Hi everyone. I love to write, and am going to attempt to do so, here on my blog. It may be a bit choppy at first, but whether or not anyone reads it, its good therapy.
This is a very interesting, heartbreaking time. Without going into my perception of why it is heartbreaking, I really try to stay in a loving positive space especially when creating arrangements, or designing someones bridal flowers. Truth is, I don't have to try. While working with flowers, I feel good. the flowers heal my heart and mind as I work. I put on my favorite music and hours can go by as I work happily, at my own pace, (which is slow). I cant imagine a better vocation. Which is not to say, that there is no stress in the luxury business of flowers, especially weddings. For weddings, things really need to be as 'perfect' as possible, and that requires sharp focus, and time, which is short, as flowers are perishable, and the flowers must show up at the wedding freshest, and perkiest. From the moment the flower is cut from the earth, the florist is on the clock, sleepless, and hyper aware of the flowers' inevitable decline towards droop, and decay. The bridal bouquet will be photographed, shared, duplicated and STARED at for decades to come, and it is a practice to attend the creative process with an eye on time, and the fact that the more you move the flowers around, trying to get them to be 'perfect' the more you will bruise, break and damage them. I love the process and its a huge honor to be trusted. I love getting to know the brides, I love when we interact and get to know each other a bit, its helps during the design process, and, as I love (most) people, I get to weave prayers into my work for their lives, their relationships, and their healthy futures.
My usual habit is to travel somewhere every winter, and spend any money I have made in in the past year. I have been doing this since I was a 19. It has been a huge privilege to have done so much traveling. Last winter, I closed the business when the frosts came, (since there are no flowers in the winter here on the coast), and went to Guatemala. This winter, I am going to stay home. As I age, the thought of flying around the globe isn't as appealing, for my own personal comfort, environmentally, and I just feel like I've done my personal share of trampling around the earth. I bought a badge to attend the San Francisco Flower Market. I have not yet been, and I am so excited. Its possible that someone, somewhere in California may be growing organic flowers in the winter, and if not, I will adjust. I have to say, for weddings, it is almost impossible to stay all local and organic. The reason being, is that I have only met ONE bride who said "I don't care about colors, just as long as the flowers are organic", and she was a DIY bride. The rest of the brides I've worked with have a color scheme, sometimes even an attachment to a certain flower which may be out of season, or is not available from any of the farms I work with. So .. that said, I have been utilizing the flower markets is Santa Rosa to fill in where I need to. Also, weddings require huge amounts of flowers all in the same color scheme, so I have had to adjust my staunch stance on local and organic flowers only. I feel ok about it. I am adjusting, and am really excited to visit the SF flower market. Its huge, and if its available, it will be there. Yay.
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