Watch the colors change...

Being sick for over a week has made me go a bit stir crazy in the house. So what do I do? Paint the Kitchen, why not!?! Choosing paint colors proved to be much more difficult than I had anticipated. I swear the lighting they have over the paint swatches is designed to make you make the wrong choice, buy the paint, return to make a new choice once you realized you painted your kitchen the most sickening shade of orange, pick what you think is a great shade a green and spend more money on that... UGH!!

It made me realize though how important lighting can be when it comes to colors. When thinking about an event and the flowers, it is important to take that into consideration.

Here is an example of a wedding I did a while back. Just the flash alone changed this rich coral color to an average pink.

Another example of how this linen went from a gorgeous ink blue to black.

This is why I suggest incorporating shades of the same color (ie. Coral...Use tones of peach, salmon, coral, and melon to pull out both the orange and red/pink tones that make up that color). Not only does it add depth to the arrangements but ensures that when the lighting changes one, if not more, of your colors will translate.

I also need to stress to anyone planning and picking flowers-Mother Nature is unpredictable... Getting the right colors is important, but there is so only so much you can control. Communicate with your designer and trust their judgement, they've seen the flowers many times and know how it will all look in the end. Besides things are better when they are not EXACTLY matchy matchy. Coordinating and complementing is key!

The Sustainable Wedding

I have the privilege of participating in The Sustainable Wedding on September 5th 2009 and being the first certified green florist in the Twin City area! Tonight I attended my first Green Wedding Training Course at the Live Green Live Smart Institute. I didn't know exactly what to expect, but was very please and impressed with the whole concept.

The 2,200,000 weddings held in the US this year will account for the greatest CO2 footprint and largest single source of waste for any type of event held by individuals in 2009. A one-day wedding can create the same amount of CO2 produced by a family of four during a five year period (outside of the US), will send to landfills up to 1/4 tons of trash, waste up to 38% of the food served and thru the selection of jewelry and clothing inadvertently causes the deaths of 3 or more individuals in 3rd world countries.

Scary and sobering details! To be honest, it kind of freaked me out a bit and was overwhelming... How in the world do we even begin to combat this? I expected the answer to be a drastic "debbie downer"-weddings can't be fun, they can't be pretty and the bride has to wear hemp... I was so wrong!

The main message I took away from tonight was; you don't have to say no to things, this is still a celebration-just rethink things and be responsible! There are many subtle (and some not so subtle) things you can do to help your wedding or event be sustainable. First and foremost, seek out "green" vendors. Because of the efforts of this organization there will be local options for green certified vendors in all areas of event planning. Feel free to email me or visit http://www.livegreenlivesmart.org/ for more information on how you can make your event green!

A Week and a Day...

Details, details! Green, white, black and pink composed our color sheme.

We created a tiered centerpiece of sorts and incorporated paper flowers with the fresh.

A week and a day ago I participated in The Duel of the Design 2.0. I was paired with Todd Pinzuti of Bungalow 6 Design and Chef Asher Miller from 20*21 and we won!!! I had a blast! I see it as an honour to work with Todd, he is truly a master of his craft.

For whatever reason, I was not very nervous. I think this was for 2 reasons... 1. I've been so busy that I didn't have time to think about what was happening-me in front of 300 people, no idea who or what I'm working with, a mystery item and a tight time line! (just saying it now makes me nervous!) 2. I knew the talent of all involved and knew that however the teams ended up, I'd be in good company. Both of these reasons, along with great food and drinks, an amazing crowd and the support of friends and family made for an amazing evening.

All in all, it was another great celebration for Summer Harsh Botanical Artistry! This year, as young as it is, has been extremely fun and busy. I am exhausted but will not complain! I had a wedding yesterday, I will be participating in the Twin City Bridal Fair on Sunday and then off to Philadelphia and Orlando to design centerpieces for some corporate events. I've always said "have flowers, will travel" and I finally get to mean it! I can't even think about all of this without this strong feeling of gratitude welling up inside. I could not be doing this without the support of my friends, family and colleagues. Thank you, thank you, thank you!

It's Winter, naturally...

In Minnesota, you can't fight Winter... The best thing you can do is embrace it. I learned that on a trip to Reykjavik Iceland a few years ago. That adventure forever changed my outlook on this not so appealing season.

