Flourish - Wedding Flowers & Floral Design, Florist

Candle Bargins at Michael's

If you know me well you know I love to shop. I love the thrill of the hunt. I have even been known to call my brides from the store (yes- brides o' mine I have your numbers saved in my phone) when I see a decor item on clearance that would be perfect for their wedding.

Today I was at Michael's. They are clearing out their spring and summer items.

Awesome deals on pillar candles! .99 for the three inch pillar and 1.99 for a six inch pillar. All their cute spring/summer colors are the on markdown.

The picture above is from a wedding I did last spring. The bride's mother received one of my famous in-store calls. They dressed the candle up with a twist of ribbon and a pretty pin and viola (!) they had a gorgeous centerpiece.

Have Fun!!!

Image by Andrea's Images

Labels: Andrea's Images, Bargins, candles, Sacramento, Sacramento wedding flowers, Sacramento weddings

What's in your toolbox?

I am inspired by another post I just read by Kristin over at Wedding Bee Pro. How cool to read some of the things that go into her toolbox.

I have been designing flowers for about 20 years. But still every event teaches me something new. Over the years I have learned so many tricks and tips that I could write a book! My toolbox list has developed from many, many events and many, many mishaps, problems, Oops and "Oh No's!".

Here is a look at what my tool box looks like. I like the open tool bag better than the traditional tool box because I can grab the needed tool and run. I can also see everything at a glance.

Now for the list:

FLORAL TOOLS:
2- clippers
1- knife
1- scissors
1- pliers
1- wire cutters
glue gun and glue sticks
rubber bands (great for gathering fabric)
Pipe cleaners (all purpose fastener)
Cable ties (I was once told "If it can't be fixed with duct tape and cable ties; it isn't worth fixing.")
Green floral wire
Corsage and boutonniere pins
Floral Tape
Water proof tape
Greening pins
Thin black ribbon (for boutonnieres)
Thin ivory ribbon (for corsages)
Adhesive clay (for sticking arrangements to the top of containers)
Floral glue (special glue that glues flowers with out damaging them)

CLEANING SUPPLIES:
Lint roller (Great for getting little bits of flowers and greens off linens)
Windex wipes (I am super picky about finger prints on vases and candle glass)
Polish wipes (Great for getting finger prints off metal vases and containers)
Garbage bags (flowers create and HUGE mess)
Tide to go pen (works wonders)
Clorox bleach pen
Shout wipes
Baby wipes (good for getting the dirt and grime off linens)

MISCELLANEOUS SUPPLIES:
3M hooks (they are wonderful for hanging items and not leaving a residue)
Clamps (the rubber tipped clamps are fab for attaching fabric to structures with out damage)
White out (In a pinch White Out will cover bruising on white flower petals with out causing further damage to the flower)
Candle Stick-um (Holds candles in holders)
Suction hooks (for hanging wreaths or flowers on glass doors)
Quarters (Parking meters eat quarters)
Double sided tape
Scotch tape
Low candle holders (for when the couple forgets the holders for their unity candle)
Water tubes
Glue Dots
Long lighter
Off- set spatula (great for repairing the icing on a wedding cake)

Labels: Sacramento, Sacramento florist, Sacramento wedding flowers, Sacramento weddings, wedding tips

Highlights from David and Sarah

I recieved a link to a highlights reel today. I designed the flowers for David and Sarah last year.

Take a look:

David and Sarah at Le Rivage

Thanks Jensen Video!

Labels: bridal bouquets, centerpieces, decor, fall, Le Rivage Hotel, Sacramento, Sacramento florist, Sacramento wedding flowers

Wedding decor A to Z- Budget

Series of topics about wedding decor, planning and trends categorized A to Z.

B is for Budget- Everyone has a budget. Budgets can be large or small, realistic or unrealistic, do-able or "No way!!" But I do not want to delve too deeply into the budget topic in this post. It would be too looooooong a post. Instead I thought it would be fun to offer some ideas for "fooling" the eye when it came to your floral budget (No- I am not going to tell you to choose flowers in season because haven't we all heard that little gem once too many??)

Have Fun!! Really- choose designs that are different, playful and interesting. Often times you can get a lot of "Wow" with out too much "Ow" when you are creative with your flower designs. Submerge flowers in a clear vase (pictured left) and float a candle on top. Instead of corsages give the all the honored women rings accented with flowers. Use candles floating in water instead of the more expensive pillar candles.

Recycle- Ask your friends and family (and friends of family) that were recently married if they have vases, candles or other items you can use in your wedding decor. Often times they are happy to get rid of the boxes and free up space in their house. If not, just guilt them into giving you the stuff.

