If you’ve ever bought flowers at the store and put them in a vase at home, you know how challenging creating a floral arrangement can be. You’ll never see a vase of flowers with any height in my home. I tend to just keep trimming the stems in hopes of making the arrangement look better until there’s almost nothing left! Given my lack of talent in this area, I was excited to go behind the scenes with Jennifer of Blushing Blooms Floral Design to learn more about her creative process.
Armed with scissors, wire cutters, a knife, tape and wire, Jennifer set out to create a bridal bouquet during our shoot. For inspiration to get started, Jennifer looks to nature.
“I like to see things as they actually exist. We have tons of raspberry bushes in the yard and they have such extraordinary lines. Or the ivy we have randomly growing up the old trees in the side yard. My style tends to reflect a more natural feel, with lots of movement and texture.”
On average, this process takes her an hour and a half and during that time, Jennifer says she may redesign the bouquet two to three times before she’s happy with the final product.
For our shoot here, we set up shop at Historic St. Mary’s, but Jennifer usually works at her own “shed quarters,” a 10’x20′ shed her husband converted into her own studio space.
“It’s small, but far better than designing in the kitchen, which is where I started. Recently, he and my father-in-law added a 9×11 walk-in cooler for me to store processed flowers, and finished arrangements. It’s mine, and it’s perfect!”
Now that the bouquet is complete, what happens to the leftover materials? Jennifer likes to create arrangements for her friends and relatives, especially her mom, who watches her three boys while she sets up for weddings.
She also says, “I like to take a few to my Grandmother’s grave site which isn’t far from my house. It helps me feel close to her, like she sees that I am doing what I love.”
To learn more about this amazingly talented florist, head over to the Blushing Blooms Floral Design web site!
