Birds Flyin High... You Know How I Feel

What a beautiful day for a blooooooog! Good morning and happy Wednesday! It is heavenly outside, a great compliment to the chaos that's going on indoors. Here at Flora, we are surrounded by all kinds of fun projects and can't wait to show them off!

In the meantime, we just got our green thumbs on some beautiful photographs, compliments of Blend Photography, from Greg and Laura's wedding!








This is the wedding we showed a few blogs back in the teaser video that was made by (fabulous) Two Ring Studio. Congrats, Greg and Laura!!! T'was a pleasure!

Look at all of those purdy purples!

Best wishes, Greg and Laura!

Summah-summah-summah Time!

Hello, July! The sun has been no stranger to this summer season, and we have the tan lines and freckles to prove it!

Thankfully, team Flora has pulled in some extra (wo)man power to help us out in the yard and we are oh-so happy to have her around! We wish we had the time to do it alllll by ourselves but we needed an extra pair of hands and some educated eyes to help pick up the little tiny left-over bits here and there. We found a fabulous little lady from Rhode Island and we are happy to have her here in the south!

Also, we are working hard on our Little Black Book profile for Style Me Pretty! We submitted some photos today and hopefully they will soon be posted to our vender page so people can see what Flora is all about! We also added a badge to our blog! It looks like this

,

See?

Speaking of weddings (haha), we've got some photos to share! Congrats, Cat!

Photos by Jill Schwarzkopf !

In other summer news, we took a little walk the other day and came upon the happiest little bunches of hydrangeas we have ever seen growing in a yard! They belong to a lovely woman named June and she is a spritely spirit indeed. She has lived in the same house in Carrier Park her entire life and her family has been there since 1925! We had the pleasure of getting a close-up look at her rows of pristine peonies, romantic roses, and beautiful blue hydrangeas (which she is graciously sharing with us) and we taaaaalked and talked. We are so happy to have met such a wonderful new friend! Flora can learn a lot from June!

So stay tuned, folks, for some more pictures of weddings weddings weddings galore taken by some of Asheville's finest photographers!

Until next time!
Later taters!

Alright kiddos, it is the month of June and do you know what that means? It means summer is a-comin' just around the corner! Did you know that June has the longest daylight hours of any other month in our little corner of the world? Did you know that June is known as "rose month" and also as the best month for honeysuckles (yuuuuuummmmy)? These cute little tidbits are exciting because as far as Flora is concerned, summer is the time for flowers, colors, sunshine, love, and best of all weddings!  

We have a few super exciting things to tell you about today and we have decided to bust out the most exciting (for us, at least) one of all first, yes sir! 

Flora is tickled pink to announce that we have been asked to be a part of the VERY special Little Black Book for Style Me Pretty (big deal big deal big deal!). Team Flora is so honored that we can't even think of any more words to describe how honored we are! Believe us when we say it's a challenge to find any member of Flora speechless! We are just so overjoyed! This super fabulousness was just signed/sealed/delivered only a little while ago, so keep a look out for us on the website in the near future! Everybody say YAY!

Whew that was a fun one to share! Now onto the next order of business: a sweet little teaser video from the faaaaaaaantastic (fully deserving of every single one of those letter As) Two Ring Studios! This is from Laura and Greg's big day! We had a ball adorning this special day with sweet peas, white peonies, globe thistle, and dusty miller! The colors were lavender, violet, and a touch of grey (awww so sweeeet). We also used a hefty handful of recycled glass terrariums! Now sit back and get a load of this little beauty!

Laura & Greg Teaser Video - Biltmore Estate Wedding from Two Ring Studios on Vimeo.

Photographs and more details to come later! We cannot wait to share many more special days with Two Ring Studios and their loveliness! 

Last but not least, my friends, we have come to our final little bit of news! As we mentioned earlier and as most of you may have noticed, we here at Flora just love love love using terrariums to help decorate all kinds of events! We believe they are a sweet, long lasting, and environmentally friendly way to make a statement that lasts long after the big day! It seems as though the trend is showing up in other places too, as New York Times just did an article on terrariums! We suggest you take a gander and click through the slide show if you're as big a fan of these little guys as we are! We're glad that other people have taken notice of this beautiful and entertaining art form! VIVA LIVING ARRANGEMENTS! 

On that overly enthusiastic (but fully necessary) note, we are off to go make more pretty things for someone's special day! 

See you soon! 

Happy June! 

Whistle a tune!

Much love!

f l o r a

Hello, May!

What a beautiful day for an update! We'll take a little break from the backyard (which is looking faaaaaaantastic!) to share a few lovely little pictures from a wedding we happily adorned last month!

