Can you believe that Christmas is right around the corner?!  You know what that means snow and little sunshine for 6 months.  UGH!!!  However on a brighter note it means the studio is all a'BLING with shiny things,  tinselly trees and enough glitter to cover a small city!!! 

 Last January I flew to Atlanta on the hunt for the most fabulous holiday decor and what Karen has done with these items is truly magical.  This girl knows how to decorate a tree.  We tease her that if the kitchen sink were available she would put it in there!  :)  I affectionately refer to her as Miss Christmas and thanks to her on the job training both Emily, and I, are now master Christmas tree decorators.  I think the most valuable lesson I learned from Karen is to not be afraid of filling up a tree.  The use of mesh, beading, ribbon, and branches go a long way in adding dramatic effect while ornaments, and a lot of them, is also key to a magnificent tree!  

As an example of her crazy decorating genius, Karen took our square moss wreaths that been hanging on our wall and used them in our copper tree. One of regulars had been admiring the wreaths for weeks and when asked where they were the client was amazed at the unconventional application of the wreaths.  Another example of her "out of the box" thinking is the cool way that she displayed the glass ornaments in the white and platinum tree.  She took the collection of grapevine Christmas trees, flipped them upside down, and stuffed them with the ornaments.  Although I realize this application does not apply with home trees I want to encourage all you amazing people to THINK OUTSIDE THE BOX!  If it's pretty and it matches put it in the tree.   Here's my philosophy and it's pretty simple, "if you see more decorations than you see tree than you have a masterpiece.  The tree is merely a place to hang all your glamorous goodies so be sure to load it up!"

I encourage all of you to stop down to the studio to check out our amazing trees.  We have 4 ranging from traditional to contemporary all of which I love.  Karen works in the studio daily so bring your questions and if decorating is not your thing we would love to help.  We offer free home consultations and we still have availability to help with your holiday decorating.  

...one more quick side note, we're  offering 25% off all Christmas decorations.  Sorry this is a blog not a commercial however I had to mention the sale because I LOVE sales especially if it involves purses or shoes.  

Hope to see you soon.

Jenn

 

PAY IT FORWARD

I'm so excited to post this blog because it is so near and dear to my heart.  Several weeks ago I had shared with you how after events I experience this overwhelming feeling of sadness coupled with relief.  It's like the feeling you have right after Christmas or coming home from vacation.  There is so much heighten anticipation and when it finally arrives and is over there is a brief period of melancholy.  In an effort to prolong the sadness we have started a new program where we disassemble the centerpieces and donate the flowers to a local nursing home or hospital.  When we design large events it is nearly impossible to send home all the flowers with guests and it kills me, and the client, to just throw them away.  So in an effort to "go green" while paying it forward we have come up with this very rewarding program.  I like to call it therapy!  

Can you believe that these hand-tied bouquets were once the HUGE centerpieces from the remarkable event? It took us nearly 2 days to dismantle the designs but we were able to donate over 75 hand-tied bouquets to not just one but two nursing homes in the area.   This program has certainly become a trend with our clients and although it is time consuming the rewards are GREAT!  It is an incredible feeling to touch the lives of others through the beauty of flowers.  

Special thanks to John Pottenger with Coastline Studios for coming down short notice to shoot these bouquet for us.  I wanted our customer to see what an amazing gift they were donating.  Hope this warms your heart!  

Much love,

Jenn

Beautiful Video Footage

So call me a blog stalker but it was well worth it!!!  Tonight while I was checking some of my favorite blogs I discovered a tasty little treat from my favorite videographer, John Pottenger with Coastline Studios.  Last week John was part of the amazing team that worked on the unbelievable event.  As an added bonus John is working on an edgy documentary for us which should roll out sometime late December early January.  This video will be featured on our wedsite along with Grace Ormonde.  Oh by the way have I mentioned that we have been chosen to be a Platinum Member with Grace Ormonde Magazine!  Lots of exciting news and I will keep you posted.  Until then check out John's blog to see his amazing work.  Way to go John!!!!!!

