Lavender Thoughts: do-it-yourself flowers

Tuesday, November 2, 2010

My Interview With The Founder of Bloom Boxx

Spence has more than 25 years of experience in the floral industry and has worked in many aspects of the business. As a floral designer and manager, he has planned and overseen numerous weddings, showers and parties. Earlier in his career, while working full-time in the industry in Norfolk, Virginia, Spence produced and emceed annual Christmas holiday design expos for audiences of up to 300. A natural on stage, he took his talents to television, and in 1995, Spence produced and hosted a 30-minute cable program called "Let’s Talk Flowers," which aired on three cable systems in Southeastern Virginia.

After spending 9 years in New York City, Spence is now based in Asbury Park on the Jersey Shore. He continues to work as a floral designer, event planner and coordinator of weddings, bridal showers, and fundraising entertainment events.

How did you become interested in the flower business?

I was born into it. My family has been in the industry in Norfolk VA, originally as wholesalers, since 1926.

What do you like the most about Flowers?

Flowers are one of nature's most colorful and lovely expressions of beauty. Fresh flowers cannot be manufactured. They are joyful. Even in unhappy settings, such as a funeral, flowers are the element of beauty, life, and joy. I love working with flowers.

What is your favorite “sensible” flower?

I am a champion of carnations. But lately my favorite is Mini green hydrangeas. They have become relatively inexpensive; they are large so they "fill" without needing a lot. They work easily into almost any color scheme. And they're simply lovely and can stand on their own.

What is your favorite flower, regardless of price?

I can never choose one, it changes all the time. My favorites include lilac, gardenias, and peonies.

Can you share some images of your arrangements with us?

In the September 2010 issue of Florists Review Magazine, it was reported that the average price of a bride's bouquet is $140 (source: The Wedding Report, Inc.). Bloom boxx is proud to boast that our average cost for a bride's bouquet is only $83.50, that’s 40% less!

What do you see as the next trend in bridal flowers?

Hand-tied bouquets will remain popular. However I think you'll start to see them more "loose" and free-flowing in shape, not just the perfect "round mound". Also I think purple will be big in 2011.

How do you manage to keep your prices so low?

I incorporate less expensive flowers and fillers alongside more pricey flowers in my designs, and arrange them well so that the end result is a beautiful and elegant design that is sensibly priced.

I also help clients cut corners when it's easy to do so. For example if a bride is carrying a bouquet of pink peonies and roses and needs flowers at the church altar, I would encourage less expensive pink carnations or snapdragons in the altar flowers. Because you'll still achieve the color effect, yet people won't be up close to the altar flowers and are only at the church ceremony for a short time before moving on to the reception.

So in summary I keep pricing sensible with flower selection, skillful design, and smart planning.

Do you have a "Secret Garden"?

Actually I would say my secret garden is the 3 bunches for $10 at the grocery store! You never know what they'll have on any given day, but I always find good, fresh flowers and it's a great source in a pinch for a quick hostess or birthday gift.

How do you keep yourself inspired?

Competition shows on reality TV. Watching other craftsmen at work, being challenged, makes me want to be better. Top Chef, Project Runway, The Arrangement.

Also I enjoy making arrangements for my local art gallery, Parlor Gallery, in Asbury Park. I make arrangements for them when they open new exhibits and use their current show or theme as my inspiration or "challenge" to stretch myself and try new things with flower design.

What would you recommend to brides as the go-to resource for floral inspiration? I think best overall for weddings is Martha Stewart Weddings. However, specifically for flowers, there is a magazine available on the racks at stores called Wedding Flowers. It's from the UK and is filled with amazing wedding flowers in an array of styles. It's awesome.

Describe your perfect client?

My perfect client knows his or her color palette and overall tone they wish to achieve for their wedding or event. But then is able to let go and trust me to create the flowers to achieve the vision, without worrying about each and every detail. As with any professional (caterer, baker, make-up artist, etc)- I want a happy client who will hopefully refer me for more business. Trusting me to do what I do best results in a win-win.

If you could give one piece of advice before the big day what would it be?

It's about the experience, not the show. Your guests want to have a good time. Period.

Your dress should fit you well. You should be comfortable walking in your shoes. Your food should taste good. The cake should taste good. The climate should be comfortable. Your flowers should be pretty and complement the tone of your wedding. What any of it costs or what the designer label is does not matter. You can serve peanut butter and jelly with beer in cans - if people are having a great time, they'll love it! It's about the experience, so make it a great one and let this philosophy guide you as you plan.

