Monday, November 30, 2009
Tuesday, November 10, 2009
Recent Weddings
I apologize for not updating my blog with recent wedding pictures for so long. I've been saving pictures for the upcoming new website and I wish to surprise you all with new images of many beautiful events we had this summer. But demands are so high that many brides want to know what we are up to and wish to see some of the weddings we did recently. So, here's a sneak peek of several weddings I will be including in the new website. There will be many more to come, stay tuned and I will keep you posted when the website's ready. 
Monday, August 17, 2009
Long Time No Blog!!
Hello hello! I apologize for not posting for so long. Many brides asked for my updates and wanted to see more recent wedding images.
This summer has been a very exciting time for me. Other than all the beautiful summer weddings, I attended the American Institute of Floral Designers (AIFD) national symposium in Kansas City in July, again got myself soaked in all the inspirational educational programs, and met new flower friends from all over the world. AIFD is "the floral industry's leading non-profit organization dedicated to establishing, maintaining and recognizing the highest standard of professional floral design." It is a place where a group of floral professionals gather in the effort of "advancement of the the professional floral design through education and leadership." There were many talented floral artists, all best of the best international designers from the floral industry.
Another special thing I did during my visit to Kansas City was that I took the AIFD Accreditation Evaluation Session (AES) hoping to become an accredited AIFD member. So I had been practicing the entire June (yes, on top of my busy weekly wedding schedule!) because I knew AIFD has very high standards. There were two parts of the evaluation process. We first had to pass a written exam, then a floral design exam which was 4 hours long. Within those 4 hours, each candidate got the exact same amount of flowers and materials to create 5 designs in different categories - sympathy design, wedding, arrangement, flowers to wear and designer's choice. We didn't know what exactly we would be asked to make for each category until 2 hours before the actual exam during orientation. For this year's AES, we needed to make a casket spray for sympathy design, a bride's bouquet for wedding, an art gallery opening design for arrangement, a groom's boutonniere for flowers to wear and we could do anything for designer's choice. On average, we had approximately 48 minutes per design. It was not as easy as it sounds because a candidate needs to obtain at least 20 out of 25 points in order to be approved for the AIFD accreditation, with no single category below 3.75 points. The highest score for each category is 5 points, the lowest score is 1 point. There were 7 judges from different parts of the country so each judge may have a different eye for good designs. And they were certainly not looking for anything ordinary or sellable, but designs that demonstrated solid design principles and extraordinary creativity. To be honest, I've been stressed out all summer - before the exam, practicing every week and studying all the design principles based on which the judges would evaluate; and after the exam, awaiting the results, wondering how I did.
It was truthfully a great relief last Saturday when I received the evaluation results. I am thrilled that I am approved for the AIFD accreditation, and I also obtained my Certified Floral Designer certificate!
I shared my thoughts with some of you during this process but did not write about this in the blog because I wasn't sure how things would turn out. I sincerely thank my family, friends and clients for all the kind encouragement and affirmation. Your support gave me much courage to carry on pursuing my goal and dream to become a floral artist. Thank you very much!
Here's my table.
My Art Gallery Opening Arrangement on the left - horsetail bamboo "cage' with flowers interlocking. My intension was to create a constrained form for an abstract splash of colorful flowers, just like paints on a canvas. My bridal "bouquet"which is a floral purse on the right.
My Designer's Choice design which is a floral hair piece on the left & my boutonniere design on the right.
Me wearing the Designer's Choice floral hair piece & the sympathy casket spray (an inspiration from Yin-Yang opposites).
Note: Starting 2010, AIFD is transitioning its accreditation process to PFDE (Professional Floral Design Evaluation) which is similar to AES. If you are a floral designer and wish to obtain your accreditation or to become a certified floral designer, please visit AIFD's website for more details.
