we create because we have to: seeking inspiration from everything

I remember distinctly when my mother would make sure I would refer to myself as an ARTIST. She would correct me, and help me understand why it was so important.

There is something indescribable that burns within us (Artists) that makes us need to create. I can’t focus, I get fidgety, and overall anxious when I have an idea that I need to see come to fruition. I never acknowledged this as I believed this was a general human condition, a way that everyone felt.

The older I get the more I notice that this is what is called artistry: the need to create a vision that overwhelms you.

A couple days ago this happened. I thought I needed coffee and just to get up from my desk as I had been creating proposals, and paying taxes. So who wouldn’t want to move around after that. But the urge to create the arrangement I had it my head was overwhelming. I had to go pickup some flowers from the wholesaler and create something. I ended up creating the arrangement seen in the “handmade: it cost more” blog post.

I felt instant relief. Like an addict getting their buzz from their cigarette. I felt more relaxed, calm and overall content with life. And I won’t even begin to mention how adding photography to the bag of fun make me feel.

The need to create is something that I never knew, as a child, I could use to build a business from. That I could turn that energy into something profitable. Something so filled with passion and joy that would then be sought out by community. It all seems a little wild if you ask me. But it’s the best kind of wild I could have ever dreamt up.

Today I consider myself an artist, a creator.

How amazing is this skeleton leaf? Is a bleached preserved leaf that gives the most romantic soft touch to this arrangement. Looking forward to adding this delicate touch to our upcoming events and weddings.

Amazing photography by Kelli Durham Photography

setting the standard: creating the event you want to see

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When I started this business I was bull headed and had many thoughts on how it would all go.  Some of the thoughts were wildly incorrect and other turned into structures that I still hang on to.  For example, I thought it would be easy, I thought that if I produce good work people will come.  It's not easy, but people will come.  Yes it is true... if you build it they will come.  But no one tells you how long the building process will take.  

I also don't have a store front (which 8 years ago was a wild thought in our market) as we work out of a warehouse that we've converted into a super cute space. I remember nay sayers who thought I would never be seen and it would be difficult to grow my business.  It was difficult but the vision that I has was mine and knew it would work.  

So many times in life we have a gut feeling that comes over us and we push it aside.  We might have too many people's opinions we listen to or are just insecure about pulling the trigger. I see this all the time when people are making decisions for their wedding/event.  Client's have a vision for their event and get persuaded by a well meaning photographer, event planner or friend to move in a direction that was not their original vision.  TRUST ME... there are many reasons to listen to your friends and other vendors! But listen to your gut.

Make sure the event you are planning resembles you.  We want your guest to know it was something you planned, a true reflection of you, when they walk into the room.  All we do is just play a small part in making it happen.

Gorgeous images by Dana Fernandez Photography

Why two different colored bouquets?  No, our bride did not request this.  There was an error on our end and we were lucky enough to have both of them photographed! She asked for an all white bouquet... but apparently we got so excited about the colors, we sent that one first.  

Dana, the amazing photographer, shot us a call and told us about our hiccup. We quickly whipped up the white bouquet and got it to our beautiful bride right in time for her to walk down the aisle.

Phew! Can we get an amen for working with some of the most thoughtful vendors?! What would we ever do without the people that make us look good and make us feel that we are part of a bigger team.  The vendor team! 

We were so thankful she spoke up. Because she did we got a chance to fix our error and make it right. She will look back on her wedding day and it will be a true reflection of her. And for that reason alone, we are so thankful for her.

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handmade: it costs more, but it's worth it

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As flower designer’s we are familiar with items that are handmade. There is nothing that our client’s receive from us that is not made by our hands. I am not sure if I truly ever thought of our work in that way until I just wrote it. It’s truly amazing if you really think about it.

Every flower was touched by us, every container was hand picked by us. Every single bloom was purposefully chosen for its movement, color, length of stem, texture, line, shape, petal count etc. It’s a process that takes flipping through catalogues, searching scientific names (that I can not seem to ever remember) reaching out to a minimum of 5 different companies and countless websites.

There are days that I fall in love with the process and other days that make me want to quit. It’s not easy and maybe that is why I love it so much. The ordering flower process of our business is one that is never spoken of but probably the most important part of it all.

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I look at all handmade items with so much appreciation as I know what it takes to make our own. The dedication and expertise is straight out of one of my all time favorite documentaries Jiro Dreams of Sushi. This documentary highlights Jiro’s life’s work in developing one of the most well known sushi restaurants in the world. All created from dedication, passion and obsession over his trade.

