a week "off"

This fall has been non-stop with events and football and we've finally caught our breath to post on the old blog. Last week was particularly thick with projects...The UA Student Affairs Hall of Fame, a stellar engagement party, entertaining for the first "big" game, and of course, our usual route of football flower deliveries. Sorority initiations, Homecoming, fall galas, weddings and much much more is on the horizon for fall. While we have these next few days to rest our bones, we'll try to get in the groove of blogging again. Here's a snapshot of a bridal bouquet we sent out recently for a portrait. Isn't she lovely?

beach wedding

Tuscaloosa Magazine's Beach issue hit the web today and featured the story of a beloved home on Ono Island where we did a wedding last summer. (Happy anniversary to Harris and Cheri!) We couldn't help ourselves not to flip through all the wedding photography. It's still up on photographers Meg and Charles Baisden's site (here). Unfortunate for us, we don't have any Gulf Coast weddings on the books this summer...it sure would be lovely to plant in the sand and dip in the ocean after a long weekend of hard work!

Photo - Meg and Charles Baisden

where we've been

We took some time away from the heat last week and weekend to work, play and celebrate on the East coast. Two of our very special clients and friends tied the knot in Newport, RI, and we were both honored to be a part of the weekend. On Tuesday, Matt and I parted ways - he went straight to Newport to help regulate and coordinate design for the after rehearsal dinner, and I visited my old home in New York before heading over to Newport. It was inspiring to be in the city and wonderful to catch up with old friends.

The after rehearsal dinner, on the other hand, took lots of very hard work from many design teams. Matt's talent was the glue that pulled the details of the event together, and it would not have been the same without his creativity and determination to show Newport how Alabama throws a party! From the lighting (special ordered by MCD, pictured above) to the table settings to the copy on the menu, the event was a creative director's dream.

Now, back to reality.

Image by Pam Poellnitz

LOV for the MOB

Last weekend's wedding (a few images here) was a sweet celebration and we were honored to work with such lovely clients and friends. Though the reception site - the childhood home of the bride - had little structural damage from the tornado, the landscaping was a bit disheveled and debris was piled up and down the roads leading to the home. With the help of some talented folks, everything was cleared and re-scaped beautifully, just in time.

When we started planning the event a year ago, the MOB (mother of the bride) kept mentioning Lily of the Valley. It's not often that we work with the tiny, delicate, fragrant blooms, but we were able to sneak it into our flower order for the weekend and nestled it around the reception as a surprise for her. A quick google search brings up the storied history of the flower with some references reading that it symbolizes a return to happiness. Undoubtedly, the wedding weekend brought a new found joy and we think we'll try to use Lily of the Valley every chance we get.

be bop

We've been be-bopping all over the place the past week and haven't had a chance to share our latest! Last weekend, we put on an amazing wedding and reception at Smith Hall. You may have seen our pictures on facebook. This week has been jam packed with meetings for new projects and planning florals for various UA-related events this weekend (rush, A-Day, meetings, graduation party planning) and more engagement showers (and future weddings...!).

We also had a major breakthrough in the shop: baby's breath. Call us flower snobs, but we cringed at thought of having it in our shop. We needed it for the wedding last weekend to make a sweet halo for the flower girl. It turned out beautifully and we decided to let down our guards (and elitist flower-designing values) and try it in an arrangement or two. We're not ashamed to say that a chic container filled with a big baby's breath bouquet is just lovely.

image via Real Simple.

tip from the MOB

Last night, the MOB (a.k.a. Mother of the Bride) gave us a little tip we'd never heard before. To clean all of our favorite funky-shaped glass containers, pour in a little rice, hot water and bleach then swirl to clean. Works like a charm!

pink ice protea

We received some awesome Pink Ice protea today. It's not the first bloom that pops in mind for wedding florals, but we'll be using them for a gorgeous arrangement at the reception this weekend. Given their extra long life span, we'll try to scoop them back up for the shop after the party. Aren't they cool?!

bright brides

Weddings may be the most stressful of all the events we do, but hands down, they are our favorite. A garden-inspired wedding ceremony and reception we recently designed at North River Yacht Club had several extraordinary homemade touches added by the bride and her family. Pictured above is her creative spin on the traditional bride's bouquet. Heirloom and vintage pins on delicate lace were a nice way to accent elements important to the theme of the wedding. The altar and buffet florals we designed were inspired by the lush colors – rich purples, creamy whites and all shades of garden green – in the fabric the family brought in for the table linens. Take a peek at more images from the wedding from photographer Kelly Cummings of Spindle Photography.

summertime blues

Sunday was designated as an official day of prayer for the Gulf Coast and since our recent trip down there to work a wedding, our thoughts constantly turn to the devastation from the oil spill. The oil arrived on the Orange Beach coastline the day we left and luckily, the bride and groom kept a positive attitude throughout their wedding weekend. Selflessly, they weren't concerned whether or not the oil would affect their celebration and we all quietly mourned the changes and challenges our culture is experiencing.

MCD cannot express our heartbreak in words – it is impossible to fathom the uncertainty we face in the weeks, months and years to come. We stayed down in Orange Beach to work with Tuscaloosa Magazine on next year's Beach Issue and did our best to help stimulate the local economy for a few extra days. Matt is also helping with the relief efforts and has made plans to visit 4th of July weekend and volunteer with wildlife clean-up.

We're pleased to share that we've spoken with a few folks from T-town that also have plans to vacation on the coast for the 4th. In the spirit, we wanted to share a picture we snapped during the wedding weekend from the bay at Ono Island.

without a hitch: stitch witchery

After A long jaunt on the coast for a wedding and photo shoot, were back in the studio. There's much to share about our adventures in destination wedding world, but for now, we wanted to take a break from plugging our floral designs and give a little DIY lesson on how to make your own table runners.

We used these for a Bridesmaid Luncheon at Cosmo's restaurant in Orange Beach, AL. Check out an this article on the establishment from Tuscaloosa Mag. We came across the fabric at Old Time Pottery (the infamous craft/home accessory store on steroids – it can be a little overwhelming, but you never leave without a good find). You'll need about four yards of fabric, Stitch Witchery, an iron and a pair of scissors.

Start by cutting the length of fabric in half to give yourself two two-yard pieces. Then, cut the width of each piece of fabric in half. Following the directions on the Stitch Witchery package, create a two inch seam along the underside of the fabric edge and fuse it together by ironing over a length of fabric tape in the fold of the seam. Repeat along the two long lengths and one short width of the fabric. Along the other short width, create an even-angled point. To do this, fold the corners of the width down over the back of the fabric to meet each other. Seal the seam with Stitch Witchery. Voila!

Props to the Bride for this lovely image.

biz lunch

We met with the team behind Game Day Tents at Cypress Inn to brainstorm on some ideas for the fall and wedding season. To our delight, we learned that they are expanding their event rental inventory and have tents, seating, staging, bar tables, industrial fans (for the summer soirées), space heaters (for those few chilly evenings in Alabama), and much much more. They also shared that they are working with Cypress Inn on a tented outdoor entertainment space that you can rent for parties and weddings (it will be located on the left side of the image above, next to the restaurant). There are lots more details to come, but it's an awesome resource for a few weddings and events we have on the horizon.

*As a side note, we love to work with local vendors , because more times than not, they have a level of personable sensitivity that you just don't get from big chains – especially when it comes to rental companies!