As we talk, Tammy West of Glow Floral Event Design is doing what she does best: decorating a Christmas tree. This is the second attempt of the day (the first tree the client ordered was eighteen inches taller than the ceiling), and the power is out. Yet West seems totally at ease as she simultaneously corrals Christmas decorations and recounts her journey to the White House—where she’d been decorating a very special Christmas tree earlier that week.

Learning to Create Beauty

West started in retail as a visual merchandiser for both Macy’s and Dillard’s. Perhaps foretelling, she was also a “Christmas Captain” for Rich’s, a historic department store known for its holiday traditions. There, she learned that she loved creating beautiful spaces.

The principles West learned working retail undergird her business practices today. “You have to have a servant’s heart to be in retail. It’s not easy to always go above and beyond.”

While West dabbled in floristry, she didn’t dive in until she moved to Georgia, where she worked under a florist and learned the industry. Still, she didn’t develop her own style until she moved to Tuscaloosa, Alabama.

She broke onto the Tuscaloosa stage once again at Christmastime. A local florist noticed West decorating her mailbox for the holidays and, impressed by her work, hired her. West worked for him for five years, learning the particularities of designing events in Tuscaloosa.

The Heart Behind Glow Floral

During quarantine, West branched off to start her own business, Glow Floral Event Design. The servant’s heart she developed in retail surfaced almost immediately. After hearing that a local high school’s Class of 2020 would not get to walk, West gifted all the graduating girls a bouquet.

“Sometimes it’s not about making money, it’s about reaching out,” West said.

Her first big break came around Christmas, courtesy of Oprah. Overjoyed by a letter a local family sent her, Oprah hired West to create a floral arrangement for them.

“I think from there people kinda decided, maybe she has something to her,” West laughed. Orders began to roll in, and her business steadily grew into the Tuscaloosa staple it is today. While West delights in modest arrangements, she’s best known for large-scale designs—weddings, rush week, and university events.

Christmas at the White House

This Christmas, West set her sights on something bigger: the White House. Not as a job, but as a volunteer—true to her emphasis on service.

West spent Thanksgiving week decorating the White House. Upon arrival, volunteers were forbidden from talking to one another or taking photos. While she heard the theme—“Home is Where the Heart Is”—she signed an NDA preventing her from sharing details before the public reveal.

Volunteers were divided into teams. West’s team, eventually dubbed “Glow,” spent the first days in a secure warehouse crafting décor for the Grand Foyer using holiday props from previous administrations.

“It’s like a little historical factory,” West said.

By Saturday, the team entered the Grand Foyer with just two days to complete the space. After lighting consumed a full day, the group faced a setback when the lead designer disliked how the trees were decorated.

“I went a little bit rogue,” West laughed, trusting her instincts and decorating her own tree. The lead designer loved it, using her work as the standard for the room.

That Monday, volunteers finally saw their work during the Christmas reception. “We wanted to cry—probably from exhaustion,” West said. “But walking in and hearing the Marine Corps band, it was like, oh my God, I’m actually in the White House. It was just perfection.”

For West, the most meaningful part of the experience was the people. She emphasized the apolitical nature of the group—volunteers from all backgrounds coming together, she said, “to be a part of history.”

When asked what’s next for Glow Floral, West returned to the heart of her work: “We’re gonna continue to serve the great state of Alabama.”