Monday, December 28, 2009

I feel important. For now.























So, today was a nice day. I sat in my local coffee shop, bundled up in a sweater, drinking my latte and eating a cupcake that was far too sweet considering the early hour of the morning. And as I sat, I thumbed through the latest issue of Martha Stewart Weddings. This wasn't just any Martha Stewart Weddings. And this wasn't aimless perusing. I was looking for something important. Something I'd been waiting for. MY work. MY designs. Featured in Martha Stewart Weddings. I wasn't sure what to expect...I knew I'd been an integral part of the designs for a wedding

that was photographed by a Martha Stewart photographer but exactly what would make it to print was a mystery to me. Would it be one picture? Would the bridal bouquet make the issue? Ohhh how I loved that bridal bouquet. This was afterall the bouquet where my
beloved cotton blossoms made their debut. Pausing only to ooh and ahh over a few of the featured wedding gowns (go Oscar de la Renta) I skipped the articles promising to return later. And there it was! "Love Hits the Slopes". I instantly recognized the stunning backdrop of the Sundance Resort. 8 pages! 8! Each turn of the page made me smile and remember the process, the endless work, the inspiration I pulled from Jon and Jody and their personal style, the amazing advice and direction I received from the coordinators, my assistants and their uncanny ability to read my mind (it's almost weird). Everything came rushing back to my mind as if it happened yesterday. And I sat back and sipped my latte. And smiled.

I heart peonies





I love peonies. I really do. Even when they're impossible to import in the dead heat of the summer, I still love them. This was a wedding I designed for at the Deer Valley resort and when this beautiful bride came to me with a request of hot pink peonies. In July. I nodded and smiled. Who doesn't love hot pink peonies? While I dutifully jotted down notes for the design direction my brain was screaming at me " WHERE ARE YOU GOING TO GET PEONIES IN JULY??" Everyone was skeptical. I was skeptical. The bride was anxious. After extensive sourcing and a lot of badgering, my gorgeous peonies arrived right on time and behaved throughout the entire evening.



Don't you look nice?



Again. With the yellow. I simply love it in the summer. Where did my love of yellow stem from this season? Perhaps it was the fabulous yellow handbag I spotted at Nordy's. Maybe it was the divine rosemary limoncello at Market Street. Could it be the pails of daffodils I sort through at the flower market? Something about yellow makes me happy. I found myself drawn to it for a few of my favorite weddings this summer.




Sunday, December 27, 2009

Wait! 2009 is over?!?



Here I am, behind on my blog. Again. Just when I think I'm totally on top of things, I remember my blog and realize, Oops. I'm not. 2009 is nearing it's end and I'm just going through last summer's weddings and asking myself, "where has the year gone?" It seems like only yesterday I was obsessed with delicious shades of yellow and peach... toying with monochromatic summer hues...pulling inspiration and product from local Farmer's Markets. With all of the natural beauty around me, I found myself leaning towards natural fibers, organic lines and a simpler design. Ahhhh the possibilities with flowers are endless. So curious to see where 2010 takes me.



Tuesday, May 19, 2009

oooooooh!




Yellow says Summer to me. I remember big, fat yellow tulips in our garden as a child. My mother would cut them for my sister and I and we would wrap a soggy paper towel around the stems to "keep them fresh" then gift them to our teachers or bus driver or friends. Bright, sunny yellow flowers will always remind me of that.

I designed these bouquets for a small private gathering at Sundance. I really like to keep my designs at Sundance simple and rustic. It's still pretty early in the season which is why I'm able to take advantage plump ranunculus and a favorite of mine, green parrot tulips.

Sunday, May 3, 2009

September 2008 Empire Canyon Lodge

Fall is such a fantastic time of year to get married. Glorious colors, and rich, interesting flowers make for beautiful creations. I'm always inspired by the season...this wedding it was bright colors that mimicked the changing maples... twisting garlands that reminded me of leaves dropping from the trees and swirling to the ground...berries and brambly twigs hinting that winter was approaching. I just LOVE the fall.

Thursday, April 16, 2009

March 2009 Sundance Resort

This is one of my FAVORITE weddings I've ever worked on. Carolyn and Evan were so great to work with. We shared very similar design preference and overall vision. We really wanted to create something that was beautiful and organic.



Carolyn's bridal bouquet was constructed entirely of organic cotton blossoms. There's something so lovely about cotton blossoms...so simple




The ladies were all given pashminas to keep warm during the walk from the Screening Room ceremony to dinner in the Rehearsal Hall




Simple centerpieces accomodated family style service for dinner. Cotton linens, draped with burlap runners provided a natural, 'not too fussy' feel. Wood boxes filled with roses, dried portobello caps, artichokes, cotton blossoms and fresh herbs provided interesting texture and soft color.



FLOWERS!!!!


I LOVE LOVE LOVE flowers. Especially in the spring when we start to see the transition from a sleepy winter to bright, crisp blooms. Hot pinks! Lime greens! Orange! I just love it. Wakes me up. These iron boxes are interesting little vessels filled with bright gerber daisy blooms, horsetail and fresh moss. The arrangements served as dining table centerpieces for a corporate luncheon. I like to think we livened up a normally boring business lunch.