Delivery Day

Delivery day at my house is always full of excitement. Unloading boxes of beautiful flowers, prepping them with water and trims, letting them stretch and breathe. Today was no different and I'm buzzing with anticipation for the fun to begin. Aki and Melissa are marrying on Friday with a burgundy theme and a love of lilies.

 

Through discussions and emails we decided to do an Ombre theme....choosing two colors and moving through the color spectrum from one to the other.  I can't wait to dive into these beauties and coordinate bouquets, corsages, and centerpieces. Such a lovely way to spend my day.

A big shout-out to Mayesh Wholesale Flowers. Stunning stems and killer customer service. I can't wait to work with them again.

The Beauty of Birds of Paradise

When Aleasha called, she was a little nervous...she wanted to use birds of paradise and ONLY birds of paradise...and she wasn't sure if it was even possible. She'd seen some pictures but didn't know if they were real, if they were rare, or if they were only possible for the rich and famous. I assured her that I'd used Birds before and could get her the bouquet she wanted. Surprisingly, she wanted a different bouquet for her bridal photo shoot than the bouquet she wanted for her wedding day, but didn't know how she wanted it to be different. We threw ideas back and forth and finally agreed to use fewer birds for the bridals, but add in another flower to add some interest and texture  For the bridals we included some beautiful purple freesia and she loved it! 

For the wedding day itself, she wanted to include some other flowers for the wedding party because no one else but the bride and groom were going to get the Birds of Paradise. She'd liked it so well in her other bouquet that we agreed to use freesia again, as well as some calla lilies, and all the flowers would be in white to set them off against the colored dresses of the bridesmaids and the suits of the groomsmen. She had some small vases for centerpieces, some for tall buds, and some sporting beta fishes in the colors of the birds of paradise and the white lilies. She wanted a floating flower in the vases with the fish and birds and lilies in the bud vases, and I think the fun simple lines made everything come together. All that was left was a smaller simple tossing bouquet that wouldn't poke an eye out, so the freesia came to the rescue once again.

Leasha told me later how much she'd loved seeing her vision come true when she hadn't been sure that even part of it were possible. Those are some of my favorite compliments!...that a bride can tell me the names of her favorite flowers and trusts me to be able to put them together in a way that will be beautiful for her day.

Congratulations, Leasha!

Funeral Flowers With An Eye To The Future

I love flowers and the sentiment that they convey, so even when I'm asked to create an arrangement for a funeral instead of a wedding, I take a lot of thought and effort to make something that will be loved and useful and reusable. A recent request ended with this creation of soft spring colors in a sturdy basket. The Peonies in the back are also a potted plant that can be placed in the garden of those family members mourning the loss of a loved one. The rebirth of those flowers every year can then serve as a beautiful reminder of the loved one gone away. Deepest sympathies, and memories reborn.

A Bouquet of Blue Skies and Yellow Gold

With lovely spring days all around, I wanted to revisit a fantastically fun wedding from the ever amazing HMC...now HMCC. Luckily, she married the man of her dreams, who just happened to have a name with the same initial. No need to change the monogram!

HMC and I met on Facebook of all places, a friendship recommended by a mutual friend. What a great recommendation! HMC was funny, insightful, and delightful. We'd never met, but I smiled every time I saw her name come up with a new post. Over time, she got to know some of my work as well, and then when she wed, she needing some flowers that I was more than happy to provide. We did finally meet to talk blooms, colors, and composition, and then again on the day of her wedding where I handed off the flowers, which she said were a surprise. She was so caught up in the pomp and ceremony of the day that when she saw her bouquet she nearly cried. She said that as wonderful as everything had already been, she loved that she got to have beautiful flowers on this day too! He he he.

HMC was so happy, it was a joy to bring her these beautiful flowers made up of spring. The blue hydrangea and hyacinths brought out the sky, and the large sunny yellow lilies were just like her bright smile.

Here's to bright beautiful spring wedding days!