Busy Fall!!!

 Has it seriously been 2 months since my last blog post?!  Yikes!  Well, I haven't been slacking off, I was knee deep in flowers!!  A Fresh Flower had an incredibly busy fall and we are beyond grateful for that!  Between IU events and beautiful fall weddings, we kept ourselves pretty darn busy!!

I won't bore you with the details of my schedule!  I will just show you some pretty pictures from an IU event I did back in September. (WOW!  It's almost November??!!  How did that happen?)  I LOVE the events at IU and especially the events I do with the IU foundation.  What a great group of people to work with!!  They make my already amazing job even better!

Rustic Barn Centerpieces

 

I absolutely LOVED this wedding!!  The bride was so fun and picked such bright cheerful colors and the reception centerpieces were perfect for the rustic barn setting.  

I did a mix of ball jars and small vases and the tables.  The bride provided the wooden trivets to sit the arrangements on which made the colors pop even more.  The juxtaposition of  the wood trivets and the delicate flowers is a great look and I am seeing this a lot at weddings.  

The bride wanted to incorporate lemons into the centerpieces.  I stuck lemons into the large jars and then placed lemons on the trivets as well.  Mixing fruit into the centerpieces is a great way to add color and texture.  Laying texture is such an easy way to add richness and dimension to simple arrangements.  

Arbor Day

 

I had the absolute pleasure of doing a wedding last weekend at an incredible venue! Sycamore Farm is a 20 acre working horse farm that has been transformed into a stunning event venue in Bloomington Indiana.  I love this rustic location and all the modern day amenities it offers.  It was so much fun creating the florals for this beautiful wedding!

Sycamore Farm has a beautiful arbor that is available for the couples to use for the ceremony.  One of the owners told me that it was made by a bride's father for her ceremony and the dad planned to take it home and set it on fire!!  That would have been awful because it looks like it was MADE for this farm!  The arbor is naturally so pretty with all the twisted wood and vines, but I wanted to add splashes of color to brighten the arbor up a bit.  The colors for this wedding were pink, yellow and touches of orange.  So happy and so much fun!!

I wanted to use flowers that coordinated with the centerpieces and bouquets, but that would last for a few hours without being in water.  I used yellow and pink carnations, orange, pink and yellow gerber daisies, yellow and white daisies and solidago.  I wrapped the twigs with Italian ruscus to start and attached groupings of flowers to the greenery.  

This was such a fun wedding and I can't wait to share more of the florals with you!!  

Ladies Night Design Class

A few months back I was asked to teach a class.  I was a bit taken aback as I am not a teacher, nor do I desire to be one!  But none-the-less, I jumped at the chance to take part as I was told there would be wine served!  HA HA!!!  

The group of women I had the pleasure to work with are all great friends who get together once a month to go to dinner, get drinks or learn something new.  They wanted to try their hand at floral design and I was happy to oblige!

I decided to teach the ladies how to design a centerpiece using flowers you could pick up at the grocery store.  I used alstromeria, green mini hydrangeas, orange spray roses, green buttons, gerber daisies, tulips and wax flower.  A traditional mix of spring flowers in bright vibrant colors.  I chose a clear cylinder vase for the container because I loved how sleek and clean it looks.

While I am not sure that I actually "taught" these fun ladies anything about flower arranging, I think they all had a great time!!  But how could you not with great food, good wine and wonderful friends!?

If you are interested in learning more about doing a design class, let me know. These are great for girls nights, Church groups, mom groups or anyone with an interest in learning more about floral design.  You can email me at meechols9@yahoo.com for more information.

It's rare that I have a chance to make anything for myself.  I was thrilled to bring home my design from the flower class!!

Easter Wedding

 While everyone was out hunting eggs for Easter, we were creating and delivering a beautiful wedding!!!  Hydrangeas, ranunculus, seeded eucalyptus, roses and carnations.  Lush and full was the request and I believe we achieved that!

