Continuing Education and Some Great Wedding Work!

So lately I have been dedicating myself to learning more about my craft which has been a lot of fun and I've definitely learned a lot! A few weeks ago I attended a presentation with Chris Giftos that the Litchfield Garden Club hosted. If you have not heard of him, he's a famous and endlessly talented floral designer, who has created flowers for Jackie O., made one of Elizabeth Taylor's wedding bouquets (Richard Burton!) and was the floral designer and events coordinator for the Metropolitan Museum in NYC for decades. Wendy and I were so inspired by his designs, his use of color and also by the way he handled the flowers - he didn't even have to look and the arrangement would turn out PERFECTLY every time! These are a few photos from our exciting day.

I also recently attended a presentation on weddings in the colonial era at the Stanley Whitman House in Farmington - so interesting! If anyone is looking for historically accurate colonial flowers - I'm definitely your designer.

We've also been really busy with weddings every weekend but have worked with some really great couples with unique styles and gorgeous venues.


Rose and David were so much fun to work with! Their wedding at the Webb Barn in Wethersfield was put together with the help of Candice from Jubilee and they really attended to every detail. It was so personal and beautiful. Here are a few photos from their wonderful photographer, Stephanie Ann Photography:








Christina and Dave and their whole clan from Nebraska had an amazing wedding at their grandparent's home right on the ocean in Old Lyme, CT with a reception to follow at the Old Lyme Beach Club. Lindsay from Sixpence For Your Shoe made it all happen and it turned out to be a beautiful, seaside, windswept wedding. Here are a few photo from both my camera and those of their talented photographer, Bruce Plotkin.












Seda and Tigran had a beautiful Armenian wedding that their Armenian Church in Trumbull with a pretty and intimate reception at The Lounsbury House in Ridgefield. Their palette was blue and white. I loved working on this one - simple and elegant.








We also had the good fortune to do another fabulous wedding at the Gershon Fox Room, one of our favorite CT venues! Our bride, Portia, was fearless with her really amazing vision for black and white damask with pops of yellow. I can't wait to see some images from her photographer, the very talented Carla Ten Eyck. In the meantime, here are a couple from my camera:




And last but not least we enjoyed doing a pretty purple themed wedding at The Riverview, another venue where we love to work. Here's a photo of the bouquets, which were simple but pretty and their arch for the ceremony:

And here's something I made for my home with the leftovers (you'd think I'd tire of flowers but I never do!):

Recent Work

It's crazy busy right now with wedding season in full swing but I thought I'd take a minute to post a few photos of some recent work. -Christine

Our Green Focus in Our Work and in Life

We offer flowers to our customers that we buy from local CT farms, often hand-picking the blooms ourselves right from the fields. Buying local and supporting small farms is something I strongly believe in and it's definitely something that translates to my every day life. Our green offering is not just a marketing angle or a response to a trend - it's the way I live. I hope more of our customers agree and will love CT grown flowers as much as I do!

At home I have flower, fruit and vegetable gardens, all organically grown. We often use heirloom seeds and rarely buy a vegetable from May to September, eating only what we grow. When we have extras, we dry herbs and hot peppers for long term storage. We make jams, pickles and relishes for enjoyment all year. We also grow winter vegetables that can be stored for cooler months, like onions, winter squashes and potatoes. Below are some photos from my home, CT flower farms and arrangements I have created from 100% local flowers.



Flowers in my garden now.




Foxgloves and strawberries that we are enjoying now, too. On the right is a batch of strawberry rhubarb jam that we made this week with our own crops - yum!

Three arrangements from CT grown flowers - a fall urn arrangement of local football mums, a fun arrangement of pink and white cosmos, and a mixed garden style arrangement of spring flowers like muscari, hellebores and daffodils.









A field of zinnias and dahlias right here in CT.

The Weekend - A Blur (in a good way!)

This past week, Wendy and I created some beautiful, pastel arrangements for a local private school's Alumni Weekend as well as a colorful wedding. I immediately went on to NYC for a night with friends (where I saw Sue Sylvester, for all my fellow Glee fans). I am exheausted but had the best time working and, well, NOT working. Here are some photos from both beautiful events.



The bride's bouquet - peonies are always such a great choice for our late May and June brides.



The room loked great because our couple, Monique and Junior, truly thought of every detail. The chinese lanterns strung vertically around the dance floor looks so great as did her chair and table linens for more color. It really looked so festive.



The seating card table - an arrangement I made on site with some extras we had on hand.



One of the centerpieces for the 50th Reunion Dinner. Simple and classic.



The bar arrangement.



Centerpieces of lilies, larkspur, roses and curly willow for another alumni dinner. This one was for alumni celebrating 50 yeas or more since their graduation from high school - wow!

Blues and Purples at a May Wedding

I wanted to share some photos of our last wedding at the club house of the Fairview Golf Course in Harwinton - a pretty setting with rolling green hills and perfect weather. I knew my bride loved purple since both times we met she was dressed in her favorite hue. We made sure to include lots of the regal tone in her flowers. To make things even more personal, we included microchips in the boutonnieres for this techy group! These personal touches really make weddings all the more special. Here are some shots both from her photographer (whose name I have yet to get) and our own.

Irises, viburnum, ivy, roses, and orchids with a leaf wrap.

The bridal party - lots of calla lilies - her favorite flower.

The head table looked lush with blooms spilling down in front of the happy couple.



What a pleasure to work on this wedding!