Friday started with a visit from Mrs. D; she is my bride Dharma's mom. This is the weekend of the bridal shower, and, of course, they needed flowers. Mrs. D has worked with babies for many years. She and baby Grace bonded at our first consultation, and they have been friends ever since.

Dharma's sister and niece came from Colorado to make the shower and her aunt, Mrs. D's sister, came from Holland. Now that is an awesome family.

I am posting this picture because when I saw it I just wanted to crack up. Dharma's niece is the baby on the right, and she is 11 months old. She can talk, and I swear she taught baby Grace how.  Grace has been babbling ever since.  I love when I get to know the whole family.

Here are the designs we created for the shower. These images were taken by the incredible Kate Headley, one of my favorite photographers, who just happened to stop by at the same time. Yes, the morning was a little busy but really fun. I love having visitors.

Kate also took these shots of the shop while she was here.

These are the low centerpieces for today's wedding. Today is Jane's wedding day. Happy Wedding Day! We really love your flowers.

I love this picture. Kate caught a very important part of the whole process: the recipe. I write a recipe for each design. The designers then copy it on whatever they can find and go off to their work station, and they begin the arrangement.

The rest of the horrid photo's are mine. I would not want anyone to think Kate was responsible for the next images.

I shot this photo of Kate while she was here. Mr. Headley, I think you need to see this; look how happy your wife is. Perhaps it is time for one more Headley. Just, think of the incredible photographs you would have with a baby in the picture.

The maids bouquet for today.

The elevated ceterpieces.

Have a great day will be on a flower delivery.

Holly

  I had a big city day yesterday, and I loved every minute of the day.  I have been with my husband since I was 19 years old. I had become so used to riding with him whenever we went to the city, I never learned how to get around. For years, if I had an event in the city, I would make him or some of the city designers go with me. I know this sounds ridiculous, but I hate having directions and finding the road is closed. Let's just say it unsettles me.

  For the last couple of years I have been venturing out on my own with a lot of trepidation and fear. Early this year, I got a Garmin. Having the Garmin feels like someone set me free. I love running around in the city now. I love hearing the Garmin say "recalculating." I buzzed around yesterday like a pro.

  My first adventure of the day was the Sunset Room.  The very new event venue was having an open house to show off their new extraordinary space.  To put it mildly, I loved this space. I would follow any bride into this room to design her flowers. Floor to ceiling windows that overlook the water at the National Harbor. A truly beautiful space: easy to access in a perfect location. This venue is going to set the industry on fire.  The space can handle 400 people for a reception and 600 for cocktail. With its proximity to shopping, dinning and, of course, the Gaylord, it is perfect for a destination wedding. I can't express how much I loved this space. Brides, please take me there.

  Just to keep it clear, I did not design the flowers in the picture above; several florists were presenting. I just wanted you to see the size of this space. The below picture is the view from the room.

  Here are my designs, I teamed with Design Cuisine for the open house. Any collaboration with Design is amazing. I work with Kelly and Seana  and if you need a caterer, I would highly suggest calling them. Our tables are always amazing.

This piece went to the event as well, but I did not get a picture. It was placed on a silver linen with hot pink napkins. The chairs had black cushions. I am sure it looked stunning.  We also created the following bouquets.

  Here is another display created by kelly from Design Cuisine. Kelly found this old stove while shopping in Loudoun County. She had it cleaned and painted and added it as a prop to their inventory. Very clever.

Seeing that all was well at this event, I raced across town to the Hay Adams to meet my bride Alexandra and her wedding planner Lisa Schulz.  Lisa owns The Posh Planner.

I have always wanted to work at the Hay Adams. It seems every time a bride has called, I have been booked, so I am very much looking forward to this event. The Hay Adams is total elegance. The service is remarkable and the staff lovely. I worked with Alison yesterday; she is the Director of Catering. She would be your contact person when planning an event. You will love working with her.

Here, my beautiful bride is in the process of making some of those very important wedding decisions: like which type of cake.

The person closest to us in the picture is Kendall of Kendall's cakes. The other young lady is Alison from the Hay Adams. I have been dying to meet the famous Kendall. We were both featured in the newest issue of the Washingtonian's Bride and Groom.

The reception will be taking place on the rooftop terrace of the Hay Adams. The terrace boasts incredible views of the city and one very important house.

Just down the street is the Decatur House. The wedding will take place in the courtyard. Guests can walk from the Decatur to the Hay Adams for the reception.  The Decatur House is a favorite venue in the city for weddings and events. I am so excited about working at this venue, and I actually have several additional ones that I am looking forward to. One very special one in May.