From flowers, to sushi and now to the whole reason I was inspired to write this blog post… this handmade vessel. This one in the image bellow. Abbie from Box Sparrow creates the most gorgeous ceramic pieces and we honor her today with this arrangement. She created this vessel and we have fallen madly deeply in love with it and can only imagine the dedication in selecting all the materials, and the time it took to make this. You would never know a person made this as it has been made with expertise only a machine could replicate.

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Can we take a little moment to enjoy all these gorgeous blooms from Mayesh? We are so thankful they dare to bring in material to help us explore with different material. Flowers we incorporated in this highly textured piece are: helleborus, begonia, garden roses, lisianthus, snowberries, carnations, smilax, and blackberry greenery.

marie flanigan interiors- a women on the move

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We have been following Marie Flanigan for years and having her team reach out to work on a collaborative project was one of the highlights of 2018.   All the necessary elements were met, girlfriends, flowers, well designed spaces and great food.

I am flattered that we would get a chance to collaborate with someone who is so detailed oriented and designed based.   Two elements of weddings and events that matter so much to me and that lead every element of how we create our designs.

There were some gorgeous Japanese product at that time and we couldn't wait to put it to use.  And one of my all time favorite blooms lilac! Oh my goodness you guys, lilac is just so amazing... and after seeing where it all grows from several years back made my obsession continue.

 

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The space was so perfectly styled and decorated with some fun food details by our pals at Smart in the Kitchen.  And gorgeous calligraphy bits from another gal pal Megan Grant

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As Houstonian's know so well, we love our summer but we are so glad to see it go.  Before the cooler season arrives we work our way through the storm season, but let me tell you we are so excited that the rain is a very welcome sight! 

the astorian - a traditional houston wedding

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The Astorian event venue is a site to behold.  The details are phenomenal and well thought out, the tile, the fixtures, the ceiling lighting, all of it is gorgeous. It's a fun space that we always feel so honored to work in.  

For this event Piper of Piper and Muse brought us this sweet family to work with.  They had one request, tall arrangement.  Showy tall arrangements.  We heard them and we created our version of this request.  Why do I say 'our version'... well we don't create a perfect ball, as things in nature tend to grow in ovals and droop.  Because we try to mimic nature as much as possible, as this is what we believe looks gorgeous, we create our tall arrangements (when requested in this more compact style) in a more oval shape.

The remaining low arrangements had more of our signature look as we are aware that this is what our clients are looking for as well.  Melding both aesthetics is possible and we don't find a need to make it all look the same. Here are some images of this fun one captured perfectly by our friends at The Cotton Collective Photography:

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containers- why we keep it simple

We are floral design artist.  We love and are insanely passionate about everything flowers, floristry, wedding flowers, event flowers, flower gardening, flower farmers, etc.   You name it flowers and we have spent time loving it one way or another. 

Containers, well.... still a love affair. But not an obsession. We are always on the look out for new, clean, classic, unique, timeless pieces. And for this reason we have to love it.  It takes time, lots of time researching every vessel we have.  I actually really enjoy the process.

...selecting the correct vessels that will not outshine

the flowers is the number one goal.

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And a process it is.  You find a store, or artist that you love and you begin the research.  From a store you have to put in an order to make sure it delivers well, in time and it is what it says it's going to be when it arrives.  This is more like a sample order. One off items of each vessel you love and then the waiting begins.  The item arrives and fingers crossed the company enjoys wrapping their precious pieces in an nauseating amount of paper.

Then we put then to use, does it hold water, not mind our floral tape we have to use and does it allow us to design and create the shapes we enjoy.  Bing it works... awesome let's order lots more.  If it doesn't, small pity party and move on to the next company that will take a small order and start from the beginning.  This process takes so much patience and all the part of the curating process.

Now we haven't event tapped into the artist that creates handmade containers, which we also source from.  This might be the most rewarding and the most difficult.  I won't dive into it too much... but it's similar to the stores but now we are dealing with the artistic element.  So much fun and risky all at the same time. Some artist are local others are from out of the country adding an element of cost for shipping too.  

