visiting the rose farm- how we keep educated

Several months ago I got invited to work with Tulipina in Ojai creating a wedding at The Ojai Valley Inn.  Once I mentioned that I would be going to Santa Barbara, my gal pal Kelly Hornberger of Kelly Horberger Photography booked her flight and off we were to the races planning a photo shoot and getting all our ducks in a row to fit in as many experiences in as possible.

Not that woking for Kiana at Tulipina wasn't an experience that would have made the trip complete, but California has way too much to offer to pass it up.  And one of those experiences was to visit one of the most prolific producers of the most gorgeous field grown garden roses there is in North America, Grace Rose Farm.  

This might have been the most fun moment of the trip.  To sit back and see fields upon fields of some of the most gorgeous roses there ever was.  All at our finger tips to harvest. And to get a chance to experience this with a couple girlfriends made me the happiest.

We galavanted around the farm choosing which blooms would work best for the projects we had coming up.  Each row made you think of all the gorgeous weddings and events these amazing bushes have produced for.  All the beautiful memories they have produced and how they made such special times even more memorable.

As flower designers we have to keep visiting farmers to connect to the source of our medium.  We use flowers to create the most amazing arrangements and to continue that connection to the people who produce them is so important to me.

We learn something new every time we go and it is just worth seeing the farmers and giving them a hug and letting them know how much they mean to us.  That is important.  They get so disconnected from us as they are insanely hard working people. 

If you ever have questions on how to get connected and start growing a business in the flower community... start from the ground up.  Learn everything there is to learn and NEVER STOP LEARNING.  

The most amazing thing about this industry, is that 13 years later, I still don't even know one percent of what there is to learn.  And for that reason alone I fall in love with the floral industry more and more every year.  The endless information you can gather on one flower alone could consume a life time.  And to think that there are 100's of cut flowers we use on a yearly basis, that just blows my mind.

What an amazing industry to be part of.  Due to the intense amount of hard work to farm and to design flowers, I can promise you that you won't find anyone that isn't madly deeply in love with that they do.  It would be impossible to do with out a maddening love.  

2019 floral trends - how to add a touch of the current trend into your event

There are so many new trends in the floral industry that sometimes it can be hard to keep up with it all.  And we sure don't expect you, the consumer, to even try.  But let me mention one concept that I have been seeing more of lately and can totally see you trying it.

DRIED FLOWERS/GREENS

I am clearly intrenched in the floral community, so some of you might be thinking I am crazy.  But let me tell you.. dried/preserved flowers and greens are making a come back.  As some of you might know these were so big in the 80's and to be quite frank, they were big way before recorded history.  I doubt there was ever a young child who wasn't gifted a flower that didn't try to preserve it in some way or other... right? 

Who didn't dry that first rose their first crush gave them?  And hung that sweet flower somewhere to cherish for as long as possible.  I still have the first rose my fiance gave me. (And if I am real, that might have been the last rose, so this girl had to hold on to it as long as possible.) 

Here is a shot of a recent editorial we worked on to show case how to use dried product in your bouquet.  This one you will see that only has one variety, because I couldn't help myself.  This dried fern was just too amazing to not give it it's own moment.

HOW TO ADD DRIED FLORALS

1) Your bouquet, as shown bellow.  You can create such a fun bouquet with tons of impact with just one variety of dried product.

2) Hints of it through out your centerpieces.  We still love our very timeless garden roses, ranunculus but adding that pop of trendy dried product adds so much interest.

All photography above by Simon Ly Photography

forgive and move on - how simple mistakes can build stronger teams

So it finally happened.... let me start by saying that we have a raised roof Transit Ford Van.  It's essentially a sprinter van but much taller. As we really wanted our team to be able to stand up when walking into the van.  I have had too many sore back moments trying to load in a regular roofed van that this was a huge requirement for us when making the new purchase.  

I am confident you can guess what happened. We finally hit the roof of the van into a ceiling of a parking garage. Total bummer and of course I would have rather it not happen, but this is what I learned.

