Wish Upon a Wedding: America's Only Wedding Wish Granting Organization

Liz Guthrie of San Jose Wedding Consultants is not only a very good friend of mine, but she is the creative genius behind this amazing organization. She is also owner of San Jose Wedding Consultants and if you have seen my California weddings then you will notice she is the coordinator for over half of them! With great pride I endorse Wish Upon a Wedding - which is currently starting chapters in San Francisco, L.A., New York, Orlando, and Chicago. Eventually the plan is to spread to every major city in America and when the Nashville chapter starts, you can bet yours truly will be highly involved!

Take the time to browse the site, meet Florence the first Bride to have her Wedding Wish granted, and see what you can do to help.
Dreams do Come True!

Meet Lilia Ahner

In San Francisco two days before I moved to Tennessee I had the pleasure of meeting Lilia Ahner at the Mixer for the SF Dream Wedding Giveaway. She is the official photographer for the contest and the $100,000 wedding that is given to a lucky couple.

I saw her walking around that night in October (and knew her name on the wedding circuit) so didn't want to interrupt her work as she shot frame after frame. I am so grateful she introduced herself because I may have been to nervous to bother her! With her red streaked hair and friendly smile she said she wished Haute Horticulture was around when she got married because she loved the Punk Rock Table theme I had created. That made my month!!!
Last night I was contacted by a fan of Rock and Roll Bride as she had seen the photos of the Punk Table on Lilia's Web Site. I had no idea (shame on me)! The photos were linked as part of a "Thursday Treats" segment on the Rock and Roll Bride site. What an honor!

If you are looking for a photographer in the Bay Area and have a rebel heart and rock attitude, then Lilia is your girl. Truth be told, it you are looking from any location Lilia is willing to travel worldwide. Now THAT's service! She and her husband Ray make quite a team. With Ray's expertise in shooting rock bands and Lilia's in everything from design to fine art, you have all the bases covered with this dynamic duo. By the By: This month you will find Lilia's work in Grace Ormonde's Blog, and Bird in a Cage Bride.

http://www.lilia.com/ These photos will inspire you
http://www.raymondahner.com/ These photos will ROCK you
(*prepare for lots of kick ___ music!)

I have a feeling that our paths may cross again, but in the meantime I want to thank Lilia for all she has done for Haute Horticulture. True. Talented. Creative. Lilia.

The 101st Post on the Petal Press

When I started this blog I honestly didn't know where it would lead. I still find an endless amount of flower and event related topics to share and it seems even more so after my transition to Memphis TN. What has made this possible is friends and family. I cannot say this enough. When starting a business, support is key. As I see Haute Horticulture grow, it shows how much love and help I have really received.

As is customary every New Year one makes resolutions and plans for a happy future. This week after meeting clients for the 2010 wedding season I have also started the remodel to office and studio under our Log Cabin. I can't wait work in a space designed just for Haute Horticulture!

Other plans include collaborating with exceptional Mid South event planners and vendors this year. There is excitement in the air over all the new ideas and inspiration that will be generated by our hard work. As always, I will spotlight the best of the best ideas and people I love to work with in the coming months. Thank you for reading and being a part of something so dear to me. 2010 season here we come!

-Karin

Row 1:

Kevin Chin www.kevinchin.com

Gabriela Reid www.colorfulevent.com

Nancy Liu Chin www.nancyliuchin.com

Liz Guthrie www.sanjoseweddingconsultants.com

Amy Frugoli www.twitterpatedweddings.com

Astrid Mueller www.champagnepromises.com

Row 2:

Aditya, Kiren, Karina, Rudy, and Sonia

Row 3:

Rudy, Wayne, Karina, Aditya, Kiren, Krystan, Liz, Monica, Eric, and Sean

Monica Kau www.signaturebloom.com

Expert in Confection Presentation and Design: Amy Atlas

Speaking of Purple ...


Amy Atlas has some beautiful new photos on her website and they are light purple and tastefully gorgeous as usual. If you are interested in more than flowers for your upcoming event, may I suggest you visit this website!

