Florist and interior designer Brad Mudd loads floral arrangements into his car before going to Dermitt Funeral Home in Leitchfield for a funeral held in memoriam of Lloyd J. Baker, an Army veteran. Mudd particularly likes doing arrangements for veterans, which he sees as a way to help repay them for their service.

info
×

Mudd laughs with his cousin Marilyn Templeman as the two set up the Halloween Safe Spot, an annual event for families at the Purple Flash Community Center, formerly a local high school.

info
×

Flowers sit in Mudd's car outside Dermitt Funeral Home in Leitchfield.

info
×

A cross, constructed and decorated by Mudd, sits outside Caneyville Cumberland Presbyterian Church, where Mudd is a guest preacher. On a recent Sunday, a sign inside the small church read, "LAST WEEK'S ATTENDANCE: 8."

info
×

Mudd looks over stems of artificial eucalyptus before using them in an arrangement.

info
×

Fourth of July decorations created by Mudd sit atop a piano in the Purple Flash Community Center.

info
×

Mudd prepares flowers for an arrangement. “A lot of people tell me that they would love my job because they think it would be great to play with flowers all day long, and I just simply tell them that [florists] don’t play,” he said. “There is a strategic plan behind each thing that we do.”  

info
×

An employee at Embry Medical Supply shows Mudd the ghost crafts she'd been making for Caneyville's 2022  Halloween Safe Spot event, for which Mudd was a co-organizer.

info
×

Mudd's studio, the lower level of his house, is filled with flowers of all kinds, both real and artificial.

info
×

Rose petals and stems surround Mudd's feet as he works on an arrangement. When he works with real roses, he uses a stem stripper to remove their leaves and thorns and takes off outer petals to help the heads open up more widely.

info
×

Pumpkins and other fall-themed decor sit on tables at Centre on Main as Mudd speaks to a client.

info
×

Mudd holds an artificial sunflower (his favorite flower) and poses for a portrait inside his Caneyville studio.

info
×

A Caneyville man is making Grayson County prettier, one flower arrangement at a time.


Brad Mudd, 48, owns Designs By Brad, a studio that creates floral arrangements, bouquets, corsages, and all kinds of decor, the kind that brides show off on Instagram. Mudd operates his business out of the lower level of his house at 14961 Beaver Dam Road in Caneyville, a house his grandfather Walter Goodman built 60 years ago, where he now lives with his wife Tonya Mudd and their 10-year-old dog Paisley, whom the couple calls their “spoiled” only child.


Inside the cozy space, flowers of all kinds (fresh and artificial) sit in buckets and containers, on shelves and tables, near a wall of ribbon spools. Mudd spends time on all of his creations, looking for holes to fill in with greenery, filling out color palettes, matching his clients’ requests as closely as possible.


“A lot of people tell me that they would love my job because they think it would be great to play with flowers all day long, and I just simply tell them that [florists] don’t play,” he said. “There is a strategic plan behind each thing that we do.”


Mudd offers his clients free delivery, so he criss-crosses the county to businesses and events that see the highs and lows of life — weddings, funerals, community parties, and more. As he puts it: “I deal with everyone at their best and at their worst.” On a workday, he might answer calls or texts from families whose loved ones died unexpectedly, for example, or a bride’s mother inquiring about the progress of a corsage. He particularly appreciates the opportunity to make arrangements for veterans, which he sees as a way to repay them, even in a small way, for their service.


Mudd, who has no formal training in floristry, sees his profession as an expression of his God-given talents. Christian music plays in his studio and car radio as he drives. On his right wrist is a tattoo that reads “Romans 8:28,” referring to his favorite Bible verse, in italic script. He likes to pray over his arrangements before he delivers them, asking God to bless the recipient. On occasional Sunday mornings, he preaches at Caneyville Cumberland Presbyterian Church.


Beyond his floristry, Brad is deeply embedded in the community: he is the president of the Grayson County Tourism Commission, a Chamber Ambassador, and treasurer of the board for the Twin Lakes Humane Society. Everywhere he goes, his colleagues and clients speak highly of his energy and vivacity, often with a particular refrain: “Brad’s the best!”


When Lanette Mudd (no relation) visited Centre on Main, a venue in Leitchfield, to help her son Aaron Mudd and daughter-in-law Jessica Mercer set up for their wedding reception that evening, there was a lot left to set up. Two vendors had just informed the family of schedule changes. There was plenty to be stressed about.


She told the group, though, that she appreciated Brad’s presence for keeping the mood light and energetic.


“Even when you’re tired,” she said, “thank God for Brad!”

Using Format