Sending Smiles ~

Family and Flowers , originally uploaded by Georgianne at Monday Morning Flowers . Sometimes I loose perspective on the product that I sell. No really, it's true. I know I talk about flowers - a lot but sometimes I forget the impact they have. This past weekend Kevin and I had to rush from the shop, after setting up numerous events for our clients, we had to actually attend a backyard party in honor of our nephew who was making his Communion. As I ran around, trying to get out, wrapping his gift and writing out his card, I asked designer Samantha to make me a pretty little basket of flowers to take with us. Well, of course, the flowers were a hit and much appreciated by everyone there. The next time you are going to a party, will you consider stopping at your local florist for a bouquet or arrangement? Family, friends and flowers, perfect together.

Workaholic? Me? Yes, I admit it, I work a lot but the truth is I love what I do. Some people have hobbies but me, I don't need one, my work not only keeps me challenged but gives me purpose. Do I take time off? Yes, of course I do. Whenever time allows I love hitting up the local flea market, walking the local towns and business such as Princeton, Lambertville and New Hope. Local Vineyards are my favorite, especially during the summer because they force to me to be outside but allow me to indulge in my love of local wine. Meeting friends at Hopewell Valley Vineyards for home made pizza, a local band and wine... well, that's practically heaven for me. Stopping at the local farm stand is next in line on my list of favorites. Each Sunday during the fine weather Lawrenceville brings out all the local farmers including chicken farmers and cheese makers to sell their fresh product to the locals. How fun! Can I go every weekend? Nope, but when I can, I go. I encourage you, no m...

julie and her girls , originally uploaded by Georgianne at Monday Morning Flowers . Purple, purple and more purple! It's in and it's hot. This past week was a holiday here at the shop and the lavender cubes and purple vases flew off the shelf. Meeting with brides for late summer and early fall weddings, they are still loving all shades of purple from lavender right on into the deeper tones of lapis. This photo (take by photographer Jeff Tisman) of our bride Julie and her brides maids really shows how nice it is to compliment the deep quartz purple dresses with shades of lavender. Hydangrea, roses, stock, lisianthus, liatris, snapdragons, larkspur and hydrangea along with accent flowers such as statice, limonium and all forms of aster are all wonderful choices when choosing this color palate. What I love about purple is use in the summer with a pop of lime green and it looks so fresh and summeray but use it in fall, it looks rich and elegant. Purple really is a color that c...

Oh No! In the past few weeks I have met with two brides that said that their fiances don't want to wear a flower to their own wedding! I'd be lying if I did not admit that part of me said "Oh thank goodness" because as any florist will tell you, boutonnieres and corsages are very time consuming to create because they are hand crafted. But that other part of my brain - the part that is a girl, says no flower on your wedding day? How could this be? I know that weddings have gotten a bit less traditional  and sometimes a bit more casual but to not wear a flowers on that special day. As in the picture in this blog, I  thought groom David looked smashing in his mini calla boutonniere. If you are a bride getting married how do you feel about this trend? If your groom said no flower for him, would you be upset or are you fine with it? If the groom and groomsmen are not going to  wear a flower, do you want your dad to also not wear one? I'd love to hear your thoug...

I thought I'd share a few photos from a Bar Mitzvah we did yestersday. I really loved the "pop" of red that the linens provided. People ask all the time if I think linen colors make a difference and if this event is any indication, I'd say yes! We took our photos before the napkins went down but they were going to be a deep chocolate brown to pick up the color in the curly willow and natural river stones. Because the room at the Nassau Inn is a nice size but does not have overly tall ceilings, we chose to do half the tables with matching down pieces to compliment without over powering the room. If your venue offers colored linen, by all means have fun with it and choose something that compliments your theme! When in doubt, go for a little linen drama!!

