I don’t feel like we design flowers; I almost feel like we design with them. Each flower in the studio brings a depth of beauty that’s almost mysterious… designing is the craft of calling out that beauty. I have never lost that sort of breathless, almost childish fascination with flowers. When we have a studio full of them before a wedding, one of my favorite things is to just get a drink and wander around and touch them and look at them. Same out in the garden… I love to take coffee in the morning, or a glass of wine in the evenings and just walk around and look at them all; each stem has such beauty and such a story to tell. We’ve planted them and watched them grow – fed them, trimmed them, protected them… by the time they actually flower it’s such a celebration and I love to just enjoy it.

Designing for a bride is like getting to add a whole different side of celebration to her day. To choose stems that reflect her personality and vision and that will add that depth of fairytale, romantic beauty to her day. A bride needs to be herself – tell me her story, her vision, how they met, and some very basic elements like colors… and we take that and create a floral story that helps compliment and tell the couples story on the wedding day. A bride has her bouquet with her almost the entire day, and her bouquet sort of sets the tone for any other arrangements we do. When I’m designing the brides bouquet I’m thinking about her personality, her dress, thinking about her walking down the aisle with this bouquet… the first look, standing at the altar – this bouquet is going to be central to the wedding and I want it to reflect her, and make her heart happy. That’s why I always put a lot of effort into the back side of the bouquet – the one only the bride sees.

Our whole growing and designing is a process of pause and space and getting to enjoy beauty. Anyone can put flowers together and make a bouquet; we’re making more than just bouquets, but experiences – sharing the pause, the experience of the studio, the relaxation, the beautiful area. It’s the lifestyle we’re sharing – the sounds of the creek, a candlelit studio, strolling around with a drink, a meditative time cutting an armful of flowers, the good smell of the dirt, the forest, the ridiculousness of the little horse, pausing for coffee in the morning – that’s what we want to share with our brides.