But all this to say is that we do not sell containers, we sell flowers. Even though we put so much thought into everything we acquire we are still solely focused on making the flowers the prettiest they possibly can be.  And we are super aware that selecting the correct vessels that will not outshine the flowers is the number one goal.

visiting the rose farm- how we keep educated

Several months ago I got invited to work with Tulipina in Ojai creating a wedding at The Ojai Valley Inn.  Once I mentioned that I would be going to Santa Barbara, my gal pal Kelly Hornberger of Kelly Horberger Photography booked her flight and off we were to the races planning a photo shoot and getting all our ducks in a row to fit in as many experiences in as possible.

Not that woking for Kiana at Tulipina wasn't an experience that would have made the trip complete, but California has way too much to offer to pass it up.  And one of those experiences was to visit one of the most prolific producers of the most gorgeous field grown garden roses there is in North America, Grace Rose Farm.  

This might have been the most fun moment of the trip.  To sit back and see fields upon fields of some of the most gorgeous roses there ever was.  All at our finger tips to harvest. And to get a chance to experience this with a couple girlfriends made me the happiest.

We galavanted around the farm choosing which blooms would work best for the projects we had coming up.  Each row made you think of all the gorgeous weddings and events these amazing bushes have produced for.  All the beautiful memories they have produced and how they made such special times even more memorable.

As flower designers we have to keep visiting farmers to connect to the source of our medium.  We use flowers to create the most amazing arrangements and to continue that connection to the people who produce them is so important to me.

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We learn something new every time we go and it is just worth seeing the farmers and giving them a hug and letting them know how much they mean to us.  That is important.  They get so disconnected from us as they are insanely hard working people. 

If you ever have questions on how to get connected and start growing a business in the flower community... start from the ground up.  Learn everything there is to learn and NEVER STOP LEARNING.  

The most amazing thing about this industry, is that 13 years later, I still don't even know one percent of what there is to learn.  And for that reason alone I fall in love with the floral industry more and more every year.  The endless information you can gather on one flower alone could consume a life time.  And to think that there are 100's of cut flowers we use on a yearly basis, that just blows my mind.

What an amazing industry to be part of.  Due to the intense amount of hard work to farm and to design flowers, I can promise you that you won't find anyone that isn't madly deeply in love with that they do.  It would be impossible to do with out a maddening love.  

 

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2019 floral trends - how to add a touch of the current trend into your event

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There are so many new trends in the floral industry that sometimes it can be hard to keep up with it all.  And we sure don't expect you, the consumer, to even try.  But let me mention one concept that I have been seeing more of lately and can totally see you trying it.

DRIED FLOWERS/GREENS

I am clearly intrenched in the floral community, so some of you might be thinking I am crazy.  But let me tell you.. dried/preserved flowers and greens are making a come back.  As some of you might know these were so big in the 80's and to be quite frank, they were big way before recorded history.  I doubt there was ever a young child who wasn't gifted a flower that didn't try to preserve it in some way or other... right? 

Who didn't dry that first rose their first crush gave them?  And hung that sweet flower somewhere to cherish for as long as possible.  I still have the first rose my fiance gave me. (And if I am real, that might have been the last rose, so this girl had to hold on to it as long as possible.) 

Here is a shot of a recent editorial we worked on to show case how to use dried product in your bouquet.  This one you will see that only has one variety, because I couldn't help myself.  This dried fern was just too amazing to not give it it's own moment.

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HOW TO ADD DRIED FLORALS

1) Your bouquet, as shown bellow.  You can create such a fun bouquet with tons of impact with just one variety of dried product.

2) Hints of it through out your centerpieces.  We still love our very timeless garden roses, ranunculus but adding that pop of trendy dried product adds so much interest.

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All photography above by Simon Ly Photography

forgive and move on - how simple mistakes can build stronger teams

So it finally happened.... let me start by saying that we have a raised roof Transit Ford Van.  It's essentially a sprinter van but much taller. As we really wanted our team to be able to stand up when walking into the van.  I have had too many sore back moments trying to load in a regular roofed van that this was a huge requirement for us when making the new purchase.  

I am confident you can guess what happened. We finally hit the roof of the van into a ceiling of a parking garage. Total bummer and of course I would have rather it not happen, but this is what I learned.

Forgive and Move On

If I am completely real, it could have happened to me and eventually it would have.  The grace I would have given myself, I have to give even more to my employees.  Balancing frustration with love of my employees is one of the more challenging elements to this business life.  

But at the end of the day, I love watching them learn.  Today they know more than they knew yesterday and I am confident they learned so much from that experience.  And fingers crossed it won't happen again.  

