Lewis Miller of LMD Floral continues to create some of the most unique and beautiful arrangements ever. Four stunning pieces were designed for a layout in Flower Magazine’s winter 2008 issue.

Flowers in shades of cool silver, white, and green are designed in earthy, rustic containers, giving them a slightly old world feel.
Whether it’s a mass of parrot tulips, nerine lilies and basil leaves, or a cluster of white hyacinth with a collar of begonia foliage, Lewis’s designs feel classic but new; elegant but untraditional. Stylish topiaries overflow ornate Chinese candlesticks. Clematis vine, narcissus and anemones grace this unusual vessel – and another lovely LMD creation is born!

www.lmdfloral.com

Meredith Waga-Perez of our New York member Belle Fleur was featured in the Modern Bride February 2009 issue.  The wedding reception was held in NYC’s revered National Academy Museum and School of Fine Arts.  A dramatic black and white color scheme was selected; Waga-Perez says this powerful contrast suggests strength and clarity, and lends a level of formality.  For flowers, she mixed graceful gardenias and hydrangeas with fashion-forward anemones, whose feminine white petals with a jet black center make a chic statement.   Because they were working with only two hues, texture also played an important role in adding richness.

The centerpieces consist of a bed of anemones and sweet pea surrounding a black “Bourgie” lamp, while Belle Fleur’s own line of scented votives, adorn the tables and create atmosphere.  The escort-card table features a lush arrangement of white hydrangeas, surrounded by petite iron urns holding tea lights, all from Belle Fleur.  Three gardenias grouped together enhance and compliment the black and white calligraphy invitations, resting on a faux-crocodile-lined place mat.   The beautiful bride’s bouquet of anemones, sweet pea and lilies of the valley coordinates with her dress and overall event design.
www.bellefleurny.com

Our Los Angeles member, The Hidden Garden, was featured in the ‘Beach Chic’ wedding article in The Bride & Bloom Spring 2009 edition.  Their stunning table centerpiece consists of white phalaenopsis orchid stems en masse, with a ring of fuchsia roses surrounding the base of the vase.  Lavender roses compactly arranged  in silver julep cups are placed on the napkins of each place setting, beautifully set against a silk blue tablecloth with complementing silver and violet chairs.

The bridal bouquet is a mix of fuchsia and lavender roses with beige and maroon accents, and intertwining silver and pink silk ribbon around the stems.  Delicate white phalaenopsis orchid heads lend the finishing touch to a three tiered blue wedding cake.  Simply stunning!

Learn more about our member at www.hiddengardenflowers.com.

Our member florist Dorothy McDaniel’s Flower Market in Birmingham, AL., was recently featured in the March/April 2009 issue of Southern Living magazine, in the Entertaining/Flower Arranging section.

Dorothy shares her method for making a simple, elegant and seasonal arrangement of hydrangeas and peonies.

“Stacked arrangements are impressive yet easy to execute. I relate them to paint-by-number kits – remember those? You begin at the bottom row, making a complete circle, and then go to the next row.”

www.dorothymcdaniel.com 

Dode Martin and Casey Sparks make up member florist MartinRoberts Design, www.martinroberts.com.  Dode initially trained for and entered the business world, but soon discovered that the “suit-and-tie” arena was not really to his liking.  He got his start in the floral industry helping out a friend in Dallas, then travelled to Chicago and eventually landed in San Francisco where he started his own design company.  A trip to Hawaii to install a friend’s wedding inspired him to set up the foundation to work from both locations as needed.  By Casey’s own admission, Dode taught him everything he knows and with the help of a great group of freelancers, this dynamic duo is able to operate floral studios in Kauai, HI and San Francisco, CA.

Casey described a recent wedding set on two tiers of land at the Hawaiian Romantic Cottage.  Pink Vendela and Jade roses, Pink Ice Cymbidiums and freesia buds made up a simple and sophisticated bridal bouquet.  A winding trail of black river-rocks dotted with cymbidium blossoms and strategically placed  tall glass cylinders of cymbidium stems and flax leaf, led the way to the ceremony site staged on the lower lawn overlooking Kahili Bay.  After the ceremony, guests ascended a winding staircase of lava rock to the dinner tent on the upper lawn.  The banquet-style dinner tables were also decorated with black river-rocks and green and pink cymbidium orchid blossoms, as well as, cylinders of loose Singapore Jade Dendrobium orchid stems.  Noting that candlelight was important to the bride, the tables were highlighted with cylinders of white floating disk candles.  Pale green and pink Chinese lanterns were hung from the tent ceiling to pull the entire design aesthetic together.

