By Quinn Propst
Ward Media Staff Reporter
This article was first published in Kitsap Business. Read the original article →
Honeybee Horticulture is a Kitsap-based event planning and floral design business that also offers charcuterie catering, combining artistic detail with heartfelt personalization to create meaningful, memorable experiences for weddings, celebrations, and community events.
For owner and founder Mariah Mendez, the name Honeybee Horticulture is more than a nod to flowers—it’s personal. Her mother always called her “honeybee,” and the business name reflects both that endearment and Mendez’s original intention: to grow plants.
“I realized maybe I don’t have as green of a thumb as I thought I did, and I actually do better with arranging blooms when they’re already grown,” Mendez said.
That shift in focus—from propagation to floral design—set the foundation for a business rooted in creativity, storytelling, and community. In 2023, Mendez officially launched Honeybee Horticulture.
The idea took shape when her cousin asked her to help plan a wedding.
“That was my first opportunity to see if this was something that I wanted to really do and pursue,” she said. “It was great. It was beautiful, and it was fun, and it just kind of fueled the fire for me to keep this dream alive.”
Mendez works full-time in healthcare, but her passion lies with Honeybee Horticulture. Eventually, she hopes to transition to the business full time.
“We can do all the planning for you, or we can fill in gaps where it’s needed,” she said.
From managing budgets and coordinating vendors to helping with vows and registries, her event planning services are flexible and deeply personal. Weddings are her specialty—ranging from intimate 15-person ceremonies to full-scale events with over 200 guests.
Her floral work is equally customized. Mendez designs with both fresh and faux flowers, experimenting with different mediums and challenging conventional styles.
“We do all sorts of large installments and I’m always looking for something different, not just things that you’ve already seen,” she said. “I always try to push the envelope a little bit as far as what we can make.”
What truly sets her apart is her focus on meaning and detail. Mendez finds inspiration in her clients’ stories and often incorporates sentimental items into her designs.
“I had a bride who wanted to incorporate the necklace that had her mom’s ashes in it,” she said. “She just wanted it to be there for her. I was able to incorporate that in her bouquet, and it was just very special.”
“It’s all in the details,” she said. “Every little detail matters. That is what makes it special.”
That same personal approach flows into Honeybee Horticulture’s newest offering: charcuterie. The catering side of the business began in December 2024, taking off after a successful Kitsap Chamber holiday luncheon. Since then, Mendez has brought her charcuterie creations to community events like the Port Orchard Night Market and Quincy Square’s grand opening in Bremerton.
“I come from a very big Hispanic family, and we feed people, that’s just what we do,” Mendez said. So it felt natural for us to start the charcuterie side. I didn’t want to get into full cooking, because I just don’t have the time with everything else I’m managing. So it felt very comfortable to start feeding people and doing it beautifully.”
Honeybee Horticulture now features a mobile charcuterie cart that creates build-your-own boxes on the spot. Mendez hopes to grow this concept into a full fleet of carts, allowing the business to appear at multiple events at once.
She doesn’t do it all alone. Her best friend Autumn Furman, currently a volunteer, will soon become a business partner. With a background in education and curriculum development, Furman helped design a successful Mother’s Day floral workshop this spring. Mendez hopes to expand into more floral and charcuterie classes, partnering with local businesses to host pop-up events throughout Kitsap County.
Mendez is committed to sourcing flowers through local collectives and staying community-centered in all aspects of the business.
“We lead with heart,” Mendez said. “Everything we do is very centered towards you. Not every client is the same. We want to really make sure that this is personalized to their needs and what they want, and we’re just not a transactional event company.”
Long-term, Mendez dreams of owning a large, live-on property to serve as a multi-use venue—a place for weddings, retreats, birthdays, and corporate gatherings. She envisions a welcoming, out-of-the-ordinary space where people can connect, celebrate, and feel safe.
Running a small business hasn’t been easy, but Mendez has embraced the uncertainty.
“There’s a lot of things that I’ve done not knowing what the end result was going to be,” she said. “It is a scary thing. It can feel lonely at times, even if you’re not alone.”
Still, she presses on—heart first—fueled by the joy she brings to others.
“I look for the joy,” she said. “Not just in the food part, but in the reactions to the florals and everything coming together. Being able to actually create my vision and have people be either awestruck or just really touched—it’s a really good feeling.”
Mariah Mendez is a 2025 graduate of the Matchstick Lab Micro Business Accelerator. Learn more about her story here.