This summer has been a very exciting time for me. Other than all the beautiful summer weddings, I attended the American Institute of Floral Designers (AIFD) national symposium in Kansas City in July, again got myself soaked in all the inspirational educational programs, and met new flower friends from all over the world. AIFD is "the floral industry's leading non-profit organization dedicated to establishing, maintaining and recognizing the highest standard of professional floral design." It is a place where a group of floral professionals gather in the effort of "advancement of the the professional floral design through education and leadership." There were many talented floral artists, all best of the best international designers from the floral industry.
Another special thing I did during my visit to Kansas City was that I took the AIFD Accreditation Evaluation Session (AES) hoping to become an accredited AIFD member. So I had been practicing the entire June (yes, on top of my busy weekly wedding schedule!) because I knew AIFD has very high standards. There were two parts of the evaluation process. We first had to pass a written exam, then a floral design exam which was 4 hours long. Within those 4 hours, each candidate got the exact same amount of flowers and materials to create 5 designs in different categories - sympathy design, wedding, arrangement, flowers to wear and designer's choice. We didn't know what exactly we would be asked to make for each category until 2 hours before the actual exam during orientation. For this year's AES, we needed to make a casket spray for sympathy design, a bride's bouquet for wedding, an art gallery opening design for arrangement, a groom's boutonniere for flowers to wear and we could do anything for designer's choice. On average, we had approximately 48 minutes per design. It was not as easy as it sounds because a candidate needs to obtain at least 20 out of 25 points in order to be approved for the AIFD accreditation, with no single category below 3.75 points. The highest score for each category is 5 points, the lowest score is 1 point. There were 7 judges from different parts of the country so each judge may have a different eye for good designs. And they were certainly not looking for anything ordinary or sellable, but designs that demonstrated solid design principles and extraordinary creativity. To be honest, I've been stressed out all summer - before the exam, practicing every week and studying all the design principles based on which the judges would evaluate; and after the exam, awaiting the results, wondering how I did.
It was truthfully a great relief last Saturday when I received the evaluation results. I am thrilled that I am approved for the AIFD accreditation, and I also obtained my Certified Floral Designer certificate!
I shared my thoughts with some of you during this process but did not write about this in the blog because I wasn't sure how things would turn out. I sincerely thank my family, friends and clients for all the kind encouragement and affirmation. Your support gave me much courage to carry on pursuing my goal and dream to become a floral artist. Thank you very much!
Here's my table.
My Art Gallery Opening Arrangement on the left - horsetail bamboo "cage' with flowers interlocking. My intension was to create a constrained form for an abstract splash of colorful flowers, just like paints on a canvas. My bridal "bouquet"which is a floral purse on the right.My Designer's Choice design which is a floral hair piece on the left & my boutonniere design on the right. Me wearing the Designer's Choice floral hair piece & the sympathy casket spray (an inspiration from Yin-Yang opposites).Note: Starting 2010, AIFD is transitioning its accreditation process to PFDE (Professional Floral Design Evaluation) which is similar to AES. If you are a floral designer and wish to obtain your accreditation or to become a certified floral designer, please visit AIFD's website for more details.
Tuesday, May 26, 2009
May Prom
May is the Prom season. This year I had so much fun designing Lowell High School's senior prom table centerpieces. I love working with their student committee, they were so open to all of my ideas. I intended for the centerpieces to look elegant and fun with whimsical touches that bring out their "When You Wish Upon a Star" Fantasy theme. The ostrich feather design is my personal favorite.
Venue: Intercontinental Mark Hopkins, San Francisco
Client: Lowell High School, San Francisco
Colors: Purple, silver
Theme: "When You Wish Upon a Star"
Chair Covers: Especially Yours Chair Covers
Client's Comments: "It was really nice working with you, the centerpieces were amazing! So many people gave us compliments about them. I'm really happy with prom...A lot of the students wanted to take the centerpieces with them, so we decided "sure, why not." Who is going to blame them for wanting to bring home a piece of prom? Thank you so much and I will definitely recommend you to next year's senior prom committee. Thank you!"
