The 4th of July Non-Weekend. Bad for Brides? Good for Guests? You decide.

Ah the calendar.  Tomorrow, the 4th of July falls on a WEDNESDAY for the first time in many years.  For those with office jobs whose vacation days are comparable to certain rare truffles in the food world, this is a big deal. There are calculations by which you can take only a few days off, and yet stretch your vacation and/or wedding weekend to five days, all with the aid of a well placed Monday or Friday out of the office.  Thanksgiving is the ultimate centerpiece to the art of stretching PTO: you can take a full seven days and only “spend” three.

English: OAK HARBOR, Wash. (July 4, 2011) Memb...

OAK HARBOR, Wash. (July 4, 2011) Members of the color guard assigned to Naval Air Station Whidbey Island march down Bayshore Drive during the Fourth of July Parade.(Photo credit: Wikipedia)

But this year (darned Gregorians) Fourth of July isn’t participating.  And some are breathing a sigh of relief.  Hint: it’s not the brides.  People who might have attended weddings this holiday, are attending barbeques.  And parades.  And celebrating Independence Day well, independently.  There are many people who don’t want to have their summer plans set for them by receiving a “save the date” in February and being expected to clear their calendars.

As a bride, it’s hard to see outside the bubble where your wedding is the Most Important Thing In The World, but sometimes people have fun things scheduled at the same time or want to have that option.  And that’s OK. (Well your sister really ought to keep her schedule open, but let the rest of your list plan their own vacations, and lead their own lives. It’s not anybody’s fault, and there shouldn’t be any lasting drama or upset about who had something else going on that day ).

All thoughts running through my head on a summer’s day… enjoy your barbeques tomorrow.  And the weddings that are happening this weekend!  Remember, you can always have sparklers no matter what time of year it is*  And no matter who comes, or what the season, your wedding will light up with joy and memories for everyone.

Live well, and love well.

Dinah

 

* please check the fire regulations in your area and at your venue!

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Trust Yourself To Pick A Florist You Trust

I completely trust the guy who cuts my hair (Paul Norton at Warren Tricomi salon in West Hollywood – he’s AMAZING). I basically tell him, “make me gorgeous,” and he does his thing. And I end up – guess what – gorgeous!  Every bride should feel the same about her vendors – especially her floral designer.  While you may want to offer more guidance, if they are the right florist, you should trust them enough to say, “here’s my basic vision, the colors I like, now make it gorgeous.”

When My Little Flower Shop did our wedding, Stephen and I knew it would be beautiful.  We knew the overall feel we wanted, and the colors.  And then we told Greg and Al to make it gorgeous. There were no details discussed, but I knew from centerpieces to bouquets it would be perfect ( and it was. Check out our Pinterest board).

The huppah covered in roses, hydrangea, succulents, lisianthus, mums, and beautiful greenery

When Greg called me that morning to ask if it would be OK if he left the tulle off the top of our chuppah (Jewish wedding canopy/structure) because it looked great without it, I laughed.  “Of course – you didn’t even need to call.”

Are you feeling like the lead designer on your own wedding? Making too many decisions, and giving too much direction? Maybe you need to go in a new direction, and to a different florist. Trust yourself!

Be well, and love well.

-Dinah

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Thank You for Creating Our Dream Wedding! A Walk-In-Florists’-Shoes Inspired Moment of Gratitude.

It is high wedding season here in Palm Springs! And inside My Little Flower Shop, the bouquets, boutonnières and centerpieces are flying. As a team member at MLFS, my participation is usually electronic. But this weekend found me riding shotgun in the My Little Flower Shop truck, spray bottle loaded and ribbon scissors at the ready.

At the end of the day, having dropped off and set up flowers for three different weddings, I was zonked as we celebrated Cinco De Mayo at the lobby bar (El Jefe) of the ever-so-colorful Saguaro Hotel.  I wasn’t just celebrating the Mexican army’s 1862 victory over France, I was celebrating the victory of sitting down.  (BTW, Saguaro folks, that weird banquette thing in the front of the bar could use a little more cush for the tush).

So where am I going with this? I want to say THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU. You see, I am a My Little Flower Shop bride.  Not only did they do the flowers, but were our event planners ensuring our beautiful day was flawless (see the album below). Yesterday I saw only a snapshot of how hard the team works.  We thanked Greg and Al on our wedding day, but this experience taught me to thank My Little Flower Shop over and over, whenever I can. There is no such thing as “too grateful.”

