Designing for Events - True Bloom Spa Grand Opening
When I started growing flowers to sell I didn't envisage doing large events. Instead I imagined designing a flower crown here, a bouquet there. As the business has taken off, however, I've discovered that events of all sizes are some of my very favorite things to grow and design for!
It all started with a frantic bride (her husband had forgotten he was responsible for the flowers). In two days I pulled off an "elegant tiki-bar" themed floral design including flower crown, boutonnière, and center-pieces. It was some of the most fun I've had with orchids and pineapples! Since then I've taken on all kinds of events, the most recent being the
Grand Opening of True Bloom Spa in Boulder, CO.
Designing for the spa was a dream! With two sides to the spa--True Bloom on one side and Indie Salons on the other--I designed in two color palettes: one based on coral dream peonies and mint and the other the dusty fuchsia of ornamental cabbages and ivy. The spa then gave me carte blanche to FILL the space with flowers!
The amazing thing about Coral Dream Peonies is that they start out a vibrant, almost HOT pink but mellow into pale peach as they mature. I paired the still hot blossoms with fringed tulips and apricot stock to bring out the subtler tones.
For the Indie Salons side I was inspired by the mammoth ornamental cabbages I have growing outside of the greenhouse. I had pale pink, white, and fuchsia centered cabbages to choose from and selected the absolute smallest one of the bunch so as not to overwhelm. I paired this with white hydrangea, deep fuchsia calla lillies, lavender roses, and Distant Drums garden roses from Grace Rose Farms in CA. Just barely visible to the top left here, my favorite last-minute touch was a spray of Annual Honesty, a local wildflower (weed) who's circular seed pods turn a deep purple in just the right light.
Every corner of the spa was filled with flowers for the event, which hosted Zents, a Denver based, organic, lotion and body care company I am obsessed with (they have a scent called Petals!).
For this behemoth arrangement I used white oriental lilies and coral dream peonies (this thing smelled amazing!), fringed tulips, peach hypericum berries, apricot stock, white gladiolus, Israelis ruscus, ivy vines, and Distant Drums garden roses (again from Grace Rose Farms). The arrangement seriously felt as tall as I am and formed a stunning back-drop for the products.
Cocktail tables set under a white tent in front of the spa were adorned with bubble vases flickering with exotic fringed tulips and sprays of ivy. These simple and elegant centerpieces warmed the gathering spots where guests enjoyed live music, champagne, and delicious hor d'oeuvres from A Spice of Life Catering.
Not a space was left without floral touches - each of 10 serene treatment rooms was bejeweled with floating roses nestled among clear marbles and flickering tea lights. I seriously CANNOT wait to get my spa on here!
Each guest left with a posey of sage, lavender, and a rose blossom--tied with a spa ribbon to commemorate the night!
It was a fantastic party and memorable night spent surrounded by flowers, friends, and food!
My dear friend, the ever talented, Regina Mountjoy (reginamountjoy.com) took these breathtaking photos for me.
