Out of Town & Holiday Hours

I will be out of town until 12/18 to do the flowers for a wedding in Baltimore. Ceremony and Reception are taking place in the swanky boutique hotel Pier 5 waterfront in Baltimore's Inner Harbor. I'll try my best with my novice photographer skills to get some photos to share of the rich modern florals we're using to compliment this contemporary venue. While I'm away, I will have limited access to phone and email, but will be checking for messages.

(photo drawn by my very own Miss Reagan - pretty good for 4!)

I've also decided to take some time off to spend with the family around Christmas and am not taking any new consult appointments until after the first of the year. I do have a limited number of appointments for current out of town clients who will be local for the holidays. Please feel free to call or email to get something on the books!

I also wanted to take a moment to thank all of my 2008 couples for your trust and confidence and for making this such a benchmark year for me. It was honor to work with each of you!

Jill & Patrick

Caroline & Jason

Erin & David

Lauren & Rick

Caitie & Bobby

Aimee & Jon

Tammy & Kyle

Laura & Ray

Stephanie & Adam

Elizabeth & Michael

Amy & Josh

Amy & Dan

Sara & Jim

Erin & Rick

Christy & George

Wendy & Mike

Amy & Doug

Sara & Micah

Kathy & Jon

Christi & Ron

And most importantly - thanks lovely family (especially you, Ray)... for supporting me and my silly pipe dream of working with flowers. I know it's been a sacrifice for all of us at times, but your unwaivering support and enthusiasm were the catalyst to all of the successes that came this year and the encouragement to dream bigger for 2009! Indeed, I am a very blessed woman.

Sara & Jim 10.18.08

Sara and Jim were married at The Madison South on October 18th. Here's a couple who added special touches loaded with big personality in a classy way. Their color scheme was "Colts" blue and white. Sara's bouquet was made using pristine white Escimo roses and stephanotis dotted with blue rhinestones. The bridesmaids carried bouquets of deep rich blue hydrangea and Escimo roses. Photos are courtesy of Rachel Ide from Rocket Tree Photography.

Their tables at the reception were each named after different superheros (see Captain America below!). Very classy touch adding the photo frames and the blue napkins really helped pull the vibrance of their color scheme into the reception space.

The cake was from the always fabulous Tracy with Tres Belle cakes.

Opulent Fall Bouquet

My neighbor got married this weekend! Amy and Doug live next door. My girls love her little dog, Chico. We actually went to high school together... further proving the fact that people never go far in Northern KY!

This bouquet was so pretty and complimentary with the girls' wine color dresses. I hope to be able to share a few more pics in the coming weeks when the pro shots become available. But for now... here's a sneak peek.

Flowers include imported Blue Curiosa and Black Bacara roses, anitique hydrangea, Picasso calla lilies, lisianthus, berzilia, hypericum berries and scented geranium foliage.

From Fashion to Wedding

I was super excited to be asked to collaborate on this project with Dora from Viva Bella Events. She had the fashion photo above from a magazine and wanted to use it as inspiration for a tablescape worthy of a wedding. This is so right up my alley and jumped right on board!

The centerpiece is a bed of fuschia carnations with phalenopsis orchids and fern curls in a sleek wooden tray. The linens, chairs, china, flatware and glassware is courtesy of Camargo Rental Company. The menus and table cards are from AMO-ink.

The first setup has more of an icy winter feeling using the silver chargers and napkins along with the "ice" clear chiavari chairs.

The second setup would work wonderfully for a fall wedding using the rich brown satin napkins and the mahogany chiavari chairs.

Dempsey/Galioto Wedding

Hope to share some pro shots with you in a few weeks, but for now here's a look from some snapshots shared by the bride.

Flowers include hydrangea, cymbidium orchids, eggplant mini-callas, blue thistle, fern curls and loops of variegated aspidistra leaves accented with peacock feathers and silk dupioni ribbon.

Modern Orange Flowers

Sneak peak at a few flowers from this weekend's wedding. The brides bouquet features a rich textural mix of flowers including roses, protea, cymbidium orchids, montbretia, craspedia and uhule fern curls.

The bridesmaids each carried a monobotanic orange bouquet including tulips, roses, protea and dahlias.

