Full Bloom Events, LLC

Karen Wassenberg often jokes that she doesn’t know what she wants to do when she grows up.

750 E. Green Bay St., Shawano
(715) 701-6419

“I have had many different careers including certified veterinary technician, dialysis technician, corrections officer, management at a clothing retailer, and for the last five years, I have been with Associated Bank in Shawano where I started as an assistant manager,” she said. “Then, I was promoted to bank manager in Pulaski and later made my way back to the Shawano branch.”
On June 22, she may have found the answer to the question about what she wants to do when she grows up. On that day, after starting with limited hours in May, she opened the doors full time to Full Bloom Events at 750 E. Green Bay St. in Shawano.
“I have been doing event decorating and floral design for a long time as a hobby,” she said. “I feel like I am at a point in my life where it’s a ‘now or never’ situation. You never know what could be if you don’t try.”
“I have been making flower arrangements for friends and family for about 16 years,” Wassenberg said. “I started with making arrangements for weddings and headstones for loved ones. I also made flowers for local school dances (proms and homecomings). I had an Etsy store for about a year where I made flower arrangements as well as personalized items such as t-shirts, car decals and Christmas ornaments. Aside from flowers, I have also been doing balloon decor for events as well as other party decorating.”
Her skills, she said, are pretty much self-taught although she has taken online courses and read books on design concepts for both the flowers and balloons.
“I have had an eye for style and color for as long as I can remember,” she said. “I can remember decorating my own birthday party with all the streamers and balloons for my 14th birthday. I think it was then when I realized decorating not only comes easy to me, but brings me a sense of accomplishment when all of the ideas come together. I was also on the decorating committee for many of my high school dances. When my kids got to be school age, I started doing fun things such as making homemade Valentine’s cards and creating fun and unique bulletin boards for their school hall. I also decorated and made all of the floral arrangements for my own wedding in 2010. After that, I knew that one day I wanted to do this full time.”
Today, her event offerings include birthdays, graduations, corporate events, weddings, baby and bridal showers, reunions, anniversaries, grand openings and luncheons.
While she enjoys them all, she said birthday parties are the most fun because of the use of fun themes and the incorporation of balloons, flowers and backdrops.
“That is what I call the ultimate decorative package,” she said.
Wassenberg also decorates entire banquet halls and rooms for special events. “I not only decorate with flowers and balloons, but also with candles, centerpieces, table settings, flowers on a cake and backdrops,” she said.
Full Bloom Events also rents out inflatables and Wassenberg offers to add balloons to the set up.
“We have only been renting inflatables out since April, and since then, we have had a birthday party requiring two inflatables,” she said. “Most recently, the Sacred Heart Community Picnic used our newest inflatable, Super Mario Bros and our large obstacle course. We are currently working with ShawanoFest for the use of several inflatables at their event in July. It is so much fun watching kids bounce from one inflatable to the next.”
The inflatables are most popular for birthday parties, but recently, Wassenberg has gotten requests for a white inflatable castle for weddings and bridal showers. “Adding balloons to the white inflatable really makes a statement and an excellent photo opportunity,” she said.
The inflatables’ part of the business has taken off, according to Wassenberg. “We have 10 inflatables, all with different attributes, and rent three to five of them out a week. Most inflatables are directed at the kids; some with smaller total weight restrictions than others. There are a few of the larger inflatables that can hold up to 700 pounds. I say, ‘if an adult wants to join in, why not?’ Of course, safety is our top priority, so the kids can’t jump with the adults.”
She also decorates birthday parties held in homes or banquet rooms and provides such things as backdrops, photo ops, cake and gift tables and coordinated table settings and centerpieces.
Right now, she is Full Bloom Event’s only employee, but she says she has a lot of help behind the scenes.
“My boyfriend, D.J. White, is the one who pushed me to take the leap and start my own business,” she said. “He is also the brains and muscle behind the inflatable rentals. My mom, Donna, has been super supportive of me since day one. She does a lot of running for me when I need something at the last minute; she is always sending me new ideas in the industry and cleans up behind me when I make a total mess in the studio with flowers and balloons. She also learned how to process the flowers when they are delivered from the wholesaler when I am unable to right away. Then, there are my three boys. They all pitched in to turn the studio into my dream workspace. They painted, helped build the tables and assembled numerous fixtures. I couldn’t do this without all of them.”
She believes being active in the community is vital to establishing and maintaining any business and helps create positive changes in the community.
“I was already a Chamber member through my previous employer, and I love everything they do,” she said. “This is why Full Bloom Events has joined the Chamber and had our inflatables at community events for all to enjoy.”
As the business grows, she plans on holding classes and workshops for couples and team building and eventually would like to move out into the country to have enough land where she could have her own greenhouse.
“There is a need for an event decorator in this area, and I feel I am the person to fill that spot,” she said.