Sending Smiles ~

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!

What is it about these spectacular flowers that is so endearing? Well, first and foremost it has to be their elegance. Beautiful, large heads on long, delicate pale green stems, few flowers have such power to stand alone. These particular flowers were combined into a graceful bridal bouquet for a bride last weekend. All it took were these three open cut blooms.  Hand tied into an arm bouquet, tied simply with a satin ribbon, they must have looked amazing as she held them. Perhaps she'll send pictures? I hope so!! To see more of our floral designs check out our website at www.sendingsmiles.com

Having fun with flowers! That's what our flower design classes are all about. Shop Coordinator Sheryl loves going out to different organizations and teaching floral design to children and adults alike and it's truly is gratifying to see how peoples moods changes once they get their hands on those pretty blooms. The photo at left was from a recent class held at the Lawrenceville Community Center and judging by the pictures everyone really had fun! "It's amazing to see how being around flowers has the power to make people happy" says Sheryl. "It just proves to me how powerful our product is". That's why as often as we can, we like to go into the community with our flowers and teach people how to arrange them. We love making people feel that flowers are worth having in their life. We especially love doing Brownie and Girl Scout troops because teach them to love flowers while they are young, and they are flower lovers for life. Flowers are very power