The flower girl carried a swanky posy incorporating mini-roses, ranunculus, cymbidium orchids, craspedia and loops of variegated lily grass. Boutonnieres and corsages included craspedia, berzilia and variegate lily grass.

Erin & Elijah 9.13.08

Erin and Elijah chose a classicly elegant color scheme of ivory, champagne and blush pink. Erin carrried an all white bouqet featuring hydrangea, Vendela roses and stephanotis with pearl centers. Her bridesmaids carried blush pink hydrangea to compliment their champagne dresses. Big thanks to Courtenay for working this one with me... it's always a pleasure working with you!All photographs courtesy of Michael Bambino Photography.

This picture makes me laugh... who knew guys were so thrilled with flowers!

Featured on Southern Weddings

I have been waiting over a month to share this! Several weeks back I posted about doing a photo shoot with the always fabulous Tine Hofmann of TM Photography. Tine posted a few teasers on her blog and it caught the eye of one of the editors at Southern Weddings. The ladies over at Southern Weddings have a real eye for weddings and showcase some of the most lavish events, top notch vendors and professionals and always offer some serious eye candy.

I'm super excited and seriously humbled to be included on their blog (see article here). If you haven't already been stalking their blog, bookmark it and start... every day is as fab as the next. Thanks Rachel, Laura and the rest of the team at SWS and best of luck with your new site launch this week.

Check back later this week for more info on the individual bouquets.

sneak peak at pro shots from Aimee & Jon's wedding

I had to snatch these off of Tine's blog and share. These are from Aimee and Jon's wedding on September 20th. Aimee was seriously stunning!

I'll definitely post some detail shots once I get a few, but for now be sure and check out Tine's blog (here) to get a glimpse of this beautiful wedding.

Stephanie & Adam 10.3.08

Okay, could she seriously be any prettier a picture of a bride on her wedding day?! Stephanie is as sweet as she is pretty and was a joy to work with in preparing for her wedding day. While I never had the opportunity to meet Adam, I do know he has great taste in women!

Stephanie & Adam were married at Blessed Sacrament church in Ft. Mitchell (by one of my favorite people, Fr. John Sterling!!) and the reception was in the Grande Ballroom at The Madison.

I hope to have a few more "detail" shots once pictures come in from her photog, but she was kind enough to share these shots taken by a friend of the family. Definitely looks like it was a fun night full of love and joy!

Elizabeth & Michael 10.4.08

Elizabeth & Michael planned their Cincinnati while living in Pennsylvania. But with lots of friends and willing helpers they pulled off a really classic and fun wedding. The colors were kept simple using blacks and whites with pops of rich red through the use flowers.

The Bridal Bouquet featured 2 dozen of the always glorious Black Magic red roses along with white and burgundy cymbidium orchids and stephanotis with red centers. The red was used to accent the bridesmaids' black dresses, the black and white cake (courtesy of the wonderful Tracy at Tres Belle) and add a richness to the centerpieces at the reception held at the old Montgomery Inn. All in all... a really beautiful day with lots of attention to detail!

photos courtesy of Taren Frazier

Garden Style Bouquet in Blue & White

I loved having the chance to do a blue and white bouquet without having to use blue hydrangea! There really are several other options for flowers in various shades of blue. Don't get me wrong... I'm a big fan of the fluffy hydrangea and it is featured here in white. I just always like the opportunity to add texture and dimension by mixing flowers and colors in complimentary groupings.

This bouquet features white hydrangea and huge white Avalanche roses along with calla lilies and stephanotis blossoms with pearl centers. The blue flowers are both light and deep blue delphinium, tweedia and veronica. Green hypericum berries and salal leaves help to tie everything together and preserve the natural feeling color palette.

Aimee & Jon 9.20.08

This was one of the most special weddings I've been fortunate enough to be involved in. They say the devil is in the details, but it was the details of this wedding that really made it unique. Every detail was carefully thought out and executed to showcase the couples' desire to have a cozy and personal event with those closest to them.

Aimee and Jon really wanted to pull of an elegant and organic vibe for their wedding. The ceremony and reception were held at outside at Alms Park. They chose to not tent the dining or dancing areas and while a risky move, it really paid off... it felt like a romantic candlelight dinner under the stars!

