I have been having some fun by learning to be creative in a different direction- photography. One of my best friends is an amazing wedding photographer and she is mentoring me. The other day I went with her to a wedding to act as her second shooter. As I was done unloading the cameras, she came over to me and whispered, “Don’t tell them you are a florist.” Why? Because there was a major floral disaster happening in the kitchen of the bride’s home and my friend did not want to lose her second shooter if they enlisted me to help fix the problems.

We have all heard about it and in some cases, seen it. The DIY trend come home to roost. In this wedding’s case it was an Aunt that was a retired “florist”. I do not know what her background was, how long she was in the floral business or how long she was out of it, but this lady should have never undertaken the job of wedding day floral designer.
Some of the atrocities committed on this wedding:

Bridal bouquet had gerbera daisies wired down the stem with the wire sticking out of the bottom was snagging her dress. Brown and wilted callas. Phalaenopsis orchids clumsily wired into the bouquet were wilted and dead. Stem of the bridal bouquet was so large it resembled a “trunk”. Ribbon that was supposed to be ivory was yellow.

Bridesmaids bouquets had wire sticking out of the bottom of the stems. The red ribbon used to wrap the bouquets was not color fast and bled red dye all over their hands.

Flower girls’ headbands, had flowers sticking about 7 inches off the tops of their heads.  Head band kept flopping off their heads and covering their eyes. The flower girls were given red rose petals to sprinkle down the aisle of the church. The red rose petals were crushed into the beige carpet leaving awful burgundy stains all over the church’s aisle.

Corsages were cymbidium orchids on the stem with a couple of pieces of sword fern just clamped into an elastic wrist-lette. The metal clamp and mechanics were exposed. The orchids broke off (because nothing was holding them in). Boutonnieres were roses with the blunt cut of the rose stem showing wrapped partially in ribbon secured with a pin that painfully stabbed anyone that hugged the guys.

At the reception each table was decorated differently (all 15 of them) with no sense of continuity (ended up looking like a garage sale). Large arrangements right in the guest’s line of sight. The water in vases were murky and cloudy.

Seeing all of this first hand really brought home how it is the little problems that can really add up and use up time on a day that is already short on time and so charged with emotion.

You can buy a book or watch a You Tube video to learn how to arrange flowers.  But what about all of the other little things?  Things a special event floral designer with years of experience knows how to avoid.

To spite all my advice I can understand why some brides will still go forward thinking they can design their own wedding flowers.  Saving money is usually the deciding factor.  I often advise budget brides to make their own centerpieces from items that can be put together well in advance of the wedding (Plants or candles are great choices for easy centerpieces) and have a reputable floral designer put together all of the personal flowers.

Are you unswayed or do you agree?  Will you be putting together your own wedding flowers?

Aren’t these pictures amazing?  Gorgeous images from a photo shoot I designed the flowers for a couple of years ago. Rachelle Photography is off the hook!

Hayley and Martyn’s wedding was an amazing early springtime event held at David Girard Vineyards in Coloma, Ca.  I loved, loved, loved their wedding.  Not only were Hayley and Martyn the dreamiest couple, their wedding flowers and color palette made me swoon.  I love bright colors at weddings.  Something about bright and  punchy colors just say “We are crazy in love with each other and want everyone to know it!”

Hayley and Martyn’s wedding and reception was originally supposed to take place out side in the vineyards under the stars.  But mother nature had other ideas when she would not turn off the rain.   Presto-chango we brought the springtime inside the tent at David Girard Vineyards.  Colorful draping and lanterns, gorgeous up-lighting, flickering candles and bright, colorful flowers kept the gray skies at bay.

Hayley wanted her bouquet to be designed in softer colors than the rest of the flowers used in the wedding decor.  So bright orange became champagne and hot pink became a soft shell pink.  I love the idea of turning down the bright colors used elsewhere in the wedding when designing the bridal bouquet.  The bouquet is still a lovely nod to the traditional bridal look with a touch of color.

Hayley and Martyn’s wedding brought together some of my favorite Sacramento wedding professionals.