Reuse- I love to re-purpose the flowers from the ceremony to decorate the reception. Some of my favorite ways to do this is: Use arch decor on the head table, use aisle flower clusters in posy cones to hang from wall sconces, aisle clusters can also be placed in short vases and used to decorate around the reception room, place large ceremony arrangements behind the cake table or head table. Pick up every single rose petal from the aisle and re-use them on the guest tables. Oh come on- I am just kidding about that last one. :)

Color- Use high impact color combinations. Hot pink, orange and lime green are going to give you a lot more visual decor than a room full of ivory and white flowers.

Image by Allison Stahl

Labels: Allison Stahl, Sacramento, Sacramento florist, Sacramento wedding flowers, wedding flower budget, wedding tips

Gosh- I am blushing!

Ubloom.com's blogger did a write up about our recent wedding flowers for Jonathan and Christy. I didn't even pay her to say such nice things about me!

By Lisa Luck

uBloom

uBloomer, Shannon Cosgrove-Rivas (Flourish) strikes again! This time, she created an exquisite, summertime wedding filled with fragrant English Garden Roses in pastel and muted tones, mixed with layers of unusual textural elements (some I had never seen before) that created interest and enhanced the ruffly roses and outdoor feel of the wedding.

Of course, I HAD to ask Shannon some questions about this wedding because I needed to know MORE about the elements she used to decorate the venue in an amazingly soft, lush and romantic style.

Shannon, tell me a little bit about the "look" and feel you were trying to create with this wedding for Jonathan and Christy.

The bride requested a really soft summery look with a touch of a vintage feel. When I think soft and vintage I think of ruffled and fragrant garden roses. I used Juliet and Patience roses (grown by Green Valley). Side note: When my usual Fed-Ex driver delivered the roses he comment on how good the boxes smelled. The roses have such a gorgeous scent.

You used some unusual elements in your designs, I’m really curious about them.

The wedding took place on the grounds of a private Victorian home in the small town of Clarksburg, Ca. The home overlooks vineyards and an off-shoot of the Sacramento river. My goal was to bring the surroundings into the floral designs. I ended up using quite a few field flowers. Fever Few, Tree of Heaven (the light green seed pods), Seeded Eucalyptus, Dusty Miller and Scented Geranium lent garden textures to the designs.

Share some of your thoughts on this wedding.

Christy was awesome at communicating the look she wanted. When we met she had put together a document with pictures showing flowers and designs she liked and a few she didn’t like. Once she knew I grasped what she was envisioning, she pretty much let me run with the flower choices. I love a client that trusts me. It really frees me up to do some of my best work. I am able to cruise the market and choose really fun flowers and textures to go with the wedding’s theme.

One of the things I really love about Shannon is that she has a natural talent and the enviable ability for coordinating floral materials, colors and textural elements to create an atmosphere that perfectly complements the brides dress, venue etc. Shannon interprets the brides vision in flowers in such a way that never ceases to WOW and AMAZE me (and many others). Her designs are full of well thought out details that make her work extraordinary and I LOVE how she takes many different floral elements and effortlessly arranges them together so that they always look perfectly natural, elegant and yet, always surprising.
To experience the "Flourish" style and a bit of summertime romance…check out Shannon’s Vintage Rose Wedding gallery.

Thanks Lisa- I love you (and uBloom), too!

Labels: Clarksburg, Sacramento, Sacramento florist, Sacramento wedding flowers, Sacramento weddings, uBloom

Valentine's Day flowers in Sacramento, CA

Flowers at Valentine's day are the classic gift choice. But what are the best flowers to give? Here are some fabulous ways to give your loved one an unforgettable floral gift:

Roses are the traditional Valentine floral gift. A dozen roses are usually arranged by a florist in a green vase with fern and baby's breath. Yawn... Ask the florist to spice up the rose's classic message of love by arranging them in a clear cylinder vase with gorgeous blooming quince branches, elegant bear grass, fresh and fragrant wax flower and dark green Italian ruscus. Sigh...I am about to swoon.

Parrot tulips are stunningly modern and at the same time romantically old fashioned. Made famous in the abundant paintings by the Dutch masters, tulips are a sure to amaze and impress even the most jaded Valentine. Ask your florist to arrange these long stemmed beauties simply in a clear glass vessel to make the most of their good looks.

Or you can call your favorite florist in Sacramento and ask the floral designer to choose the most fresh, wonderful and awe inspiring flowers they have in the shop. Designer's choice is a great way to get the most passionate flowers for your sweetheart.

Happy Valentine's Day!

Labels: florists, Sacramento, Valentines