Tag: bouquets

New Year’s Eve and Valentine’s Day are two holidays that can easily turn into big letdowns. Both holidays often lead to disappointment when hopes are unfulfilled with unmet expectations.  Jamie and I have decided that these holidays (and every day for that matter) will be what we decide to make them. So this year we decided to have a Valentine’s pop up flower shop.  There is nothing more classic than chocolate and flowers on this holiday, so we joined forces with Hot Cakes Molten Chocolate Cakery, and set out to make the day special for whoever would stop by.

The thing with having a little pop up shop, is that you don’t really know what to expect, who will come, how many flowers to purchase.  It is so different from wedding planning and design where everything is perfectly calculated and scheduled down to the minute.  I pre-ordered a large amount of flowers, but the week of the event I panicked that I hadn’t ordered enough.  So every morning at 5:00 I went to the flower market and purchased more garden roses, poppies, anemones, blackberries and other textures to make the bouquets unique.

By the end of the week I wasn’t worried about having enough product… my thoughts shifted to “what if nobody comes!?”  Looking back, I had nothing to worry about.  Our day was filled with a constant line of people that came to celebrate the holiday and get flowers for either their loved ones or themselves.  We completely sold out by the end of the evening.

One of my favorite parts throughout the day was just connecting with people. It was encouraging to see guys wanting to pick out something perfect for their girlfriend or wife. It was amazing to meet people who loyally follow us on Instagram. We had the opportunity to reconnect with past clients who stopped by to say hi and show their support. Several kids brought us Valentine’s Day cards that they had specially made just for us.  Even my own brother who I haven’t seen in several years surprised me and made the trip up to Seattle with his family.  And… our little nephew, Jackson, came by and attempted to steal my Valentine away from me and win Jamie’s heart with some candy and a kiss. I didn’t have a chance once he showed up… no one can compete with how cute that little guy is.

As I stood on the sidewalk making bouquets I had the opportunity to talk with the different people that had stopped by. I realized halfway through the day that every bouquet represented a story.  Some bouquets represented stories of love, and the flowers were going to be a component of a romantic evening.  Some bouquets represented stories of courage, and people were getting flowers to take to loved ones fighting cancer or other illnesses.  Some bouquets represented joy, and people wanted flower just to brighten someone’s day.  Other bouquets represented stories of loneliness, and people shared with me that they didn’t have anyone to bring them flowers and so they were buying a bouquet for themselves.

It was a beautiful day filled with a lot of laughter. I can’t think of a better way to spend the holiday than working together with the one I love, creating something beautiful, serving people and spreading love throughout our community. We might have felt like kids playing store… but it really was our favorite Valentine’s Day we have ever had.

And a huge thanks to Katie Parra  and Mitch from Cabfare Productions  for spending the day with us and taking these photos and creating this film.  We love your work and value our friendship with you both!

A year ago today I was in California preparing for a fashion shoot with Elizabeth Messina for The Knot  magazine.  I almost said no when she called me and asked me to be part of this experience.  With less than 10 days to go before the shoot, I knew I would not have time to pre-oder flowers, meaning I would be at the mercy of whatever the LA flower market happened to have. Saying that I was intimidated would be an understatement.  I was worried I would screw up this opportunity with Messina, and honestly, I was downright terrified to navigate the streets of LA- not to mention the aisles of the nation’s largest flower market. Luckily, I have a loving and supportive wife who believes in me and encouraged me to go outside of my comfort zone and take a risk.  She didn’t think my concerns were really that big of a deal, and so with her vote of confidence I bought my ticket and headed to LA.

I got to the LA flower market at 3:00 in the morning.  I had visions of the place being packed with eager florists competing for the best product. Yeah… about that… I was the only one there.  I should have slept longer like all the other floral designers who knew better. Not only was I regretting my decision to wake up so early, I quickly started having second thoughts about my decision to come down to California at all, when I looked across the spanning rows of flowers and only saw orange carnations.  It was 2 days before Halloween and it appeared the only product available were flowers I would not even use at my worst enemy’s funeral.  (I don’t really have any enemies just for the record).  I just kept hearing Messina’s voice in my head… “Make it look like spring!!”   Yeah right, Elizabeth. Not going to happen.

After an hour of shopping and finding nothing, I started to panic.  I also started to conjure up what ecxuses I could say to Messina if I just didn’t show up at the shoot the next morning… “oh that shoot was TODAY?… Oh no!  I thought it was tomorrow!!” I decided that likely wouldn’t work.  Other ideas that came to mind like being in a car accident or saying my plane crashed seemed like unbelievable excuses as well.  Dramatic you say?  Part of a designers job description.  I blame it on the early morning and my lack of sleep, but I did start to go a little crazy.

Then, out of the corner of my eye I saw a frilly yellow center that looked like it would belong to a tree peony.  I nearly ran to it. Ok. I did run. But I am glad I did, because that frilly tree peony wasn’t alone.  There was also ranunculus… black eyed anemones… scabiosa… lambs ear… dusty miller… artichokes… herbs.  There was everything I had hoped to find and more.  I nearly purchased that entire section of the market, and regained my confidence that I could pull off the shoot the next day.

These photo shoots always look so dreamy, peaceful and magical. If only people knew what really happens behind the scenes and what goes into making a shoot like this happen.  Despite the unfamiliarity of LA and the obstacles that made me want to fly home to Seattle, I am so thankful for this opportunity, was honored to be part of it, and love looking back on the photos.

photography credit:  Elizabeth Messina

props:  Found Rentals 

Lauren and Kelan.  I liked them from the moment I met them, but I walked away from our first interaction certain I would never hear from them again.  I mean, Jamie wasn’t there, Seattle traffic (and parking) had made me twenty minutes late for our meeting, and… well… honestly, I thought they were just too cool for me. It’s not that they were unapproachable or arrogant, they just had this smooth vibe that is kind of hard to describe. I left that initial interaction feeling like the dork in high school trying to be friends with the popular kids.  But, this dork broke in with the cool kids- and I’m so glad that I did, because Jamie and I had a blast collaborating with them to plan and design their wedding.

I figured out pretty early on (because she clearly told me) that Lauren wasn’t a princess bride who had been day dreaming about her wedding since she was 4 years old.  She is, on the other hand, a no nonsense, no fluff, no unnecessary frills kind of gal, and I loved that about her. She knew what she did and didn’t want, but just needed some help defining and refining her vision.  She wanted her design to look full…but not overdone; she wanted lots of flowers… but didn’t want it to look “floristy”;  she wanted lots of vibrant melon colors… but nothing too bright and tacky; She wanted contemporary detailing… but nothing trendy.  She wanted white linens… with polka dots… they had to have polka dots. She basically wanted it to look DIY, without actually having to do it herself . We worked through every detail until it was perfected-  in both of our eyes.  Her style was a blend of old and new, colorful and muted tones, and detailed simplicity with just a nod to her eclectic, bohemian spirit.  Lauren even got her white polka dot linens.

And Kelan?  Well, he is a great example of a supportive and involved groom that asked the right questions, stated his opinions and ideas (but backed off when they weren’t going to work) and  all along just desired to create a special day for him and his bride.  He also didn’t sport any socks at the wedding- a look that I am a big fan of.

I love this wedding, but even more, I love the people we created it for.  Lauren and Kelan had the time of their lives at their wedding, and there is nothing more rewarding than seeing that joy captured in these photographs by Matthew Land Studios