Outdoor Wedding in Washoe Valley

I really loved getting to work with the antique colors this bride had chosen.  She wanted dusty pinks, lavender, peach and sage for her bouquets.  She loved roses and wanted to make sure she had them in her bouquet.  Her table linens included burlap and lace runners so we brought those elements into her bouquet by using burlap and lace from her veil to wrap her bouquet.

We really strive to give any bride their dream wedding flowers that will fit in their budget.  This bride wanted to make her own centerpieces and reception decor so we just took care of her bridal party flowers for her.  She really liked the idea of not doing something traditional for her Groom's and Groomsmen boutonnieres.

We used drumstick allium, hypericum berries and lavender for her groom and lavender and hypericum berries for his groomsmen.  Each boutonniere was finished with a raffia wrap.

Her Bridesmaid bouquet were comprised of lisianthus and Queen Ann's Lace with the same burlap detail

The First Fall Wedding of the Season!

The arch with sheer gold organza draping

I really liked working with this couple and their families.  They married at Mormon Station in Genoa, NV and had their reception at Wally's Hot Springs in the Gazebo on October 6, 2012.  The bride wanted fall colors with burgundy and orange.  Sierra Canopy provided the arch and the chairs for the ceremony.  While it was a small wedding, I was so happy to work with these rich, deep tones for the first time this year.

Wedding at Gold Hill Hotel in Virginia City, NV

We were so happy to be able to work at the Gold Hill Hotel for a fantastic Nevada style wedding.  The bride and groom are from England but the bride grew up right here in Northern Nevada.  Their wedding day could not have been better, the weather was gorgeous and the wind died down before their ceremony. Evan Zinser and the team at Zinser Photography captured this beautiful location and even had their photo booth on hand for some fun shots.

Genoa Venue Tour

We couldn't have picked a better day to tour some of the gorgeous event venues in Genoa.  The weather was sunny and the wind left us alone.  Our First stop was at Genoa Lakes Golf Resort, where couples can get married with the Sierras as a backdrop at either the lakes course or the resort course.  Each are decorated beautifully with fantastic furnishings that have a rustic touch.  The Mountain View Room is great for smaller weddings and the surrounding rooms give what Director of Catering Marie Stokes calls" a mansion feel." 

The larger Banquet Pavillion can accommodate 250 people but still offers guests a cozy atmosphere.  Both venues have bridal suites for the bride and bridesmaids to get ready in and Marie will take care of the details to make sure weddings go off without a hitch!

Our second stop was at The Orchard House, a private residence that used to be a bad and breakfast.  Owners Betsy and Randy offer strictly outdoor weddings on the grounds of their historic home. Weddings here will have an elegant, back yard feel.

The Orchard House also offers a bridal suite and they work with local vendors to bring in tables, chairs, linens and china.

Our third and last stop was right next door at Trimmer Outpost, where couples can enjoy the ultimate Nevada wedding in a historic home that has been converted into a store and event venue.  The barn in the back has been refurbished but still has the charm of an old barn.

The outpost in the front sells unique gifts and grass fed beef from the family's ranch.  The grounds can accommodate small events and weddings.

Great photo in the barn by Zinser Photography

Before your Floral Consultation...

The 2012 Wedding season is upon us and like most wedding professionals, we are starting to see more and more brides as their dates get closer.  I thought I would impart some wedding flower secrets to anyone who might be looking for a truly inspired look to your wedding flowers.

1. Let your florist know what style you like and the color scheme. I swear you will get kick ass flowers if you are already using a kick ass florist.  Check out my original designs if you don't believe me.

This bride only gave us her colors and her budget.

 2. A florist's best work comes when you give direction, not a picture.  Pictures are an awesome reflection of your vision so definitely bring them to your consultation.  Let's just use them as reference shall we?  Nothing like trying to replicate an exact picture to suck the fun out of us making your wedding beautiful!

2. Don't freak over the little stuff.  I got you, Girl.  So, the Calypso roses you love so much came in looking ratty so I replaced them with a close match, you still love your husband and he still loves you even though you have a weird obsession with Calypso roses and that is all that matters.  You will have your orange roses and no one will ever know. Promise.

This bride just said make it white and drippy

3. Buy toilet paper at Costco, not your wedding flowers.  Most local flower shops can get pretty close to Costco prices and the design will be magnificent as opposed to ho-hum.  And supporting locally owned shops and restaurants makes you smarter, it's a fact, look it up. And did I mention we will do the set up?  No, your mom doesn't need to have pit stains in that gorgeous dress, she can laugh at my pit stains while she sips lemonade in the shade.

Hot pink bouquet for the bride on a budget

4.  Be Realistic.  Everyone wants their picture perfect bouquet on their wedding day.   Not everyone has the budget but that is okay.  Flowers have seasons and some flowers cost more than others.  By bringing pictures in and working within your budget, we can create something you will love and that you can afford.  They will be gorgeous, see #1.

Exceptional Professional: The Stylish Scribe

Baby Announcement by Jessica at The Stylish Scribe

Creativity manifests in so many ways.  Jessica, the creative mind at The Stylish Scribe, happens to be amazingly creative at paper products.  In a world full of online templates and pre-printed big box store paper, The Stylish Scribe offers something that will grab attention, something that can be cherished, heck, they will also look good on your refrigerator.  Little Baby Charlotte up there will know how important her arrival was just by the look of those adorable announcements! 

The Holidays are Just Beginning

We at Alie's Flowers & Gifts had a great holiday season full of madness, amazing customers and good cheer.  Meaghan, my right hand woman, got a job working for the state and left the week before Christmas.  While I will miss her crazy bordering on obsessive organization skills, she had to go get herself a real job and I can't be happier for her.  It does make me feel a little better to picture her surfing the cubicle sea, I have to admit.

aliesflowers.biz

Holly and I got through a pretty busy season with only minor injuries and sap damage.  Our little delivery car on the other hand, did not fair so well.  Yours truly put it over a curb and wrecked the radiator while making a caffeine deprived dash towards Starbucks.  Maybe weaning myself off of the stuff in the new year isn't such a bad idea.

Poor Little Rollerskate

 I did get on to the merriment at The Victorian House Member Christmas Party.  I didn't realize how fertile my team members are, there were a lot of kids!  They were like Gremlins, every time I turned around, they multiplied!  The food was great and we had a lot of fun, it was nice to get away from the shop and socialize for a night.

Now that the Christmas trees are put away, I am looking towards February 14th and the adventure of a big holiday like Valentine's Day in my new smaller store.  I rented a 22 foot refrigerated truck and the mall is allowing me to use some extra space for design (I think they might be angels) to compensate but it will be interesting to see how spoiled I was with 5,000 square feet at my disposal! 
Here is to a Happy and Prosperous New Year!