Kristin Brancaleone, Rancho Santa Margarita, CAVendor: Floral DesignerWebsite: The Treasured PetalAbout Me: The Treasured Petal is a reflection of my love for scrumptious flowers, yummy textures, colors, ribbons, and all the other girly splurges that being a florist allows me to enjoy on a daily basis. Although I don't discriminate when it comes to flowers, my two favorites would have to be cattleya orchids and gloriosa lilies, which I carried in a ginormous bouquet on my wedding day. When I'm not crafting wedding florals and consulting with brides, I am usually at the dog park with my dogs Pesto and Basil, cooking healthy vegan dinners, watching Seinfeld with my husband Joe, at Bible study, or scouring craigslist for antique furniture to fill up my new house. I am also kind of a home-body and really love sipping tea in my pajamas while working my way down my google reader blog list!
Wiley Valentine, CaliforniaVendor: Invitations and Paper ProductsWebsite: Wiley ValentineAbout Me: Wiley Valentine is named for our artistic grandmothers, Mary Wiley and Norma Jean Valentine. Our company is 4 years old and growing strong. We specialize in invitations, stationery, and all sorts of paper delights. We love the forest, vintage books, thunder storms, butterflies, fairy tales and the smell of rain. We strive to think of our environment first when creating our paper products, and only use 100% recycled or 100% cotton papers.
Ok so seriously have I mentioned lately how amazing Jesi Haack Weddings is? Well this wedding sure does prove it. On top of that this wedding is like my dream come true - not only is at my new favorite wedding venue Marvimon but it also was a collaboration of some of my favorite wedding vendors!
How amazing are the florals!? Succulents + Kale + the brides grandmother's pearls on her bouquet? Jesi Haack Weddings was the genius behind the lovely details of this event AND the ridiculously gorgeous florals! I adore the pops of purple like the bride’s adorable purple pumps!
Nancy @ Nancy Liu Chin Designs, San FranciscoVendor: FloristWebsite: Nancy Liu Chin DesignsAbout Me: A San Francisco native, Nancy graduated from the University of California - Berkeley's Haas Business School where she studied finance and marketing. Beyond running her floral studio, Nancy is a huge fan of Top Chef, loves to travel to exotic locations, is an avid reader of contemporary fiction and considers herself on Team Edward (Twilight fan!), entertains friends in her loft style home in San Francisco's SOMA neighborhood, and can be found at SF Giant's home games. Nancy and her husband, Kevin are a dynamic pair and can be frequently seen walking their white Bichon Frisee, Chin Chin around the city and lounging at cafes sipping Italian sodas.
This is the final installment to the question that was so thoughtfully asked by a bride, Lisa.
She originally wrote…
Dear Nancy
…Not to be snarky, but can you please explain why my florist charged $250 for a bouquet of peonies when I found an eight stem bunch at Whole Foods that very same week for $12.99?
Kristin Brancaleone, Rancho Santa Margarita, CAVendor: Floral DesignerWebsite: The Treasured PetalAbout Me: The Treasured Petal is a reflection of my love for scrumptious flowers, yummy textures, colors, ribbons, and all the other girly splurges that being a florist allows me to enjoy on a daily basis. Although I don't discriminate when it comes to flowers, my two favorites would have to be cattleya orchids and gloriosa lilies, which I carried in a ginormous bouquet on my wedding day. When I'm not crafting wedding florals and consulting with brides, I am usually at the dog park with my dogs Pesto and Basil, cooking healthy vegan dinners, watching Seinfeld with my husband Joe, at Bible study, or scouring craigslist for antique furniture to fill up my new house. I am also kind of a home-body and really love sipping tea in my pajamas while working my way down my google reader blog list!
I love this chuppah. It was lovingly built by my two nephews from Yosemite. It's very simple- constructed of 8 natural birch poles, some metal rods and carpenter screws. It's insanely heavy. But it's a gorgeous ceremony backdrop and so versatile. I can see it draped with khaki linen and strung with orchids and coral. I can see it covered with succulents and moss. I can see it accented with curly willow branches with hanging lanterns…
This is how I saw it last month at the Ritz Carlton in Dana Point- swagged in red and wine chiffon, and subtly accented with lush clusters of flowers. Can't wait to see how many ways I can dress this baby!
Nancy @ Nancy Liu Chin Designs, San FranciscoVendor: FloristWebsite: Nancy Liu Chin DesignsAbout Me: A San Francisco native, Nancy graduated from the University of California - Berkeley's Haas Business School where she studied finance and marketing. Beyond running her floral studio, Nancy is a huge fan of Top Chef, loves to travel to exotic locations, is an avid reader of contemporary fiction and considers herself on Team Edward (Twilight fan!), entertains friends in her loft style home in San Francisco's SOMA neighborhood, and can be found at SF Giant's home games. Nancy and her husband, Kevin are a dynamic pair and can be frequently seen walking their white Bichon Frisee, Chin Chin around the city and lounging at cafes sipping Italian sodas.
A couple days ago, I started to answer Lisa's question on the cost of peonies, writing about Perceived Value and Pricing.
Today's issue centers around why local grocery stores and warehouse stores are able to carry flowers at or below wholesale. For the answer, I have consulted the wonderfully talented, Amy Marella of Hidden Garden, for insight. There are several issues going on:
1) Bulk Quantities - Flushing
It is not uncommon to find Whole Foods, Trader Joes, Costco with a wide assortment of flowers. These wholesale warehouses and grocery chains buy their flowers in “bulk” and/or buy flowers that are “flushing” from the growers. I had never heard this term before Amy used it. Amy was kind enough to help define the term. “Flushing” occurs when flowers are coming in great abundance and the grower is willing to get rid of them quickly/cheaply because they have a very large quantity.