The adventures of business ownership is not easy, but having the right team in place to make you learn and laugh is the key to success.  And besides, they gave me the best reason to go and grab a margarita at the end of the day! 


For the arrangement above we were inspired by fall colors.  We also wanted to mix tones with colors and textures that are not expected and typically seen.  These rich colors are perfect for the upcoming fall events.  We paired it up with a black urn which always kicks up the drama.  I think this might have been one of the studio's favorites this week.

 

the right fit - how finding the perfect vendor makes the difference

After taking a quick vacation, I finally feel caught up enough to be able to share a little bit about what we have learned in the last couple weeks.

We were approached by an event planner who mentioned their client was looking to make a switch to a new floral designer.  One month before their wedding.  No big deal, we have put together weddings/events in less than a week.  We felt comfortable we could make it happen and now off to meet with the client.  But wait, they just fired their last flower designer! Eek!!! 

The meeting went great, we were booked.  Awesome news, happy dance and all the good stuff. 

What we learned was that everyone has the perfect fit, for them. 

We are not the perfect fit for some, and in turn other designers turn out to not be the perfect fit for our clients.  

What I learned is that we have to speak up.  The moment that our gut tells us it is not a fit... walk away.  Communicate to said vendor and move on.  As a business owner it stings to hear that we are not the person that will make your vision come to reality, but even worse is that we never had a chance to allow the client to move forward with another vendor.

We had a recent potential client send an email the day after our consultation to tell us to not create a proposal... she knew we were not the right fit.  This was hands down the most extreme version and not going to lie, maybe the one that hurt the most.  After licking my wounds I felt proud of said bride, that she knew she fell in love with another vendor and that she didn't waste my time.  I felt honored and appreciated and only wish other would be so respectful.

Her ability to communicate so directly opened the door to another client that was the perfect fit for us.  I am more grateful to her now that I would have ever been at the beginning of this business as I now value other opinions and time so much more.  


Ever want a white wedding but need a little splash of fall tones?  We worked on this piece with Jennifer (Keely Thorne Events) for one of our fall clients.  Bride was wanting an all white wedding with touches of fall, and I think we nailed it! Thanks Jennifer for bringing us an amazing client and always working with us to make it exactly what they want.  

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Curious about what blooms we used?

  • Ranunculus
  • Garden Roses
  • Standard Roses
  • Spray Roses
  • Garden Spray Roses
  • Anemones
  • Bush Ivy
  • Jasmine Vine
  • Lisianthus
  • Eucalyptus
  • Berries (two different varieties)

how to stay inspired: create for an audience of one

I have found that inspiration come from everything.  Music, art, food, movies, traveling, podcasts and so much more. As an artist we demand creativity from ourselves on a regular bases, pouring all we got to create something out of nothing.  To be able to do this on a consistent basis I have found that pouring back into that cup of creativity is one the best things I can do to continue to give as much as I can.

Creating for an audience of one is important.  I create pieces for me, no one else.   There wasn't an order, a wedding, or event that booked me for this one.  I got inspired and needed to develop a shape, and an idea with flowers.  I have found by doing this I can not only get an idea out and see if it works well, but also keep flexing that creative muscle. 

This inspires me and keeps me going.  This fills my cup.

This is how we continue to learn and develop the skills that we are so known for.  I did not design like this 10 years ago.  Trust me I am so glad Instagram was not a thing back then.  But with time and patience I created more and better. 

I used garden roses, peonies, lilac, roses, garden spray roses, anemones, ranunculus and lisianthus to name a few. We found this gorgeous urn at the local garden center and knew it needed to be filled with gorgeous blooms.

how giving trust can give you more

Trust is a tricky thing, we give it away every single day to a bunch of people we don't know.  From when we drive on the roads, to when someone makes our lunch.  We trust people to do some of the most mundane every day things that we forget how easy it is to trust. 

Trusting people to do the tasks that we are very capable of doing comes easy to us. But releasing some of our fear and trusting people to do things for us when we are unfamiliar with the rules is even more difficult.  Particularly when it's a big purchase.  I get it! I am right there with you.  

Well then how can we trust people when we are making those big purchases?  I have found some useful ways in making this happen that have worked for us.  From a recent home, car and engagement ring (my fiance purchased :-) ) purchase, we have some tried and true ways that make this process easier and more productive.

 

TRUST: How to build trust with your vendors? 