Live well, and love well.

Dinah

Click here to view this photo book larger

Turn your favorite photos into a photo book at Shutterfly.com.

 

PS – Thanks to all the Wedding Warriors who made Friday’s Dream Wedding possible! You guys are AWESOME!

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What Makes A Bride Feel Like A Bride? Her Bouquet.

All brides’ bouquets are very important to the way they feel on their wedding day, but none so much as the women we meet who are here in Palm Springs to elope or have tiny family weddings.  The bouquet is central in making that bride feel no less important than Kate Middleton taking her vows in front of the entire world.  This inspiration board we’re sharing is from an elopement at The Lucy House here in Palm Springs. The bride, in an adorable cocktail style dress, was definitely in love with her bouquet. Oh yeah – and the groom too.  Enjoy.  Photography by Debi Parker.

 

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My Little Advice Shop: Wedding Centerpiece of My Mind – Avoiding The Overly Literal

We’ve all been to kid’s birthday parties where you walk in and you know right away that the guest-ette of honor is completely obsessed with Dora The Explorer.  How? There are Dora the Explorer balloons, a Dora The Explorer cake, Pin the Backpack On Dora The Explorer, and in this economy, poor Aunt Lisa has been talked into sweating it out inside the Dora costume.  We get the message – signed, sealed, explored.

To make a long blog entry short, don’t have a Dora The Explorer wedding.  OK, so you want it to feel “beachy.” If you pass out flip flops at the door, hire a Beach Boys tribute band, and have wedding centerpieces like this, it’s going to hit everyone over the head.  Pick your “theme” or colors, or “feel” and weave it in subtly.  We love the quirky romantic vibe of this wedding at Palm Springs own haven for quirky romantic occasions, The Viceroy. There is no Victorian lace, no vintage fabrics, no shabby chic floral containers. But, by the nature of the soft colors, the soft textures of the flowers contrasted with the bold graphics of the linens, there is a sweet romantic feel to the design.  See if you agree!

Grace and Don's wedding at the Viceroy. Photos by Jessica Fajardo.

 

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Wanna see a picture of my wedding? I’ll show you my centerpieces…

My husband and I will have been married two years in October.  And in many ways, we do still act like newlyweds.  In particular, I want to show anyone and everyone our wedding pictures.  Lucky for me, I write a wedding blog for My Little Flower Shop,  and have been able to splash them all over the place- including blog posts, and a whole Pinterest board all our own.  (And like any newlywed would, I check constantly to see if anyone has ‘liked’ or ‘repinned’ anything). We visited old friends of Stephen’s in Virginia* last week, and some were not able to make the wedding.  I eagerly awaited the moment I get to whip out the iPad and show off our very gorgeous day, brought to us by our parents, and My Little Flower Shop. I got to go back to those days after the wedding when ooohing and aahing was more frequent.  It was delicious.

Looking to oooh and aaah over your own pics again? Shutterfly is running a special on photobooks- 40% off, but only through tomorrow. Use the discount code: BOOK40.

Be well, and love well.

Dinah

* I am not one to send destination brides anywhere but Palm Springs. BUT: Virginia in April is positively heavenly, and an ideal option for East Coast getaway wedding seekers. More on the beautiful venues I visited in upcoming blogs.

A tablescape- each table featured three arrangements

one of our favorite shots

Cymbidium orchids and seeded eucalyptus, dramatically lit by a pin spot

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Gerbera Daisy Crazy! Centerpiece, Bouquet, Invite Daisies To Your Wedding!

Wedding magazines are full of breathtakingly beautiful flower arrangement photos. Bouquets good enough to eat. And they are, actually. Though stunning, for the price of one of those arrangements, you could feed a family of five for a week.

The magazines sometimes just aren’t in touch with reality when it comes to the fact that there are brides on budgets out there.  And while the trend of all baby’s breath arrangements is very “couture” in the eye of some beholders, it causes allergic sneezing in the noses of others. Besides, there’s no color there whatsoever. What’s a bride to do for centerpieces?