Beautiful. Stylish. Reasonably Priced Flowers.

To Contact Bloom Boxx:

Phone: 201.962.0620

Email: flowers@bloomboxx.com

Website: www.jerseyweddingflowers.com

Blog: http://bloomblogg.com

Tuesday, October 19, 2010

Manhattan Wedding Under $1000 Part Deux

Saturday, June 3rd, 2010

You have probably seen the sneak preview of this magical wedding and read the background of the couples relationship in the story Finding Love in Africa. It is now time for me to unveil the images from the day! These images have not been retouched so they aren’t yet in their true state of glory nonetheless you can still feel the love pouring out of each one.

The entire prep for this wedding was done in a few weeks upon the couples return from Africa. They had actually been stateside since May but it had taken a while to pick a convenient date and location that would accommodate the type of wedding they wanted to have. The couple had had a traditional African ceremony in Tanzania for the groom’s family and the bride’s parents. More photo’s of that wedding at a later date.

They choose to have an intimate wedding in the US since they had invited the entire village to their previous ceremony. I had persuaded the bride to let me be responsible for the look, flow, wardrobe and theme of the day. Things clicked when I spotted a gorgeous ivory Ralph Lauren dress; unfortunately it was four sizes too big for the petite bride. I went back a few weeks later, saw the same dress and decided to see how much it was as it was on a sale rack. The dress was $45 and change. I decided to buy it even though the bride had ordered a few dresses from J Crew. I figured if it didn’t work I would return it. When she put it on she knew it was the one. As in most cases we ended up spending more on alterations than the actual dress. It was altered to perfection by Remziye Perkin at Pinpoint Bridal on the Upper East Side.

Now that the dress was checked off our list it was time for shoes and accessories, which the bride borrowed from my closet. The groom’s outfit was put together by Kyle DeFord a stylist for Banana Republic. Outfits were done and we moved onto the food, which my husband and I prepared for the couple. We also opened up our one bedroom apartment and turned it into an intimate space that had a dining area for a formal sit down dinner and a lounge area for dancing and dessert. Our other brother had put together a playlist for the evening that incorporated the couple’s favorite tunes. The remaining wedding vendors were primarily in-kind. You can find the in-kind vendors that made the day such a success below.

The wedding was held on a holiday weekend and thus the Chelsea flower shops weren’t going to be open and so I had to get to the district bright and early the day before to make my purchase. I wish I had taken a picture of what our apartment looked like with the boxes and buckets of flowers scattered all over, but you can imagine. Unfortunately, the base of my tablescape was supposed to be pink and white hydrangea however all but four bunches had wilted. I guess it was a risk knowing how temperamental hydrangea can be. I think the flowers still looked ok, not as fruitful as I had imagined but they were quite nice and of course there was lavender incorporated in the tablescape, bouquet and boutonniere. I tried making lavender ice cubes to compliment the couple’s signature drink but they didn’t work out too well. C'est la vie.

Going from a complete disaster zone only 30min before the ceremony to the final product was such a tremendous experience. I think I enjoyed prepping this wedding more than my own because I could see first hand what was happening and how far we had come. I would like to thank my amazing husband for all of his hard work and dedication in the kitchen and for putting up with my loads of flowers and complete upheaval of the apartment. I knew that it would be a gift that they would remember for the rest of their lives. So thank you for allowing me to do so. And everyone thanks you for the amazing lamb stew!

I also wanted to thank all of the in-kind participants. First of all a huge thank you to Natasha Jahangir Photography who that captured the day and the couple’s emotions so gracefully. I want to thank Shawn the fiercest makeup artist there is and little did I know he was a force to reckon with in the kitchen. If it wasn’t for him helping with last min prep Aleks and I would have never been able to feed anyone. I also want to thank Kyle DeFord for taking Marissa and William under his fabulously stylish wing to ensure that William looked as amazing as he felt on the big day. Thanks as well to Nerissa Holder Hall from Clever Hive for passing along the recipe for the amazing signature drink and assisting these two lovebirds in the search for their first apartment as man and wife in Brooklyn, NY. The last thank you goes to Jordan Tanksley a true friend, former roommate, travel partner and confidant. It was only fitting that she present them to the world as husband and wife. And a special thanks to the friends and family who joined to make this an incredibly memorable day. ENJOY!