 

ONE

Do your research! It is WAY to easy now to Google it.  Do some key word searches and get to reading. Particularly with creative vendors.  Read some reviews, go to their website, facebook and instagram and see what they have going on.  Evaluate what is important to you.  Do you like their style, their consistency, their voice on social media platforms?  

TWO

Ask your currently booked vendors.  Yes your friend might have referred you, but continue to ask about them before booking. See what we have to say about them.  Your friend's wedding was one day... we as fellow vendors see them every single weekend.  ASK US.  Ask specific questions of things YOU specifically need.  For example: It is important for me that people are kind, so I ask about people's character and consistency.  I believe that with those two things I can get the best from people.  

THREE

10,000 hours.  Make sure that the vendor you are choosing has their 10,000 hours in the task you are asking them to perform.  It is said that it takes 10,000 hours for someone to master a skill.  It's an estimated 5 years (spending 40hrs a week).  I don't think that's much to ask from a professional.  But I specifically mention this one as it requires the vendor to know weddings and events not just flowers (for us flower designers specifically).  It's a whole other monkey to understand the specifics about weddings and events.  

 

Why does Trust Matter?

 

I read this quote today from one of my favorite entrepreneur friends and I thought I would share as I have never been able to eloquently say this:

"When we nickel and dime people providing a service, trying to get the most while paying the least, we will almost always lose out. While some people may consciously give less, I believe that even those who want to give their all will lose enthusiasm for the project. For this reason, I prefer to pay people what they're worth and give them a reasonable amount of time to complete the job. They're happy and I'm happy!"

Help those providing a service for you not loose enthusiasm.  We are professions in a human body.  We can not deny that the way people treat us impact our work.  Give those people you hire all your trust and then watch them provide you the best service they are capable of.  I can honestly say that I was one of those people that could not fully trust people when making a big purchase.  After owning a business and seeing how it affects moral I have changed my ways. We can all do our part in growing and changing our mindset of how we treat those people who we chose to trust.  

top 3 ways to make your home wedding amazing

We are seeing an uptick on home weddings are we are loving it! I have yet to enjoy a wedding more that the first time I attended an at-home wedding.  There is an intimacy that can not be replicated anywhere else.  As a guest, I felt so privileged and loved being able to attend such a special moment in their space.

After creating some home weddings we wanted to give a few tips to help those needing inspiration.  There are endless ideas, but we found these to be the most memorable and impactful. Enjoy!

1) Find Special Places

Find those places in your home that you love.  It doesn't have to be a big space, but it has to be special. This particular wedding had a side room off their kitchen that was a lounge, seating area.  We moved the furniture out of the way, and created a altar type area where the couple got married. This is hands down still one of my favorite ceremony spaces we have ever decorated.  The intimacy of the space is unparalleled to any other I have ever seen.

2) Incorporate Special Items

You're at home, take advantage of it.  This Bride's father owns a car dealership and is fascinated by cars.  Therefor you can imagine that it would mean so much to him to incorporate some of the items he loves into his daughter's wedding. His passion added such a special touch to their day.

3) Splurge on the Details

Yes flowers in your pool is not an every day thing and neither is getting married.  Splurge! You are saving on your location spend a little on those dreamy moments that are only possible at home. And my gosh you can later frame these images as even the image of just the roses in the water is so dreamy.

Have you ever thought of getting married at home?  If you have give us a call, we would love to walk your space with you and give you even more tips on how to make impact statements and adorn the space with flowers that are unforgettable.

top 3 things to learn about a failed buisness

Learning from other business owners is one of the most important things I do. I am naturally an inquisitive person, so asking questions about everything under the sky is in my blood (Go to Botanical Brouhaha to learn more about my podcast and all the questions I ask) .  But trying to not get wrapped up in the natural desire to know all the gossip and focus on what matters can be a little difficult at times.  We all want to know the gossip, but what stays with me is the pieces of information that help me grow.  And there never has been a piece of gossip that has made me grow.

Reading books like from Good to Great and listening to podcast like How I built This has taught me so many nuggets about business.  Here are a several that have been solidified this summer after some experiences, listening, readings and asking questions.  Writing these down will help me digest them, and remember them in the future.

1) Surround Yourself With the RIGHT People

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Having the right amount of business owners, entrepreneurs, creatives and leaders in my life has taken years to acquire and to be honest I am always looking for more. You can never have enough of those kind of people who motivate you, inspire you and correct you when you are wrong.  See the mistakes you are making and help correct them. 