Amy Atlas Events

Purple Wedding Flowers

At the wedding show one of the most popular questions asked of me was, "What purple flowers are available for my wedding date?" and the dates ranged from June through December. I have to admit I was prepared for almost every question, but that wasn't one of them. After the show was over I thought of so many more purple flowers than what I had mentioned in the limited time I was given to talk with each bride-to-be.
I would like now highlight some of my favorites to work with n each season. Not all of the flowers listed are in the photographs below.

Early Spring (February and March and the first week of April):
Iris, Anemone, Tulips, Beautiful Flowering Branches, Hyacinth, Stock, Sweetpea, Lavender, Lilac, Muscari, Veronica, Wax Flower




Spring/ Early Summer (April and May): Hydrangea, Allium, Anemone, Delphinium, Stock, Sweetpea, Sweet William, Trachelium, Tulip, Agapanthus, Lavender, Lilac, Muscari, Wax Flower

Mid Summer (June, July and August):
Hydrangea, Allium, Dahlia, Larkspur, Stock, Trachelium, Zinnia, Veronica


Autumn (September and October):
Stock, Orchid, Rose, Lisianthus, Trachelium, Zinnia, Chrysanthemum, Carnation, Freesia


Winter(November and December):
Lisianthus, Orchids, Ornamental Kale, Rose, Chrysamthemum, Carnation, Freesia


Year Round:
Alstromeria, Aster, Mini Calla Lily, Carnation, Chrysanthemum, Freesia, Gladiolus, Asiatic Lily, Limonium, Lisianthus, Rose, Snapdragon, Statice, Tulip, Liatris, Scabiosa (can be harder to find)

Photos from the Bridal Show

The Premier Bridal Show was great! I did have a tiny cold that I was getting over, but the show really had me full of energy and hope for a creative and full scheduled 2010 wedding season. I met new vendors and reconnected with old friends who "did" my wedding in Memphis 5 years ago. That was a real treat and now that Haute Horticulture officially joined the Memphis scene I was welcomed with true Southern Hospitality.
Above are some photos of the flat screen TV used for the slide show of weddings and flowers. The difference between my flatscreen and all of the others that were in nearly every booth; over 350 carnations! See for yourself. We also assembled some modern arrangements to compliment the flora-vision. I really liked the all white table. It was complete with the 100 roses that were given away to the brides who talked to me at the show. What a Sunday! How can I top that this weekend? Probably by resting!
I must also mention the volunteers that made the show a success and kept me on time: Wayne, Chrystal, and Melissa I thank you from my heart. Also, my mother, as always, by supporting the HH team on the home front while watching my son. Photo below: Us three ladies before noon.

Wedding Show this Sunday!


The Premier Bridal Wedding show is almost here in Memphis (This Sunday from 12-4pm) and I am so excited I can hardly wait. I have a secret to share: I have never done a wedding show before. Now before Wayne and I got married we attended one and were actually in the wedding dress/tux fashion walk. We were recruited by our bridesmaid dress store (I'm still not sure what they were thinking; haha!) and had a great time. I'm not sure where those photos are and that's probably a good thing.

Last February I had the privilege of attending a show at the luxurious Four Seasons in San Francisco and all of the biggest names were there. It was a blast and I can hardly wait to be a part of Premier Bride this Sunday and meet some brides-to be! They are just so excited about weddings; almost as excited as I am and that's hard to find. These are my people and I promise there are many visual surprises in store on my corner of the show floor. See you there!!

Memphis Bridal Show
Hilton Memphis Hotel January 10, 2010 Sunday


Hard at Work & the 4 Foot Long Vase


While hard at work for the next event (The Premier Bridal Show January 10 in Memphis) I received some great photos from the hosts of the recently featured Holiday Party. I just had to share this great pic of the 4ft long vase that we filled with crystal deco "ice" beads, submersible lights, and just 5 spider mums for a simple yet impactful arrangement. I loved it! What a great vase to have in my collection now.
Here is another photo of us "Hard at Work" which prompted me to go back into my wedding snapshot archives only to find I don't have enough of these backstage moments. New Year's resolution for Haute Horticulture is: More team photos! Anca is one of a group of people that has helped me along the long road of event installations. If I had the right photos I could blog for hours about the sacrifices and help of others for this business and for me.

Thanks everyone (you know who you are) and let's start 2010 right. It's a New Year!

-Karin