Chloe and Blake - 05/06/16

Chloe emailed me in early February when she was frustrated with her selection of florists near her. Her wedding was fast approaching and she lives in the Waterloo area. We did all of our communication via email but I knew she was an awesome girl from our first few emails. She was completely prepared with everything she wanted (including flower names, quantities, and photos).

Due to Chloe living over an hour away, she wanted to come pick up her flowers a few days before. That provided me with a challenge for how to keep flowers fresh for several days without water. I learned about tupperware being able to keep boutonnieres and corsages fresh for quite some time. That has greatly made my life easier because now I can get started on all my weddings sooner (you're my hero Chloe)!

Left - centerpieces of milk glass and baby's breath, Right - Daisy bouquets for grandparent memorials

Images by Alaytra Photography

Unfortunately, like a lot of brides, Chloe learned she had selected expensive flowers that didn't quite fit in her planned budget. I drew up another estimate for her substituting some of the flowers for less expensive ones. Chloe decided to splurge for the bouquet of her dreams and save some costs by choosing the less expensive corsages and boutonnieres. They opted to not have a bridal party to be able to invite more people to their celebration (50 tables worth!)

Ringshots - Images by Alaytra Photography

Chloe carried a bouquet of blush garden roses, blush ranunculus, coral hypericum berry, coral carnations (mounded together for a peony look), white spray roses, baby's breath, succulents and dusty miller. It's one you would definitely want to "pin" on Pinterest. 

Images by Alaytra Photography

This wedding was amazing. Perfect weather, fabulous details (that dress and ring!!) and a couple (probably mostly bride) that knew what she wanted and where she was willing to splurge and save. I love the following picture, because weddings and the photos are so often all about the bride, but this is all about Blake. 

Image by Alaytra Photography

Since the wedding, Chloe has helped me on a project I'm working on about what people think flowers cost vs. what they actually cost. So many couples (again probably mostly brides) get swept up in Pinterest and have no idea the cost of what they desire. Stay tuned for that blogpost coming in the next few weeks!

Image by Alaytra Photography

I hope their future together is as perfect as their wedding day was! It brought so much joy to me, knowing that Chloe and her mom drove over an hour to come pick up her flowers, especially when she had never met me. Sometimes, you just click and those are my favorite weddings to be a part of. Thank you again for choosing to work with me!

Clare and Lucas - 04/30/16

I met Clare late 2015. She was a referral from my favorite group of people to work with: Diamond Wedding Services. I was SO excited by this because I know that Twisted Mic's would keep the party going all night and Mike from Fetography Portraits would capture my work beautifully. 

Image by Fetography Portraits

I was a little concerned when the roses came in and they were a little brighter than planned. They were supposed to be coral and blush but the blush came in more of a medium pink. When Clare saw her bouquet, she absolutely loved it! AND the brighter pink really popped with her blush colored dress. She seriously looked incredible!

Images by Fetography Portraits

Her bridesmaids were super sweet and many of them got a little teary when they saw Clare in her dress for the first time.  

Images by Fetography Portraits

Clare used medium pink and coral roses, white spray roses, navy thistle, white waxflower and eucalyptus. And can we talk about her blue eyes?!?! She seriously looked like a model! 

Images by Fetography Portraits

I found out Angelique from Laladoodles Boutiques would be doing her reception styling and rentals and knew her reception would be beautiful. I provided the flowers, Angelique provided and set up everything else. Her reception flowers were a white hydrangea and white waxflower in a mason jar. 

Images by Fetography Portraits, Event Rentals and Styling by Laladoodles Boutiques

Image by Fetography Portaits

Mike always knows what I want for detail shots and I can always count on him for a new cover photo for Facebook. He did all of the photos for my website as well. So, when I say I recommend him as a photographer, it means I use him for myself as well. Its a real referral.  

Image by Fetography Portraits

Clare had my dream team working for her for her wedding. Every one of her vendors was on my preferred vendor list, that's how I knew her wedding would go off without a hitch. I saw photos of the reception from the DJ and the guests via their hashtag on Instagram. It looked like an absolute blast! I hope their marriage is as fun as their wedding!