Monday, May 18, 2009
Luncheon at the University Club
Today I had the opportunity to meet with several other A-list wedding vendors for lunch at the University Club in San Francisco. There were Beverly from Especially Yours Chaircovers, Jubilee from Jubilee Lau Events, Gloria From Gloria Wong Design, Barbara from University Club San Francisco, Nancy from Nancy Liu Chin Designs, Nicole from Nicole Ha Floral & Event Design, Annie from Annie Siu Floral & Events and me. It was a fun gathering with delicious food, thanks to the University Club chef and Sonya from Butterfly Cakes! Each of us shared a little bit about our background and how we got into the wedding industry. Some of us have very similar experience starting off with our own wedding or by helping family & friends' weddings. After gaining more experience and building on a strong portfolio, we ventured into the path to start our own business. I really enjoyed listening to everyone's story and getting to know the personal side of these vendor friends. After our lunch, Barbara gave us a tour inside the club. University Club is very unique venue at a prime location (Nob Hill). And the best part is, their facility rental fee is unbelivably affordable - starts from $1,000! We all thought it must be one of San Franicsco best kept secrets.
Here are a couple snaps from our luncheon.
From left to right: Beverly, Nicole, me, Barbara, Jubilee, Gloria, Nancy, Annie & our special guest of the day - Annie's cutie Eason!
Delicious cake by Sonya from Butterfly Cakes.
Here are a couple snaps from our luncheon.
From left to right: Beverly, Nicole, me, Barbara, Jubilee, Gloria, Nancy, Annie & our special guest of the day - Annie's cutie Eason!Delicious cake by Sonya from Butterfly Cakes.
Saturday, May 16, 2009
May Wedding
I can't wait to share with you a beautiful May wedding we just did. I love the fantastic view of the church surrounding as well as the breezy garden near the water where the reception took place.
Venue: Old St. Hillary's Wildflower Preserve, Tiburon/Landmarks Art & Garden Center, Tiburon
Style: natural
Colors: green & white, with accents of baby blue
Bride's Comments: "Thank you so much for your sweet email and for the amazing decor!! You were fantastic. I still can't get over how beautiful everything was. We will definitely refer you to anyone we know who is planning to get married..."
Tuesday, May 5, 2009
Power of Facebook
It took me a long time to decide to start a Facebook account for Poppy's. I know it's a powerful networking tool to help me stay connected with the world. But I feel that I have a full plate already and I am afraid I won't be able to stay on top of it (like I am always behind on my blog updates...) But recently I see something about Facebook that I never thought of. I reactivated my personal Facebook account after a long deactivation (more than a year!). I was clicking through my personal Facebook account friends list and I realized several of my past clients had new additions to their families! I am so excited for them. I disappeared from the virtual world for a while, and when I am back, voila! Everyone's having babies. It is a strange yet amazing feeling to see how our relationships change from time to time - at first we were strangers, then we were floral designer & clients, now we become friends. I feel that I was part of an important milestone of their life and now witnessing their family growth puts a big smile on my face.
So I have decided to sign up for a Facebook account for Poppy's. I wish to connect to more past, current and future clients. Share with me your updates! I love to hear baby news, new jobs, recent travel experiences...etc. Sometimes I imagine twenty or thirty years later, will some of my clients come back to me and say "oh Laura, my daughter is getting married and I'd love to have you design her wedding flowers". Wouldn't that be interesting?
Congratulations to Ying & Jay, Michelle & Solomon, Amy & Tony, Wendy & Victor, Wendy & Wesley, Teresa & Terence, for your respective new family additions!
Check out Poppy's Facebook page today and sign up to become a fan!
So I have decided to sign up for a Facebook account for Poppy's. I wish to connect to more past, current and future clients. Share with me your updates! I love to hear baby news, new jobs, recent travel experiences...etc. Sometimes I imagine twenty or thirty years later, will some of my clients come back to me and say "oh Laura, my daughter is getting married and I'd love to have you design her wedding flowers". Wouldn't that be interesting?
Congratulations to Ying & Jay, Michelle & Solomon, Amy & Tony, Wendy & Victor, Wendy & Wesley, Teresa & Terence, for your respective new family additions!
Check out Poppy's Facebook page today and sign up to become a fan!
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