Vivid Blooms

Shavonne and Kevin’s florals were so much fun to create.  The bride wanted it to be vibrant and fun, all the A to Z girls were ooohing and aahhing over her choices in blooms.

AND when we went to set up the ceremony at the park that day…who did we pass?  Meg Ryan and John Mellencamp.  We’ll do y’alls wedding too Meg!

Cake By Two Cakes so you know it was good!

Thank you again to Anna Spencer Photography for these great shots, and many thanks to Meredith of Tricia Huddas & Co.  Always in control!

And of course to Shavonne and Kevin, whom we didn’t meet until wedding day…. for their faith in their vendors, we hope it was everything you dreamed it would be

Americans

Wanted to share this very proud moment in my family… the swearing-in of my Irish, now American, parents.

On January 6th, Niall and Sheila McKee became American citizens.  My Mum said it was an “indescribable feeling”

It took me until my 30′s with my own children’s dreams and futures at hand, for me to really realize the sacrifice my folks had made for us. Northern Ireland in the late eighties was dangerous place to grow up, and so my parents packed up their 4 children and immigrated to the United States, leaving family, friends and everything they knew behind.  I always wondered what would have motivated anyone to take that kind of plunge, but now I know. It was a selfless act of love.  And now their 4 children and 7 grandchildren have  the opportunities and freedoms only America has to offer.

And for that I thank you both

Favorite Ceremony 2011

belonged to Elise and Tom.  And not a flower in sight!

I know we are in the business of selling flowers, but sometimes you just don’t need them to make a ceremony breathtaking.  Case in point… The Savannah Harbor Golf Club.

Elise had chosen some beautiful blooms for the rest of she and Tom’s wedding,

but let that beautiful big tree speak for itself

Elise’s bouquet of black eyed anemone, succulents, scabiosa pods, orinthalgium arabicum, sahara and tea roses

Tom’s boutonniere

 of tea roses, seeded eucalyptus and guinea feathers, wrapped in twine

Special thanks to Anna Spencer Photography for these beautiful shots.  Hope to see y’all this season!

Marilyn and Bo

Marilyn’s Mom and Dad were just beaming with pride when we arrived to set up at their beautiful property on the water, just down the road from Bethesda Academy. And I don’t blame them, Marilyn was funny, good natured….. and wore her Mama’s wedding dress.  What a lovely sentiment. She was kind enough to share these pictures from last weekend,

 

Marilyn and her Dad (thanks for your help with the shepherds hooks!)

Inside Weddings

We’re proud to announce that one of our weddings is featured in the Fall Issue of Inside Weddings!  I’m even prouder to report that the featured wedding was that of none other than Genina Ramieriz…aka Lil’ G.  Genina is a wedding coordinator with Tricia Huddas and Co.  She does a spectacular job on all of her weddings and is just really good people.  We’re happy to know her and honored that she chose us to design her wedding flowers.  Being a coordinator she is connected with all of the vendors in town, so it’s a special compliment that she trusted us with her wedding.  Maybe it was because we call her Lil’ G….

Ramirez

Dear Manolo,

Quite a few years ago when I was an undergraduate at North Carolina State University I used to get phone calls all the time from department stores.  Nothing good ever came from those calls.   At the time I was, how should I say….a bit of a credit risk.   Most of my incoming calls circa 1992 were in regards to some payment that was due….or more specifically, past due.   I was a young college kid with no concept of money management or spending limits.

So a couple of months ago when the caller ID came up with the name of a department store my knee-jerk reaction was to screen the call.  But I quickly remembered that I’m a recovered payment neglecter.  I pay my bills now.  I had nothing to fear. 

So I answered. 

Well, thank goodness I did.  It was none other than the famous Barney’s of New York calling.  Seriously?  I was floored.  

But wait, it gets better.  The folks at Barney’s wanted to send flowers to a dear friend that was scheduled to come to Savannah.  They had been referred to us as someone in town that would send not just your average ‘get well’ flowers.   I thought that was a really nice complement.  Much appreciated.  When we asked how to make out the card they told us it should read:  “Dear Manolo, …”  

I giggled as I addressed it to Mr. Manolo Blahnik. 