I am so thankful she chose me to be a part of their special day. I wish Clare and Lucas a lifetime of happiness together. 

A Johns Hopkins "Graduation Adventure"

I've been looking forward to my brother David's graduation from college for a LONG time. We've been planning the trip for over a year. The trip definitely didn't go as planned. 

I've always said that David has everything going for him. He's brilliant, athletic, good looking, artistic and musical. He's even been known to assist me with floral arranging. When he graduated high school with a 4.0 GPA and was heading off to Johns Hopkins, I knew the boy was destined for great things. I had no idea the great man he would turn in to. 

David played baseball from the time he was 7 and played in college. He started as a pitcher but later switched to catcher in high school and college. He told us at the beginning of 2016, if his baseball team went to regional playoffs, he wouldn't be at graduation. Their team motto was, "Appleton or bust!" for the college World Series. We all thought, "What are the odds of that?"

Over Spring Break, David hurt his neck and has been unable to play since. They had a great season and were in a tournament over Mother's Day Weekend to see who would be going to the regional tournament. Hopkins lost and we all assume we are going to graduation. David skyped with us and told us there was still a chance they would be going to regionals if they were picked up as an "at large" team. Again, "What are the odds of that?" Only 16 teams get picked up nationwide. So, I carry on my week excited to go to graduation. 

I went to my mom's house for dinner the day before we were scheduled to leave. I asked what time our flight was scheduled to leave. My mom tells me, "That depends on where we are going." Turns out, there was a 65% chance of going to regional playoffs. My step-dad was in the other room printing a ton of maps of different locations. "If playoffs are here, we drive this far. If playoffs are here, we won't go." At this point, I'm stressing. I don't know where I'm going on vacation or how to pack aside from "bring clothes for a baseball game." My mom promised me an adventure. And an adventure we sure had. 

I arrive at my parents' house early on Monday morning to drive to Chicago to fly out. This is the point where I learn we are going to baseball playoffs. In Pennsylvania. Which is not at all the same as Baltimore for graduation. 

Monday, we drive to Chicago and then fly to Baltimore. The baseball team was scheduled to depart for Pennsylvania at 7am on Tuesday. As David couldn't play and was going to be inducted into Phi Beta Kappa honor society on Tuesday at 10am, the coach allowed him to attend the induction ceremony and ride to playoffs with our family. Phi Beta Kappa includes the top 5% of the graduating class and a few select juniors. Roughly 90 people were inducted on this day. Phi Beta Kappa will give David a lot of great connections in the intellectual community. 

Phi Beta Kappa induction - From top left - David and I, David receiving his PBK certificate, David and his roommate Jack, David, mom and I 

The journey from Baltimore to Washington, PA was about 4.5 hours. With me riding middle seat. My aunt sitting spread eagle on one side of me and my mom with her legs on top of me, using the center console as a footrest. This was not the vacation I had been planning on. 

The first game was on Wednesday. It was overcast, windy and about 50 degrees. None of us brought appropriate clothes for that, but luckily there was an outlet mall down the street from our hotel. Kevin spent the day working while us girls went shopping. The game was definitely a cold one. They played hard but unfortunately they lost. The only perk of them losing, was that now their game on Thursday was at a time we could attend instead of during a time we would have to be on a journey back home. 

Thursday's game was sunny and 70 degrees. Perfect baseball weather. The boys played well, but unfortunately lost again. Families of seniors stood around and said goodbyes to the friends they've made through watching Hopkins baseball for 4 years. We all applauded the team as they came out of the dugout. It wasn't the finish they were hoping for, but the team acted with dignity. They didn't scream and curse, they said goodbye to teammates and their families - lifelong friends they had made over the past 4 years. Various teammates invited each other and their families to visit over the summer. It was a true testament to the bond they had created and the character of each and every one of them. 

