Stunning Couture Linens

Let me be the first to introduce our latest and greatest new vendor.  LaTavola is an amazing couture linen company that is not only scrumptious but affordable.  Jod and I discovered them while walking the showroom floor at Special Event.  As of right now I'm anxiously awaiting the fabulous sample books.  I've already designed three weddings this week using their linens and I can't wait to bring the samples in for the rendering.  I haven't been this excited since my 21st birthday! As an added bonus the company is run by a woman!

Thanks to Sasha Souza of Sasha Souza Events we were introduced to all the fabulous ladies and the concept of mixed linens on guest tables.  This look will quickly become our new look in 2009! 

Be sure to check out their website...love it, love it, love it!

Jenn

Talk About PRETTY Sustainability!

Step 1...

...Step 2

... and the result is a BEAUTIFUL notecard!

I stumbled upon this idea on the Knot and discovered the genius company that is Floral Notes. Get this, this company actually uses the flowers from your bridal bouquet to make gorgeous thank you cards for after your event! Brilliant, right? And as if that wasn't enough, the card makers place a dozen varieties of wildflower seeds into the paper so your guests can actually plant the card and grow a small wildflower garden! My head is spinning right now! This is the most unique idea that I've seen in a while.

Is it just me or does this concept seem like a win-win? The bride gets a second time use of her wedding flowers by giving her guests a beautiful, yummy thank you card, and the environment gets to catch a break, too. Be sure to check out Floral Notes' website to locate a nearby dealer!

LADIES AND GENTLEMAN, WITHOUT FURTHER ADO.....

Ever wonder what it takes for floral designers to prepare and design for those platinum weddings you see on TV? Well, wonder no more...

We are SO EXCITED this week because we can finally show the world an insight into our lives! (You're gonna love this, I promise!) John Pottenger, our wonderful friend from Coastline Studios, has crafted this video ...wait, I should say this AMAZING video... of us as we prepared the flowers for the biggest wedding we have done so far. The video seriously rocks! You'll see everything from start to finish (well, the scenes of us being exhausted and pulling our hair out were kindly removed) Only kidding, but honestly we had a blast and the end result was G-O-R-G-E-O-U-S!

So sit back, relax and enjoy!

Wedding Luncheon

Now that I'm home organizing my thoughts (and suitcase) I've realized that I have blog material for weeks. Good problem to have however judging from my last post you can tell I tend to ramble! :) As all good florist would do I'm going to share all the pretty pictures highlighting my favorite part of the week, the wedding luncheon.

First let me say the VIP ticket was well worth the price of admission! The event was hosted at the Hard Rock Hotel. On a side note, add staying at a Hard Rock Hotel on your bucket list. The one in Chicago rocks! Back to the luncheon...Boy George, Cyndi Lauper, Cher, Madonna greeted us along with servers serving bubbly in sexy red champagne flutes. Of course I couldn't resist getting a photo with my favorite 80's rock stars! :) My primary function was to capture photos of the gorgeous floral, cake, decor, details and dresses while Jod's job was to ensure that my glass of champagne was safe. The VIP gallery preview was amazing and I can still hear Jodi, did you get a picture of the table setting, escort table design, isn't this amazing...it was so much FUN!

The preview lasted an hour and anxious observers lined up for the grand reveal of the ballroom. Unfortunately photos cannot capture the gasps heard while entering the room. However the photographer did a beautiful job photographing this event. Just imagine a sea of couture black and white linens, lush extravagant floral arrangements, lighting, custom table settings, decor elements...I felt like Dorothy in the Wizard of Oz; lions and tigers and bears, oh my.

Carly Roney, Co-Founder and Editor in Chief of The Knot, Inc. was the keynote speaker. I enjoyed her informative address especially her slide show which featured one the photos from our Payne wedding in August. Jodi missed it because she was busy looking for her Blackberry Storm under the table however she has the bruised arm to prove it. I about knocked her off her chair when the photo came up on the jumbo screens!!! We felt like rock stars as you can imagine! :) Of course we couldn't resist getting a photo with Carly. Thank you!

Lunch was scrumptious, new friends were made, the event was spectacular and life is good!

Enjoy the pics!

Jenn

I want to send a special shout out to the fabulous photographer, committee chairs, designers and the countless volunteers who produced this spectacular event!

Fun in the Sun

Huge apologies for the delayed blog but it was an exciting week and unless you carry your laptop around it's difficult to get it all in.  I wrote this on Friday afternoon and thought I would share what was going through my head at the time.  Enjoy!

It's 2:30pm California time, the conference is officially over and here I sit enjoying the gorgeous weather while sipping on a basil grape refresher, which by the way is scrumptious.  If you love mint mojitos you'll love this cocktail!  As I sit soaking up the sunshine I have to share a little observation I made about fabulous Californians.  This part of the post is dedicated to all you poor souls who endure long winters. 

