bittersweet sympathy

Today was my uncle's funeral, and I am so glad I was able to go. I actually really like funerals, because in my experience they are a celebration of life, and today's case was no different. It was a really good, really bittersweet day.

I was so honored to be asked to represent all of the nieces and nephews in creating a wreath for the funeral. My uncle was a farmer by profession in Delta, UT, and I wanted the wreath to be an expression of that part of him. I couldn't be more pleased with how it turned out; it was a wonderful and special experience to be able to do this for him both in honor of his life and in reverence for his fight with cancer.

So, let me now share some photos of the design with you. These photos are so fantastic - a true treasure! Thank you's beyond measure to my friend and photographer-neighbor,

Jamen Long,

for sharing your camera, your talent, and your time with me in helping to capture this special piece in the way it deserved to be captured. Ah, my family and I cannot thank you enough! Also, thank you to the sweet man who let us use his home as the perfect backdrop for the photos. Perfection. Enjoy.

each element represented a specific thing from the farm: wheat (wheat), seeded eucalyptus (alfalfa seed), sunset safari (ears of corn), spray roses (his nickname was "Tex," so the roses were used as the "yellow rose of Texas" in honor of nickname), bear grass (hay), salal (freshness of life), thistle (beauty of the farm and country)

fix you

Let me tell you up front, this post will be somewhat of a sad "getting to know the artist" moment.

Last night I was driving home from Salt Lake after having been up there all day for a committment I have on Wednesdays, when the song "Fix You" by Coldplay played on a CD mix my best friend gave me for Christmas. My uncle and my Grandma had been on my mind the past three days, and especially the entire time this song played. My uncle has been fighting kidney, bone, lung, and brain cancer for about eight months now, and this song brought me to tears thinking about my uncle's pain as well as how sad my grandmother must be at this age and time in her life to have to sit by and watch as her first child approaches the end of this life, knowing that there's really nothing she can do to "fix" him. Right after the song was over I turned off the CD and decided to call and check in with my dad to see how my uncle was doing. He informed me that earlier that day, my uncle had passed away, and they were waiting for me to get back from Salt Lake to tell me.

I'd really love it if you would watch this video, which is of a performance on "So You Think You Can Dance" to the song "Fix You." It is one of the most beautiful and inspiring dances I've ever seen, and if you listen to the story of why it was choreographed, you'll see why it has meant a lot to me today. I wish I could embed it (its disabled), but since I can't please visit this link:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xnguqsMQmg4

see the above photos here

I know this isn't a dance blog, or even a personal blog. But, it is a beauty blog, and it is an art blog. This dance is certainly beautiful, and it is absolutely art. I know I will see my uncle again, and this dance just reminds me that he is now free from being trapped in a body filled with constant pain, and although its still extremely sad, that fact makes me feel happy for him.

a short and oh so sweet farewell to 2010

As the title of this post indicates, this post will be short and sweet. But we couldn't let this year come to a close without sending it off properly.

What a year it has been. This time last year, we could never imagine what 2010 held in store for Blossom Sweet. It is very humbling, very exciting, and very promising to see where we have come and how fast we have traveled and continue to travel in an upward direction!

Blossom Sweet clients are without a doubt extraordinary. 2010 has been filled with clients who have been so fun to work with, and who have all made beautiful brides! We are so happy that so many of you Blossom Sweeties have just closed out your first newlywed holiday season and hope it lived up to the hype! Thank you for giving us such a fantastic outlet for our much-loved passion for creativity, and perhaps even more than that, for trusting us to be such a big part of your wedding days. What a pleasure it has been to work with you, and to become close friends with several of you. Thank you, thank you!

And last (but so not least), thank you so much to fellow vendors and colleagues in the industry who have really been the icing on the cake to a great year for this company and this florist. Looking forward to another year of kindled relationships in the wedding biz. You make life in this business worthwhile, fulfilling, lovely, and an absolute joy!

2010: thank you for being a year not only of growth, but also one of learning, refinement, growth, fun, progression, and promise.

2011: we're ready for you. BRING IT ON!

Like we said, this post would be short and sweet - fitting for such a sweet company! Get it?