Laurie Schmalzel did an amazing job coordinating very last detail.  She is a super woman!  She didn’t let the rain get in the way of producing an amazing event.  From the big picture- like last minute change ups because of weather to the smallest detail- a basket of warm blankets if the guest should get chilly Laurie handled it all like the pro she is.

Mike Regan with Mr. Dj was on hand spinning the music that kept all the guests happy and dancing.  He is the master of reading the crowd and knowing how to get the party started.

Rev. Jeri Murphy was the lovely officant for Hayley and Martyn’s wedding.  When you first meet Jeri you just sense her sweet and loving nature.  She  is such a wonderful person.  She cares deeply about each and every couple she marries and creates a ceremony for that couple that is personal and meaningful.

Shana of Make-up by Shana did Hayley’s make-up.  She looked amazing!  Not that it takes much to make Hayley gorgeous.  I love Shana- she has done my make-up for several head shots and I always come out looking like a better version of myself.

All Seasons All Reasons Catering was in the kitchen turning out some crazy delicious food. Fresh, seasonal food is what they create so very well.  When they are in the house I am bummed that the florist never gets to sit at the vendor table for dinner.

Ingrid Fraser Cakes made the super cute mini cakes for Hayley and Martyn.  Ingrid’s cakes are always delicious, tasty and perfectly decorated.

Larry and team of Photography by Labrot were on hand to capture the day.  They caught all the special details and emotions unobtrusively.  The happy, quiet and fun moments shone so wonderfully through their images.

Judy and Mitzi at David Girard Vineyards are always such a joy to work with.  The ceremony and reception sites at David Girard have the most amazing views.  Ask Judy to make her Peach Sangria at your wedding.  You can thank me later.

Occasionally I get questions about delivery and set-up for the flowers on the wedding day.  What is involved with the delivery and set-up?  How long does it take for you to service a wedding on the day of the event? Why am I being charged separate fees for delivery and set-up, transfer of the ceremony flowers to the reception and the pick up rental decor items after the event?  I want to address each question:

What is involved with delivery and set-up?

There are so many aspects to correctly servicing an event.  From the right way to pack a vehicle so the flowers and decor items do not get ruined, to what emergency tools to have on hand.  A few of the little things we pride our selves on are: instructing the bride on how to hold her bouquet, pinning the bridal party’s boutonnieres and corsages so they look great in pictures, being on time for the delivery. But most of all we pride ourselves on our clean, quick and professional work ethic.   There a million little things we handle on wedding day that add up to an event that is perfectly excuted with as little stress as possible on the bride and groom.

How long does it take for you to service a wedding on the day of the event?**

This was my delivery and set up time line for a wedding with approximately $3,900. worth of flowers at Wine and Roses Hotel in Lodi, Ca.  The ceremony that took place at 6:00pm.  I had a team of three people, including myself, that day.

1:00pm- Pack delivery vehicles with wedding flowers and decor

2:00pm- Leave for delivery

2:45pm- Arrive on site to start off loading flowers and decor items into the ballroom

2:45- Start set-up of reception decor in the ballroom.  Includes centerpiece set-up, head table decor, mantle candles and escort card table decor

3:00pm- Shannon delivers bouquets, flower girl flowers, corsages and boutonnieres to the bride’s hotel room.  Show bride and bridesmaids the best way to hold the bouquets.  Pin corsages and boutonnieres on Mother of the bride, Father of the bride and other family members.  Place flowers in flower girl’s hair.

3:30pm- Shannon joins delivery team to continue ballroom set-up

4:00pm- Shannon delivers boutonnieres and corsages to the groom’s hotel room.  Pin boutonnieres and corsages on the groom, groomsmen, ring bearer, Mother of the Groom, Father of the groom and other family members

4:00pm- Delivery team decorates ceremony area.  Decorate arch, place pillars and large arrangements, decorate aisle chairs and sprinkle petals down the aisle.

5:00pm- Shannon and delivery team continue ballroom decor. Decorate the cake with flowers.  Polish glass of all set-up vases.  Help light candles.  Make final pass through the room to make sure everything is perfectly set-up.

