Beach Theme Wedding

This Memorial Day weekend, we did a beautiful beach themed wedding at Calamigos Ranch in Malibu. Using a tailored palette of white and green with accents of black, shells and white starfish were incorporated throughout the decor as a unifying element. Starfish were hung from ribbon across the top of the gazebo, which added a magical and whimsical touch. Read more

Client Testimonial 5/20/08

Dear Joyce,

I wanted to thank you for everything on Sunday. I have to say I have never seen anything more beautiful than the flower arrangements you did. I must have gotten 50 compliments and I kept saying I picked a great florist.

I will be sure to recommend you and if I ever have another party and need flowers, I will be in touch.

Warm regards,

Marla Gerstenblatt

Birthday Party Flowers For A Man

One of the required elements of setting a fabulous table is designing the overall look and feel with a unified theme in mind. For this intimate dinner party, celebrating a gentleman’s birthday, we designed a simple and elegant floral table treatment consisting of rich, warm colors and masculine flowers.

A series of glass troughs lined with striped Ginger leaf and filled with black Calla lilies and yellow Pincushion Protea dominated the center of the table. Natural wood Chivari chairs complemented the rich caramel linens and hemstitch napkins. Elegant stemware, votive candles with gold scrollwork and soft lighting completed the ambiance.

Here we show Anna working on the design in our studio. Having a series of arrangements designed to look as one long one is a fun way to make a bold statement for a long table. At the end of the evening, the flowers can be separated and the guests can take home the individual arrangements.

A Pink Gorilla For Mother’s Day

Picture the scene…..a flower shop buzzing with activity the day before Mother’s Day….phone ringing….designer’s hustling and bustling around, filling all the orders….what would be truly surreal at this moment? How about a PINK GORILLA!? How about a pink gorilla singing “You Are the Wind Beneath My Wings”?

In a truly inspired maneuver, Laurel’s daughter Wendy sent her a singing telegram to the shop for Mother’s Day. As you can imagine, Laurel didn’t know whether to laugh, cry, or stand there stupefied, so she did a little bit of each.

We’ll be posting a link to the YouTube video once it goes up…stay tuned!

The True Meaning of Mother’s Day

It comes around every year at this time…Mother’s Day. But what does it mean, really? It is a day honoring mothers, imported from Britain by social activist Julia Ward Howe, intended as a call to unite women against war (after the American Civil War.)

The holiday was declared officially by some states beginning in 1912. In 1914 President Woodrow Wilson declared the first national Mother’s Day, as a day for American citizens to show the flag in honor of those mothers whose sons had died in war. According to the National Restaurant Association, Mother’s Day is now the most popular day of the year to dine out at a restaurant in the United States.

Being a Mother is the most life-altering, difficult and important task many women will undertake. We should all acknowledge the tremendous self-sacrifice, wisdom and generosity of spirit it requires to be a good mother. Happy Mother’s Day.

Wedding Trends 2008

The wedding season is underway and I’m seeing more creativity and out-of-the-box thinking than ever before with our brides this year. From color palettes to wedding day themes and special touches, weddings are becoming ever more personalized and meaningful. Here are our top 2008 wedding trends:

1. Bold Colors

Brides are choosing a bigger variety of colors than ever before, from bold and sexy reds to burnished copper and amber. Although the white wedding remains a classic, more brides are putting their own twist with hits of black and apple green with white, or shocks of color in unexpected places – like a fuschia sash on their wedding gown.

2. Dramatic Lighting

Whether through hundreds of votive candles hanging from tree branches over the ceremony area, dramatic washes of color on the ballroom walls, or crystal chandeliers under the chuppah, brides are realizing the importance of creating ambiance through lighting. Candles of any shape and size remain the gold standard for romantic lighting, but we’re also seeing great props like disco balls, ice cube lights and illuminated tables becoming more common.

3. Gardenias

Originally introduced into popular culture by the Jazz singer Billie Holiday, who wore white gardenias in her hair, Gardenias originated in Eastern Asia and the western parts of China, Japan and Taiwan. Gardenias have long been associated with love and romance and are finding their way into more and more weddings. Whether in the bride’s hair or bouquet, worn as a corsage, or even covering a wedding arch, their incredibly sweet fragrance and creamy petals are making a huge comeback.

4. Organic Elements

Earth-friendly weddings are becoming de riguer. Some brides are choosing to have exclusively organic blooms in their bouquets and centerpieces, others are asking for donations to be made to organizations like Greenpeace, Heal the Bay or The Sierra Club in lieu of gifts. Why not have your invitations printed on recycled paper or have your florist donate all the leftover flowers to your city’s Green Waste program for mulching? Another popular ideas is having centerpieces such as lavender plants or succulent gardens that will be taken home by guests and live indefinitely.

5. Open Seating

Whether because of strained relations between in-laws, a desire for a more casual vibe than the typical wedding, or just because “we don’t like that”, assigned seating is not always the choice for this year’s couples. This works well in an informal setting, like a restaurant or friend’s home, or if you have a primarily younger crowd. But in more formal settings (such as a country club or upscale hotel) or with larger weddings, it can become a bit confusing for guests who are looking for direction. To avoid confusion, make sure to have someone in charge of informing your guests as they enter the reception area that seating is open.