Wednesday, September 29, 2010

Real Weddings: Mat and Emily

I  was excited to work with Emily because she had a beautiful, natural vision for her wedding (and she was SO NICE!) She and Mat were getting married at Naylor Vineyard in in Stewartstown PA at the end of July. To compliment the site, Emily was interested in having mostly herbs and greens in her bouquet and centerpieces. She also wanted a splash of purple and white-which worked wonderfully with the surroundings at the vineyard.

962611041_4HDC3-MWe filled the  bride’s bouquet was filled with basil, mint and eucalyptus. We used lavender, salvia and lisianthus for splashes of purple and white. It was a lush bouquet that smelled awesome!

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The  boutonnieres were simple, made of  salvia, mountain mint and a little sprig of statice.

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We tied bouquets of lilies, eucalyptus and mint to the arbor where the couple were married. The view of the vineyard could not have been more beautiful.

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The centerpieces were mason jars, orangina bottles and little juice glasses filled with herbs ad flowers. The three pieces were clustered together in the center of the tables.

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Everything about this wedding was just perfect!

Thanks to our growers for such wonderful flowers and herbs! We are grateful for Belvedere Farm, Locust Point Flowers and Talmar

Thanks too to Chris and Michelle Glass for the beautiful photos!

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Congratulations to Mat and Emily! Wishing you a long, happy life together!

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Wednesday, September 22, 2010

BEST GREEN BUSINESS!!!!

The City Paper’s Best of Baltimore came out today and they named LoCoFlo Baltimore’s Best Green Business!

So this whole adventure started last week when I got a call from the City Paper saying they were fact checking a write up about LoCoFlo. I asked them what is was for and the girl said she wasn’t free to tell me. That seemed weird-right? When I mentioned the call to my friend Jordan, she said “It’s probably for the Best of Baltimore”. Also weird-because honestly I think this fabulous business is little under the radar.

Then, when I got home that day-these were in the mail.

IMG_1518 Two invites to the Best of Baltimore party tonight!

I have to say- for the last few days I have been a bundle of nerves. Nervous that…maybe it was nothing and I was getting prematurely excited. But at the same time-excited that we might be in the Best of Baltimore.

So, like a freak, I got to the Evergreen Cafe right when they opened this morning. I grabbed a paper and quickly looked in the table of contents…best garden shop…but no mention of a florist. Dang…I thought. I knew I shouldn’t have gotten excited. I checked out Best Garden Shop…and there it was-right underneath: BEST GREEN BUSINESS: Local Color Flowers. I’m sure the girls at the coffee shop thought I was crazy because I was half laughing and half crying in the booth.

I don’t want to sound over dramatic-but this is a big deal for LoCoFlo! I’m so excited and proud of our work. I am so grateful for our great clients and growers and designers! I am so lucky to do work that makes a difference!

Thank you CITY PAPER! I think I love you!

Sunday, September 19, 2010

September 19, 2010: A Sneak Peak at the Flowers

This weekends weddings were so much fun to work on! I probably say that every week-but they were!

Saturday morning I delivered flowers to the Vandiver Inn in Havre de Grace. This is the second time working there in the last few weeks-and I loved it. Beautiful location and great, helpful staff.

The bride’s bouquet was filled with white dahlias, zinnias, snapdragons, statice and gomprhena. It also had mountain mint and scented geranium for a splash of green.

IMG_1459Saturday evening, we delivered flowers to the Baltimore Museum of Industry for Tracy and John’s wedding. When I met Tracy, she told us to be creative, choose the best fall flowers, and make something beautiful. I love these kind of clients because they really allow us to work with the growers to find the best, seasonal flowers for that day.

The bride’s bouquet was filled with dahlias, zinnias, coxcomb, plumed celosia and gomphrena.

IMG_1483 Each of the 7 bridesmaids carried unique posies of dahlias and zinnias.

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The ceremony took place out on the deck with the Baltimore Harbor in the background.

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I have been waiting for today’s wedding for months. When I met with Trish she told me her husband-to-be Nick worked at a bike shop and they wanted to integrate bike cogs into her bouquet, the boutonnieres and table arrangements. I can’t like, I wasn’t sure what a bike cog was until Nick sent me some.

So, here are the boutonnieres. Rosemary. Gomphrena. Cog. I loved it!