Icelandic people know how to do Winter. They line the snow banks with candles, they actually look good (sexy even) while staying warm and they don't let a few feet of snow stop them from going out and having a good time. So where am I going with all of this? I recently worked on a Winter wedding that made me feel good about my nemesis season. I've dubbed it the "Narnia" wedding because the decor and feel reminded me of that mythical winter wonderland.

The coolest part about this whole process were the bride and groom. They love the outdoors and wanted to keep everything very natural-no glitter, no silver paint and no blue! They went out and collected (fallen) birch wood which we incorporated into just about everything. We also used fresh green moss and rock salt to give it an "icy, yet still alive and fresh" look . I loved the concept and challenge of keeping things rustic but formal. Of course, formality was not an issue for The Landmark Center and the gorgeous chocolate satin chair covers and floor length linens from Linen Effects. The overall event design by The Style Laboratory was breathtaking and I was happy to be a part of it!

How do you like them apples?

I find myself doing the most random things to accomplish my job... Geri and I recently pitched an idea to a corporate client to integrate green apples in one of the centerpiece options. Little did I know where this would send me. Usually I would have ordered a case of apples from the wholesaler, but it occur ed to me (thankfully) that the apples might be too large to fit into the 3" cylinders we were using. So, where does this leave me? At the grocery store at 9pm on a Sunday night, vase in hand, measuring each and every one of the 120 apples I bought. Needless to say I got a few looks.

All in all, this was just another little adventure to remind me how much I love my job. I think all designers have to laugh at some of the things we do to "make it work". Here are the fruits of my labour. Ha! pun intended;)

Flower Shower

Love's Wishing Well

On Friday February 13th I was hired to do floral for a Wedding shower. We designed a really fun "interactive" centerpiece that I am calling "Love's wishing well". I took a large shallow cylinder vase, creating a pond of sorts, and centered an arrangement of red tulips, white Hyacinth and Bear Grass. There were little cups of pennies for each guest to toss into the wishing well and make a wish for the lovely couple. Cutsie, I know...but we're talking about LOVE here!! In fact the whole theme of the event was red. There was red food, red linens, red votives everywhere, red luminaries outside and of course a ton of red tulips! Thanks to Studio Laguna for the amazing photos. There's a chance this will be featured in a national bridal magazine!! I'll keep you posted...

Now to be honest, I do not get requests for a whole lot of wedding shower flowers. This got me to thinking... What an excellent way to get a preview of your wedding flowers! So many clients ask me if they would be able to see a sample of what they picked out. Here is a win/win situation! Mothers and Maid's of Honour listen up! Have the bride's florist create a sample of the flowers she chose for her wedding to finish of the buffet table. It would be a great surprise and would also allow the bride to make any adjustments before the big day. Ask the florist to put a bit of a spin on the design so that you all will have a "preview" but not take away any attention or drama from the wedding itself. They could use the same flowers in a different style arrangement or even just doing the same color combinations. What I always say...Things should coordinate, not match!

The Duel of the Design...Part Deux

The Duel is fast approaching! I hope you all can make it on March 5th to this crazy cool evening. Last year I competed with Todd Pinzuti from Bungalow 6 Design, and our table won! I have to admit that it was a little bit nerve racking to design in front of such a crowd and to not know what I would be doing until the moment of. Once we got rolling and Todd laid out the concept, I had a blast! He created a modern table setting that was elegant and sufficiently funky using greys and yellows. I had joked before going up there that I would probably have to design with yellow, as it was not my favorite color. I designed a tall spouting arrangement featuring delicate Oncidium Orchids and colored water, after that creation I became a believer in the power of yellow! It was a fantastic finished product and it was a complete pleasure working with such a fabulous designer as Todd.
I am looking forward to this year and all of the new added features. There are many new things in store, or so I hear...the designers of the Duel are keeping the surprises just that. I'm still a little nervous about the "on the spot" pressure of designing something fabulous, but it's a good kind of nervous! It truly helps to have such amazing team members. Whether it is Bungalow 6 or Mi Mi Design that I get paired with, the creative process is bound to be a fun one! Come see it unfold!

Our winning table-photo by Greg Jansen

Yellow Roses, Yellow Cymbidium Orchids and White Hydrangea

Our winning table-photo by Greg Jansen

Yellow Oncidium Orchids, White Dendrobium Orchids and Bear Grass