Congratulations to the lovely couple! We had a ball working with the new Mrs. Jackson to come up with a colorful and fun fun fun look that was just downright perfect for April, especially after the winter that came before it!

This was the first wedding Flora has ever done at the marvelous Biltmore Forest Country Club and we are looking forward to many many more!

These little beauties are just a few photos taken by the talented Alisha Silver, and there are more photos to come of the centerpeices and other fine little details coming later (stay tuned, friends!)

Well kiddos, it's back to work in the yard to tend to the little baby buds and flowers! We just added a canopy to our little Princess Annabelle's special corner of the yard and it is adoooooooorable! Also, the hubby just got a new little hops plant (mmm... beer)!  Many pictures to come!

So put on that sun screen and go plant yoself some flowers (or at least enjoy that pretty sunshine!)

                           

Cheers!

YourSpace!

Here at Flora, we are spending every moment we can find to get our back yard garden to grow grow grow! We are already off to a magnificent start and really looking forward to what the summer has in store for our little baby buds!



One thing that Flora loves about the back yard is that it's OUR space to do whatever we please! We think it is a great idea to make your outdoor space your own, and a wonderful way to do that is with special little surprises that are all YOU!

Plant your favorite flowers and repurpose an old table and chairs so you can plop yourself down with a book and a glass of lemonade! It's probably about time you catch up with that old friend of yours... might as well do it in your own back yard (they will surely be impressed).

Make your space even more personal with objects that you love! Have an arts and crafts session with your kids or friends and create some decorations!

Not only is this a creative outlet, but it's a place for you to go when you just need to get away for a second. Or an hour. Or hey, maybe even a day or two (I have seen some adorable little tents on the market this season)!

So slap on some sunscreen and head on down to the basement or over to your nearest thrift store to pick up some furniture and fixins!

Happy hunting!

Bouquet Bonanza!

Hello Spring! How are you? It's been a while. We are so glad you're here to stay!

We hope everybody had a wonderful Easter weekend, filled with pastel goodies and beautiful blooms out in the yard! Spring is the time for colors, colors, colors galore and we are so happy to add to the mix!

Flora has been "working" hard to provide the most memorable and fantastic creations yet! One of our favorite things to do is help brides create the Wedding bouquet of their dreams! The bouquet is one of the best ways to personalize a wedding and let your loved ones see exactly how unique your style is, because there's only one of these little puppies and you're the one who is holding it!

The bride's bouquet started out as tradition in some cultures as a tool to ward off evil spirits. Now it can become your best accessory to let the good vibes in! Use your bouquet to make a bigger statement than your sweet mama's old, new, borrowed, and blue (unless you want blue flowers in your bouquet, of course)!


There are all kinds of fun things to consider when choosing the bouquet that's right for you! What visual style do you want for yourself? Do you want your dress and hair to say "romantic"? Then you probably want your bouquet to too!

You can always do your favorite colors of course, if that's what truly makes you happy! One of our friends LOVES the color purple, and this little beauty would be right up her ally!

Then again, your wedding is a new beginning! It's always fun to try something new. Go with your gut! If you feel a special connection to a certain flower or color, even though it's not one you would usually pick, then try it out! Work around it and maybe you can come up with something that is just perfect for your new life with the one you love!

We love this part of our service and we LOVE seeing the look on the bride's face when she sees the bouquet of her dreams!

Stay tuned for more springtime love!
Happy mid-April, everybody!

Goin' green with Flora!

Hello friends!


We are cleaning up the space after providing a bit of loveliness for a beautiful wedding yesterday! Flora has already received the sweetest little thank you note from the mother of the bride!

"We were absolutely thrilled with the flowers! Everything was beautiful. The arrangements in the chapel were perfect for the "feel" that Catherine & Scott wanted. It was so nice to have something that was different from the traditional wedding arrangement.
The girls'/guys' flowers were equally as beautiful . . . and what a wonderful presentation with the tub, moss, etc. I can't wait to see the pictures.

There were compliments all around for the table decorations.


Thank you so much for everything!"

What a wonderful thank you from a wonderful wedding!

We have a couple of pictures from the events taken by Kelly Giezentanner. More to come!

It's back to "work" now to come up with some fresh ideas for the weddings to come, one of which will be a first for us!

In May, Flora is very pleased to be given the opportunity to fancy-up an eco-wedding! It will be our very first time providing our services at the lovely North Carolina Arboretum and we are really looking forward to it. Flora has always taken as many steps as possible to be eco-friendly and it's so nice to be given this chance to work with a couple to make it happen 100%!

