Laura and Chad's Ludlow's Island Wedding

As florists, we are essentially artists, and our chosen medium is a perishable and fragile product.   Individually we have our own style, and collectively we produce a beauty that is sometimes beyond words.  And while not everyone appreciates our "art", or likes our individual style....every once in a while someone walks into your business, and there is an immediate chemistry - an appreciation between artist and patron.  So it was with Laura and Chad - an absolutely delightful couple from Rogers, MN - who entrusted me to create the perfect wildflower compliment to their northern Minnesota outdoor wedding. 

They happened to stop in my shop during the dead of winter for a little "look - see", and they immediately liked what they saw, so we chatted about their upcoming nuptials and the vision they had for their rustic wedding.  The connection between our thoughts was almost instant.  All of the necessary details were hammered out in a series of emails, and the result was a perfect marriage of their ideas, personality, and unique venue, and my talent for combining that with the right botanical materials, a little magic, an artistic flair, and making it all "work".

The bride wore a lovely white silk and crepe summer dress with deep blue and yellow handpainted flowers and carried a small handtied bouquet of wildflowers.

 The young daughters sported wrist corsages fashioned of bark wire with blossoms that matched their cotton dresses. 

The men's boutonnieres were fashioned of a mix of unique botanicals featuring cones, pods, thistle, grasses, and seeds. 

Coordinating corsages were fashioned for the ladies

A closer look....

The tables were decorated with mason jars that were filled with similar wildflowers and tied with raffia.

They were delighted - as was I.  Best wishes to a most enjoyable couple, and thank you for allowing me to be an integral part of your special day!

Table Fare

On of my favorite quotes appears on my shop window:

"If thou hast two loaves of bread,
then sell one and buy flowers.... 
for although the bread will nourish thy body,
the flowers will nourish thy soul."

It's been proven that flowers make you feel good!  So why not make sure you include a few blooms in your daily life.  The addition of flowers to your table setting makes every meal a special occasion.  Whether it's just your family at home, or a few guests for an intimate dinner party, cut flowers on the table tells your dining companions that they are special! 

A few spring tulips snipped from your garden,

a sprig of the season's first lilacs,

one beautiful peony blossom floating in a bowl,





or a few simple daisies can make your table setting come to life.

This past weekend was spent at our cabin in northern MN, and this simple vase of wood anemones was the perfect finish to our dinner table.

Flowers don't have to be elaborate or expensive.  A few blossoms will last a week or more on your dinner table.  Stop by and see us for some lovely ideas!

The Influence of a Royal Wedding

Now that the "Royal Wedding" is over and the media hype has relaxed a bit, it's time to focus on the new trends in flowers that will emerge as a result of Kate's exquisite taste.

Kate's bouquet featuring Lily of the Valley, Hyacinth, Sweet William, Ivy, and Myrtle was delightful, although a bit small in my opinion.  Her choice of blossoms was what I expected, but I felt the occasion of the Royal Wedding demanded a little larger presentation.  Regardless, the heavy, heady scent would have been heavenly!

The blossoms for her bouquet were chosen, as is custom, from "The Language of Flowers" -

• Lily-of-the-valley - Return of happiness
• Sweet William - Gallantry
• Hyacinth - Constancy of love
• Ivy - Fidelity; marriage; wedded love; friendship; affection
• Myrtle - The emblem of marriage; love

The Language of Flowers  was used by the Victorians as a way to conveyed their sentiments. They would compose their feelings and messages using blossoms fashioned into little nosegays of flowers.  They knew how to let the flowers do the talking!  You can certainly get yourself one of the many versions of the Language of Flowers at your local bookstore.

This is all well and good, but as charming as it sounds, people just don't do that anymore!  It doesn't reflect the modern world, certainly not in our choice of flowers, or in the way we communicate. So many of the blooms in the book are either seasonal or just not available unless you know someone's grandmother who has a greenhouse. And what if you want some new, strange hybrid flower in your bouquet?  I don't think you'd find any of the new cultivars in the ancient Victorian book!

So what do you do?  Choose blossoms that have some special meaning to you.  No one else needs to know...it's about creating something special for the two of you.

blooming bloggings

So I've mastered the use of facebook and have moved on to blogging!  I wonder what my grandfather would think?  It seems to be a popular way to get out current information to those you wish to reach...so I'll give it a try!

We've just finished up with Mother's Day and what a week it was!  Thousands of stems of flowers, dozens of boxes of glass vases, lots of thorn pokes, sliced thumbs, swollen hands and sore feet....but many, many happy moms!  Well, all except one....and that's a story in itself.

A young lady came in this morning fretting because her mother had not received any flowers for mother's day.  She had placed an order online with 1-800 flowers, but the flowers never arrived.  We aren't sure exactly what happened...but she said her credit card had not been charged.  Lucky for her...unlucky for her Mother.  It was most likely and error in the ordering process.  We helped her pick out a lovely bouquet, gave her a business card, and told her to call us directly next time she needed flowers.

This is the one issue we deal with on a regular basis, helping people understand that it is ALWAYS best to depend on your local florist whether you are sending flowers locally or across the miles.  Ordering flowers from an online "order gatherer" such as ProFlowers or 1-800 Flowers adds unnecessary fees, and usually ends in disappointment.  

Here is a good read for more information about Online flower buying:
http://alwaysupward.com/blog/a-rose-is-a-rose-is-not/#more-5038