Weddings often happen in this courtyard but the venue also offers an incredible indoor option as well.

I had a great day yesterday.  I am thrilled about designing in new spaces. The sky is the limit in the big city.

Holly

Sunday night was fall preview at J. Crew. Abby, Hannah and I went for a little retail therapy. Of course, I brought flowers to provide that fall feel to the event. Baby Grace's stroller worked perfectly as a dolly to get arrangements into the store.

We did arrangements in my green crackled urns. I used antique green Hydrangea, deep orange Roses, hanging Amaranthus, Terra Cotta Roses, and Coxcomb.

Some of the designs also had brown Hypericum Berry and brown Angel Vine.

I loved these designs, and they would look awesome for a fall wedding. Can you imagine maids carrying bouquets created with these colors while wearing J. Crew fall dresses?

While the big sisters shopped, baby Grace played on the floor.

Somehow the dressing room started to look like my daughters room at home.  It took endless amounts of patience for the girls to find their favorite outfits. The J. Crew staff was amazing helping the girls put together just the right look.

We also got to spend time with our friend Maria Cooke of Ritzy Bee and Meagan and Izzy from RSVP Catering. RSVP provided drinks and hors d'oeuvres to guests as they shopped.

One of my favorite designs of the night was placed behind the check out counter.  It was awesome to see my designs all over the store. We had a great evening, and it was so fun to be involved with this event. The girls had a great night shopping, and they managed to rake in on some incredible new looks for the Fall season.  This was a really great night for me and the girls.
Holly

Thank you, thank you, thank you!!!!!!!

  I just got these incredible images from Andrea at the Observatory.  Their tag line for their business is " We like to watch" . I just love the name and  I love the language.
This wedding took place at the Lansdowne Resort.  Andrea caught these images of me delivering the bouquets. This was my bride Amanda.  I can't thank the Observatory enough for sending me these photographs.  It really is a small world. I attended a blogging boot camp this June. I met Andrea at blogging boot camp only to find her a few weeks later at Amanda's wedding. I am so very happy to have met these very Noteworthy Documentary Photographers.  I will let there photographs tell the story of the day.

You may remember this bouquet. This bouquet got the attention of a national magazine.

Believe it or not, this centerpiece is simply a maids bouquet. The bride found these very lovely vases and we were all set.

 

We did create some centerpieces of just green Button Mums. These were designed in smaller vases, also purchased by the bride.

Thanks to Andrea for sharing her amazing work with us.  Be happy Amanda, we loved working on your wedding.

Holly

Our family was cheated several days of our beach vacation due to emails and crashing websites. I ended up working when I promised I would not. I wanted to steal just a little more time with the kids before the summer ended, so we headed to Lansdowne Resort.  Even though Lansdowne is essentially in my back yard, a visit to Lansdowne is a true vacation.  We had an amazing weekend. 
We started out Friday night with dinner at On The Potomac.  Friday night is also the night Lansdowne has its Sounds of Summer music festival.  The music is amazing, and the atmosphere is even more incredible. It was such a relaxing environment. The concert and activities really exemplify a resort lifestyle.  It was hard to pull ourselves away and make our reservation. We could have dined on the terrace and listened to the music all night.  I had, however, promised the four oldest kids fine dinning. Let me assure you that On The Potomac absolutely delivered. Our meal was extraordinary, and it was wonderful to show the kids a little bit of the good life.
We spent most of Saturday by the pool, and the kids loved having strawberry daiquiris delivered pool side. Truly a treat.  Unbeknownst to many of the guests, I was the wedding florist for that nights big wedding. It was so much fun to see my brides family relaxing and gathering at the pool. I loved hearing all of the talk about the big wedding.  I have to admit if I were getting married again this resort style wedding is really a charmer. I knew the bride and maids were enjoying a fun filled day of spa treatments and dining and that the guests were having an equally amazing time down by the pool.
I truly enjoyed working knowing that my family was right on site.  I love this picture of my husband Evan. He decided to stop by and check out my work after he had a little work out of his own.

 My kids got a kick out of seeing me at work and seeing the bride. We all watched the wedding from our room and my four year old kept screaming "when are they going to kiss?"

This next photograph was one of my favorites. I found these two dapper, young gentlemen relaxing on a terrace. I think the music at the party they were attending was not as serene as the incredible views at the resort.

These gentlemen were clearly enjoying their time at Lansdowne.
The whole family was absolutely in love with the magnificent slide. Check out my clan at the top of the slide.

