Floral | Tripp Commons - UW Memorial Union Wedding

A UW Memorial Union Wedding

I seriously have the.best.job. because of incredible people like Sarah and Colin.

I hadn’t met Sarah or Colin until their wedding day, all of our correspondence up to the wedding was via phone or email because they both live in the windy city of Chicago.

These two are so incredibly sweet and kind-hearted and I was so honored to be entrusted with their wedding flowers even though we’d never met.

The funnest part of their wedding day is that 29 years ago my parent’s held their reception in Tripp Commons at the UW Memorial Union. It was such a beautiful way for me to envision where their love story came together.

Sarah and Colin it was my greatest pleasure to work with you. I wish you all the blessings in your marriage, cheers!

Photos courtesy of Andy Stenz Photography

They celebrated with a beautiful lake-side ceremony just above the UW Memorial Union Terrace.

Their ceremony was followed by an inviting reception hosted in Tripp Commons.

Floral | Vendor - Blushing Willow Bridal

Photo by Ruthie Hauge Photography

Blushing Willow Bridal

One of the things that makes my job so fun is getting to know and become friends with some talented, passionate and inspiring vendors. Today I’m sharing one of these vendors with you.

A beautiful bridal boutique

I’ve worked with Kassie on several occasions and she is one of the kindest vendors I’ve ever met. Kassie started Blushing Willow Bridal out of pure passion as many vendors do. She saw a need in the bridal industry and instead of clinging to her degree she felt called to fill that gap by going out of her comfort zone and opening her very own boutique dress shop.

Kassie has some of the most GORGEOUS dresses and she literally blows me away each and every time we get the chance to work together. She see’s all the details and is on her toes to make every woman that wears her dresses to feel their very best.

If you’re looking for a hands-on vendor who will be there to help you select your perfect dress look no further. Say yes to a dress with Kassie and you even get to celebrate with a pink bottle of champagne. Need I say more?! Oh wait, yes I do, her space is absolutely INCREDIBLE and it stands out from the crowd.

Floral | A Tansy Hill Farm Wedding

stacy + art

There is something so special about getting a request to do the floral for an old friend's wedding day.

Stacy and I met when we were both living in our college dorm, working towards acceptance into the College of Design at Iowa State University. Stacy was a few doors down and was pursuing her dream of being an architect, myself a landscape architect. 

When Stacy contacted me about her wedding flowers I just had to say, YES! 

Stacy and Art were planning on getting married at her parent's resort in northern Wisconsin, what a beautiful place to say I DO! However, after years of trying to sell the resort, her parents got an offer to purchase just a few months prior to the big day. Stacy took the change in stride, and with the change she found another gorgeous venue spot, Tansy Hill Farm in Wausau. This barn was gorgeous and came with chickens and all, outside in a pen of course.

Stacy had an incredible vision for her flowers. Touches of lavender to match her bridesmaid dresses, something loose and organic, with a good balance of greenery and blooms. I knew when I said yes to being her florist she'd have impeccable taste and I let her give all the guidance for the final bouquets. We found great substitutes to give her the look she was after using blooms that were in season. I have to say I have all the heart eyes for the way these bouquets turned out!

So, congrats to Mr. & Mrs. Adams, thank you for giving me the honor to create the blooms for your special day!

Thank you Silver Light Photography for the gorgeous photos!

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Floral | What to bring to your first floral consultation

So you’ve found a florist you’re dying to work with.  Your florist is probably ecstatic about working with you because she knows if you can’t wait to work with her you’re probably her perfect match. So what is your florist going to need from you during your first consultation? Here’s an un-exhaustive list to help you and your florist create something beautiful together.

Details of your venue and pictures if you have them!

Venues pop up every day. Expecting your florist to have been to every venue is like asking if someone has seen every Disney movie, they may have seen a lot but probably not every one.

Details of your floral vision.

