The Art of the Compote Design Class at BLOOM Flower School of Ann Arbor

Sweet Pea (Holly) will be instructing the above floral design class YAY FUN EXCITEMENT!! So please click the above photo or here to go to the Bloom website and register for class..See you there.

Floral Hairpieces a Chapel Designers Progressive post

Nothing makes me feel more like a fairy princes then a flower behind my ear or even better an entire crown of flowers as a halo.  There are some pretty avante gard versions out there now but above are my more conservative versions (HEY they're still darn pretty right?!) I do wish for the day that Frida Calho darkens my door requesting a heap of hair blooms for a swanky art party but until *sigh* 

If you like these wait until you see the amazing renditions by each of the talented chapel designers here are links to their floral crown blog posts:

True Florette  http://trueflorette.com/weddings/flowers-for-her-hair-2

Alluring Blooms http://alluringblooms.com/something-special-hair/.html

Celebration Florals  http://blog.celebrationflorals.com/2012/09/another-chapel-designers-progressive.html

Posh Floral Designs http://poshfloral.com/floral-halos-with-the-chapel-designers

Loda Floral Design http://lodadesigns.blogspot.com/2012/09/floral-hair-pieces.html

Earhart Manor Wedding Flowers for Emily and Jon

Unexpectedly this wedding turned out to be one of my all time favorites...unexpectedly because anyone who knows me knows I'm not a huge pink fan.  But sometimes I'm suprised once everything is assembled how much I love it pink as it may be :)

The bride Emily carried a large mounded bouquet composed of tons of pink garden roses, peach juliet David Austin variety garden roses were included to break up the color just a little bit.  The centerpieces were all designed in birch bark vases half were bright green with pink accents and half blush pink with green accents all included maidenhair fern for a nod to woodsy whimsical.

The flower girl wore a crown made from myrtle and pink spray roses which was simple but elegant.  Beautiful photography above by Chelsea Brown Photography  The event took place at the Historic Earhart Manor on campus at Concordia University.   Planning was perfectly exicuted by the talented Kaeli of Luna Soiree Events

Shaina and Danny's Michigan League/Mendelssohn Theatre wedding

Shaina and Danny were married on a sunny day in May (the 19th be be exact) at the beautiful Mendelssohn Theatre and Michigan League Ballroom in Ann Arbor.  The day was expertly photographed by Nicole Ladonne Photography

Shaina's bouquet featured blue hydrangea, blue anemone, David Austin Patience garden roses, bright green viburnum, white ranunculus, and purple sweet peas.  Danny's boutonniere featured white ranunculus, green hellebore and white freesia

Centerpieces were designed in clear glass compotes and included delphinium, hydrangea, lisianthus, ranunculus, anemone, and nerine lilies in an abundant mound of blue, green purple and white.

After the wedding Shaina's mom told us " I do not think I have ever seen such extraordinary beautiful arrangements."  :) Thanks!! we love to hear that ~Pea

Andrea and Sean at the Baronette Renaissance Hotel of Novi, MI

Muted Tones? I think not :) how about super juicy corals and tangerines with pops of peach instead.

 Had a fabulous time designing for this Summery Wedding at the Baronette Renaissance Hotel in Novi.  The Andrea's bouquet featured 

• coral peony (Coral Charm from Holland)
• peach garden roses (David Austin Juliet), 
• tangerine orange ranunculus (from California)
• peach sweet peas from Holland
• apricot parrot tulips 
• yellow craspedia (a.k.a. billy balls)
• dark pink cymbidium orchids
• fuchsia phaleonopsis orchids
• umbrella fern

The Andrea had an orchid for her hair and the boutonnieres were of coral spray roses, coral sweet peas, and craspedia wrapped with black grosgrain ribbon

 All of the centerpieces were designed in vintage milk glass compotes and featured garden roses, stock, sea star fern, anemone, parrot tulips, craspedia, ranunculus, and dusty miller foliage

Look how well those coral charm peony opened for the arbor decor! This was such a favorite of mine so far this year.  I really love the juicy over dyed color pallet which reminds me of the cover of Martha Stewart Weddings from this spring.