And coming down.

Only Sam resisted the temptation of the slide. He was happy just dancing about.  We had a wonderful time last weekend. I can't believe that summer is going so fast.
I am so grateful I spent this time with my family. I also loved having a insider's view of life at Lansdowne. I also loved being on site and watching my bride and her family. It was so much fun to see them all weekend long and to know that they were having the time of their lives.
Holly

Everything starts with the arrival of the bridal bouquet.  Laura married this past weekend at Lansdowne Resort. The first thing we do when we arrive at the resort is deliver the bridal bouquet. We then move on to decorate the ceremony and reception areas.  
This was an incredibly fun weekend for me; our family was also staying at Lansdowne. This allowed me to get a inside look at all that is going on in a huge resort like Lansdowne. Our family wanted one more special time together before big brother Alex leaves for college. Sports and school activities also officially start this weekend. So on Friday night, I tucked Laura's bouquet in the cooler and headed to the resort. On Saturday morning I went home to check on all of the flowers and later that day Jessie and Albert met me at the resort. I wish I could do this every time I have a Lansdowne wedding.

We created two large arrangements for the ceremony. We also added a mountain of petals down the aisle. 

We dressed the unity candle with greens and filler flowers.

We headed over to the clubhouse to set up the reception.  This piece was designed for the place card table.  The bride gave us small dragonfly's that she wanted placed on the branches of the piece.

The reception was a mix of high and low centerpieces.  Our bride should be commended for all of her hard work. She chose the upgraded linens, chairs and napkins all by herself.  Actually, her wonderful mother helped. The end result was amazing.

The elevated centerpieces were created with white Hydrangea, dark blue Delphinium, purple Larkspur, purple Carnations, blue Thistle, white Lily, and lavender Roses.

The low centerpieces were full of the white Hydrangea, lavender Roses, purple Stock, blue Thistle, blue Delphinium and the purple Carnations.

We had miniature arrangements for the cocktail hour that Designer Debbie created. She floated small delphinium blossoms into the base of the vase with green leaves. These were so pretty. 

To bring an event this beautiful together takes a fully devoted team. I love working at Lansdowne Resort because of the attention to detail. Before each wedding or event there is a huge team meeting with Lansdowne's event planner, head captain and wait staff. This ensures that all of the client's wishes for the night are fufilled.

 

This is Millie. She is one of the Head Captain's at the Resort.  I am afraid I don't have a picture of Lansdowne's superstar catering manager Lindsey. Lindsey is absolutely a dream to have on your team. She is like having your own personal wedding coordinator on site.

The wedding cake was created by Lansdowne's pastry chef. The bride loved butterflies and dragonflys. The cake was a piece of art.

Here is my bride and her maids. There were seven maids total.

The bridal bouquet was created of purple-blue Hydrangea, white Roses, white mini callas with a purple center and a white Cymbidium Orchids.

 

Here were two maids that had no trouble posing for the florist.

Here is the amazing Joylyn Hannahs: photographer extraordinaire. I know photographers hate to have their picture taken, but I love to show them in action.

Since we were staying at the resort, we watched the wedding from our room.  With seven children this was a much safer view.

I will post about the rest of our weekend at Lansdowne in the next post.

Holly

  Here is our "in the cooler" post for this weekend.  We have a wonderful wedding tomorrow and I am looking forward to making my bride Laura very happy. We also delivered one wedding today and we have a corporate event on Sunday.  There is actually a lot going on but I am keeping some of that secret. Here are a few more pictures that show today's designs.

I am calling it a day. I am so very sleepy.

Holly

  Sara and John will be celebrating their one year anniversary this weekend. Happy Anniversary to you both!!
 I loved this couple and I was so happy to being working on their wedding. In addition to my great couple, I got to work with the incredible Regeti's of Regeti Photography, and the famous wedding and event planner Elizabeth Bailey .  One year ago we did not have a blog. I thought it would be fun to share these pictures. I also wanted to tell you a very amazing story about the week of this wedding.  A lot can happen in one year.

  Clearly, working with a bride that was on America's Next Top Model was a big deal. I wanted to give her and John their dream wedding. I was also looking forward to working with these other vendors, I knew that the event had a big chance of being published. I really wanted to use this opportunity while working with the Regeti's to add some great new images to the portfolio.  As I have shared, I have become a photography junky.  Why create designs that are extraordinary when you'll have no proof?  My art is perishable; I need photographs.  

