Palm Springs Florist, Palm Springs Event Services | My Little Flower Shop
Behind the scenes at a Palm Springs florist and event design studiostudio
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861 North Palm Canyon Drive |
Stephanie shared this adorable shot of her mom with her Valentine’s flowers. Don’t you want to take her on a tip-toe through the tulips?From: xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
To: mylittleflowershopps@gmail.com
Sent: Thursday, February 14, 2013 12:37 PM
Subject:Thank you so much Gregory you made my mom’s 82nd Valentines Day so special!! Thank you again Stephanie
Valentine’s Day tulips. Lovely!
You know those movies about wacky families that really love reach other under all the craziness? Well, Julia Louis Dreyfuss may not be cooking your High Holiday brisket, and Jane Lynch may not be sorting the sweet potato casserole recipes that will end up on your Thanksgiving table, but the sweet families on the silver screen aren’t that different from yours.
Here’s how I know. One of the men who invented the entertainment industry as we know it, Louis B. Mayer, was the son of a scrap metal dealer who became the most powerful man in Hollywood. Mayer would tell people his birthday was the Fourth of July because he was fiercely patriotic. He wanted America to be all marching bands, fireworks and apple pie. So that’s what he put in the movies. He created the images we all associate with our culture and our country.
English: Apple pie. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
These days, filmmakers continue to put their dreams and ideals on screen, but in a more modern way. We see their crazy families, but with softer edges, a lot of humor and a sympathetic eye. And there’s frequently a happy ending. With some good dialogue, could that be your Aunt Phyllis instead of Shirley MacLaine? Can you soften the lens this holiday season to see your family more as human beings who love you and less like a clown car full of confused commuters? I bet you can. Remember, Louis B. Mayer created his own reality. Think more apple pie, less fireworks.
Cadillac CTS Coupé Concept (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Who’s dating your man? It had better be you honey boo boo child, before, during AND after the wedding. He was beguiled by your charm and fun personality, and fell in love on dates with you. Keep the initial spark alive by still going out regularly- and I don’t mean some kind of obligatory once-a-week dinner that you drag yourselves through. Snooze fest. Think about what you really enjoy doing together, or separately, and have some adventures! You can go as far as a weekend get-away, or stay as close as your own kitchen, but be creative.
Recently I told my husband we were going on a mystery outing. He had no idea where, but loved trying to guess! He’d been talking for the last few weeks about wanting to test-drive a Cadillac CTS Coupe, so I had found a local dealer, and we went on a “Sunday Drive” to go take a look. He was very surprised that I would even come up with such a thing, and was thrilled to pieces. The date was a hit because it was something he was really into, and it warmed his heart that I had been listening.
If your imagination is running a little slow these days, The Dating Divas have a website chock full of ideas to spice things up. (No, not that way. Get your mind out of the gutter). They have themed dates, bargain dates, at-home dates for after the kids go to bed… you get the idea. So go out and get dating!
Be well, and love well.
Dinah
Often brides have a tough time figuring out what they want to look like on the big day. Sweet, or seductive? Classic, or modern? Here’s the key. You want to look like yourself! Your groom fell in love and proposed to you because of who you are – don’t present some exotic version of yourself on the day of the wedding because of some fashion trend or pressure to create dramatic photographs.
Here are three important questions to ask yourself about your look on the big day including your bridal hairstyle, wedding dress, and make-up.
If you stay true to yourself, keep your wits about you, and follow your heart, you’re sure to be a beautiful, comfortable, solvent bride!
Be well, and love well.
Dinah
Sometimes, before the alarm clock goes off in the morning, I wake up on my own. It’s a good feeling, knowing that I’ve gotten the right amount of sleep that I needed that night. But by far the best part is looking at the clock and seeing that it’s a full hour before I am supposed to be awake and getting ready for the day. An hour I can use however I want, with no strings attached.
English: The face of a black windup alarm clock (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Because I wasn’t meant to be awake, I feel like a kid in a candy store choosing how to spend what I call “stolen time.” I force myself to cross folding laundry or paying bills off the list, and do something delicious – like reading some of that novel I can’t ever seem to get to, or painting my toenails. Or both!
Everyone needs “me time.” OK, the phrase is corny and overused, but the concept is WAY underused. Make sure you make time for yourself, even if you have to steal it!
Be well, and love well.
-Dinah
My Little Flower Shop LOVES tourists. We rejoice when we see families consulting maps, large groups of people wearing matching visors, or most importantly, a “tourist” bride coming to have her destination wedding in Palm Springs. We are also big advocates of being unashamed of tourist-y behavior while travelling. See the sights! Take pictures! Consult your maps!
So this summer, why not be a tourist at home? I’ll bet you dollars to donuts there are attractions or historic sites nearby that you either have never seen, or not visited in 10+ years. Goodness knows here in Southern California it would take a lifetime to do all the possible day trips.