2) Hire Slowly Fire Quickly

This one is tough as being a woman we are natural people pleasers. After eight years of running this business on my own, integrating people to come help me build this has been one the most difficult elements.   As many previous employees have witnessed I wasn't always the best manager.  People are the most difficult element of the business but have also found out, the most rewarding. 

3) Train Well and Give Trust

Once we train our employees through many years of trail and error, we hand over the torch.  I am forgiving of mistakes and make sure everyone is aware that I make them too.  We can all learn from each other and see where we can all grow. But giving them all the opportunity to take ownership of their work has been the most rewarding part of this all.

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Above images are of an arrangement made by our Jr. Designer, Maxine Hu.  She's been an instrumental part in making this year a successful one! 

hydrangea and roses - we've given an old classic a little facelift

Are you a hydrangea and roses type of gal? We are here for you, to love you and support you through your supper traditional sometimes overlooked flower love.  Why overlooked? Well, us flower designers love working with product that is more exotic than something that can be found at the grocery.  But I am here to tell you that I LOVE hydrangea and roses.  

It might be thought of traditional and needing to be in a pave (compact) style.  Where you will see the ever so popular lollipop shape tall arrangement or the shorter compact tight arrangement.  I am here to show the world that we are no longer tied to these shapes.  

We must move forward and show the that are not limited to what has been done before while keeping to our Southern ways.  In the Deep South we love our hydrangea and roses, am I right ladies? But we can always venture to give this super traditional look a little face lift.

Here is one I created to day to show you that hydrangea and roses are not only gorgeous, but worthy of a modern touch.  We allow our roses to bloom largely and arrange them in such a way that they have more movement and interest. Styling them so they all have their individual space in the arrangement and ultimately giving them each a moment of their own to enjoy. 

Secrets to making this happen:

1) Allow your roses to bloom fully.  This might take longer that you think. Average rose vase life is roughly 10 days.

2) Think about the shape before you make it.  Have an idea in your mind where you are going.  Even take a moment to draw a quick sketch.

3) Take images of your own work, and edit while photographing. Then study those images.  See what small tweaks you made that made the biggest change in design.

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be around the light bringers

I read this some where and shamefully say that I have no clue where it came from.  I knew I needed to save it and meditate on it.  This quote leads my life.  

Be around the light bringers,

the magic makers, the world shifters,

the game shakers. 

They challenge you, break you open,

uplift you and expand you.

  They don't let you play small with your life. 

These heartbeats are your people. 

These people are your tribe.

I absolutely adore my creative community.  They energize me, motivate me and drive me to do more than I ever thought was possible.  My competitors keep me on my toes while my vendor friends keeping pushing me to do more.  I need this like I need air to breath.

Their drive is contagious, their vision demands attention. I am severely passionate about my work and love those that feel the same about theirs. 

These images bellow are from Simon Ly Photography. He reached out and asked for a last minute bouquet.  When he calls you answer.  He's a up and coming fine art photographer who is grinding away and creating is own path to success.  He exemplifies the quote above and found it so relevant to share the images he sent over. 

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Vendors that were involved:

1) Hair and Makeup: Adorne Artistry

2)Shoes:  Bella Belle Shoes

3) Model: Ava Galindo 

summer colorful flowers - bringing bright colors to your event

These hot Summer days inspire us to bring out the bold, colorful mixes.  In our last post we mentioned how to use colors in your events. In this post we wanted to give another example of how we use these analogous color tones to create a sophisticated color palate.  Adding too many colors can sometimes cheapen the aesthetic, while keeping the colors in the same family can elevate.  

While we stay inside the same color tones we add interest in the textures we use.  This also allows the eyes to see all the textures and keeps the arrangement from looking messy.   

Here's a bouquet and it's sister arrangement we made to help demonstrate this concept.

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top 4 ways to add color to your event

Adding color can be tricky.  Particularly with flower colors and availability.  There are so many variables with flowers that adding specific tones is super tricky.  This is the main reason you will see our portfolio covered with white and green flowers. You are guaranteed an abundance of variation and quality being that ordering white flower... you will always get white.

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We suggest adding color through a variety of different ways that are guaranteed to be stylish and easy.

1) Fabric: add colorful linens or napkins.  This is where your design can get moody, bright, cheerful and fun. It can go in so many different directions giving you such control of making a unique event

2) Paper: menu, thank you notes, welcome sign etc. Not only can the paper color choices set the tone, but the font of the text can set the atmosphere as well.  Take all these elements into consideration for your day.

