandmother) garden. They passed down their love of flowers to her. She resides in Charleston, SC with her husband, Jordan, daughter, Poppy, and three pups.

“As a little girl, I remember pressing flowers into old books. I married my best friend in May 2016 and I decided to press my wedding bouquet. I designed a monogrammed piece of art. I was hooked after that and made more designs out of the wildflowers from our wedding. I gave several away to my family members as gifts. My friends and family loved them and that is how Southern Bloom Press was created. It was a way to preserve beautiful, wonderful memories.”

A lot of love goes into each pressed flower art piece. Pressed flower art is a wonderful way to preserve memories. Lauren is constantly learning and pressing new flowers. She loves visiting the local flower shops and farms to pick out the next batch of flowers to be pressed. It is so exciting to open the press and reveal the beautiful magic that occurs in preserving flowers.

Artist Statement

My aim is to capture the beauty of nature by creating artwork using flowers and foliage. With southern style, precious memories are preserved with love.