Well I better stop messing about on the blog and get down to business it is tax time, my least favorite part of business ownership.   I'd rather eat fried worms than enter all my transactions into quickbooks. oh well I guess its that or get arrested and thrown in jail for evasion.  I should call Martha and see what it was like, maybe its not so bad. ~Sweet Pea

THE AMAZING COMPOTE: Gandy Dancer Rehearsal Dinner

This March I had the privilege of joining 30 of the most talented florists in on God's green earth for the annual Chapel Designers conference in New York!!  It was the greatest to meet and make instant friends with so many kindred spirits from around the country.   It has been such a boost to my sanity knowing that if I encounter a floral challenge, one of these amazing designers will be there for me with advice and encouragement.

This week the brilliant Isha Foss of Isha Foss Events proposed the idea that each of the Chapel Designers create a compote style floral design and share with the group.  A compote is defined as "A long stemmed dish for holding fruit"  But recently we changed that to "a long stemmed dish for holding piles and piles of beautiful flowers!!"

The compote is completely in style even Martha Stewart is on board (thanks Martha) she describes them as a footed bowl,that lift flowers up to the perfect height and creates a lush shape that fills out the table.  


The above gold (brass) compote is from Jamali Garden This design including the napkin fold was created for a rehearsal dinner at the Gandy Dancer in Ann Arbor.  It was the first time Sweet Pea has offered napkins folded around the menu with Midori Ribbon and an orchid bloom at each place-setting.


If you love great design you must check out all of the compote arrangements created this week by my Chapel Designer friends.  Here are links to each of their blog posts:  

IIsha Foss Events http://www.ishafoss.com/2012/05/floral-compotes.html

Alluring Blooms http://alluringblooms.com/ode-compote/.html

Floral Verde LLC http://floralverde.com/blog/?p=800

Flirty Fleurs http://www.flirtyfleurs.com/?p=9609

Celebration Florals  http://bit.ly/K4Dkcz

Holly Heider Chapple Flowers LTD http://thefullbouquetblog.com/?p=20905

Fleur:ology http://fleurologydesign.com/?p=397

Exquisite Designs http://www.exqdesigns.com/blog/?p=1900

Petals & Hedges http://petalsandhedges.com/blog/?p=868

Bare Root Flora http://barerootflora.com/index.php/blog/45-the-art-of-the-compote-denver-wedding-flowers

Loda Floral Design http://lodadesigns.blogspot.com/2012/05/floral-compote-design.html

True Florette Floral Design   http://trueflorette.com/succulents/the-compote

Courtenay Lambert Florals http://courtenaylambert.blogspot.com/2012/05/art-of-compote-goes-national.html

Grapevine Floral Company http://grapevineinbloom.com/?p=228

Modern Day Floral http://moderndayfloral.com/blog/?p=4036

Sebesta Design http://sebestadesign.wordpress.com/2012/05/29/the-classic-compote-arrangement/

Petals and Promises, llc http://www.facebook.com/pages/Petals-and-Promises-llc/108746239185151 

Martha Stewart Post - http://thebridesguide.marthastewartweddings.com/2012/05/crazy-for-compotes.html

Coral and Peach Peonies for Ann Arbor City Club Wedding

A Huge Thank you to Kelly of Mayesh in LA for combing the flower market until she found us just the right coral and peach peony, ranunculus, and astilbe!! The peach peony on the cake and the design top right left me breathless when I opened that box.  It was nice to dust of the teal mason jars for their first appearance of many this year.  How simple and beautiful is that ruffle cake? Does anyone know who the baker is, I would love to share a link here.

So the recipe for anyone intrested: Maidenhair fern, sweet pea, anemone (white with black center) ranunculus, scabiosa flower, scabiosa pods, astilbe and ..............PEONIES!!

Congratulations Keri it was an honor to design for your big day ~Pea

P.S. the bright naturally lit venue is the Ann Arbor City Club