The American Will & Kate on The View

Take a look at my floral designs for Surroundings Flowers (see the blog) celebrating the wedding of the American Will and Kate on The View yesterday!
The beautiful runner with the couple's initials in a gilt crest was designed Julie Goldman and her talented staff at the Original Runner Company

A beautiful collaboration, thanks to The View for hosting a very beautiful event!

The Royal Wedding

I am very pleased to announce that I will be part of the VIEW"s own celebration of the Royal Wedding Friday April 29th at 11:00am EST. I, with Surroundings Flowers & Events have designed the ceremony and personal flowers for the live, on air wedding of the VIEW's own Kate and Will. Photos to come!!

Horticultural Society of NY 2011 Gala

This year the Hort's Gala, was also the NY Flower Show, with a viewing of the ballroom before the dinner dance. The press mingled with the public while the judges carefully pored over every "Fire & Ice" themed table design. I am very proud that my table was chosen to receive the award for "Delicate Harmony". The judges felt my "exquisite flowers perfectly complimented the icy elements" of my design! Thanks to Angel Hernandez for her creative assistance, the Total Table for beautiful linens, and the always exquisite flowers from George Rallis. See the first photos at the blog Garden Glamour by Duchess Designs.

New Projects

I have 2 fun projects this spring, different from my usual wedding work (which is also fun). One is my designer table at the Horticultural Society of NY Flower Show and Gala. The April 12th event offers a ticketed public viewing from 3-5 pm before the gala dinner dance. A great opportunity to see some beautiful table designs and get inspiration for upcoming weddings and parties.

The other project is a musical version of RAPUNZEL at Lehman College. Music professor Penny Prince wrote original music and lyrics and the talented cast provided the script - a very creative collaboration! I made Rapunzel's braid (and will reveal just how long it is after the show), a cabbage garden and contributed to the set design.

Watch for photos of both!

The Groom

The groom will often attend the floral consultation to be supportive to the bride but feel that he doesn't have much to say about flowers. A good way to get him involved is to spend a few minutes focusing on the boutonnieres. I like to match the boutonniere to the bouquet in flower type and color. Obviously, if the bride is carrying large, full, open peonies, a good match for the boutonniere would be a ranunculus or pretty spray rose. If he balks at wearing flowers suggest a sleek mini calla lily with a loop of lily grass. Seasonal accents can be very attractive - I've done guinea hen feathers for the fall, clusters of bright yellow craspedia in the sumer, and small orchids or subtle florets of green hydrangea for a less "floral" look.