6:30pm- Move arch flowers, large arrangements and aisle decor into the ballroom to be re-used as reception decor.  Position flowers in ballroom according to decor plan.

7:00pm- Delivery team leaves.

11:00pm- Two delivery personnel return to breakdown centerpieces and other decor.  Retrieve rental decor items.

12:00pm- Wedding complete.

**Worth noting:  Set up and delivery become extremely tricky if the pictures, the ceremony and the reception are all held at different venues.  In that case I usually have extra team members to make sure the flowers and decor are delivered and ready to go when and where they are required.

Why am I being charged separate fees for delivery and set-up, transfer of the ceremony flowers to the reception and pick-up of rental decor items after the event?

You can see the amount of work and time that goes into servicing a wedding.  I like my couples to see every charge as a line item on their invoice.  So I break down all the day-of service charges so they can see exactly what is involved in the cost of their wedding flowers.  If I did not break out the services charges I would need the hide these charges in the cost of the flowers because I could not possibly absorb the the cost of servicing a wedding (labor, fuel, wear and tear) and still be business.  I prefer to be upfront with my brides and grooms about exactly where their dollars are going.

Many of my couples will choose to have a family member transfer the ceremony flowers to the reception and/or return the rented decor items to us.  If the transfer and the breakdown are simple going this route is a great way to save some money on the bottom line.  Because our invoices are detailed out with each service item being a separate line couples can pick and choose the services they feel fit their event and situation the best.

Images by Sharpe Photography (isn’t Kara gorgeous?)

Last Saturday the family and I headed over to the Sacramento City Historic Cemetery to take a tour of the grounds.  We were able to follow one of the volunteers as she took us around to point out some California pioneer history.

I was fascinated as I looked at the tombstones of the men and women who followed their dreams of a better life for themselves and their families.  Their life spans were short and filled with trails. Disease, natural disasters and criminal intent claimed many lives.

The memorials are  amazing in and of themselves.  The details and symbolism included in the carvings had my imagination running wild.  The Old City Cemetery volunteers are offering a tour titled “Symbology and Victorian Funerary” on May 1, 2010 at 10am.  I would love to take this tour but I have two weddings on the books for that day.

Also worth checking out is the Rose Sale and tour held once a year at the cemetery.  I have taken this fascinating tour and it is a wonderful way to spend a Saturday morning.  You are educated on the antique and pioneer rose varieties growing in the cemetery as you stroll the grounds.  The volunteers also offer rose bushes for sale to benefit their programs.  The roses are grown from cuttings of the plants in the cemetery.  This year the event is on April 17th.

Of course, I could not resist photographing the few blooming flowers and plants.  I love the picture of the Forget-me-nots that were planted on one of the graves.  My romantic imagination conjured an image of a Victorian lady planting this small and delicate tribute to her one and only love.

I am so impressed by the volunteers’ efforts to restore and maintain the Old City Cemetery.  Take one of the tours.  I promise, it is so worthwhile!

Week two of our Sarah Maren love fest!  Sarah sent us these pictures from Jill and Jacob’s wedding and I squealed when I opened the files.  Sad but true.

Jill and Jacob’s wedding took place this past October at The Vizcaya in Sacramento, Ca.  When Jill met with me for the first time and she told me about her color palette of red, ivory and aqua I was thrilled!  what a fun color combination.  Since there are no true aqua colored flowers we brought the color in with the use of ribbon and tinted water.  Can I just say I loved Jill’s Cake?  Fun, fun, fun!

Here are some of the pictures I took at the Belladonna Bridal’s open house in Sacramento, Ca.  We had so much fun!  There were a lot of brides and a few grooms in attendance.  It was a really relaxed and casual evening.  The attendees had a chance to taste some treats, sip some champagne, win some great prizes and preview some gorgeous dresses.

The grand prize winner walked away with over $1500. in discounts from the wedding professionals that were featured at the open house!  Lucky bride!

Featured businesses were:

Belladonna Bridal

Flourish

Memory Journalists

Sugar and Spice

Grape Video

Taylor James

Village Cake Shoppe

Dynamite Weddings

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