Speaking of candles, we incorporated over 300 votives and hurricanes to light the perimeter of the space (big thanks to Julie with Cincy Event Planning for contributing to the candle collection and helping with all the setup!). As for escort cards, the couple found an old photo of each of their 85 guests and incorporated them into the individual cards. I can't wait to see the pro shots to be able to give proper accolades for how fantastic and special every detail was! (Aimee and Jon chose the always FAB Tine Hofmann as their photographer and I have no doubt that she captured to the love and effort in all the touches Aimee and Jon put together.)

The cake was a gift from the groom's sister... it was seriously the cutest and prettiest cake I've ever seen! Very "Style Me Pretty"!!

The centerpieces were a collection of vases with submerged greens and foliages with floating candles, river rocks, mood moss and succulents. The greens included Aspidistra Leaves, Spiral Eucalyptus, China Berries, Camelia Leaves, Bear Grass and Berzilia Berries. The table numbers were bronze house numbers and really fit the vibe so much better than a traditional tent card or paper table number.

For the bouquets, the theme was tiny flowers. Aimee gave me only a few criteria... nothing traditional - no roses, calla lilies, etc. - and small textural elements. Her favorite flower is Queen Anne's Lace and incorporated that motif in the invitations and other stationery items. For the bridesmaids' bouquets, I incorporated the Queen Anne's Lace with Waxflower and Bouvardia and tied them with a champagne dupioni silk ribbon. The boutonnieres were a collection of berzilia berries, snow berries and seeded eucalyptus tied with velvet ribbon.

As for the bridal bouquet, it was all delicate and decadent blossoms. Her bouquet included a whopping 12 different types of flowers to achieve the textural look she wanted. Flowers include White and Green Ranunculus, White Cabbage Roses, White Sweet Peas, White and Green Helleborus, Phlox, Bouvardia, Star of Bethlehem, Scabiosa, Astilbe and Lily of the Valley. The handle was wrapped in vintage lace from her mother's veil and champagne dupioni silk. A framed picture of her father (from etsy) was hung with a piece of vintage blue satin ribbon. See what I mean about the attention to detail?!

Aimee and Jon, thank you so much for the chance to be involved in such a special day. I wish you both all the happiness you can handle and many, many years of blessings, joy and abundance.

Tammy & Kyle 9.20.08

Tammy chose a cinnamon and champagne color scheme to go along with her bridesmaids' chocolate brown dresses. Her bouquet consisted of Mango Calla Lilies, Sahara and Medeo Roses, Bupleurum and Seeded Eucalyptus. The bridesmaids carried Sahara and Leonidas roses mixed with Bupleurum. All the bouquets were wrapped in chocolate brown satin and french wrapped with champagne ribbon overlays.

Fall is coming!

Despite the 95 degree weather this week, I found difinitive evidence that fall really is coming soon. The flowers at the wholesale house are changing over to deeper and richer colors. I'm seeing new foliages, seasonal berries and the unique textures only available each year at the beginning of the fall season. Unfortunately, here in Cincinnati we usually only get a couple of weeks of lovely fall weather between the stifling hot summer leaving and the frigid dark winter taking its place. So, despite feeling like the middle of July this weekend... here's a few pics that remind me that it really is the middle of September and now is the time to enjoy the best of the rich seasonal fall colors.

These arrangements contain a mix of Fiction roses, purple stock, burgundy dahlias, craspedia, pomegranites, grevilia and copper penny foliage with accents of curly willow branches and fresh moss.

Bobby & Caitie 8.30.08

Bobby and Caitie are one of those couples you can just tell are "good" together. He's laid back to her driven... she's funny to his sentimental... they just work, you know what I mean? I really enjoyed being involved in the planning of their wedding and working with them and their families to pull off a really fun wedding.

Caitie chose green as a compliment to her black bridesmaid dresses and her ivory vintage/glam inspired gown. We used green flowers to "pop" against the black linens of the dining tables, green candy to mix with the dark colors of chocolate in the candy buffet, a green floral motif for the invitations, programs and design of the cake. This wedding was a great example of taking a theme and carrying it throughout common elements without it feeling overdone.

Flowers include domestic green hydrangea, SuperGreen and Avalanche roses, dahlias, calla lilies, bouvardia, mini-cymbidium orchids and loops of bear grass.