3) Candles: taper candles, and pillar candles.  Have to admit I am loving the color tones that we can add with candles.  We are no longer limited by ivory and white candles. Add those tones that are hard to find in flowers through candles.

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4) Flowers: stay in a monochromatic color tones. Don't venture to mixing too many tones... Why? Flower colors don't always translate the way we wish... I order hot pink, I might get coral... I have ordered fuchsia and someone translated that to purple. We deal with these type of issues all the time.  Give us a general idea of where you want to be.... Bright tones with orange and hot pink... Muted tones with purples and mauves.  And we will select analogous tones that marry the colors together.

5 common flower mistakes brides make and how to avoid them

Over the past 8 years we have seen some consistent mistakes that we believe are totally avoidable and once explained will completely make sense.  We will outline what the mistakes are but also give easy, practical ways to avoid them and correct them.  So here we go, let's dive in:

Mistake # 1: I can DIY the flowers 

Ok this is an easy one, don't do it. There are so many other times in life you can have fun with flowers. Baby showers, bridal showers, brunch, mother's day... but your wedding day?  I would say is a big fat NO. How to correct this mistake, allow your friends and family to help with other tasks if you need to redirect them.  Create your wedding shower flowers, this will give you an idea of how messy, how much hard work, and how expensive flowers really are. 

Mistake # 2: Not budgeting enough money

How much do you budget?  We suggest that a floral centric event should budget anywhere from $35-$75 a person.  Please note that this is a person that puts flowers as one of their top priorities in their wedding. You are a flower fan and want flowers to be a focus of the event. If you have a budget less than suggested, take a look at Mistake # 4 for solutions to stretch your budget.

Mistake # 3: Expecting a certain flower

We see brides coming in so hopeful that a particular flower will be available for their event.  Peonies are not available all year around, I am sorry.  And even in the middle of their season, all the following issues can arise: delayed shipment, held at customs, flower quality not to par with our standards, flower farmer thought you said red not pink, flower cooler froze over night due to the electrical outage in the building. You guys I could go on and on.  We deal with a perishable item that has many of hundreds of miles to cross and more variables than I can possibly mention in one blog post.  Solution: be flexible, tell your designer what aesthetic you like, find a designer you trust and allow them to find the best blooms the season/farmers have to offer.

Mistake # 4: Putting flowers everywhere

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If your budget can't afford it, don't do it.  We guide our clients to make sure we use their budget to the best of our ability.  Let's make some statement pieces, let's have the bridesmaids carry a simple bouquet, remove those ceremony flowers and let's focus on where the party will be for most of the night.  Make simple adjustments that will allow your budget to be focused and purposeful.  We are a purpose driven design company that will make sure your whole budget will be seen and felt through out your event. 

Mistake # 5: Not allowing your designer to take the wheel

This is what we do for a living. We have our 10,000hrs in flowers. We live for this and have found our passion in flowers.  Find that designer that your trust and give them the wheel.  Just like anything in our lives, if we feel micromanaged, we are more likely to feel less valued and honored in any process.  We give up our weekends, birthdays, graduations, and so many special holidays for our clients.  We wouldn't do this if we didn't take severe pride in what we do and promise that we will do our very best to make this the most special moment.  We feel so inspired by our client's trust.

 

the journey of photographing flowers

I am so endlessly grateful that I love photography.  It has elevated my business and made marketing our work so much easier. But it has been a long bumpy road with many mistakes along the way. 

We have absolutely love our photographers and how many amazing images they get for us on the event days.  But can we have a moment of truth and remember that we are not their client, at least not on someone else's event day. We have to honor the client-vendor relationship they built and not have any expectations for images of our work.

That being said, we need images of our work. We not only showcase this work to our future clients but also take time to look back on our work and make improvements. Photography is the keystone to what makes our business so successful.  It's an element of this business that I had no clue would need so much attention and curating as it needs.  And to be honest I have fallen madly in love with it.

I am not going to lie, I thought it was going to be much easier that it has been.  My gosh, picking out my next camera took me over two years to decide on.  And still wonder if I made the right decision. Finally when needing to choose some lenses I ended up making a rash decision and choosing two super expensive lenses... that I do not regret purchasing. But OUCH! I will be recovering from that one for a while.

Here are some images from a recent arrangement.  These images were taken on a day where I had time to slow down and appreciate the time it takes to learn and make it happen.  

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