black out dates

I found this on The Knot. If you are working with a tight budget, these are dates to avoid in 2008 & 2009 if you can help it. Also, lock in your date with vendors asap as they'll be tons of brides out their vying for yours!

Holiday Weekends
Martin Luther King, Jr. Day (always a Monday)
January 21, 2008
January 19, 2009

President's Day (always a Monday)
February 18, 2008
February 16, 2009

Memorial Day (always a Monday)
May 26, 2008
May 25, 2009

Independence Day
Friday, July 4, 2008
Saturday, July 4, 2009

Labor Day (always a Monday)
September 1, 2008
September 7, 2009

Columbus Day (always a Monday)
October 13, 2008
October 12, 2009

Thanksgiving (always a Thursday)
November 27, 2008
November 26, 2009

New Year's Eve
Wednesday, December 31, 2009
Thursday, December 31, 2009

Religious Holidays
Palm Sunday
March 16, 2008
April 5, 2009

Easter Sunday
March 23, 2008
April 12, 2009

Passover (begins at sunset the night before)
Sunday, April 20, 2008
Thursday, April 9, 2009

Rosh Hashanah
In 2008, begins at sunset on Monday, September 29, and lasts until nightfall on Wednesday, October 1
In 2009, begins at sunset on Saturday, September 19, and lasts until nightfall on Sunday, September 20

Yom Kippur (begins at sunset the night before)
Thursday, October 9, 2008
Monday, September 28, 2009

Hanukkah (begins at sunset the night before)
Monday, December 22, 2008
Saturday, December 12, 2009

Christmas
Thursday, December 25, 2008
Friday, December 25, 2009

Kwanzaa
Begins Friday, December 26, 2008
Begins Saturday, December 26, 2009 through Friday, January 1, 2010

Notable Holidays
April Fool's Day
If you and your fiance are jokesters at heart, this could be the perfect wedding day for you. If not, choose another day.
Tuesday, April 1, 2008
Wednesday, April 1, 2009

Mother's Day
Make sure your mom is okay with sharing this weekend with your wedding -- but it could be the perfect opportunity to honor her. If you do choose it, at your day-after brunch make a toast to all the mothers in the room.
Also, as far as flowers go, this is a very busy weekend. More than likely the flowers you choose will be more expensive this weekend.
May 11, 2008
May 10, 2009

Father's Day
Ditto for dad.
June 15, 2008
June 21, 2009

Halloween
Avoid it if you're terrified that someone might actually show up in costume.
Friday, October, 31, 2008
Saturday, October 31, 2009

Days of Remembrance
Historically significant days may cause a conflict of interest for some guests.
September 11: Falls on a Thursday in 2008 and a Friday in 2009
December 7, Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day: In 2008 it's on a Sunday, and falls on a Monday in 2009

Super Bowl
If you don't live in Tampa, and are marrying on the Saturday rather than the Sunday of Super Bowl weekend, then the big game shouldn't affect your wedding too much -- unless you and your hubby are die hard fans and can't bear to miss the big game for your honeymoon. If in doubt, steer clear of this date:
Sunday, February 1, 2009, Tampa, FL

Final Four/March Madness
Everyone loves the excitement of college b-ball (and betting on it!). Keep your sports fans at bay by avoiding these dates:
Saturday, April 5 and Tuesday, April 7, 2008, San Antonio, TX
Saturday, April 4, 2009 and Monday, April 6, 2009, Detroit, MI

Quirky Dates
8/8/08: Although it lands on a Friday, numerological significance and the novelty of marrying on a date that occurs once in a lifetime make 8/8/08 an attractive wedding date.
03/06/09 falls on a Friday
09/09/09 falls on a Wednesday

Expensive Holidays
Valentines Day & New Years Eve

Fabulous Florists :: Scott Corridan and Company Design

I've been doing some research this morning, always fun to check out other floral designers websites. Today I've been enjoying Scott Corridan and Company Design website. The man has great taste! Not to mention, he went to University of California, Santa Barbara, my alma mater. I see that Scott has made quite a few television appearances and has a few of the videos on his website. Plus, tons of his work has been featured in Inside Weddings, a great publication showcasing lush southern California weddings. For any flower lovers, this is a website not to be missed!