IMG_1458And here is the bride’s bouquet. Besides the cog on the stems, there are a few others tucked inside the bouquet. Can you see them?

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The centerpieces were bike cogs with vases in the middle of them-surrounded by little vases filled with herbs and flowers.

IMG_1467 IMG_1465 More photos soon! Thanks to LoCoFlo designer Jen Bryant for all of her help this weekend!

Real Weddings: Meredith and Scott

Meredith booked her wedding with me over the phone.  We talked for about an hour about her wedding which would take place at Woodend Sanctuary.  I was immediately excited because I love working at Woodend. It’s just a beautiful, natural sp0t-perfect for a summer wedding.  I also loved hearing about how she and Scott spent a lot of time at Woodend bird watching! I loved it!

The wedding colors were shades of pink, a little purple and bright green. For the end of July, we had a great selection of pinks including zinnias, lisianthus, Echinacea, coxcomb, plume celosia, dahlias and phlox. We included green zinnias and mountain mint for a splash of green.

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I especially love this sweetheart table. The colors were so vibrant in this mostly green setting.

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The two larger arrangements in this photo were used out in the grove for the ceremony and then were moved inside to decorate the mantle. Reusing your ceremony arrangements a the reception is a great way to get the most out of your flowers.

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Thanks to our growers including Bridge Farm Nursery, Belvedere Farm Locust Point Flowers and Talmar.

Special thanks to the amazing Jocelyn Mathewes of Studio Mathewes for taking such amazing pictures! She captured the beauty of the couple and the space perfectly. To see more photos from Meredith and Scott’s wedding check out Jocelyn’s blog!

Congratulations to this happy, happy couple!

Sunday, September 12, 2010

What’s Blooming: 091110

Fall is in the air. While I loved all of the flowers that are available over the summer, I’m ready for fall. I’m ready for darker, deeper colors and textures. Not to mention-I’m ready for cooler temperatures.

Here’s a glimpse of what cut flowers are available in B-more this week.

IMG_1438Broom corn in shades of green and brown.

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Velvety coxcomb (sometimes called Brain Celosia)

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Pretty, feathery plume celosia.

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Hairy balls or Monkey Balls

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Zinnias-still-in every color!

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Dark brown millet with bright greenish/yellowish speckles.

IMG_1445 Great, long stemmed marigolds.

IMG_1446And of course, dahlias. My favorite fall flower.

All of these beautiful flowers are available through Locust Point Flowers. They can be found at the Waverly Farmers Market every Saturday morning. Go see them! Buy some flowers! 

Real Weddings Shelley and Bynum

Jen and I met Shelley and Bynum on a snowy day last winter. They were planning a August wedding at the Howard County Conservancy. They wanted the flowers to be be bright, vibrant and naturally styled to fit in with the beautiful surroundings.

Hoekstra_129 The bride’s bouquet was filled with zinnias, dahlias, velvety coxcomb, plume celosia, salvia, gomphrena and mountain mint.

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The girls carried similar bouquets which looked great with their blue dresses.

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Even the guys like the flowers!

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The centerpieces were shallow bowls filled with floating dahlia, zinnia and gomphrena.

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Special thanks to Dani Leigh Photography for these gorgeous photos. To see more photos from the wedding, check out Dani Leigh Photography’s blog!

Thanks to our growers Locust Point Flowers and Belvedere Farm.

Congratulations to this beautiful couple!

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Thursday, September 9, 2010

LoCoFlo Needs Your Help In Finding New Space

In our first year, we worked…wherever we could. We worked in my dining room, in Marina’s kitchen, Cathy’s yard…even out at Belvedere Farm in the Barn. 

We’ve made great strides since then and now…we are looking ahead to a larger space. We would love some help finding the right spot!

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If I imagined the perfect space it would:

  • Be  between 800 and 1,000 sq/ft
  • Be on a 1st Floor (storefront not necessary, and probably not idea)
  • Have parking
  • Be close to home (I live in North Baltimore-so anywhere within 5-10 miles of home)
  • Be inexpensive
  • Have AC

I’d also need  a new cooler,  a utility sink and some other things that I could deal with myself.

We might consider sharing space with someone too-if the situation were right.