Happy New Year 2011! See you next year!

thank you, thank you very much

Oh, Thanksgiving was wonderful! Wonderful, wonderful. Loved spending a little time with my beloved family. Hope you all had a great holiday as well. As promised, here is our "grateful post" for 2010.

A few weeks ago, we made a bouquet for a magazine shoot. After the shoot, I decided to take the bouquet apart and create an arrangement for a good friend of mine who has been courageously and patiently battling breast cancer. At the time, I had just barely gotten over being sick (and relatively miserable) for ten days. After I dropped off the flowers, I realized that as bad as I had been feeling, my minor and temporary health problems were nothing compared to what my friend (who is much stronger than me) has been and is going through.

So, to me, the arrangement I created represented a form of gratitude if that makes sense. It became a reminder to me that even when I have bad days and go through minor aches & pains now and then - both in health and in regards to life in general - at the end of the day I have it pretty good, and I have an enormous amount of beauty and good in my life for which to be grateful. I just need to look at the big picture and appreciate what God and life give me from day to day.

{the arrangement: my grateful epiphany}

So now as November comes to a close, I'll put it out there to my life, belief, universe, and circumstance: thank you, thank you very much.

now that i have my ugly shoes . . .

Remember this post from back in June? Well, tonight's post will be somewhat of a follow up.

Event work requires a lot of on-your-feet set up action, so (seeing as I love me a pair of cute, girly, and unfortunately unsupportive shoes) by the end of the working day, my feet are often in excruciating pain! Well, no more, my friends, no more. Why?

I got the ugly shoes. People, I GOT THE UGLY SHOES.
And now that I have my ugly shoes, my life will never be the same.

Exhibit A (brace yourselves):


So HIDEOUS! So, if you see me at an event and think, "Wow, I would have thought the owner of Blossom Sweet would actually have shoes that had a shred of cuteness to them . . . " you will know why such things can never be.

Sketchers Shape Ups. The ugliest and best invention ever.

they sang as they walked and walked: a pioneer day inspiration board

The 24th of July is a special day in Utah, Pioneer Day, which is a holiday celebrating the Pioneers who settled here. My ancestors had a lot to do with settling this area, and I'd like to honor them with this post tonight, specifically Archibald Gardner from my mom's side of the family, and James Pace from my dad's side. Both men are my great-great-grandfathers.

You may have heard of Archibald, which is to say, you may have heard of Gardner Village. Am I right? If you haven't heard of the adorable place, find out more here. Named for my g.g. grandpapi.

And then there's James Pace, who Payson, UT is named after (sorry, no photo of James).

I love coming from a pioneer heritage and history on both sides of my family, and in honor of Pioneer Day here in Utah, I've decided to create a gorgeous, pioneer-inspired board. Enjoy!


Happy Pioneer Day!

image credits: weddingbee.com, wedding.blogdig.net, weddingchicks.com, stephaniewilliamsphotography.com, theknot.com, oncewed.com, intimateweddings.com, elizabethannedesigns.com, landlockedbride.com, daily.wedshare.com, jessicalynn402.blogspot.com, countryliving.com

crying in a good way + we have a winner + out of office

Goodness gracious, thanks so much to all who voted in the poll, as well as to all who entered our latest giveaway! It was a great response in a relatively short period of time. I was able to gather some valuable information from the results, so thanks, thanks!

All of your comments were so sweet, and so much appreciated! I must give a special little shout out to blogger profile "Decker Family" and her comment on the giveaway post. It was the first comment and read,

"I seek after positive things- uplifting blogs included. I saw your blossom sweet link on one of your followers blogs. I love the beautiful colors in your pictures and visiting your blog adds beauty to my day. Thank you."

Well, Miss "Decker Family", your comment literally made me cry - in a good way! I am passionate about creativity and beauty, and to hear that my blog simply adds beauty to your day touches me immensely. Thank you! I know I don't know you, but I'm so glad to have you as a blog-stalker. :)

And while we're on the subject of shout outs, I have to give a shout out to my good friend, Becky, for introducing me to a fabulous site: random.org. This site made picking a winner so much easier. No more drawing little slips of paper out of a bowl for me - this site generates random numbers between any number range you plug in. Simply brilliant.

ANYWAY. Enough of that mumbo-jumbo. Who's the winner? Do you want to know?