Favorite Websites :: wedding planning website

quotes

Two quotes I heard today and really liked:
“Planning parties is the ultimate drug.“ — Colin Cowie
"No one said life would be easy. They just promised it would be worth it."

happenings at the studio

Almost the end of February, what a busy month we had. Quite a difference from last year, when it seemed like Denver was non-stop under snow!
The new Brides Colorado magazine hit newstands - there's a nice article from us on page 122, Defining "Rustic". For the interview I explained how we would design flowers for a rustic/mountain top type of wedding that still has an elegant edge.
Also, the new Confetti magazine just came out, we have a few photos displayed, all courtesy of Barry Staver. Thanks Barry for sending the photos of our flowers!
I just signed up to take a hands-on class with Paula Pryke. She is my favorite floral designer! I'm looking forward to a trip over to London later this year. Will be great to have a whole week to visit flower shops, the flower wholesale market and to take her class. I can hardly wait!
Other than those details, all is normal here. Michelle and I are both quite busy with consultations. We were invited to do a photo shoot for Grace Ormonde, so of course, we are having a lot of fun designing our "fantasy table".
Oh and the best news this week? It's Restaurant Week!! Fun! Tonight I'm going to Bistro Vendome - yea!

Happy Valentine's Day

Hello !! and happy Valentine's Day to everyone. Looks like we are done w/ deliveries for the day. yea!
I think this is the second year in a row that it snowed on V-day - go figure. ;)

The Ritz Carlton Denver Wedding

If you live in Denver you are probably aware there is a brand new Ritz Carlton. It just opened in mid-January! We had our first wedding there this past weekend, Feb. 9. Lovely couple with fabulous taste. A special Thank-you to Sara for giving us so much creative range with her flowers! Also a warm thank-you to everyone at the Ritz for all their help. The wedding was a huge success, no doubt due to the vendors that worked as a team.
Michelle Gillette of Dramatic Events was the coordinator - we LOVE working with her!
Dave Russell took the fabulous photographs - we LOVE working with Dave. Dave sent over a slideshow this morning, check it out!
Sara & Paul - The Ritz Carlton Denver
Also, Dave's blog entry: Sara & Paul
Sara carried a cascading bouquet of Hawaiian dendrobrium orchids, cymbidium orchids and cattleya orchids - all white. Paul wore a boutonniere of dendrobrium orchids and seeded eucalyptus. Their ceremony took place in front of an arch decorated with white and sheer gold fabrics, hanging votive candles and all white flowers - lilies, polo roses, orchids, lysimachia, freesia, ranunculus with seeded eucalyptus. We lined the aisle with rose petals and tied off the back of the aisle with a sheer gold ribbon attached to two topiaries. The topiaries also had the all white flower motif. The reception centerpieces were luscious wreaths surrounding an amber glass urn that had a sparkling candle. The flowers included tulips, orchids, polo roses, freesia, lysimachia, ranunculus, lilies, ranunculus, with variegated pitt and seeded eucalyptus. The Ritz Carlton pastry chef created the cake, between two tiers we had roses and freesia flush with the edges - quite dramatic.
The overall room had such a warm feeling with all the gold and amber accents. Be sure to notice the beautiful menu cards and place settings designed by Michelle Gillette.

Favorite Websites :: fYour Wedding Day - magazine

I received an email earlier this week with a wedding planning website/magazine ad. Feeling curious today and went on to the website - I'm blown away by the beautiful website and the very interesting blogs. What makes me happy is the amount of blogging about FLOWERS! Looks like they have a ton of information for all parts of the wedding planning process and tons of photos. Also looks like the list upcoming bridal shows throughout the country. If you like looking at exotic floral arrangements, be sure to check out this site:
Your Wedding Day

Book :: Preston Bailey - Designs for Entertaining

Preston Bailey is one of the most talented floral designers in the world. A while back I had the pleasure of having dinner with him. I was amazed by how friendly and sincere he is, he had kudos to give for my floral design work. Really a great man! I love this book of his:

Kate Aspen Wedding Favors

We just opened an online store with Kate Aspen Wedding Favors. I think their favors are just adorable and they offer so many varieties.
Click here to shop at Bella Fiori's - Kate Aspen Store