Amy states, “this is not to say that the flowers at these locations might not be perfect, but they are not hand picked by the buyers”. Given that - each week these outlets have differing stock. There is never a guarantee of what you might see at your local grocery store like Whole Foods, Trader Joe's and Safeway. These large corporations have the buying power to purchase in “bulk” therefore offering consumers much lower prices than a local floral shop who doesn't buy in the quantities that a large, national grocery store could.
Kristin Brancaleone, Rancho Santa Margarita, CAVendor: Floral DesignerWebsite: The Treasured PetalAbout Me: The Treasured Petal is a reflection of my love for scrumptious flowers, yummy textures, colors, ribbons, and all the other girly splurges that being a florist allows me to enjoy on a daily basis. Although I don't discriminate when it comes to flowers, my two favorites would have to be cattleya orchids and gloriosa lilies, which I carried in a ginormous bouquet on my wedding day. When I'm not crafting wedding florals and consulting with brides, I am usually at the dog park with my dogs Pesto and Basil, cooking healthy vegan dinners, watching Seinfeld with my husband Joe, at Bible study, or scouring craigslist for antique furniture to fill up my new house. I am also kind of a home-body and really love sipping tea in my pajamas while working my way down my google reader blog list!
Kristin Brancaleone, Rancho Santa Margarita, CAVendor: Floral DesignerWebsite: The Treasured PetalAbout Me: The Treasured Petal is a reflection of my love for scrumptious flowers, yummy textures, colors, ribbons, and all the other girly splurges that being a florist allows me to enjoy on a daily basis. Although I don't discriminate when it comes to flowers, my two favorites would have to be cattleya orchids and gloriosa lilies, which I carried in a ginormous bouquet on my wedding day. When I'm not crafting wedding florals and consulting with brides, I am usually at the dog park with my dogs Pesto and Basil, cooking healthy vegan dinners, watching Seinfeld with my husband Joe, at Bible study, or scouring craigslist for antique furniture to fill up my new house. I am also kind of a home-body and really love sipping tea in my pajamas while working my way down my google reader blog list!
Nancy @ Nancy Liu Chin Designs, San FranciscoVendor: FloristWebsite: Nancy Liu Chin DesignsAbout Me: A San Francisco native, Nancy graduated from the University of California - Berkeley's Haas Business School where she studied finance and marketing. Beyond running her floral studio, Nancy is a huge fan of Top Chef, loves to travel to exotic locations, is an avid reader of contemporary fiction and considers herself on Team Edward (Twilight fan!), entertains friends in her loft style home in San Francisco's SOMA neighborhood, and can be found at SF Giant's home games. Nancy and her husband, Kevin are a dynamic pair and can be frequently seen walking their white Bichon Frisee, Chin Chin around the city and lounging at cafes sipping Italian sodas.
…Not to be snarky, but can you please explain why my florist charged $250 for a bouquet of peonies when I found an eight stem bunch at Whole Foods that very same week for $12.99?
Nancy @ Nancy Liu Chin Designs, San FranciscoVendor: FloristWebsite: Nancy Liu Chin DesignsAbout Me: A San Francisco native, Nancy graduated from the University of California - Berkeley's Haas Business School where she studied finance and marketing. Beyond running her floral studio, Nancy is a huge fan of Top Chef, loves to travel to exotic locations, is an avid reader of contemporary fiction and considers herself on Team Edward (Twilight fan!), entertains friends in her loft style home in San Francisco's SOMA neighborhood, and can be found at SF Giant's home games. Nancy and her husband, Kevin are a dynamic pair and can be frequently seen walking their white Bichon Frisee, Chin Chin around the city and lounging at cafes sipping Italian sodas.
This was indeed one of the more memorable weddings of 2009. I love love love doing modern classic weddings and I love very sleek and uber chic venues. And sleek to some might be boring, but for me, if done well in the right venue (and the St. Regis is such a venue ), it's very polished.
If anyone knew how I live, they would know that my personal design style is very minimal, sleek, contemporary, and totally Design within Reach, so I love it when I get to do simple yet meaningful designs. This “Orchid, Bamboo, & Stone” motif wedding for Cheralin and James this past June was a wonderful experience and I hope you enjoy the images.
Kirsty Edwards the gifted photographer for this wedding did these amazing boards. She is also incredibly nice. You can see even more images on her blog at Shoot Retouch. Read more…
Kristin Brancaleone, Rancho Santa Margarita, CAVendor: Floral DesignerWebsite: The Treasured PetalAbout Me: The Treasured Petal is a reflection of my love for scrumptious flowers, yummy textures, colors, ribbons, and all the other girly splurges that being a florist allows me to enjoy on a daily basis. Although I don't discriminate when it comes to flowers, my two favorites would have to be cattleya orchids and gloriosa lilies, which I carried in a ginormous bouquet on my wedding day. When I'm not crafting wedding florals and consulting with brides, I am usually at the dog park with my dogs Pesto and Basil, cooking healthy vegan dinners, watching Seinfeld with my husband Joe, at Bible study, or scouring craigslist for antique furniture to fill up my new house. I am also kind of a home-body and really love sipping tea in my pajamas while working my way down my google reader blog list!
I'm still invigorated by last weekend's wedding. After we had all the decor set in place, I actually had time to walk around the site and just gush at the simple beauty of it all. Our couple, Meg and Shawn, longed for a laid back country feel with tons of mason jar candles, paisley fabric, and simple florals. I got to use buckets and buckets of pure white snowberries. They just spilled from the vases and were as plump as grapes. Love them so much!
I hope to share the professional pictures soon, but Joe was able to snap pics of a few details. By the way, he hung all those mason jars from the magnolia tree. It was his project, and he took it very seriously! Thank you Joe!
Thank you Joe!