David (in white shirt) saying goodbyes

Thursday evening, we made the drive back to Baltimore to be able to fly out on Friday afternoon. On Friday morning, we met up with David and took my aunt on a tour of the Hopkins campus. David dressed in his cap and gown as we took pictures in some of his favorite spots. He spent far too long scouting for "the perfect pole" to recreate one of his high school senior pictures. Not a cloud in the sky, the vacation gods were definitely on our side that day. 

College on the left, high school on the right. 

"This is where I lean" - Chandler Bing or David Mampre

Bottom right corner is the top of his apartment building looking out over the baseball field

Left - standing in the catcher spot, looking out towards his apartment, middle - dugout, right - sitting in the catcher spot

Despite spending a LOT more time traveling than previously planned, it was a great trip and I loved seeing David. It turns out graduation was 4.5 hours long (from 4-8:30pm. HELLO DINNER?!?!) and the speaker was absolutely awful. I guess I prefer a bunch of travel over sitting still and being quiet at a graduation. 

From being in 7th grade, trying on my cap and gown before my graduation, to his high school graduation to college graduation, I am beyond proud to be this man's sister. He gives his all in everything he does and encourages others to do the same. 

After we came home, David and the other 9 baseball guys had a private graduation. You'll notice the amount of "swag" David has compared to the rest of the team. You can definitely tell how proud their coach is to have that group of guys standing around him. Thankfully, Hopkins is very tech savvy and produced a video of the private baseball graduation so families like ours could stream it. 

Images of actual graduation

David graduated from Johns Hopkins with a 4.0 GPA with a degree in Neuroscience. He will spend the next year doing research and applying for med school. With a near perfect MCAT score, he should have his pick of schools. I've spent the past few days proofing his med school essays and I have to say, I teared up a bit with pride. It's been quite some time since I have read something that he has written and to say he has a way with words is an understatement. It also turns out, he was involved in a lot more activities in college than I was aware of. I'm not sure how he managed it all, he says he hasn't slept in 4 years and I completely believe it. 

Mostly, I can't wait for him to become a doctor so he can fix my migraines but I'll pretend it is all sisterly pride. The day he graduated high school, I posted a FB status talking about his accomplishments so obviously for college, I had to outdo that and make a blog post. I ended my status with "I'm proud to call you my brother! Do big things!" and I can't think of any better way to end this blog post. His last 4 years of college has lived up to that and I know when he starts med school, he will definitely be doing some big things! He's going to make a difference in this world. Do big things, David! We are all so proud of you! 

Live. Love. Flowers. - NOW on Snapchat!

Many of you that know me personally, know that I have been boycotting getting a Snapchat. I figure if I want to send people pictures and messages, I can just send regular picture messages. 

Recently, I've been considering getting a Snapchat for business uses. So often, people ask to see behind the scenes floral arranging pictures or previews of wedding setups. These are not pretty things. When I arrange flowers, my entire house gets trashed. These are not things I want to advertise on my Facebook page or website. Snapchat is a great way to let people into the BTS of floral design while not displaying my mess for the whole internet to see! 

SO, I made a Snapchat!! Now, you can add me on there to see things that are not "brand worthy" to be on my Facebook! I'll be posting pictures when I get flowers, pictures of me in my pajamas arranging flowers, Otis eating my flowers and various other floral related things! I'm really excited for this! 

Ranunculus from a wedding last week.

I also plan on using Snapchat for instant giveaways and to unload some of my flowers after weddings. Facebook is so limiting with it's algorithms and how many people it allows to see my posts without paying. So often, I have a great deal on leftover flowers and only a few dozen people see the post. With snapchat, everyone can see it!

Today, I dropped off my new business cards at La Belle Vie Bridal Salon. Betsy is awesome if you're in need of a wedding dress and you can pick up one of my fabulous new cards while you're there! My cards are covered in pink glitter. Is there anything better than that?!?!

When you work floral design part time out of your home, its not pretty and organized like you see on a tv show. It's me (usually in Christmas pajamas) designing floral arrangements until 3am. It's stems and buckets all over my house. It's one dog sitting on the couch staring at me and the other sneaking off to take flowers out of buckets. I'm glad that enough people care enough about me, and my workflow to follow me, because I think this is going to be a lot of fun! Thanks to everyone who encouraged me to do this!

