Bridal Show Part 1: Once Upon a Time

Last Monday, the advanced floral class at CSM put on a bridal show.  Each group did such a fantastic job at planning different themes and coming up with some amazing designs.  There are so many pictures, that it would be a very long blog post if I put them all up in one day, so this is going to be a three parter!  Check in again on Tuesday and Wednesday to see the other groups:

The first group decided on a "Once Upon a Time" theme, which for those readers who don't know, is my theme for my wedding (you can check out my personal wedding blog here for all the planning shenanigans).  The colors were greens, purples and peacock blue.  Enjoy the photos!

The bridal party

Ceremony arrangements using gold manzanita branches, orchids and succulents with peacock feathers and accents.

Flower girl basket

Ring bearer pillow (this will be in my wedding!)

A small bouquet that was given to me at the beginning of the event.

Mother of the bride bouquet

Bridesmaid bouquet was a composite rose.  

Grooms boutonniere and Father of the Bride's boutonniere

 Bridesmaid and Best Man

 Bride 

The bridal bouquet was a cascading style and was absolutely breath taking.  If you look closely at the picture on the right you will see that the bride is wearing a necklace made from aluminum wire with small purple orchids.

I was honored that they chose my wedding theme to give me some ideas for my wedding.  They came up with some awe inspiring designs and a fabulous presentation.  Well done!

To see more of my designs and keep up on what I am doing, like my page on Facebook!

Previous Projects

I've been busy lately with designing.  Here are just a few pictures of what I've been up to:

"50 Miles"

As a business owner in California, I know the importance of buying from locals.  This article has some great tips and information on why buying locally is better.  Enjoy!

Happy Anniversary!

Just wanted to wish a happy one year anniversary to Chris and Narineh Ferderer.  At this same time last year, they were saying their vows.  I am so honored to have been apart of their special day.  You can view the flower arrangements and other pictures from the wedding here.

Happy Anniversary!

Marina Morrison Bridal Salon

This past Friday I headed up to Marina Morrison in San Francisco to try on dresses.  The salon is located on the 4th floor of the Gumps building.  The salon is light and welcoming and the staff is extremely friendly and knowledgable.  They make you feel very comfortable and even though I am cutting it close with ordering the dress, I didn't feel pressured at all to make the purchase.

Marina Morisson is the only salon in Northern California that carries Claire Pettibone's line.  If you aren't familiar with her dresses, she uses a lot of lace and her gowns are whimsical and romantic.  Very different from any other dresses I've seen.  Katie, the consultant who helped me, said that if you are a Claire bride, nothing else compares.  Its so true.  I found my dress, but this post isn't about that.  If you want to read more, you can visit my wedding blog here.

My experience was amazing, just what I always thought it should be while shopping for the dress.  I highly recommend it to brides out there.  A few things to think about though, all the dresses start at around $3,000.  In house alterations are $450-$650, but don't they won't go over the $650 mark.  The salon is appointment only and they are open Tuesday through Saturday.  

Happy shopping!

Finding "The" Dress

This past week I have stared looking for my wedding dress.  Before going in to the first bridal boutique, I did some research on what to expect while shopping since this is one aspect of planning a wedding that I've never been involved with.  Here are a few things that I learned:

1) Don't expect to get a real feel for what the gowns look like on you. The gowns in stock are generally either too small or too large and don't look right.  Most the gowns I tried on were size 5 and were way to small on me and just looked awkward.

2) Don't give in to the pressure!  Remember that the people fitting you for the gowns are trying to make the sale and will give you all sorts of speeches about how if you like this particular gown, you must act now because its either discontinued, the designer takes awhile to finish the dress, or some other excuse to make you feel like you have to rush your decision.  If the dress is meant to be, the dress will still be available and will get to you in plenty of time.

3) Know what you are looking for when you enter the shop, but be willing to try on multiple styles.  One style that you may have thought you wouldn't look good in may look fantastic on you!  Don't be afraid to try on every style they have in the shop!  Not only will you get a better feel for what you are comfortable in, but its fun!

4)  If you are looking for a designer dress, but don't want to pay the designer price, check out these websites:

PreOwned Wedding Dresses
Once Wed
Recycled Bride

If you are interested in hearing more about my shopping experience or the rest of my wedding planning stories, visit my other blog here.

Upcoming Events

Spring is always busy for floral designers and event planners.  We are involved in bridal fairs, and floral events galore!  Here are a few events that are coming up:

On Saturday April 14 from 9-3pm, Tapestry Church will be hosting a one stop shopping experience.  Other vendors that will be at this event include Scentsy Wickless Candles, Mary Kay and yours truly!   I will have some sample Mother's Day arrangements that can be ordered and which will be delivered Mothers Day weekend.  I will also have single stems and selling custom-made, hand-tied arrangement for you to take home and enjoy!

Also on April 14th, the San Mateo County Master Gardners will be hosting a tomato and pepper sale.  I've gone the past 2 years when it was held at College of San Mateo.  Since the college decided they wanted to build a parking lot where the gardens and green houses are, the Master Gardners have had to find a new home.  The sale will be located at the Elks Lodge in San Mateo from 9am-1pm. Click here for more details.  There are some delicious tomatoes and peppers for sale, so I highly recommend it!

On Monday April 23 at 7pm, College of San Mateo's horticulture program will be hosting a bridal show featuring designs by three groups of students.  The themes will be Asian Fusion, Once Upon a Time and Not So Shabby Chic.  There are some amazing ideas that will be shown off and there will be goodies available for the audience.  The best part, its FREE!!

Hope to see you at some of these events!