I'll share the pro pics when I can get a few, but for now you'll have to let your imagination pick up where my lack of camera skills left off! (yes, these were already packed and ready to deliver before I got around to taking any pictures... sorry!)

I heart Tine Hofmann!

Today was a fun day. I'm a huge fan (note: blog-stalker) of Tine Hoffman, of TM Photography, here in Cincinnati... super cool chick and WAY talented. I spent the afternoon with Tine in her studio while she shot a few arrangements to update the photos for my website and print material. I totally had a blast watching her creative genius at work.

There are a few "teaser" pics on her blog (click here). I literally squealed out loud a little when I saw them! I'll post more in detail about the different bouquets once I get the photos, but be sure to check out Tine's blog in the meantime.

Thanks, Tine... for letting me be a total geek over your work, for sharing your amazing talent with me and for finally clearing up my confusion on how to properly pronounce your name!

Pro Pics - Rachel & Scott

Just got some shots from Rachel & Scott's wedding on July 5th, 2008. All photos are courtesy of Mark Ferguson Photography.

It's always fun to see how the flowers play into the overall feel of a couple's wedding day. One look at these pictures and you can see how fun and vibrant these guys are.

I love detail shots!

The weather was really cooperative allowing all these great outside photos.

I always like "reusing" flowers whenever and wherever possible. The flowers on the cake were actually pieces from the altar arrangements at the ceremony (which were brought to the reception to decorate the gift table and the guest book table).

Miss Aubree was so proud to be included in the wedding. She arrived early and wanted to show me her freshly painted toes and pretty hair. She followed me down every pew as I added the flowers and ribbon and was very receptive to being my "helper". We made butterflies out of pipe cleaners and tied bows with the pink satin ribbon. And once she put her fancy dress on... well anyone who would watch got to see how pretty it twirled. Seriously, she was absolutely ADORABLE!

Lauren & Rick 8.2.08

Update: Received a few pictures from Lauren. Doesn't she just look happy and gorgeous?!

Lauren and Rick were the sweetest couple to work with. They had an intimate afternoon wedding at the Ft. Mitchell Country Club. Their friends and family were heavily involved in every detail and it was one of those events where you could really feel there was something special in the room. Lauren chose a cornflower blue and white color scheme incorporating hydrangea and calla lilies - we then carried the theme throughout. The dresses, linens, centerpieces, cake (courtesy of Fantasy in Frosting), ceremony decor... everything carried that feeling of timeless, classic elegance. I hope to have a few more photos in the next several weeks to share with you all the charming details!

Natural Color Palette

This is a bouquet that I made for Be Creative Catering's booth at the Bridalrama show. The linens were burgundy and ivory, so I wanted to incorporate a really natural color palette of burgundy, ivory, greens and browns.

Flowers include Sahara roses, scabiosa, chocolate cosmos, green hypericum berries, Summer Wine branches and hosta leaves.

I also created a tall arrangement for their booth. I really wanted to keep a more modern design and chose a sleek cylinder vase. I used white hydrangea, crocosmia and contorted branches to keep the emphasis on the textural elements of the flowers. The pictures aren't the best and the sun and shadows weren't cooperating, but hopefully you can catch the overall feel of this arrangement. It's my favorite way to do tall centerpieces!

If you didn't make it to Bridalrama to meet the people behind Be Creative Catering, be sure to check out their website here. Travis and his crew really know what they're doing. Their food is delicious, their staff is courteous and organized, and the pricing is competitive... definitely worth looking into for your next event!

Huge Inspiration/Vendor Resource

Huge note of congrats to Elizabeth Anne Designs and the launch of their new Library. There are literally hundreds of links for fantastic vendors covering everything from photography, stationery, planning, florals, decor, the works! I can't even begin to tell you how much work must have been involved in researching these vendors, categorizing and executing this planning network. What a commitment to helping brides pull off their vision of a perfect wedding.

If you haven't yet added their blog to your list of daily reads... definitely bookmark it. They have all the real weddings, DIY projects, vendor highlights you need to keep your own creative wheels turning.

Special thanks for including me in their list of Florists. Seriously... I'm humbled :)

Erin & David 7.12.08

Pink and green were definitely the theme for the last few weeks! But there's something fun and challenging about taking a common element and really creating something unique for each event. Every bride has a personality all her own and so does her bouquet.

