Pink and Orange Wedding Flowers in Savannah

I just returned to DC from Savannah where I was working on a lovely Spring wedding. I have some projects lined up for the blog, but here's some of the beautiful work from some of my favorite floral designers in Savannah, A to Zinnias. Saw my first fluffy peonies of the summer and they made me happy. Natalie and Heidi make a great bouquet! And these dark pink hydrangea were stunning.

In Season - Cherry Blossoms

I've been very busy preparing to travel to Savannah for a wedding this weekend. I'm about to push off for the long drive, but thought I'd share a little bit Washington DC's spring before I go! Every day there is a new Cherry Blossom tree in bloom! I can't wait to see the city when I get back next week.

Floral Faux Pas - Feminine Mystique or Mistake

At first glance, maybe it's a a ghostly figure with arms outstreched for an embrace? But wait, what is that cottage-cheesy stuff? Does the ghost have "bye-bye" arms?! Oh, man! Arm fat follows you to the hereafter?!

Ooooh, no. It's not a ghost at all! It's a uterus.

Hey, I'm pro-woman and agree that the ability to carry a child and give birth is one of the greatest things there is. I hope that my uterus is just as pretty and welcoming to future children as the one depicted here in a ceramic state. But I don't want to put flowers in it. How about you?

Uterus Vase

Spring Centerpiece - Ranunculus, Alstromeria, Trachelium and ??

The Spring Centerpiece for my dinner with friends was a learning experience! That is the point of this blog though. Right? Here are some teaching points it provided:

• It took A LOT of flowers to get a full look. The Ranunculus could have used another day to open (though they probably look great now).
• I spilled water all over myself while bringing the centerpiece to my friend Sara's house! Next time I will add water AT the destination, and possibly use floral foam when the arrangement will be traveling.
• Cats love flowers...who knew! My dog could not care less.

The Trachelium looks like Broccoli in the pictures! The "??" in the post title refers to the twigs sticking out. Are they baby Pussy Willow? If you know, I'd love to hear from you! It was mixed in with the Ranunculus from Wollam Gardens.

The curious cat is Mr. Henry Kerr - he gave the centerpiece a little nibble and pat, but did no serious damage.

And here it is with our delicious dinner - which was Cod in a Sack with Fennel and Onion, if you were curious.

Spring Centerpiece - The Materials

It's a sunny spring day here in the District, so I walked down the hill to Georgetown to check out some of the great antique stores and find a container for the centerpiece I'm making for our dinner tonight with some friends. I had a silver footed bowl in mind, and everything that I saw at the antique stores was a bit pricey or larger than I wanted (which would be pricey to fill). I decided to try Pottery Barn, instead and found exactly what I was looking for!

Chancellor Snack Bowl

It was only $15 and apparently it would work for snacks too. What a deal.

As for the floral supplies, I am excited to be working with these local Ranunculus. I purchased them from Wollam Gardens' table at the Dupont Circle FRESHFARM Market on Sunday. I also have a few other fillers from Whole Foods , but I plan on the Ranunculus being the stars. Once again, please excuse the pictures! These are even worse - they're from my blackberry phone! Must get new camera...

In Bloom at Target - Liberty of London!

When I was in London a few years ago, I could've spent an entire day in Liberty - mostly just looking through the amazing fabric department. I am really excited about the Liberty of London for Target line - almost all of it - but out of self-preservation I don't expect to own any of it. The good designer lines go quickly and are sparsely stocked at my local store. Looking it over online, it all of its floral glory, may have to have been enough for me. Here are some favorites!

Tunic Swim Cover-up
Maynard Large Canister

Sixty Melamine Platter

Decorative Pillow

I may check out Target tomorrow anyway...just in case.

Floral Faux Pas - Songbird no more...

I can't imagine it's a happy tune that this Ceramic Bird Whistle Vase is a-hummin'. He just looks uncomfortable - craning his little neck, choking down those sad stems! If I were him I'd spit them out and fly away.

Need Not Apply...

Sometimes I'm REALLY surprised by the tone people use when writing job descriptions! Here is a little gem from a job listing for a flower farm in MD:

Martha Stewart wannabes need not apply - this is work.