I'm just sitting here between trying to read my Floral Management and cathing up on e-mails, something catches my eye which gets me to thinking. This weekend we have two parties - one a bar mitzvah and one a bat mitzvah where we will be using one of my favorite "accents". Curly willow. I love using curly willow. A delicate and graceful natural branch that can add a bit of drama to floral design work. About 3 years ago my niece Rosalie met with me to talk about her wedding flowers. "I want lots of roses, pearls and sticks in my wedding arrangements, Aunt Georgianne". Um, Rosalie, has your Aunt not taught you that those are not sticks - branches, my dear, they are branches.  If I told my brides that I wanted to add sticks to their wedding flowers, they would want to hit me!! But truly, how can you call these lovely line elements sticks? Still fresh and bendable when they arrive to our shop, they are such a fantastic floral tool both natural and architectural in ...

Tiny Nosegays , originally uploaded by Georgianne at Monday Morning Flowers . Can't decide if you want mom to wear flowers at your wedding? How about considering a small hand tied bouquet for her instead of a corsage? These little nosegays were easy to carry, looked nice in photos and held up nicely all day long. Roses are a wonderful choice and by adding interesting foliage and/or ribbon, they go from ordinary to something special. Going to prom soon? Why not ask you date for a hand tied bouquet instead of a wrist corsage? They look wonderful in pictures and allow your florist to be creative to match your gown colors. Stand out and do something a bit different. I'll bet everyone will notice!

Show me the .... I'll bet you thought I was going to say money, right? Actually, I'm talking about what I ask my brides to show me when they come in to the wedding consultations. I ask them to show me: A picture that shows me what color they want their wedding flowers to be. A picture that shows me what texture they want their wedding flower to have. A picture that show me how big they want their bouquets to be. I've been known to give my brides homework if they come unpreppared with the following but truly, it's time well spent. A picture is worth a 1,000 words (or so they say) and the above three pictures really say it all to me when trying to create wedding bouquets. What color do you want your flowers to be? You'd think that would be a simple question but some brides really struggle with this. I try to advise but truthfully, I want the color to not only match dresses and overall theme but also be a color that makes the bride (and groom) happy. Pick colors th...

Birthday Sweetness , originally uploaded by Georgianne at Monday Morning Flowers . Well, it's been about 3 weeks since we introduced the new line of decorated cookies at the shop and people seem to love them. Actually they love them so much, we are on our third order from our supplier. Currently we have birthday and get well themed cookies, plus lots of styles of flowers (the sunflowers sold out in less than a week) and coming in soon will be new shapes such as butterflies. If you haven't been in to the either of the shop to see them, come on in!!

Brides sometimes ask if the men in the wedding party have to wear flowers and I tell them, not if they don't want to. Personally I think there are few times in life to get dressed up and wear a flower so why not have fun with it. A rose boutonniere is always classic but why not do something a bit funky or fun. This handsome groomsmen (yes, he is handsome, even though I have cut off his face for this blog, sorry James) wore this blue thistle on his lapel and I think it looked spashing! Created for the wedding of Tammy and Mike (our past employee) this past February, the blue thistle was used in most of the flower arrangements including the bouquets and centerpieces. I liked the use of thistle for the men because it helped to carry the natural, artsie feel of the flowers right through the whole wedding. Do the boys have to wear flowers? Not really but oh my, it can be fun!!

Vendella roses , originally uploaded by Georgianne at Monday Morning Flowers . Roses, glorious roses. I meet with so many brides that have trouble deciding on what flowers to carry but you have to admit, this bouquet is pretty. Simple, elegant, timeless and down right affordable, a simple hand tied bouquet of roses is always a lovely choice. Looking for something with a bit more bling? Just add some flower jewelry between the roses. What about accents of pearls at the center of each rose? Winter wedding and looking for an ice look? How about adding an touch of sparkle with glitter? Looking to soften the look a bit? Add a rim of soft white feathers or even a pretty foliage such as plumosa fern for a more casual feel. When in doubt, keep it simple and roses are always a wonderful choice!

Ava's garden wedding bridal bouquet , originally uploaded by Georgianne at Monday Morning Flowers . Well, it's been almost a year since we created this cascade bouquet for our bride Ava and it's been a very popular style indeed! What I loved about this bouquet is how much it complimented not only her gown but her natural coloring. Red roses and orange alstroemeria were Ava's favorite flowers and were the perfect choices to bring out the red tones of her hair. Soft but simple, cascade bouquets don't have to be overly big or fussy!