Now, go add me! liveloveflower

Janelle and Zach - 04/16/16

Wedding season officially kicked off this weekend! It was sunny and 80 degrees! What more could you want from a wedding in the middle of April?!?!

I met Janelle through one of our local wedding swap groups. She's actually a fellow small business owner! She and her friend Emily own a linen rental company JEM Coverings, so if you're in need of linens for your wedding, you should definitely check them out! 

Jenelle knew EXACTLY what bouquet she wanted before we even got together for an appointment! There was a little bouquet mishap right before photography, so I rushed back to them and remade the bouquet. The trouble with cascading bouquet is that if you don't get it in just the right spot on the first try, it leaves a big hole and then when you put the stem in again near to that hole, it's not well supported in its new home. I'm so glad that Janelle was understanding and we got it taken care of quickly. 

Image by Trisha K. Photography

Image by Trisha K. Photography

After seeing her pictures, I think she made the perfect choice! They accented the bridesmaids dresses in just the right way! 

Image by Trisha K. Photography

The wedding was at River Music Experience (Redstone Room) and the images were by Trisha K. Photography. It looks like their party was an absolute blast! 

Image by Trisha K. Photography

Image by Trisha K. Photography

I wish Janelle and Zach all the best on their future together! 

3 Year Anniversary!

3 years?!?! THREE YEARS?!?! I'm torn between, "Has it been 3 years already?" and "Has it only been 3 years?" It has been an absolute whirlwind of falling in love with the 26 couples I have worked with so far.

Many of you don't know how I got started in this business and I figured my anniversary would be a great time to share! 
Many, moons ago, my mom worked in a local flower shop in high school. Several years later, when I was in pre-school, she owned a flower shop that I spent time in after school. This is why I always say that my love of flowers is in my genes. When I turned 16, I started working in the same local flower shop my mom worked at in high school. I worked there for about 4 1/2 years through high school and part of college. I left when I got promoted at Claire's.

Fast forward a few years, and friends started getting engaged. They all knew of my previous employment and asked me to brainstorm ideas with them before their appointments (this is when Pinterest was just starting out). After appointments, some of them showed me their floral estimates and asked what I thought of them, how they could save money, etc. In March of 2013 (the 14th to be exact) after I was giving corsage ideas to a friend, while at work, I decided I should be charging for my advice! I even made it FB official that I wanted to get back into florals in the near future. 

I spent the next few weeks brainstorming ideas for business names with my best friend (now turned day-of assistant) Kelsey. I knew I didn't want to use my name, maybe because my name is already alliteration but honestly I have no real reason I didn't want to use Michelle as a part of my business name. I love the phrase "Live. Laugh. Love" (because what 20-something hasn't at some point) and I just kept coming back to Live. Love. Flowers. I knew one of the reasons I kept coming back to it was because I knew I wanted to feel like a friend to my couples. I often share photos of my own life on my FB page and I wanted them to feel connected to me as more than just a wedding vendor. I had an idea for a logo using a gerbera daisy and the colors black and hot pink. 

I made a mockup of the logo that I wanted using a Google stock image and an app on my phone (high tech right?!?!). On April 6th, I had a "lady date" with Kelsey and she brought me hot pink gerbera daisies. One of those became part of my original official logo . Kelsey's boyfriend (now husband) Daniel created my original logo and business cards for me! You can check out my cell phone logo and Daniel's original design here! 

My original vision on the left, Daniel's image on the left using a real flower :)

On April 14th, I decided I had nothing to lose and decided to just go for it! I bought a bunch of flowers from grocery stores and made various mockups of arrangements all night. I also started my FB page that night. I thought I might do a friend's wedding here or there but had no idea it would take off like it did! 