Erin has an undeniably sweet personality matched up with a presence of very classic beauty. She wore a white gown with a portrait neckline and pick-up skirt. The bridesmaids wore long black v-neck gowns. It all felt very classy/elegant. Erin chose bright pinks to create a pop of color. That was what really completed the whole look to really matching her personality. When Erin smiles, you can just see this endearing sense of something mischievous... a glimpse of something that says that this is a girl who likes to have fun. So these were my grounding points from which I created her bouquets.

Erin's bouquet was a mix of classic and whimsical textures using Hot Princess, Pavarotti, Titanic and Esperance roses, hot and light pink gerbers, Garnet Glow mini-callas and green hypericum berries.

We also did a candy table at the reception using the hot pink colors. Please excuse my terrible shots, but her table included Pink Lemonade gumballs, Watermelon Judson Sours, Wintergreen Canada mints, Foil Wrapped Chocolate, Good & Plenty candies, Cherry & Strawberry rock candy crystals, Black Licorice jelly beans and Black Licorice "wheels".

Rachel & Scott 7.5.08

Rachel and Scott were married at St. Ignatius of Loyola in Cincinnati on Saturday. I always kick myself when I don't bring my camera, but I do have a few pics to share until I get a few pro shots. It was a pretty wet and foggy morning, so you'll have to use your imagination to really get a sense for these bright colors!

This bouquet was a mix of Hot Princess, Ballet and Esperance roses with Jade Trachelium and Hypericum Berry accented with rhinestones. The bridesmaids carried the same mix of roses with green button mums and loops of lily grass.

And my assistant for the wedding... Miss Reagan, ever the fashionista with her pink kitty golashes. She used some of the discarded flowers to make her very first bouquet. She even tied it with a coordinating hot pink ribbon. Not bad for a 3-year-old, and she works for chocolate!

Featured on CrossPollination blog

I was asked by Brooke Howsley, the owner of Austin based Pollen Floral Art , to answer a few questions for her blog. These kind of featured interviews are usually reserved for the big name designers and I'm completely humbled that she featured me on her blog. What a huge compliment, thanks again Brooke.

Brooke's work is amazing and has that sense of elegance and art that I hope to someday master in my own work. Here's a small sampling of work from her website. Enjoy!

Caroline & Jason 5.31.08

Caroline chose a blue and white color scheme and tastefully tied all of her details together with those colors. From her invitations and programs, the bridal party attire, church and reception decor and the candy table... everything was coordinated beautifully with classic bridal blue and white.


Caroline's bouquet was large and lush with blue hydrangea, white calla lilies, Vendela roses and stephanotis blooms with pearl centers.

The bridesmaids carried bouquets of white hydrangea, Casablanca lilies and Vendela roses with blue satin ribbon.

The cake was done by Cakes by Marilyn and was just stunning! We used the blue hydrangea to accent the details on each layer. The photographs above are from Tammy Bryan Wedding Photography. Her images really tied in beautifully with the classic feeling of this whole wedding... another detail perfectly chosen!

Centerpieces were blue hydrangea and ivory lilies. If you notice, the votive candles have a blue swirl design on them. They were all individually hand-painted by the Mother of the Bride to coordinate with the design on the invitation. She also handmade the blue satin squares to match the bridesmaids' gowns. Honestly, I haven't seen this much loving and impeccable attention to detail in a long time. Every where you turned things were just covered in these personal little touches. It truly made everything feel so beautiful, welcoming and personalized.

We also did a large candy buffet which tied into the blue theme. Believe it or not, this is actually only half of the table! I love doing candy tables. When done right, they can be a elegant and whimsical addition to your event. My favorite part, though, is the expressions on everyone's faces! Most friends and family coming to your wedding have not yet seen these displays and are just super excited about the whole thing. A well executed candy table isn't any less expensive than purchasing favors for your guests. However, most favors rarely make it home with the guests and even fewer ever actually get used. A candy table is a great way to bring the wedding excitement to your guests. I promise you, the abundance of sugar and color brings out the 5 year old in almost everyone!! If you'd like to do a candy table at your event, I have a large selection of jars, vases and scoops available for a small rental fee. I can also help you coordinate the candy and purchase in bulk.