As roughly 97% if the studio’s weddings are outdoors, MartinRoberts Design takes full advantage of the benefits of Islands’ locations; the Romanticism of the sandy beaches and gorgeous ocean views, the abundance of beautiful, exotic flowers, the lush garden-like quality of the surroundings and the nearly perpetual 80 degree weather.  Luckily, even if rain develops, in the tropical climate, the weather can pass over and clear back up within minutes.  Sometimes these little showers can create a dazzling rainbow as the perfect accent on a memorable day!

Martin Roberts was featured in Flower Magazine.

The current driving force behind our member florist Renny & Reed in New York City is Reed McIlvaine, currently featured on the cover of the spring 2009 issue of Flower Magazine.

Being the nephew and godson of Renny Reynolds, Reed has flowers in his blood, so to speak, but didn’t have career plans of making them his livelihood. Reed worked as a creative director in the dot-com industry for several years post-college, and then decided to spend some time with his Uncle Renny in 2000. The more time he put in, the more Reed began to prove his newfound talent and love of flowers as much to himself as to his family members.

Renny was the premiere event and floral designer and launched his career in  the New York party scene during  the ‘70’s , Renny – a man who’s reputation garners him one-name status – had already built a reputation for himself and his business, planning parties for Manhattan’s glamorous set as well as Studio 54 (for those of us old enough to remember that amazing venue!) and all over the world.

Nine years later, Renny & Reed still caters to the most sophisticated of clientele, including many well known five star hotels, such as The Four Seasons and The St. Regis.

The rest, they say, is history! www.rennyandreed.com

Again, our member florists prove themselves to be the best of the best! Both out of NYC, Studio Artiflora (studioartiflora.com) and Floralies (floraliesinc.com) were featured in the Real Brides section of Town and Country Weddings Summer 2009 issue. For a couple tying the knot in Jamaica, Studio Artiflora helped complete a vivid look with this gorgeous bouquet saturated in color. Yves Piaget garden roses, bright pink Gloriosa lilies with bright yellow narcissus are combined to create a bouquet that is fun, vibrant, and nontraditional.

Floralies’ design catered to a wedding a bit more soft and feminine, in a palette of pinks and lavenders. The bride’s bouquet was a romantic combination of jade roses, clematis and sweet peas – very natural and lovely, as if the flowers were just gathered from the garden.

No matter what your style or flavor, our artisan members are the ones to help make your special day as beautiful as it can be.

A lovely bouquet designed by our LA member Tic-Tock (tictock.com) recently graced the cover of the Spring 2009 InStyle weddings magazine. Tic-Tock, legendary in LA, is known for their lush and tasteful monochromatic arrangements that have dazzle and spunk!   This bouquet contains soft pink cymbidiums, pink roses and pink snowberry. Truly pretty in pink!

Member florist Belle Fleur, www.bellefleurny.com was selected to do a feature article on “Seasonal table décor for spring, summer, fall and winter”, in this months Brides magazine.

SPRING – A vivid color scheme of purple and lime green works beautifully for the spring season. Cheery polka dots and plaid pump up the fun factor! Gorgeous bluish purple iris and sweet peas are the perfect choices for the seasonal table.

SUMMER – Cool and crisp, refreshing and breezy… shades of aqua and white perfectly capture the feeling of summer.  Clean, white eucharis lilies provide life to this utterly relaxing table scheme.

FALL – Instead of a predictable autumn palette of reds and golds, this table setting focuses more on the richness of the season. Deep browns and emerald greens are truly highlighted by all of the succulents and different foliages used here.

WINTER – polished sterling and deep burgundy colors are the dramatic focal points in this “Hollywood glamour” inspired table.  The rich color palette is monochromatic, but mixing flowers (roses, calla lilies, ranunculus and chocolate cosmos) gives the arrangement plenty of texture and interest.

Long-time bbrooks member Maloy Love of Mountain Brook Flower Shop in Birmingham, AL., credits his mother (who was a teacher), with instilling in him the instinct to treat everything as a learning experience.  Love also garnered inspiration from the generations of family members who tilled the soil to earn a living.  He was taught at an early age, to plant a seed and watch it develop.  He recalls his interest in some of his uncle’s farming techniques and confesses that he originally planned to go into growing himself.   However, life led him down other paths.

Love humbly explains that the only training he has had, which has anything to do with his floral arranging, is years of art studies from grammar school through college.  He realized that his eye caught sight of things that other people just didn’t see.  His artistic instinct and love of the tactile interaction with organic materials have served him well over the years.

Mountain Brook Flower Shop opened in the late 1940s and Love bought the shop after having been employed there for a number of years.  He feels that his devoted clientele is the reason he is still in business today.  Love thinks of the shop as being a bespoke tailor of the flower business. Their style is inspired by nature and has a strong Asian influence combining a curved line of beauty with the angularity of the straight line.

The flower business has become Love’s calling because it allows him to be a part of his client’s lives from birth until death.  In good times and in bad times he is doing his utmost to help them to feel better.  For Love, it is all based on a trust which cannot be betrayed.