My first picture on my business page. A bucket of various flowers and my 2 happy helpers checking it out

A few weeks later, I officially became a business when I filed for my TaxID number. Within 3 weeks of making my Fb page, I had my first inquiry! AND it was from a total stranger. We emailed back and forth for a week or so and I learned her wedding was in June, just a few weeks away and she was unhappy with her previously selected florist. I met with Tonii and her mom at Panera and we talked through some details and got to know each other. I am forever grateful she chose to take a chance on me!

That year, I took 2 more weddings, ironically the same weekend at the end of September. Both of them were friends with Kelsey and Daniel. The 1st wedding of the weekend never had an in person consultation. Since then, I have had 4 weddings book with me without an in-person consultation, so if you are long distance, I am totally comfortable doing things without physically meeting. The 2nd wedding of that weekend was the girl to whom I gave corsage advice to prior to opening. During the summer and the fall, bookings for 2014 started taking off. I was so shocked when a lot of them were strangers! I goaled myself to do 10 weddings in 2014. I fell a little short of that goal and did 9 weddings, but was still very proud of myself. 2014 was also the summer when I did the flowers for Kelsey and Daniel's wedding AND stood up as the Maid of Honor. I was seeing serious growth and many of my couples were taking advantage of my referral program. With this in mind, I set my goal for 15 weddings in 2015. I did larger weddings in 2015 than in previous years and ended the year with 13 weddings. 

At the end of 2015, with 11 weddings on the books for 2016 already, I set my goal of 16 weddings and decided to go through a little rebrand. I wanted to spice up my logo and finally invest in a website. It seemed like my business was here to stay and investing was a good idea. I found Leesa Dykstra through a small business professionals group on FB (The Rising Tide Society). Buying her branding services as a Christmas gift to myself has been on of my all-time favorite purchases (I always tell my dog, Armani, that he is my favorite purchase). We still have a few items we are working on and I'm so excited to wrap up this project soon. 

My beautiful brand board!

I am SO proud to say that I have MET and SURPASSED my goal for 2016 and I am still booking! I've already done 1 wedding this year and this week officially starts wedding season. I have lots of weddings to look forward to this year, but I think I'm most looking forward to my brother's wedding in October! July of 2016, I have been asked to teach a class on flower arranging at the library. I am SO honored to even have been asked to do that! More details will come soon if you want to sign up! 

I have 2 already booked for 2017, including being a Maid of Honor in one of them! 

NOW, it wouldn't be an anniversary post if we didn't talk about celebration! I'm having a celebratory cake (obviously!) BUT I am also reserving my booth for the Bridal Expo in January! I've always wanted to do it and I am committing to it!

I am also celebrating by disabling the messenger on my business FB page. It will now have a Contact Me tab (see below) that links to my contact tab on my website. I much prefer to communicate via email and this will keep everything in one place. It makes it so much easier when I want to reference something later on. Email is much more reliable that the FB Pages app (on my end) because it doesn't always give me notifications. This is going to help keep my life more organized and keep me more sane. You can always email me at live.love.flowers1@gmail.com!

Computer View on the left, Cell Phone view on the right

I would like to invite you to celebrate with me by giving away $30 off every new booking priced between $500-$1000. For new bookings over $1000, you will get 3% off your wedding! Weddings must be booked (contract signed and deposit paid) by Mother's Day! This is an exclusive offer for people who care enough to read my blog. I will not be posting any fliers on FB, just a link to this blog post. 

3 years. 26 couples. Strangers. Friends. I feel like all these couples have made my lives just as beautiful as I made their weddings. This has been the adventure of a lifetime and I can't believe how fast my business has grown. Thank you all for your support over the last 3 years. Here's to MANY more! Here's a look back at some of my weddings over the last 3 years! 

In summary, not every business starts out with the perfect business plan, the perfect branding package and website. Sometimes you just have to give an idea a shot and grow and learn at the same time. I knew that I wanted to do flowers as a hobby, I had no idea it would grow into such a successful business. If you have something you want to do, go for it! What's the worst that can happen, you give it a shot and it doesn't work out? Best case scenario, you grow into a great business and do what you love! Thank you all so much for all of your support for the last 3 years! Now, time to eat some cake and prepare my flowers for Saturday's wedding! :)

Kayla and Corbin - 01/16/16

Kayla and Corbin were married on a VERY cold January day. Her bridesmaids were SO cute in their fur shawls. 

