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A new Carriage House
Wedding planner opens florist shop in Moultrie
by Adelia Ladson
Corey Brice Mc- Cants is a lover of Southern tradition, completely understanding the aesthetic that I like to call“ Moonlight and Magnolias.” He grew-up with an appreciation for the art of entertaining, which we all know was perfected, right here, in the South.
Women in the South, especially here in Moultrie, know how to properly entertain and understand the art of entertaining. They have silver serving pieces and punch bowls and cut-crystal water pitchers and vases that have been handed down for generations. I know ladies, both friends and family, who still own and cherish these pieces. Not only do they own them but, as Corey pointed out when we sat down to visit, ladies in Moultrie actually still use them when entertaining.
“ People here are not afraid to use their beautiful things,” Corey said.
To me, there is something to be said for carrying-on traditional Southern grace, charm and hospitality in today’ s world.
Corey grew up in Butler, Georgia, which he said was an extremely
Corey Brice McCants
small town at the crossroads of Highway 19 and Highway 96. His mother was a florist, and he said he grew-up in her flower shop.
“ I can remember being six years old and tying pew markers at First Baptist Church,” he said.
He said, even though they were a small town, people took pride in entertaining and took pride in the weddings that were thrown.
“ My grandmother was very influential in my life. My mother was a single mom and just was very busy with the store. And, so, I spent a lot of time with my grandmother,” he said.“ I remember the highlight of my month, typically, was the arrival of Southern Living magazine with the Christmas issue being my absolute favorite.”
Corey said that he would look for any reason to pull out the fine china and celebrate, whether it was getting a good grade at school or winning a competition. He said he would cut flowers from his grandfather’ s garden, which his grandmother encouraged, as long as he didn’ t use her good kitchen shears.
“ My grandfather was not always a fan. He believed that the flowers that he grew were supposed to stay out in the yard until Jesus took them home,” Corey said, which made me laugh.
He said, since he grew-up in it, he always knew that he wanted to be involved with celebrations, whether it was as a florist or a wedding planner.
“ So, that kind of led me to where I am today,” he added.
Early on in his career, he had the opportunity to work for Sea Island Resort before opening his own business.
“ And I’ ve had the opportunity to do events for Paula Dean; Arthur Blank, who owns the Atlanta Falcons and Home Depot, co-owner of them; and Jenna Bush Hager, just to kind of name a few,” he said.“ But I decided, at a very young age, that I wanted to do business and create memorable moments
46 MoultrieScene JULY 2025