The great thing about eco-friendly frills is that they are busting at the seams with life, vibrancy, and a personal touch unlike any other. There are a lot of easy (and fun) ways to achieve this.
Here are some tips:

Buy fresh flowers from the local Farmer's Market. Not only are these babies extra fresh, but also you're helping your neighbor and your town's economy in the process! Everybody wins!

Another way to be eco-friendly on the big day is with the use of living arrangements. At Flora, we love living arrangements and believe that they brighten up any space. A great example is terrariums. They are tiny little worlds that bring endless enjoyment with very minimal maintenance. Live succulents are also a lovely option. A perfect way to beautify any surface!

Found objects are also a way to go eco-friendly. "Reduce, reuse, recycle" isn't just for aluminum cans these days. We want to eliminate any excessive waste or purchasing of items that are ultimately unnecessary. Think about the beautiful ribbon you have saved for years for that one special occassion or that old vase that you love but can't seem to place anywhere in your house. Repurpose, repurpose, repurpose! Anything is game to be a part of your big day. The re-use of objects that you love is not only great for the environment, but also adds a personal and thoughtful touch that is exclusive to you and only you. It is your big day, after all!

Objects that you would normally throw away or toss into the recycle bin can be used just as easily! The flower below is made out of an old newspaper! Jelly jars and coffee cans may seem a bit plain by themselves but using some of the precious found objects you have collected could create a magnificent candle holder, row accent, or centerpiece! You gotta put those local flowers somewhere!

Being creative and thinking outside the box is the best way to achieve a beautiful event without making a dent in our lovely planet, or in your lovely wallet!

Stay posted for pictures of this exciting event and get a few ideas of your own!





Until next time!

Mustache March!

Well hello again!

The time has sprung forward and the weather has been warm(ish) and that means we are a hop, skip, and jump away from SPRING!!! So close!

First order of business for today... drum-roll please... MUSTACHES ON A STICK!
We have officially put a posting up on Etsy and are more than happy to add these babies to any special event to help bring a little giggle to the atmosphere.
They're great for just having around, too. Our friend just went to a party wearing her mustache and got compliments and laughs all night long!

Please check them out and let us know if you're interested in your own little piece of whisker heaven! 

Thanks to the lovely Honour Hiers Mann for these lovely photos showing the mustaches doing their thing at a wedding! We LOVE it!

In other news, the backyard is still continuing to bloom ever-so-slightly and we are very pleased! Little promises of the rainbow of colors that are soon to come, accompanied by the many events that are already in the making. We simply cannot wait!

Until next time, friends!
Cheers!

Spring is in the air!!!

Hello hello!

Here at Flora, we are ANXIOUSLY awaiting the arrival of Spring!!! The backyard bulbs are starting to make their appearance and we are so excited to see our first tiny samples of springtime in the form of daffodils, tulips, and several more wonderful signs of brighter days ahead! However, just because it's been cold and dreary outside for what seems like years, it doesn't mean we haven't been busy little bees, no sir!

We are THRILLED to say that Flora has been hard at work with event planning!

We have been meeting with the most beautiful and intelligent brides to plan some events that we are really looking forward to. Our calendar is already filling up and we couldn't be more excited! This is going to be a stunning season and we can't wait to transform our plans into arrangements and designs that are filled with life and will make any wedding an event to remember!

In the meantime, we have also been helping out with beautifying some special projects. Recently, Flora was featured at a bridal booth for Events by Kiersa and we got our hands on some lovely photos! Thanks Kiersa!

Thank you so much for taking an interest in Flora!

We are looking forward to meeting new clients and brainstorming on new ideas and we are confident that this will be the BEST wedding season Flora has ever had!!!

Makin Waves with Asheville's Rotary Club AND a brand new website!!!

Recently, we were very pleased to take part in the Asheville Rotary Club auction!

The Making Waves 2010 auction was held to raise funds and awareness for such organizations as Manna Foodbank, local projects, scholarships, overseas medical efforts, and all kinds of helpful goodness.

It was Flora's pleasure to volunteer alongside Shay Brown Events and the kind people of Asheville. We successfully exceeded this year's expectations with everyone's generous donations! It was a complete success! Flora is SUPER proud to be a part of the wonderful, helpful, giving, and selfless community of Asheville! It was more than a pleasure to spruce up the place and donate our time to such a wonderful cause.

We are also ecstatic to present to our lovely readers our brand spankin new website design! It was time to jazz it up a little bit and Bowie did a darn good job of it. A big thanks to all of the wedding photographers out there who have so successfully captured the vibrance and life of our flowers! Go ahead and take a little gander at the new site and let us know what you think!

So much excitement for Flora!

We hope you're staying warm out there!