Image by Wiz of Oz Photography

I have known Kayla and Corbin for a very long time. Corbin was a year behind me in high school. Kayla's parents and my parents have been good friends for a number of years. I remember doing Kayla's hair for a daddy/daughter dance when she was about 8. I was thrilled that she wanted me to do the flowers for her wedding. I was even more thrilled when I was invited to join in the celebration! True to the winter theme, their reception had a smores bar! What more could you want?!?!

Kayla and I never had an actual in person consultation due to her being away at her last semester of school. She was so good at communicating her vision via email. She was in love with peonies and roses and a soft fluffy look. She sent me a lot of pictures from Pinterest so I could feel for the style of her day. 

Image by Wiz of Oz Photography

Image by Wiz of Oz Photography

Kayla and Corbin's wedding was ALL about glitz and glam. There were sequin tablecloths, gems and sparkle everywhere. I'm sure it wasn't Corbin's dream come true but it was mine! If you know me, you know that I would put glitter on everything if I could :)

Image by Wiz of Oz Photography

The bride and her mom designed their own silk centerpieces but I created a statement piece for the table in the center of the room. You can see the branches they rented from me in her centerpieces in the background. They did an excellent job of making their centerpieces! I was very impressed with their craftiness. Even if I don't make your centerpieces (like in this case) you can always rent items to make your wedding complete. Kayla and Corbin rented glitter branches and a TON of gems to scatter around on the tables. 

Image by Wiz of Oz Photography

One of the ideas Kayla was in love with was floral headwreaths for her three adorable flower girls. Being so crafty, she designed and made signs for them to carry down the aisle. She designed several other graphics for both ceremony and reception. After the wedding, Kayla opened an etsy shop to sell graphics and handmade items. If you're planning a wedding, be sure to check her shop out here because the items are super cute! 

Image by Wiz of Oz Photography

Image by Wiz of Oz Photography, Signs for sale in Kayla's Etsy Shop

I want to thank Kayla and Corbin for allowing me to be a part of their special day! This was definitely a group that knew how to have a good time! I've loved being able to watch their love grow and can't wait to continue to watch their life together as a new family. 

I also want to thank them for allowing me to use their venue to do a photoshoot for my website photos. The Outing Club is a gorgeous venue and I feel so lucky to have been able to take my headshots and other images for my site during their wedding set-up. I wish Kayla and Corbin all the best for their future!!

Happy Launch Day!

I can't believe I have a real life website! When I started this business (kind of on a whim) in 2013, I had no idea it would grow to the point where I would need a website!

First off, I want to thank my web designer, Leesa, for all of her hard work creating my new logo and this website. I came to her basically just telling her that I love glitter, pink and gerbera daisies. She hit it out of the park with my logo on the first try and I love what she's done with my site. Check her out at leesadykstradesigns.com if you're in need of a new logo or website.

I want to thank everyone who has been on this journey with me the last few years. My mom - for giving me the "floral gene," my best friends for letting me constantly bounce ideas off of them and helping me with set-ups, my boyfriend for listening to me endlessly talk about flowers and craft projects and often helping me with them, and my dogs for keeping me company as I spend my nights creating flowers and for keeping the mood light at floral appointments.

Thank you to my whole friends list on Facebook and everyone who follows my business page for caring enough about what I do to have it fill up your feed. Thank you to everyone who has booked with me and everyone who has referred others to me. In summary, thanks for being on this journey with me. It's been a hell of a ride and I can't wait to see where it goes from here. I hope you'll continue to join me on this adventure.If you love me, and my site, please click around and let me know what you think. Share it with your friends if you think they will like it too! In 2015, I did 11 weddings and have 15 on the books for 2016 (so far). My blogging goal is twice a month, so be sure to check back frequently for more fun!

Images by Miriam Bulcher Photography