Another vendor that needs mentioning is the caterer. Travis and Michelle with Be Creative Catering were absolutely fabulous to work with. Every detail was executed to perfection, they were incredibly professional and friendly and most importantly - the food was fantastic and their prices are super reasonable. They can also coordinate most of your rental needs including tents, linens, chairs, china, flatware, glassware even novelty items like popcorn and cotton candy machines!

Bridal Show June 8, 2008

These flowers are for the Your Bridal Show at the NKY Convention Center this Sunday, June 8, 2008. Jen Pritchard, of Your Wedding By Jen, asked me to do some flowers for her booth at the show. This show will be benefiting the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer foundation, so I went with a pink color scheme with black accents. I put together a bridal bouquet, bridesmaid bouquet, flower girl pomander and 2 centerpieces. Flowers include Latin Breeze, Akito and Sweet Akito roses, gerber daisies, stock, lisianthus, astilbe, and birch branches.

Jill & Patrick 5.24.08

Clearly, these are not pro-pics. But I wanted to post a few shots of the wedding from this past weekend. The color palette was black and white with green accents. The decor was kept modern and simple by the use of single type flowers and clean lines.

The ceremony was held outside by the water between 2 large trees. The weather was perfect for an outside wedding!

The reception was then moved indoors. The room had large windows where you could see the sunset over the water. There were an abundance of candles at each table, twinkle lights throughout and the house lights were kept low to keep a really romantic feeling to the room.

We utilized a mix of round and long tables to accommodate the pillars in the middle of the room. The round tables had tall centerpieces of calla lilies with aspidistra leaves and curly willow branches. The tables were given a few heads of green fuji mums to give an additional 'pop' of green amongst the candle light and black napkins.

For the long tables, we used a black table runner to anchor the line of vases with white dendrobium orchids. Again, the green fuji mums were used amongst the votive candles.

The escort table had arrangements of hypericum berries, fuji mums, SuperGreen domestic roses, hydrangea, white and green dendrobium orchids with aspidistra leaves and curly willow branches. The bar and hors d'ouevre tables had large vase arrangements of calla lilies, orchids and hydrangea.

I hope to have some pro shots soon, but the thing I wanted to share most about this wedding is that ANY location can be transformed into an elegant, wedding worthy space. It just takes a little planning and smart spending with your budget dollars. The location of this wedding is also the home to many civic events, fundraisers, etc. The photo below is of the same space at their annual "Bull Roast."

Point made!

Red and Green Bouquet

This bouquet was so glam! It features over two dozen Black Magic red roses along with green mini-cymbidium orchids and hypericum berries tied with Kiwi Green satin ribbon.

This bouquet is a perfect example of an often overlooked element of designing your wedding bouquet - how heavy it is. Who doesn't love a giant bouquet of flowers? It is important, though, to also consider the weight of the bouquet. You will be carrying it for quite a long time and even just a few pounds can add up to sore wrists.

When considering a large bouquet, I like to tell my brides to consider their own body as a reference point. Find a nice balance between the width of your waist and the size of your face. This way you can ensure that you'll still have the dramatic look that you want without taking away from the real star of the show... you!

Bright Spring Color

These were a few of the arrangements from a baby shower this past weekend. How cheery! The arrangements are a mix of blue hydrangea, Gold Strike roses, light and dark blue delphinium, bells of ireland, button mums, yellow Mokara orchids, curly willow and bay leaves. With the addition of the bay leaves, the vases smelled so fresh!

Vase Arrangements in White

I don't usually take 'daily deliveries,' but I had a few requests for vase arrangements this week so I thought I'd go for it. While they share the same floral elements, I tried to make sure they didn't look too similar. The arrangements contain varios mixes of 'Escimo' roses, white hydrangea, 'Husky' mini gerber daisies, chocolate mini cymbidium orchids, stock, phlox, hypericum berries, pussy willow, copper penny foliage, salal and tennifolium leaves. The three arrangements were in the medium height rectangular vase above, the low 6 inch cylinder and tall 9 inch cylinder vases below.

Sorry for the terrible photo quality. There's no light as it's been so dark and rainy here. There hasn't been sunshine for days! Here's wishing for sunny skies and seasonally warm days...