First Wedding of 2010

Today was LoCoFlo’s first wedding of the year! Thankfully it was NOT snowing! Since it was so early in the season and since our Maryland growers have had such a hard time with the snow, we had to reach beyond our normal set of growers to a new (new to us) farmer in Southern New Jersey. Van Dyke Brothers farm is 111 miles from Baltimore and they have beautiful flowers! Dave Dowling of Farmhouse Flowers supplied the beautiful curly willow and pussy willow for the large arrangements.

It felt a little strange working on flowers again after such a long break (mid November). It took my fingers a little while to get used to taping again and wrapping…but pretty soon it started to feel normal.

The bouquet turned out great! Tulips, anemones, ranunculus and viburnum. Beautiful greens and whites to remind me that Spring is not far away!

The bride was totally relaxed when I arrived and was looking forward to a casual lunch with her sister before the ceremony.

I am really excited about LoCoFlo this year! We are working with great designers, growers, venues, photographers and most of all clients! Stay tuned for updates on our exciting year ahead.

Viva la Mexico!

I love Mexico. I've only been there once, to Mexico City and Zihuatanejo, but I loved it. I loved the food, the people, the language, the flowers.

Today Marina and I worked on a really cool gig with one of our fave green event planners, Lori Hill. The event was called Experience Mexico Meetings. It was a party of sorts to encourage meeting planners to plan meetings in Mexico. We were asked to provide 3 large banquet arrangements.

What struck me most about this event was the location. The Mexican Cultural Institute on 16th St in DC is a jewel. I felt a little like I had just walked into the Palacio Nacional with all the beautiful murals, and carved wood and tile. I actually think I was teary for a minute-I loved this building that much.

The first arrangement was a bouquet of white viburnum, purple baptisia, sunflowers, calla lilies, gerber daisies, snap dragons and stock. This arrangement stood about 3 feet high.

The second arrangement was actually my favorite. All the same flowers were used, but it stood about 4 feet high and was made in a coppery, bird bath.

The final and largest arrangement was placed on top of a glass "vase" that was filled with lemons. (not grown locally but grown on the east coast and purchased locally).

We left before the party started. Too bad, because I remember in Mexico City, folks sipped tequila with orange slices after lunch. That would have been a great way to spend the afternoon, but we had to get back to Baltimore to start preparing for a wedding on Sunday.