City Lights

As promised here are more photos from this spectacular event.   In typical fashion the incomparable Jen Kroll and her amazing staff captured the essence of the decor beautifully.  The photos are actually from the rehearsal dinner which personally was my favorite.   I absolutely loved the contemporary centerpieces and of course the orchids were PERFECT!  Originally when we had created the rendering the orchids had less blooms however for the event they came in with over 9 blooms per stem and were incredibly long.   I actually cried when I opened the box!  I know it sounds crazy but when you work with perishable product that you have no control over it's so wonderful when everything comes in absolutely PERFECT!  Thank you so much Angie for all your hard work. You're a GEM!!!!

Now let's talk details...I know I've said it a million times but JODI is AMAZING!  From the color palette, to the linen selection, menu and place card stock, soft seating, couture candy bar, matching chargers and broaches this intimate dinner was simply stunning.   I wish I could share them all but there is so many to mention.  I think my two favorite details about the decor were the sexy black candle holders I found and Jodi's broaches that matched the chargers perfectly.    You know Jodi often lets us in on some of the surprises but I think she actually saves a few yummy treats just so we're surprised.    JUST LIKE CHRISTMAS!!!!

My only wish is that I could have been a fly on the wall just so I could see and hear the reactions of all the lucky guests.   I'm sure that this will be an event that people will talk about for years to come thanks to the amazing couple with impeccable taste, the creative genius Jodi Bos and all the vendors who worked countless hours to see this marvelous event come to fruition.   I know I speak for my entire staff when I say we are so blessed to do what we love.  

Nothing great in the world has ever been accomplished without passion.

German poet name unknown 1813-1863

Unbelievable Event

Here I sit struggling to put my feelings into words and for the first time I find myself rendered speechless.   Last week we were given the distinct honor of designing the floral decor for one of the most amazing events we will ever have the privilege to work on. Jodi Bos with In Any Event was the creative mastermind behind this simply fabulous event.  The limitless creativity and attention to detail is truly what sets Jodi apart.  I love to watch her work as she handles even the most stressful situations with grace and professionalism.  Make sure to check out Jodi's blog to learn  about all the tiny touches that made this an affair to remember.  Thank you so much Jodi for entrusting us with this spectacular event and for being my inspiration!

Capturing this spectacular event was a team of photographers and leading the way was the talented  Jen Kroll. 

I met Jen just a few months ago while working on Liz and Curt's wedding in late August and instantly feel in love with her work.    Pictures speak a thousand words and in Jen's case they speak volume!  Thank you Jen for sharing these gorgeous photos! 

Last but certainly not least I want to personally thank my amazing staff; Emily, Erin, Jill, Karen, Marilyn, Laurel, Charlie, Jonathan and our guest designer, Jackie Lacey AIFD for all their hard work.  The past 15 days at MDF have been absolutely nuts.  As you can imagine it's stressful enough to move into a new space but couple that with a platinum event and you have one overworked group.   In usual MDF fashion everyone stepped it up and came to work with a "CAN DO" spirit.  It's like we say, "go big or go home and boy did we ever!"   

Now onto the details...As with most spectacular events it first starts with a color palette and what a scrumptious palette it was.  Shades of deep rich raspberry,  eggplant with hints of saffron worked beautifully together especially given the venue chosen of the JW Marriott.  When I met with the bride her one big request was her wish for peony on her wedding day.  Not an issue in June however in late October it's a slightly different story.  Fortunately we were able to bring in this lush flower from Chile with the help of our floral wholesaler Vans.  It was stressful waiting and wondering whether or not we would be able to give our bride her dream but in the end we were successful and it was well worth it!  Some of the other amazing product we used in our designs were cherry brandy roses, peach hypericum, raspberry and plum hydrangea, lovely lydia spray roses, dendrobium orchids,  deep purple lisianthus, violet and purple stock, trachelium, hanging amaranthus, antique gold tipped magnolia leafs, curly willow and my personal favorite,  phalaenopsis orchids.   

I will continue to blog as I receive photos but for now ENJOY the spectacular photos!   Wait until you see the rehearsal dinner details, couture candy table and beautiful wedding cake by Sweet Cakes!  Simply AMAZING!!!

 

New Warehouse Space

I feel so guilty when I have to start a blog with an apology but this time I have the perfect excuse. Just 15 days ago we moved into our fabulous new warehouse space located in the Brassworks building downtown! We are so excited that expansion was needed and the space is absolutely perfect. We have over 2500 square feet of dedicated space for weddings and special events. It still needs a little TLC but with some paint and hard work this warehouse will feel like home. I will be sure to post photos when it's all finished! Stay tuned.