 
  I was referred to Sara by several of the vendors but she actually saw my work while modeling for the Engaged Magazine Bridal Shoot, check out this link and see the photo shoot on video.  You can also see images from the shoot on my website under Engaged Photo Shoot.  I am still incredibly grateful to Doreen Tisone for featuring my work last summer.
 So, I have made it very clear that this was an important wedding for me, but this story is also about my baby Grace.  Just when you need everything to be perfect so you can do the job, life hands you its own little wild cards.
   I was newly pregnant, and due to my advanced maternal age (I hate that term) they wanted me to do a genetic study of the baby.  Believing all was fine with the baby, I was swayed to take the test. The Monday we started Sara's designs my baby was diagnosed as missing a chromosome.  Here it was one of my most important weddings and I was on the floor in tears. I don't know how we got through that week, it was truly a week of shock, fear, and horror.  My employees are not just my employees, they are my girl friends, spiritual advisers, and support in all things not just flowers. The whole shop was in tears the entire week. I remember watching everything continue with the designs for Sara's wedding, as if I was having a out of body experience. I was so distraught that life would continue to move on and my baby would not be okay.  We were told a "one in a million" chance that Grace, would some how turn out normal.

  I am so proud of our flower shop, and family, this was a unbelievable test. I remember almost being grateful for the work, as it allowed me not to be totally consumed with grief and fear.  We arrived at Sara's wedding with everything absolutely perfect, no one had a clue as to the stress we were all under. I remember giving her the bouquet. At that moment the pure delight on Sara's face gave me the only true happiness I had felt that week. I realized how incredibly awesome it was that we were able to still deliver beautiful flowers in spite of our dilemma.  When I look back on Sara's wedding, it is with amazement and pride that I remember how we handled the week.  I will always be grateful to Debbie, Jessie and Leanna who carried me and the work load while my world was spinning out of control.  Evan and I would have never gotten through that week without their help. 

The good news!!!!!!!!! 12 days later it was determined that my baby Grace was that one in a million baby. She is absolutely perfect and celebrates her 6 month old birthday this week. So happy birthday Grace and Happy Anniversary Sara and John.  Now for the photos.

Here is Miss Grace. All of the the photographs in this post were taken by the Regeti's except for the last image.  The Regeti's invited Grace out for a photo shoot when she was just weeks old. 

  First off, I have been meaning to show you the new fresh look for our logo. Some of you have already noticed this on the splash page of the website.  I have had lots of great feedback. We are very excited to have this for our new look.  Many thanks to Laura Hooper Calligraphy for her work on this project. I am very happy with the end results. I also have to thank my dear friend and wedding coordinator, Cara Berger from Celebration By Cara for helping me explain to Laura what I needed.  Cara is always an incredible sounding board, perhaps that is why she is such an amazing planner.

  Here are awesome photos from my field trip to Don's Dahlia's. Remember you can get his Dahlias at the Leesburg Farmers Market on Saturday Mornings.  I love this picture because I can hardly contain myself. I literally have to hold my hands back. I was so excited that my oldest son Alex got a huge laugh out of my behavior.

This picture also cracks me up. It is moments like this, that I realize I am truly addicted to flowers and design.

  I love this picture of Don and here come the pictures of his many, extraordinary, specimens.

Here are two of the designs we created with the Dahlia's.

 I think it is very kind of me to share my sources with you; so please don't buy all of Don's Dahlia's.  I have these marked for some very special brides.  Don't worry Dharma, I already special ordered your's.

  We left the Dahlia patch just in time to chaperon the teenagers pool party.  How would you like to come home to this?  There is absolutely never a dull moment in this house.

Elijah is my four year old. He thinks he is one of the cool kids. I guess that is what happens when you have teenagers for siblings.

Elijah is clueless to the age differences, in fact the teenagers seemed to enjoy him.

Elijah also has a really cool car and he often drives Sam around the yard.

  Riley, our fourth child celebrated his 12th birthday this week. We took the "Original Four" to Hershey Park. I think I rode my last roller coasters. It seems to hurt more than it used to.  I have lots more to share, but I think this post is getting ridiculously long. I will save the rest for later.

Holly

 

This is my bride Dharma and groom Andy.  We will be creating Dharma’s designs in October. This is a wedding I am truly excited about. I also really love her mother.  We are going to have a wonderful wedding. Dharma shared these very incredible photographs from Maria Vicencio Photography. I wanted you to see them because I think they are just plain art.

As you can imagine I am very happy that my creations will be photographed by this team.
I can hardly wait to work on this wedding. I have become such a photography junky.
Holly