Meet Our Newest Team Member

I'd like to introduce you to one of Floral Occasions' newest team members, Randi.  She started with us during a very busy wedding season last year and we are oh, so happy she has joined us!  I went through a grueling hiring process to find the right fit for a new assistant extraordinaire that could help me with the social media and be a great design assistant. Let me tell you, I hit the jackpot!!  She is sweet and smart, motivated, a quick learner and the fact that she has a natural ability to design is something I didn't anticipate but sure admire.

What made you leave a Human Resources career to start working with flowers? 
Honestly, the “Artist” in me started to come out…I couldn’t hold it in any longer, and I had the support of my husband to say, “I’m doing this!” Also, my mom always had flowers growing in her garden that she would pick and arrange around the house. We grew dahlias, roses, freesias, hibiscus, succulents, cymbidiums, gerber daisies, ranunculus…everything. I think floral design has always been a part of my life in some way.

What do you love most about working at Floral Occasions?

Our team, the brides, and the flowers! I remember my VERY FIRST day I helped with a wedding, Stacey handed me a pack of two dozen roses and told me to clean and prepare them. I was like “wait, I get to TOUCH flowers on my first day!” Whoopee!! We have fun together, trust each other, and get to make couples happy on their big day. What’s not to love?

You just got married yourself. What advice would you give brides about flowers that you wish you knew then?
I did DIY centerpieces because my mother had experience arranging and working in a flower shop. My advice for DIY flowers, is to do a full-on (no cutting corners) sample before the wedding. Don’t wait until the night before with buckets and buckets of flowers and try to put something together….it's too stressful. Doing an exact sample ahead of time allows you to see how much room you’ll need to transport, how many flowers you’ll really need, and to make sure that your design is actually feasible.

OTHERWISE, my advice is to find a great floral designer, bring lots of inspiration pictures, and TRUST them on your wedding day. Part of paying for a professional is about knowing that they have the experience, professionalism, and know-how to make your day perfect.

What is your favorite flower and why?

 My favorite flower is the Ranunculus. It always looked like the petals were thousands of luxurious layers of tissue paper, and it comes in so many colors!

Since you do most of the social media for Floral Occasions, who are some of your favorite bloggers, facebookers, and tweeters?
This is a loaded question.  Working for Floral Occasions and as a bride planning a wedding, I have spent thousands of hours scouring the internet for the greatest stuff. WeddingChicks.com is amazing. They have the coolest FREE printables and always have beautiful wedding features. When looking for advice, WeddingBee.com was my favorite site because you are literally talking to other brides who are planning their weddings. You can post pictures of your ideas and others will comment. It’s an amazing tool (they also have an amazing DIY portion)!!! GreenWeddingshoes.com, The Knot, Ruffled Blog,  Style Me Pretty, Pinterest.com, and Etsy.com are some of my other favorites. There are just too many to include! :)

All photos were taken by Studioworkz Photography. They are the kindest and certainly very talented photographers (a husband and wife team), and it was so great to work with them. Please check out their website here. The hand bouquets, boutonnieres, and corsages were created by Jenny B Floral Design.

          Please take the time to welcome Randi! We are so happy to have her as part of the team.
  

What's The Must-Have Flower For Your Wedding? - Part 1: Calla Lily

When a bride comes to me wanting to use her favorite flower in her wedding, I ALWAYS do my best to accommodate. Every bride deserves to love her florals! Therefore, one tip I would give to brides is this: If there is a flower you MUST have for your wedding, research its season and maybe even the different colors it comes in. Nothing is harder than having your heart set on Peonies in the Fall. :(

In my experience, some of the most popular flowers requested for weddings (in no particular order) are Calla Lilies, Roses, Cymbidium Orchids, Peonies,  and Ranunculus. I thought I'd start sharing some of the important information for these popular beauties to help brides make the best decisions for their special day. :)

Please keep in mind that all this information is from my experience, and things (like prices) are always changing. 

Calla Lilies

Season: Mostly Spring and Summer, but can be available almost year-round

Price: Higher than most flowers, use for personals such as bouquets and boutonnieres.

Colors: white, red, yellow/orange, pink, eggplant, burgundy, cream, peach/apricot, lavender, purple

Meaning: Calla Lilies are said to mean "magnificence or beauty" but depending on the color, that can change. For instance, a white Calla Lily can mean magnificence, virtue, and innocence.

Cool Fact: You can get Miniature Calla Lilies too! Mini-Calla Lilies are great for boutonnieres or other small details.

Why we LOVE them: Calla Lilies come in so many different colors! Also, not only are the flowers gorgeous, but you can get really creative with the stems. Calla Lilies have flexible stems that really allow them to be twisted, curled, or left long for a very grand statement.

Check out some of the ways Floral Occasions has used Calla Lilies:

  

 
Photo by Lucero Photography

  

Photo by Barnet Photography.

 

 Photo by Julie Harmsen Photography



























Photo by Christine Farah Photography

Photo by Frenzel Photography

Check back each day this week for a new featured flower and more photos, as Floral Occasions continues to spread some floral love! Tomorrow we will be featuring the Rose...can't wait!

What are some of your favorite wedding flowers and why? We would love to hear about any flowers you would like us to feature in upcoming blog segments. Looking forward to it!