The wedding ceremony was in Beck Chapel and the reception was in the Presidents room.  Both are located on the campus of Indiana University in Bloomington Indiana.

It was a perfect sunny day, just right for a spring wedding!

A Romantic Wedding Reception in the Tudor Room

 Recently I had the privilege of working with a bride who wanted a vintage feel for her March ceremony and reception.  The feel was romantic and somewhat whimsical.  We used hydrangeas, roses, snap dragons, larkspur, ranunculus, anemone and TONS of baby's breath.  Some of the baby's breath was sprayed gold to tie in with the weddings colors, blush and gold.

There were 20 tables at the reception and we did a mix of tall and short arrangements.  We also used tiny vintage vase groupings.  The head table arrangements were constructed inside crystal containers that belonged to the brides grandmother, and the tiny vases were collected while scouting various antique stores in Louisville where the couple resides.

The ceremony took place in the Frangipani room and the reception was in the Tudor room, both at the IU memorial union.  The Frangipani room is typically used for conferences and business meetings, however, it transformed into a beautiful space with a few lights, flowers and loads of tulle! The Tudor room is great for receptions with tall ceilings, lots of space and a centrally located dance floor.

The bride and her bridesmaids made their own bouquets out of fabric.  I was pretty bummed I didn't get to see them in person!

Wedding season is in full swing! This wedding was a great way to start!!

Working From a Home Based Studio

A Fresh Flower is a home based floral design studio.  I receive many questions about what this means.  Simply, I work from a studio located in my home.  Our flowers are brought in fresh for each order since we are a studio instead of a traditional retail flower shop.

 I typically order my event flowers about a week prior to the event and they are delivered 1-2 days before the event date.  When I order flowers for a wedding, I place the order 3-4 weeks before the wedding.  I order them that far in advance to insure that what I have specified to the bride is available and if not, it gives us time to select  new options.

 I have all the flowers brought directly to my home studio from floral wholesalers.  I use various wholesalers, local and in Indianapolis, depending on what flowers I need and how many I need.  I don't really have a favorite, I use whomever can guarantee the best price for the best quality.  I do a lot of research before I make my orders so that each client gets the very best options.  Quality is the number one priority and so far, all of my wholesalers have been amazing in that department!

My decision to make my business home based was a no brainer for me.  My priority is my family and working from home allows me to be with my kiddos and also have a job that I love!  Working from home allows me to keep my prices lower, helping brides and corporate clients stay on budget without sacrificing style and quality.  There may come a day when I need to work outside of my home, but for now, it works well for me and my family. I hope this gives you a little bit of an insight into what a home based studio is like!  

I'm So Thankful

 Thanksgiving is one of my favorite holidays. The food, family and a chance to reflect on the past year and give thanks for all of my blessings.  This year has been especially sweet and so good to my family.

We moved into a beautiful new home in February.  We sold our home without listing it, and bought our real estate agents home, that was not listed.  Such a blessing for us!

My twins started preschool this year two days a week.  They are learning and growing so much.  They are healthy and thriving and making me laugh so much these days.  My heart just about bursts when I think about the past 3 years. I cannot believe they will be 3 in just a few short weeks!

My husband got a promotion at work.  I am so proud of him, how hard he works and how well he provides for our family. He loves us and takes such good care of us.  He is such an amazing husband and father.

The biggest blessing this year was the birth of our third child.  He is such a sweet baby and so full of love.  He always has a smile waiting for anyone he sees.  Having 3 under 3 has been challenging, but also rewarding and fun.  Don't get me wrong, we have had a few rough days here and there, but overall, these 3 little people are the biggest blessings in my life. (Well, 4 people counting my hubby!)

So, as you gather around your tables this week with family and friends, take a moment to really think about all the things you are blessed with.  And of course, be sure to include some flowers on your table!!!  Here are a few pretty pictures I am loving right now!  From simple and elegant to floral and fun, these inspiration pictures are sure to give you a few ideas this Thanksgiving!!

Happy Thanksgiving!!!