As couples gear up for their 2024 weddings, a trend is emerging: emerald green bridesmaids' dresses. This rich, jewel-toned hue promises to be a stunning backdrop for both the bridal party and your chosen floral arrangements.

From a photographer's perspective, emerald green offers a subtle blend from the traditional black suits worn by groomsmen, allowing for more dynamic portraits. And speaking of flowers, event florists are absolutely thrilled to have such beautiful background canvas to work with! Emerald green provides the perfect contrast to make those blooms truly pop.

But where does this deep green fit into the rest of the wedding décor? This is where things get interesting. While incorporating emerald green can be breathtaking, it's important to consider its impact on the overall color scheme.

Here are some questions to ponder:

• Do you go full emerald? Emerald tablecloths can create a dramatic, immersive atmosphere, but may feel overwhelming in certain settings.

• Play with contrasts? Black tablecloths with emerald green napkins offer a chic, modern vibe, while cream or white linens contrasting with emerald accents exude a garden style vibe.

Remember, green doesn't always have to be confined to fabric. Lush foliage can incorporate the emerald hue beautifully,  whether woven into hanging installations, adorning floral centerpieces, or simply gracing the surrounding scenery like in plants.

Ultimately, the key is to balance boldness with harmony. Embrace the beauty of emerald green while ensuring it complements the rest of your chosen palette. After all, your wedding day should be a reflection of your unique style and love story.

It has been a rough year.  In the last 7 months, we created florals for so many weddings.  This past year 2021, our season officially began May 1st and did not end until November 27.  For most of those weeks, we worked straight through without a single day off.  Often, we never knew who would show up for work.  The core was always here, but the extras, we just never knew.  Not being able to predict the every changing climate, we just dealt with weddings on a weekly basis.  

I understand that was not the best way to conduct business, but we dealt with weddings that downsized from 150 to 30 guests; some switching to just an elopement, but so many weddings went ahead and had outdoor events for 150.  Then of course there was the hot weather and the fires.  We just never knew if there was going to be another last minute change.  We were just happy to get through another week.

•  First and foremost, I have a great core staff.  They cared so much about our work, completing the order and giving whatever extra we can give.  We all wanted the wedding day to be so pretty and happy and beautiful.  

• Second I have the best wholesalers that just kept feeding me with supplies. We kept going every single week! My wholesalers, North Bay Farms, never missed a beat! Often, they were pushing me to get my order in, so they can fulfill my requests. On my part, it was usually last minute and I hate operating that way. I gotta hand it to those guys, the flowers and foliage arrived without a hitch. So many florists complained about flower shortages; but I never felt the sting.

As a result, we were able to deliver the florals to all our brides on a timely manner. I realize now, after this season has settled down, we were among the few vendors that survived this year pretty unscathed. So many of my fellow vendors are leaving or left our industry to move in another direction. Some are regrouping and reorganizing to better compete. Many are retiring and closing up shop. I will miss my friends.

I hope, next year is better.  I hope to be better organized.  I hope to provide the same quality of flowers, design work and service to all our customers.  I hope the same core staff comes back next year. 

I hope we all do better in health and well being.  

Summer is the time of year where dahlias are flourishing, abundant and readily available.  Dahlias are native to Mexico and declared the national flower.  Dahlias need a sunny location to thrive.  An area that receives at least 8 hours of direct sunlight is best.  For me, dahlias remind me of Dutch flemish art paintings: a romantic, flourishing, abundance of flowers in a vase. 

Cut dahlias are sensitive to climate.  During the wedding season, in the foothills of California, where the air is very dry and the sun is very hot; in a matter of minutes, we can watch cut dahlias wilt right before our eyes.  Cut dahlias thrive on the coast where the temperature is mild and the air is very humid. 

So what is a florist to do when a bride requests those exciting dahlias?  We learned the hard way and even then, it is not 100% foolproof.  We receive our flower order in the mornings when the temperature is nice and cool.  We re-cut the dahlias in hot water and hood them using a plastic bag. We allow them to drink this hot water for an hour and then place them directly in a cooler.  Our reasoning, we are trying to re-create a coastal effect.  When we are ready to design with these dahlias, we cool the studio, design with them, and once again hood them with a plastic cover and immediately place in the cooler. 

In the hot summer wedding months, we are successful setting the dahlia arrangements on the tables or delivering the bouquets looking beautiful.  Unfortunately, no matter how many warnings signs we post all over our packaging to keep the flowers cool and in water we cannot fool mother nature.  These smart dahlias react to their surroundings and do not like the hot dry heat.  Sometimes, they throw a temper tantrum and quickly shrivel up in minutes.

So, if you request dahlias during these hot summer months and your event is in the California central valley, foothills or mountains; know that the longevity of dahlias is short.  As much as we love these little wild gems and they are grown in the hot sun, be prepared that cut dahlias may wilt quickly and not hold up in time for that walk down the aisle.