Friday, May 31, 2013

Reality TV bites

Just saw a commercial last night for WE network's newest wedding related reality show...the premise is 5 couples(former Bridezilla brides?) after the wedding, must live in a house together.  It looks like another hot mess in the world of reality tv.  How many more wedding/marriage  themed reality shows do we need?  If you want to tune in it airs tonight http://www.wetv.com/shows/marriage-boot-camp-bridezillas
Not sure if I will tune in or not....some shows are like a car wreck, you can't help but watch, other shows I absolutely refuse to tune in because I don't want to encourage ratings.  Let me know what you think after you watch!

Wednesday, May 29, 2013

AIFD- The American Institute of Floral Designers

AIFD is an organization the promotes credibility, creativity, ethics and education throughout the floral design industry.  Every year around the 4th of July they hold their National Symposium (think runway shows in Paris and Milan) in a different city each year.   The Symposium consists of days of back to back programs, all presented on stage in a huge ballroom.  It is really something to see.  Our group takes over the entire hotel/conference center.  There are flowers in the lobbies, elevators- everywhere.  It's a great event for retailers  to recharge their batteries.  Here's some pics from previous events:
Abstract Designs to get you thinking...
Christmas Ideas (Boston, 2010)
Mirror Ideas(Boston 2010)
Wedding Flowers Runway show(Boston 2010)
Holiday Screen (DC,2006)
Merchandising/Party décor (DC, 2006)

So this may give you a little insight into the proportion of the event.  1,000+ people from around the globe in one place, at the same time, sharing ideas, creativity, education.  It's a great experience.  And this year it's in......LAS VEGAS.  I am SUPER excited as I have never been to Vegas and haven't been able to go to a Symposium since Boston.  I will post lots of pics after I get back to share all the fun and beautiful things I see. For more info on AIFD visit www.aifd.org
 
 

Tuesday, May 21, 2013

May Weddings

I haven't blogged in awhile mainly because the Month of May is CRAZY.  Not only did we have to be shut down during Apple Blossom Festival, the following week brought Mother's Day, 3 Proms (!), SU graduation and Nurses week- ALL in ONE WEEK.  Scheduling 3 proms mother's day weekend is insane for many reasons, but I won't go into that right now...that's a whole other blog post.
So finally after all that crazy, I thought (initially) the following week with 4 weddings wouldn't be that tough.  Unfortunately  my long time partner in crime (i.e. designer) had moved on to another opportunity closer to home.  Good for her, bad for me.  So it was me, myself, and I designing all the daily arrangements (funeral, hospital, birthdays, etc) and designing the weddings.  I got it all done and my designer did come in one night after her other job to help me out for a few hours.  (and I am so thankful she did).  With all the daily work I got a late start on the weddings and worked late into the night Thursday and Friday. Here's some pics:
One wedding inside the cooler waiting for Saturday delivery
Wedding #2 inside the cooler waiting for Saturday delivery:
Some other pics from this weekend's weddings:
Submerged orchids The bride's bouquet

Centerpieces.
(I apologize for all the weird spacing, but I haven't gotten the blogging format down to perfection just yet)




 

 
 

Wednesday, May 1, 2013

Apple Blossom Festival

It's that crazy time of year again when we must close our doors for a few days due to the huge festival known as Apple Blossom. 
"The Bloom is an annual event organized by the Shenandoah Apple Blossom Festival organization and held in the City of Winchester and Frederick County. Attracting crowds in excess of 250,000 people, the festival includes over 30 events such as the Old Town Wine & Fine Arts Festival, Apple Blossom Carnival, dances, parades, band competitions, a circus, and much more." courtesy of
http://www.winchesterva.gov/apple-blossom 

26,587 Is the current population of Winchester, VA.  Add 200,000 people and it gets crazy downtown.  The big Grand Feature parade route happens right in front of our store so it makes it impossible to access our store or even park near it during this weekend every year. 

I love the fact this attracts so many people to this area.  We are in the heart of apple country and all the fields in the county are in full bloom of apple trees.  So if you've never been, come out, enjoy and have a great time!