Enter the Gerbera Daisy.  Also known as the Gerber Daisy, these sweet and bright flowers exude sunshine. They come in a wide range of colors, and are reasonably priced.  Don’t be fooled by a florist who tells you they are too casual, Gerberas can be as elegant as you want them to be. Uses abound! The heads are sculptural, and look great in floating centerpieces with candles. The stems are sturdy so they can stand tall. They line up like little soldiers, or can be shaped into soft groupings. All sorts of options for wonderful wedding centerpieces with Gerber daisies.

So get to it! Go crazy with Daisies!

 

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Cori, Our Adorable DIY Bride Gets Blog Coverage Along With Her Beautiful Bouquet!

Cori wrote to us to share her big internet moment! We’ve re-posted this from LoveToastBlog

South African Jewish Wedding by Sweet Tea Imagery

3.22.2012

For those of you that haven’t typically heard of a South African Jewish wedding, Cori and Adam would describe it in just one word as “nuts!” Along with having a D.J. that sounds like the Geico Gecko, surprise guests, and techno disco mixed in to their first dance, their Palm Springs wedding is just the prettiest thing we’ve ever seen. The stunning setting with breathtaking views didn’t need much decorating, but the DIY details added that extra touch of personalization. We love how the pops of blue and green colors and the cacti and succulents in the bouquet compliment the desert setting!

Venue: The O’Donnell House At The Willows Historic Inn, Palm Springs, CA/ Dress:  Nicole Miller/ Shoes: Matisse Maldives Sandal/ Dessert: Gayle Glass, MOB, made cookies and bars/ Catering: Jennifer’s Kitchen (she was awesome to work with from day one!)/ Invites & Programs: Stacie Malkus- Leftwave Designs- Sister of the bride made the invitations, Bride made the programs (they were really just explanations of a Jewish wedding, more than a program)/ Bridal Bouquet: My Little Flower Shop/ Flowers: Mostly just pinwheels. We ordered a few gerbera daisies from 2G Roses (online), which worked out well because my awesome friends cut them all for me!/ Pinwheels: My Rule 42 Etsy Shop (smaller pinwheels handmade by bride)/ Music: DJ Chris Paul- He sounds like the Geiko Gecko. We loved him! Photographer: Sweet Tea Imagery (Amy and Billy Morris were AMAZING photographers to work with!!!!) Videographer: Imagique Weddings (We weren’t going to have our wedding filmed but then somebody told us how much her kids love watching her wedding. Our friend Danny from South Africa edits videos, so he took the raw footage home with him, and he is editing it as our wedding gift!)/ Hair & Makeup: Salon Mirror Mirror

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Booking a Wedding A Day For A Week Straight? GOOOAAAAAAAAL! We’re kicking butt!

Like they say in World Cup soccer, GOOOOOOOOAAAAAAAAAAAAL! We are meeting goals all over the place!

  • We booked a wedding a day for a week straight…loving it!  Thanks to all the wonderful new brides in the My Little Flower Shop family!
  • We hit 10,000+ visitors to the website.  Look out Salon.com…
  • We have the best customers in Palm Springs!!!! Well – that’s always been true.  It’s our goal to keep you all happy! Here’s to meeting goals!

Love to all our brides, friends and fans.

-My Little Flower Shop

A Classic My Little Flower Shop Bridal Bouquet with green roses, orchids, hydrangea and succulents

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Are Your Wedding Vendors Hands On?

Being as close as we are to one of the biggest fresh flower markets in the world, it would be a crime to not get into Los Angeles from time to time and get hands on while picking our stock of flowers.  Sure, there are wholesalers that ship gorgeous blooms straight to My Little Flower Shop for our wonderful parties and weddings, but there’s no substitute for getting in there and looking at the riot of color on offer in the Los Angeles Flower District.  So Greg and Al make their way there at least once a week to stay in touch with what’s in season, the latest trends, and the best suppliers.

Greg at the LA Flower mart with a cartload of beautiful arrangements-to-be

When choosing wedding vendors, don’t forget to ask how each one keeps up with industry trends, and makes sure they are in touch with what inspires them.  When it comes to your wedding, you want all the hands you can get – and you want people who are willing to get in there and get ‘em dirty. If your designer is doing a lot of gesturing and pointing, but hasn’t laid a hand on anything organic, time to say “hands off my wedding!”

be well, and love well!

-Dinah

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