 So I'm sure you can relate the overjoyed feeling of releasing your bundled up tootsies come spring.  It's a liberating feeling when you can finally wear a comfy pair of flip flops or your favorite open toe shoes while sporting a fabulous pedicure.  The mittens, scarfs and snow gear get packed away for another season.  REAL JOY!  However in California, fashion is fashion, no matter how warm it is outside.  So my conclusion...Uggs are more than just a means of keeping your feet dry and warm,  wool scarfs are merely for appearances and regardless of how warm it is your poor pooch must always look as fabulous as its owner.  Sorry no photos but trust me when I say, it was classic!   I did however capture this cute little photo of a women walking her Chinese Crested...notice the similar hair color and of course the sassy little sweater.  Ok, so I'll cut her a little slack considering the fact the dog is nearly hairless...too cute! :)

Southern California, San Diego specifically is an incredible place to visit.  It is clean, friendly, full of life and the yummy restaurant options are endless.  We dined at several fantastic eateries and enjoyed what I call "BEAUTIFUL MEALS."   My new favorite local, Lynne Silverman, owner of Haute Homes told us about Oceanaire which specializes in seafood and HUGE quantities.  The wedge salad and crab cakes were worth the trip.  

Wednesday we enjoyed a gorgeous meal at Nobu in the Hard Rock Hotel which specializes in Japanese cuisine.  Everything about this restaurant was beautiful from the diverse menu to the detailed plating of each course.  As a Food Network junkie I truly appreciated their attention to perfection.  

From sushi to burgers, probably my favorite place we dined at was called Neighborhood.  It was a mod little hamburger joint where you could enjoy couture burgers and fries, sip on a cocktail all in a swanky environment.  The tables were stainless steal, open air(which means no windows needed) and a super cool painting of one very large man eating a burger.  The plating was so cute that I had to take a picture of the tiny bag of chips.  One of our new found friends, the party goddess, blogged about the restaurant earlier on in the week.  We were told to bring our own ketchup. (which by the way is a joke just in case you're a left brainer like my husband)  I enjoyed a cajun rubbed burger with jalapeno mayo and sweet potato fries.  Jod loved her marsala burg and shoestring fries with garlic aioli.  

Now you're probably wondering what this has to do with floral and event design and to answer your question, it doesn't.  I'm just hoping that I get asked to be a guest critic on Iron Chef America.  If any of you are fans you know that not all judges are qualified so why not a Midwest floral designer/business owner.  :)  Can you think of a better job?

Bon Appetite!

Jenn

Tiny bite!

Today was absolutely phenomenal! My brain is on sensory overload but I had to post just a few pics before we head to dinner. Don't you just love the yummy linens! Of course it's featuring my favorite color palette; green, black and white. Just wait until you see the rest of the pics they are gorgeous.

Jod and I have agreed to duo post tonight because we have some exciting news to share with everyone. Stay tuned! We're off to a swanky Japanese restaurant to enjoy a fabulous meal.

with love from sunny California,

Jenn

Incredible First Day

So I safely arrived in sunny California late yesterday and if you haven't spent time in San Diego you must definitely add it to your bucket list. It is simply amazing! I'm sure the fact that I'm enjoying sunshine and moderately warm temperatures helps.

The Special Event kicked off this morning and it was amazing. Our first session was with celebrity wedding expert and Modern Bride wedding consultant, Sasha Souza. The informative and entertaining presentation covered colour coutour; fashioning today's colours into the perfect party palette. We covered the latest color trends, where we are seeing trends today and what color choices say about our clients just to name a few. Let's just say I have a brand new color vocabulary beyond crayola red, yellow and green say hello to poppy, daffodil and citron! :)

Afternoon sessions were more business development based however we managed to catch the tail end of Hitomi Gilliam programs Neoflora. Hitomi is an amazingly humble floral designer who so graciously shares her knowledge and passion with all who will listen. I hope to study with her in the next couple of months in Quebec.

Tomorrow is the BIG DAY, the Wedding Luncheon. Jod and I have VIP tickets so I will be sure to share all my knowledge nuggets and photos tomorrow. This event was sold out over six weeks ago which makes me simply giddy to know we have tickets! I just found out today that another one of my all time favorites is a presenter/designer on the event. Rene' Van Reems is another amazing floral designer not to mention incredibly funny and charming. Back in March I was fortunate to attend a hands-on class under his instruction while at Southern Conference. He in my opinion is the guru of the European hand-tied bouquet.

Have a wonderful Wednesday and we'll talk tomorrow.

Jenn