One of our beautiful brides, Stephanie Orson, at her wedding venue /local sight to see: the lavender fields. (Highland Springs Resort, photo by Alan Gough)
Even if you can’t leave your city, town or neighborhood, investigate a little. Find the tourist office for your city, and see what the “highlights” are. You’ll be surprised what you’ve been missing all these years. Architectural gems, birthplaces of interesting people…there’s a lot out there.
What are you waiting for? Dust off your matching visors and head out on a homegrown adventure.
Live well, and love well.
-Dinah
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.
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!
By now most people have heard about the raucous, Swarovski crystal-covered Gypsy wedding extravaganzas shown on TLC not just on their appointed night, but pretty much any time you turn on the TV. Some people can’t take it, they have to turn it off. Others are fascinated, like they are watching a bad traffic accident and they can’t look away. As for us, well, we want an invitation. 
Weddings are full of joy in any community. Who’s to say they should be prim and proper? We lecture over and over again that brides should have the wedding they want, not what they see in the magazines or what’s “fashionable” just for the sake of it. Those magazines also say “be yourself!” and “It’s your day – make it what you want!” These families are realizing their vision, and it’s no one’s place to judge what they think is meaningful or beautiful. We love these weddings (and the dresses, and the cakes, and all of what the conventional thinkers would call “over the top” details) for the energy and the feeling behind it. Here’s a community that’s marching to the beat of its own drum. And what a parade!
So TLC, we know you’re casting brides. How ’bout letting some vendors in on the action? We’ll hang a banner- My Little Gypsy Flower Shop. Have Swarovski, will travel.
Live well, and love well.
-Dinah
Marketing these days has gotten very, as my grandmother would say, fancy-fancy. Companies, wedding related and otherwise, have started using a new vocabulary to distinguish themselves. I’ve seen these four cropping up all over the place, and finally decided to haul out the dictionary. OK, so I looked on Wikipedia. In any case, here are explanations of the words being used to describe products and businesses that are made by artists, unique, custom and rare.
ARTISANAL:
An artisan or artizan (from Italian: artigiano) is a skilled manual worker who makes items that may be functional or strictly decorative, including furniture, clothing, jewelry, household items, and tools or even machines. An artisan is therefore a person engaged in or occupied by the practice of a craft, who may through experience and talent reach the expressive levels of an art in their work and what they create.
By this definition, all of our wedding flowers are ‘bespoke’ as our brides are fully involved, and each design is custom and unique. Our designers’ bouquets are truly masterpieces.
BESPOKE:
Bespoke is an English word meaning an item made to a buyer’s specification (personalized or tailored). While it is applied to many items, the term historically was applied only to men’s tailored clothing, implying measurement and fitting. The distinguishing points of bespoke tailoring are the buyer’s total control over the fabric used, the features and fit, and the way the garment should be made. More generally, “bespoke” describes a high degree of “customization”, and involvement of the end-user, in the production of the goods.
BOUTIQUE:
A boutique is a small shopping outlet, especially one that specializes in elite and fashionable items such as clothing and jewelry. The word is French for “shop”, via Latin from Greek (apothēkē), “storehouse.” The term entered into everyday English use in the late 1960s. It can also refer to a specialized firm such as a boutique investment bank or boutique law firm. The word is often used to describe an independent hotel in order to distinguish themselves from larger chains. In such cases the establishments aim to convey the idea that the operation is elite and highly specialized.
COUTURE:
Haute couture (French for “high sewing” or “high dressmaking” or “high fashion”; refers to the creation of exclusive custom-fitted clothing. Haute couture is made to order for a specific customer, and it is usually made from high-quality, expensive fabric and sewn with extreme attention to detail and finished by the most experienced and capable seamstresses, often using time-consuming, hand-executed techniques. “Couture” means dressmaking, sewing, or needlework[1] and is also used as a common abbreviation of haute couture and refers to the same thing in spirit.[2] “Haute” means elegant or high. A haute couture garment is made specifically for the wearer’s measurements and body stance.[1]
In the end, it’s not about the keywords- it’s about the work, the product, and the service. No matter what you call yourself, if you get those right, you can apply the best word of all to your business: successful.
Your family's right behind you, all the way. For this bride, literally!
By their nature, most weddings (the exceptions being these excercises in opulent navel gazing and their brethren) are about celebrating the family. Yours, his, and the great big new one that just came together.
But making planning the event a family affair makes a lot of brides break out in hives. And it’s understandable. There are always enough opinions to go around, and when some of them come from people who drive you a little over the edge to begin with, things can get a little tense. How can’t however, shut everyone out, particularly if they are helping pay for your big day. Here are a few ways to integrate the bunch into your plans without going bananas.
Families go a little haywire when it comes to weddings. But they love you, and are only making you crazy because they want to share this special experience, too. Handle as you do all things you love – with care.
Care well, and love well.
-Dinah
