Friday Flowers – Ana

November 4, 2011

Shortly after Tiffany and Troy’s wedding, I received a message from a girl named Ana who was interested in chatting with me about doing her wedding flowers. She was a friend of Tiffany’s so I was happy to find out more about what she wanted for her big day. She was incredibly sweet, full of spirit and I was thrilled to hear that she loved color and what she referred to as “happy flowers”. However, toward the end of our conversation, I was a taken aback when she told me that her wedding was in November of 2012, not 2011 as I’ve never had someone contact me that far in advance. She clarified that the reason for this was because she was undergoing chemotherapy for cancer she’d been diagnosed with the year before and just wasn’t sure when she would have good weeks and bad. She wanted everything set in stone so that she wasn’t enduring too much stress too close to the wedding. I was completely shocked to hear this as by the sound of her voice, I could have never guessed. She was just that vibrant, lovely and high spirited.

When I met with Ana in person about two months ago, she looked much worse than I’d anticipated. She was incredibly thin, but she was just as happy and full of life as she’d sounded on the phone. Her fiance accompanied her to our meeting and the two of them excitedly showed me around their venue and pointed out their favorite wedding flower clippings pasted to Ana’s inspiration board. Like most brides, she knew exactly what she wanted: Absolutely no roses except for one red rose on an empty chair for her father who had passed away from cancer the year before (because those had been his favorite) and tall vases with submerged tulips, orchids and floating Gerber daisies. I left the meeting excited, but concerned. She assured me she was doing just fine and she was excited to meet again this November to see a few samples.

On Monday, Tiffany called me to let me know Ana had passed away over the weekend at the age of 28, almost one year after her diagnosis and almost one year before her wedding day. When we hung up, I completely lost it. I’d hardly known her, but there was something really special about her. I wish I’d called her to check in two weeks ago before her condition worsened and I wish I’d had the chance to arrange her “happy flowers” for the happiest day of her life. Any age is too young to lose the battle to cancer, but 28 with so much life ahead is way, way too young.

In honor of Ana, I could think of nothing more appropriate than for this Friday Flowers to be happy flowers.

Wishing everyone the very best this weekend. Remember to smile at the little things, find joy in the journey, love with all your might and make every moment count.

Wedding Flowers

November 1, 2011

My cousin Mike recently asked the love of his life to marry him and I’m absolutely thrilled not only for their future together, but to be doing their wedding flowers next year 😉 YAY! I couldn’t think of a more splendid way to welcome Erin into our family and can’t wait for their big day (next September) which still seems way too far away to wait. Erin found a bouquet she fell in love with online, so when I was home recently for their engagement party, I decided to try to replicate it as much as possible and experimented with what will potentially be the perfect centerpieces for their autumn Northern Michigan vineyard nuptials. What do you think?!

Friday Flowers

September 23, 2011

There is nothing quite like the LA Flower Mart. Located at 8th and Wall Street, it’s the in heart of downtown adjacent to the hustle and bustle of the Fashion District. For someone who generally tries to steer clear of downtown Los Angeles, there is something so cheerful about the Flower Mart and it is truly a hidden gem in the city. I grabbed a few shots of blooms that were inspiring me while placing a few orders for upcoming events yesterday. Check out a few of my favorites below.

Happy Friday!

{I LOVED these fall colors! How gorgeous would a few sprigs of this be in a casual autumn bridal bouquet?}

{Always a fan of whimsical yellows. I used a little of this here}

{Coffee beans galore! It’s generally hard to find them in red (ripe) because those are saved for coffee making, but I think they’re just beautiful and was happy to see them yesterday morning}

{People either love or hate sunflowers and I totally understand either side, but to me they’re just so warm and cheerful. I love these colors!}

{Always a favorite… a sea of elegant ivory and green hydrangeas juxtaposed against fun, colorful gerber daisies. Heaven for the flower lover}

Mason Jars

August 4, 2011

Last week, I met with an absolutely lovely bride-to-be to chat about her wedding flowers. I was pleasantly surprised/ecstatic (shhh!) to hear that her centerpieces are comprised of rustic lanterns, some beachy wood pieces, framed pictures of the couple… and for the flowers, my favorite: Mason Jars. Don’t get me wrong, I love the look of classic white, varying centerpieces (like we did for Tiffany’s wedding as seen here), but there is such a timeless, cheerful simplicity about rustic mason jars that just makes me smile. Since her colors are navy blue, white and yellow, we’re going to stick with white and yellow flowers (with Billy Balls aplenty) and being that I had just pinned this for my own inspiration board a few weeks ago, I think I’m going to have quite a bit of fun! My meeting with Katie inspired me to dig out a few of my mason jars and put them to good use. Filled with bright sunflowers, they’re just the pick-me-up that I’ve needed this week.

Favorite Things

July 26, 2011

In today’s design world with inspiration readily at your fingertips and just a click away, it’s increasingly easy to become overwhelmed with options and potential projects. Every once-in-a-while, I find myself either waterlogged with design or frustrated with a venture that isn’t progressing fast enough. I’ve realized over time that whenever this happens, it’s important to take a step back and reflect on the things that I already have as well as the simple pleasures that always manage to put a smile on my face. Here are a few of my favorites that are currently warming my heart.