Again pictures are SUPER helpful here. While your favorite flower colors are absolutely important it is more helpful for us to see your vision in its entirety. Are you going for a modern, bohemian, classic, rustic or a blend of these styles on your big day?  Are you after flower walls or just some simple centerpieces.

Pictures of your bridesmaid dresses and your’s.

If you have pictures and the colors of your dresses it really helps give us a sense of colors and how we can best compliment your attire.

Colors of the groom’s and groomsmen attire.

Just like it’s helpful to know what color dress we’re looking to compliment let’s make sure the men look just as stunning.

Guest count estimate. Knowing roughly 200 people is helpful.

We can figure out how many tables based on these rough counts and can give you a more accurate proposal. We understand that 200 invites doesn’t mean 200 guests but it gives us a good place to start.

Details that are important for us to incorporate.

Lace from your grandmother’s gown you want to be wrapped around your bouquet - things like this will help guide some of our discussion on these details.

An idea of your floral ‘dream’.

Centerpieces, arbor garlands, swooping garlands behind your head table, sprigs of green on every chair. Let us know what you’re looking for!

Your target budget

Now, this isn’t last on my list because it’s the least important thing to bring to your meeting. It’s the MOST important piece of information you can bring to your initial consultation so I wanted to end with this so it’s fresh in your mind. Knowing your budget helps us help you craft a design that is within your budget. We’d hate to send you a proposal for the $20,000 Pinterest wedding when your budget is $2500. Pinterest is the queen of stunning, over the top, unique arrangements and floral installations, but they don’t fit every budget. If you know what your target budget is we can help craft a beautiful day and give advice on ways to cut costs if necessary. If you don’t tell us we can’t help but propose everything you ask for, and we’d hate to give you unnecessary sticker shock.

So, while this is not an exhaustive list it can help guide your thinking. It will also give you and your florists a good place to start discussions about what is going to make your day uniquely yours.

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A Small Business Owner

a small business owner

As I reflect on our first year in business I am reminded why it all started in the first place. I never assumed I would be a small business owner. Quite frankly I said I would never be a small business owner and many can vouch for that. I came to that realization over my many years of working in very small businesses as well as being the daughter of a small business owner. While each person was so passionate about their work, it came with a load of stress that I never wanted in my life. Or so I thought...

As I entered the professional world of landscape design I started to realize something. I was working because I had to, I had a lack of passion for what I was doing in my professional role. I thought about making a career change; but, I just couldn’t figure out what that was going to be. I knew my passion and my ideas weren’t fitting the mould of my selected career path. I was passionate about making outdoor spaces as comfortable and liveable as the indoor spaces we live in, and I wasn’t finding that anywhere I looked.

However, like I said I never WANTED to be a business owner. I was afraid of walking away from a steady paycheck, I was afraid of taking a chance on myself, I was afraid of working all the time, and I was afraid of letting my clients down. These are things that all of the small business owners in my life had to face.

So, how did I become a small business owner? Well, with a lot of faith from Matthew, my family and all those small business owners that had surrounded me for years, that is how. I knew what I wanted to do. I knew what I wanted to create. I just needed the faith in myself and my idea.

So, in December 2015 I took the plunge and established Homestead Designs. With that I have found passion for my career like I never thought possible. I was able to bring my passion to the market and have people respond both positively and critically. My first year as a business owner came with a lot of learning and I must admit a little self-doubt. I truly appreciate the opportunities that each and every client has given me, to wake up and love what I am doing. You took a chance on me, and thank you for that.

As if one company wasn’t enough… it wasn’t for me. My passion lies heavily in creating outdoor living spaces, but it also lies in the details of events. Thus, Homestead Florals. This year was about taking chances on my ideas. I was passionate about serving a client that I could so easily relate to as a new wife, brides. I love creating floral designs that compliment such beautiful events and I am so honored to be trusted with such important days and events in people’s lives. I am looking forward to my first full year as a floral designer.

Homestead Meats, well that is a topic for another day.

-Brit