So, we’ve just started looking-but we want to move fast. We’d like to have something by the end of the year!

If you know of some spot, or see a spot that might be a possibility-send me an email me at ellen@locoflo.com or call me and leave a message at 410-262-1494 or leave a message on our facebook page.  Spread the word. We need all the help we can get!

I’ll keep you posted on what we find!

Wednesday, September 8, 2010

Real Weddings: Marnie and Ray

I knew I would like Marnie as soon as she wrote to me. She had read Flower Confidential and wanted locally grown flowers for her wedding as a result of reading it (if you haven’t read this book-read it now! ) She was going to be wearing a vintage mexican peasant dress because she loved southwestern and mexican culture and history. They were getting married at the Conservancy in Druid Hill Park. Her fiancé was wearing a cowboy shirt to the wedding. LOVE HER!

I always ask clients to bring inspiration pictures with them when we meet. Some bring more traditional pictures of dresses, flowers and table arrangements.  Marnie brought me postcards of mexican art work, and color swatches and her dress! We chose the flowers to match her dress and give her the rich, colorful look she wanted.

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Marnie’s bouquet was full of zinnias, salvia, statice, aclepias, gomphrena, mountain mint and scented geranium.

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p203466830-4 Everyone in the wedding party wore beautifully colored embroidered dresses.

The bride provided me with vases and bottles from her own collection. Many of the colored glass bottle were from Spain.

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Congratulations to Marnie and Ray (check out the Cowboy Shirt!) Wishing them much love and happiness! 

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Special thanks to Alex Valente for sharing photos of the wedding party with me!

Monday, September 6, 2010

Labor Day Weekend: A Sneak Peak at the Flowers

Another busy, beautiful weekend for LoCoFlo! The weather in Baltimore has finally broken and it’s perfect weather for an outdoor wedding. Each of our weddings this weekend incorporated beautiful urban and rural outdoor space into their weddings.

Maggie’s wedding took place at St John’s Episcopal Church in Glyndon Maryland. This rural setting was the perfect place for an end of summer wedding.

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Jam jars filled with zinnias, ageratum, snap dragons and tuberose were place all over the ceremony and reception site include all around the perimeter of the “dancing” tent!

One of my favorite parts of this wedding was the “farm stand” that acted as a favors table. Instead of giving their guests traditional favors, the couple had LoCoFlo set up a farm stand filled with local fruits, veggies and other treats that the guests could choose from at the end of the night. The couple provided reusable grocery bags for guests to take home their food in. You have to love a couple that strives to make their wedding purchases creative and socially conscious at the same time!

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Heidi’s wedding took place Saturday evening on the patio at Gertrude’s restaurant at the BMA. The bride requested deep and brightly colored flowers in jewel tone colors. She was really excited about using eclectic flowers and colors to showcase both what was available locally and her own creative style.

IMG_1395 The bride’s bouquet was filled with zinnias, dahlias, mountain mint, coxcomb, salvia and plumed celosia.

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The bride’s daughter was the Maid of Honor.  She let me know when we met that she was not really the type of teenager that wanted to carry a big bouquet of flowers. Her dress was purple, blue and black and she wanted something interesting and unique that would compliment her dress. We made her this bouquet full of purple salvia and ageratum, fuchsia coxcomb, plumed celosia and dahlias, a few purple gomphrena and lots of mountain mint. ___________________________________________________

Callan and Jerry’s wedding on Sunday was just pure fun to work on! They live in Mt Vernon. They got married in Mt Vernon Park. The bride wore high heeled yellow vegan shoes with her tea length dress. The tables at brunch were filled with eclectic “vases” that the bride collected over the last few months including tea cups, tea pots, little animal creamers and more! They rode away on a Bicycle Built for Two (that i decorated with flowers). What more can I say? I love them!

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I couldn’t help but sneak a peak at the actual wedding. I stood on the sidewalk with other passerby’ers…tearing up at this beautiful Baltimore scene!

Thanks to all of growers-you know who they are by now-but they make our work possible! Belvedere Farm, Bridge Farm Nursery, Farmhouse Flowers, Locust Point Flowers and Talmar.

Thanks to Jen, Carla and Eric for helping with design and set-up. They were awesome!

And special thanks and congratulations to this weekends great couples. I am always so happy and grateful to be part of their big days!