Behind the scenes as church's floral department prepares for general conference

SALT LAKE CITY — It was a busy Monday morning at Ensign Wholesale Flower Market. And on this day, one group of florists has a particularly large and important order to pick up.

"We really take a lot of pride and joy in what we do," said Andrew Barnett.

These flowers will become the arrangements that will be seen by millions of Latter-day Saints around the world.

"It's a wild time at general conference," Barnett said. "Most Saturday mornings, I'm actually down here, you know, on the rostrum, pulling out dead flowers, making sure everything looks fresh, while I'm rehearsing with the choir at the same time."

You read that correctly: Barnett is also a member of the Tabernacle Choir. He's a baritone and a church florist.

After picking up the flowers, KSL-TV found Barnett and his team in full creative mode — trimming and placing with seamless movements. They have an office off the parking garage, with room to work and a walk-in cooler, where the arrangements rest for a few days.

Fast forward a few days, and it's now Thursday. The florists begin working at the Conference Center at 6 a.m. They said their job is to beautify and create an atmosphere of peace. So, welcome to "Conference Floral." The color scheme this year — pinks and reds.

You might be wondering, what is their greatest challenge? It's the flowers behind the podium, where the speakers stand.

"You don't want anything sticking out of the back of someone's head, or making it look like there's a plant growing out of their head," Barnett said. "So, we take quite a bit of time with camera angles and lighting to make sure with different heights, to make sure that it all looks perfect."

He said so many people who watch general conference send their opinions.

"We have to kind of keep a happy medium where it adds to what's going on, it adds to the meeting and adds to the spirit without distracting from what's being said," Barnett said.

There are three main florists and several part-time workers. The main florists rotate their responsibilities for general conference. They take ideas from the season, from past conferences or from things they encounter in everyday life.

"I might see the color of a car that I see driving on the road and go, 'That would be fantastic for general conference,'" Barnett said, laughing.

As he serves in the choir, Barnett also sees his work.

"I tell people all the time, 'I have the best job and the best calling in the world,'" he said.

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