Forgive and Move On

If I am completely real, it could have happened to me and eventually it would have.  The grace I would have given myself, I have to give even more to my employees.  Balancing frustration with love of my employees is one of the more challenging elements to this business life.  

But at the end of the day, I love watching them learn.  Today they know more than they knew yesterday and I am confident they learned so much from that experience.  And fingers crossed it won't happen again.  

The adventures of business ownership is not easy, but having the right team in place to make you learn and laugh is the key to success.  And besides, they gave me the best reason to go and grab a margarita at the end of the day! 

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For the arrangement above we were inspired by fall colors.  We also wanted to mix tones with colors and textures that are not expected and typically seen.  These rich colors are perfect for the upcoming fall events.  We paired it up with a black urn which always kicks up the drama.  I think this might have been one of the studio's favorites this week.

the right fit - how finding the perfect vendor makes the difference

After taking a quick vacation, I finally feel caught up enough to be able to share a little bit about what we have learned in the last couple weeks.

We were approached by an event planner who mentioned their client was looking to make a switch to a new floral designer.  One month before their wedding.  No big deal, we have put together weddings/events in less than a week.  We felt comfortable we could make it happen and now off to meet with the client.  But wait, they just fired their last flower designer! Eek!!! 

The meeting went great, we were booked.  Awesome news, happy dance and all the good stuff. 

What we learned was that everyone has the perfect fit, for them. 

We are not the perfect fit for some, and in turn other designers turn out to not be the perfect fit for our clients.  

What I learned is that we have to speak up.  The moment that our gut tells us it is not a fit... walk away.  Communicate to said vendor and move on.  As a business owner it stings to hear that we are not the person that will make your vision come to reality, but even worse is that we never had a chance to allow the client to move forward with another vendor.

We had a recent potential client send an email the day after our consultation to tell us to not create a proposal... she knew we were not the right fit.  This was hands down the most extreme version and not going to lie, maybe the one that hurt the most.  After licking my wounds I felt proud of said bride, that she knew she fell in love with another vendor and that she didn't waste my time.  I felt honored and appreciated and only wish other would be so respectful.

Her ability to communicate so directly opened the door to another client that was the perfect fit for us.  I am more grateful to her now that I would have ever been at the beginning of this business as I now value other opinions and time so much more.  

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Ever want a white wedding but need a little splash of fall tones?  We worked on this piece with Jennifer (Keely Thorne Events) for one of our fall clients.  Bride was wanting an all white wedding with touches of fall, and I think we nailed it! Thanks Jennifer for bringing us an amazing client and always working with us to make it exactly what they want.  

Curious about what blooms we used?

• Ranunculus
• Garden Roses
• Standard Roses
• Spray Roses
• Garden Spray Roses
• Anemones
• Bush Ivy
• Jasmine Vine
• Lisianthus
• Eucalyptus
• Berries (two different varieties)

how to stay inspired: create for an audience of one

I have found that inspiration come from everything.  Music, art, food, movies, traveling, podcasts and so much more. As an artist we demand creativity from ourselves on a regular bases, pouring all we got to create something out of nothing.  To be able to do this on a consistent basis I have found that pouring back into that cup of creativity is one the best things I can do to continue to give as much as I can.

Creating for an audience of one is important.  I create pieces for me, no one else.   There wasn't an order, a wedding, or event that booked me for this one.  I got inspired and needed to develop a shape, and an idea with flowers.  I have found by doing this I can not only get an idea out and see if it works well, but also keep flexing that creative muscle. 

This inspires me and keeps me going.  This fills my cup.

This is how we continue to learn and develop the skills that we are so known for.  I did not design like this 10 years ago.  Trust me I am so glad Instagram was not a thing back then.  But with time and patience I created more and better. 

I used garden roses, peonies, lilac, roses, garden spray roses, anemones, ranunculus and lisianthus to name a few. We found this gorgeous urn at the local garden center and knew it needed to be filled with gorgeous blooms.