Period. This is work. I think Martha would be insulted by this. She may be many things, but I don't think anyone can accuse her of not being a hard worker! Have you seen her farms?

It should just say - "Back breaking labor! Don't bother if you care about flowers at all or plan to get any further satisfaction from this job besides a hard day's work in the hot sun!"

Sign me up?

My First Bouquet - Hydrangea, Alstromeria, Mum and Solidago

My supplies thrived overnight and I set out to make my first bouquet around mid-morning. I was a little bit stressed, because I really DO NOT underestimate floral designers. As a wedding planner, I've worked with a lot of talented designers and never ever encouraged a bride toward DIY wedding flowers and other such misadventures in added stress. I take this seriously. If I didn't I would just call myself a floral designer and start marketing myself as such right now.

I still probably did exactly what a DIY bride would do though - I looked on Martha Stewart Weddings and did a google search about making bouquets. I didn't find the tutorials very helpful, as they were not really specific, and only involved roses. The one piece of advice that I did glean is that it's best to make small bunches and then bunch those together - bunches become bouquet, voila.

I would normally like to show pictures of the process, but I had to use my husband's iphone camera (real camera still at the bottom of Gulf of Mexico), so I only have the finished product. But I will tell you this about the process - I started once and had some issues with the shape of the hydrangea bunches, so I took it all apart and started to make Turkey Chili out of ADD tendencies and frustration. I tried again once the chili was simmering and was successful! I held the raw, finished bunch up for my husband - who was working from home - and must have looked pretty proud because he said, "I want to be doing what you're doing. You look so happy!" And that about sums up the experience.

Here is the first completed shot, sans ribbon, in my kitchen. I just used floral tape to keep it together. Not a great background and the light is weird - I should take some photography classes.

And here she is, clipped and wrapped. I found the best natural light is on my bedside table, so I had to play with the angles to not include my unmade bed in the shots (for shame!).

I've put her in a Ball jar for safe, hydrated keeping and have been moving it around from room to room because I like looking at it. I wish I had a dining room table...or a bride who could walk around after me holding it.

Finally, I'm happy to report that after being manhandled, laid down, re-positioned and kept overnight, it is still in great condition!

My First Bouquet - The Supplies

I felt like a beauty queen walking down Wisconsin Avenue yesterday afternoon with a big bunch of flowers on my arm, despite my sweaty gym clothes - that is the power of flowers.

I was out of town this weekend so I couldn't go to any of the wonderful farmers' markets we have here in Washington, DC to pick up local blooms. So, instead, I stopped at the Glover Park Whole Foods - they usually have a great selection as far as grocery stores go. Also, Whole Foods certifies their flowers through VeriFlora and their own "Whole Trade" standards, so you know that what you are getting is grown and harvested sustainably, humanely, et cetera. They also sell local flowers that are in season.

I thought about the offerings for a few minutes and then decided to not overthink my selection and chose a bunch of white Hydrangea (5 stems for $12.99 was a deal), and white Alstromeria, purple Football Mums and yellow Solidago Aster Flowers (all part of the everyday 3 for $12 deal at Whole Foods).

I put them all in a vase with water and antibacterial plant food for the night. I thought about trying the bouquet in the evening because I wasn't sure how the Hydrangea would do overnight (I'm still learning). But, as it happens, I had to go out for sushi instead. Results tomorrow!

A Clumsy Start...

Welcome! I planned to begin this blog today, my first day back from a vacation in Key West, FL - a little relaxtion before I move full speed ahead toward the floral future. I even had some great vacation pictures to use for the inaugural post! We stumbled upon an Orchid Show in Key West and I took a million shots of the most surprisingly amazing orchids I've ever seen (I don't really like the traditional orchids we usually see). Alas, the following day I clumsily lost my camera over the side of a sailboat in the Gulf of Mexico and these images sleep with the fishes.

I don't dislike orchids. But my favorite flowers are the softer-looking varieties, and orchids generally have a more solid and structural look. At the orchid show, however, there were a lot of soft blooms. I found some examples on flickr to make up for my lack of original images...

source

Paphiopedilum (lady slipper orchid), source

I guess what it comes down to is, when it comes to orchids, I like it when they break free of the clean lines and curves and do a lil' ruffle!