Happy Birthday to Natalie!

orange like the summer sun

Nicky B married her sweet [and dashingly handsome] sweetie, Bryan, a few weeks ago on the beach of Tybee Island.  You can tell that Nicky loves her fella not only by the way she looks at him, but also by her planning of a beach wedding in August….at 10:30 in the am….long before the summer sun heats up the day.  I’d be willing to bet the ceremony time was set just so that her groom would be comfortable in his dress blues before it got too hot.  That’s love.

Speaking of Love.  I LOVE the bouquets that Nicky chose for a summer beach wedding.  They’re not literal, in-your-face beach theamed.  She captured the subtilties of what makes a well designed event.  The vibrant color orange says summer and says island wedding.   Notice Nicky’s bouquet is made of a mix of all orange blooms including cymbidium orchids, while her bridesmaids carried ‘supporting’  bouquets of just orange cymbidiums – a pefectly cohesive pair.   What a great combination!

From a florist standpoint, the orchid is a bloom that lets us sleep at night when doing outdoor summer weddings.  They are exceptionally heat and drought tolerant and will withstand the elements beautifully. 

 

 Cymbidium orchids make a great hair bloom too – they’re hearty, they lay fairly flat and can hold up to lots of hugging and tugging and moving around.  Thank you to Spa Bleu for the stylish placement.

 

A HUGE thank you to Michelle of Greg Ceo, Savannah Wedding Photography.  You are always so generous to share your photos with us and we’re thrilled to show off your beautiful work!

Table for two at Gryffindor please!

I knew I liked Brandy and Mike the second I sat down with them.  First of all, they came to us from the happiest place on Earth;  Las Vegas.  [sorry Teresa, not Disney World].  Second, and I don’t know how this never came up in conversation, but the bride and groom are serious Harry Potter Fans [anyone that has ever met either natalie or myself KNOW that we are completely committed to Harry].  Third, they were just plain cool.  Not just cool in the James Dean,  Prince or William Shatner way, but cool headed too.  Moments before they were scheduled to wed in picturesque Forsyth Park, the skies darkened, the wind picked up and the rain came down. 

Notice that there are pictures of the park all set up and ready to go-

-but then Brandy walks down the aisle and they they take their first kiss as husband and wife in the middle of the Pink House ball room.   It was literally that close to ceremony time that the storm swooped in. 

 More importantly, notice too  - there’s not an ounce of defeat in their faces and not a hair out of place on Brandy’s head.  Now that’s cool….

Brandy’s bouquet was made of white garden [cabbage] roses and white ranunculus.  Her bridesmaids carried vendella and Sahara roses, pink ranunculus and pink lisanthus.

They reused the kissing balls from the ceremony on the tables by placing them on top of cylinder vases.

Thank you Diana Daley for the beautiful photos.  Kudos to Tara and Ashley of Posh Petals and Pearls for orchestrating a last minute quick and graceful move of ceremony venue.  And the Pink House…always flawless.

We’ve Moved!

Phew…we are finally all moved in to our new shop 125 East Broad St. (corner of President and Broad streets) in beautiful downtown Savannah.

It has been a labor of love for Heidi and I … our families, friends and the hard working girls at A to Z.

Our very good friend, flower lover and constant supporter, Teresa Earnest of Memories N More Photography, stopped by to snap a few shots of the new space so we  may announce our address change properly.  Thank you.  She even seemed to make the floors look clean, which they are not right now due to schlepping boxes!

YAY FLOWERS!!!!

Amelia’s Floral Inspiration

Beautifully photographed by Jade and Mathew McCully, Neil and Amelia’s wedding was one of the prettiest this season.

Our out of town brides are embracing a very non-traditional take on florals for their big day.  No two are the same as our creative girls come to us with visions of mason jars with handpicked posies, or a collection of flea market finds to be pulled together with seasonal blooms. With the wonderful historic venues this little city has to offer, the vintage look fits perfectly.

Amelia and her sweet Mom had collected all kinds of goodies to set her wedding apart. It was very pretty indeed!

Polo roses, freesia, lilac, maidenhead fern, tea roses, orinthalgium arabicum and anemones

Amelia and her Mama

Amelia had collected these vintage insulators to use as pew decoration

Vic’s on the River hosted the reception.  We cannot take credit for these guest table collections as Amelia’s cousin put these together with flowers we provided.  It looked great.

Check out Amelia’s little party dress! Congrats you too!