Random.org generated the number 6, which means a big congrats to MINDI, one of our Facebook Fans!
You're the latest giveaway winner! Watch for your prize, "lovey dovey love songs" next week! I know you'll just love it.

And now, just as a note to all clients/colleagues, I will be out of office until Tuesday, February 9, so therefore I will not be responding to calls or emails until that time.

I'm going out of town, and will be doing a lot of this:
I dare say getting a good amount of this:
at a lovely location akin to this:laughing like unto this:
playing a good amount of these:watching my nearly-yearly quota of this:
and most importantly, I'll be doing it all with people I totally:
Ah. CANNOT WAIT.

But don't worry. When I'm back there will be plenty of photos featuring little lovelies like this:

Missing you already.
XOXO

life in full bloom

For as long as I have worked in the floral industry, I have always noticed and believed that flowers are prettiest just before they die - when petals are fully open, an entire blossom life-cycle has been lived, and bloom potential reaches its highest peak.

As I've thought about this floral phenomenon, I've applied the life of a flower to the lives of those whom we love. Tomorrow marks the day when, just four years ago, I lost one of my dearest and most darling friends in a car accident mere weeks after her wedding - a wedding for which I was the designer.

Just as a flower is most beautiful just before it dies, so too was my friend as she simply emanated joy during the months prior to her death.

Miss you, Love. Love you, Lovely.

In honor of a life in full bloom, prettiest in the end:

merry {belated} christmas!

I hope you all had a great holiday.
I create a "Names of The Savior" arrangement every year at Christmastime which is the focal piece in my entryway hall. I know that my snapshots aren't the best, but you can at least get the idea.
for more Christmas decor photos, see my personal blog.Watch for more posts & updates soon! And again, MERRY MERRY CHRISTMAS!

melt my cold cold heart

Heidi and Josh were married Friday morning in the Draper Temple and while it was beautiful, like I said in the previous post, it was absolutely FREEZING!

I have known Heidi for quite sometime; we were mission companions. We were only together for her final six weeks on the mission, but we were instant friends and had so much fun together. I just love her to death. I was able to attend her wedding ceremony at the temple and it was a great day. And she looked beautiful!

It was kind of fun for me to be able to be a guest at the wedding because I got to take a bunch of photos. I posted this photo yesterday to give you a taste of what was to come:And without further ado, here are the rest of my photos. Enjoy!

bride and groom:

bride's bouquet:
groom's bout:
centerpieces:

toss/bouquet for second reception in Southern Utah tonight:
Ah, love this photo of Heidi because she looks so happy. It simply melts my heart- my cold cold heart.
Love you, darling. Happy honeymooning.

soundtrack of the season

Ooh boy, guys. Christmas is in just two short weeks! It comes the same time every year, so why is it that it always seems to sneak up on me?

Well, in honor of the holiday season, I've created a playlist and want to share it with you. It's a great mixture of old classics and new goodies. If nothing else, it's good background music on your computer while working. Simply push "play." Hope you like it!

"my business is to create"

I'm out of town right now and will be for the remainder of the week, but I have a spare moment to post, so I thought I'd go right ahead and do it. :)

Last night I watched one of my all-time favorite movies- "P.S. I Love You." Oh how I love it! I've seen it so many times, but it never gets old. It's that good.During one of my favorite parts of the movie, Hilary Swank's character is describing her love for creativity and art and says, "My business is to create."

A woman after my own heart, I'd say! Not only is my business (literally) to create, but, like it has always said in the "about me" section of this blog, "I find so much joy in creativity, and being in the business of wedding & event floral artistry provides me with a great outlet for my passion to create."

Well, as you know, 'tis the season to be filled with gratitude, and this year I am filled to the brim. I am so grateful for the creative talents which I have been given and for my love of creativity in all its forms. I owe my gratitude to God for giving me this most wonderful gift- the desire to create!

I feel that in the spirit of being reflective & grateful, it is appropriate to share the following clip. It is always available for viewing on the sidebar of my personal blog, and it is something that I love and believe in with all my heart:

I hope that all of you have a wonderful and happy Thanksgiving. I am so grateful for you!

Have a fantastic holiday!

P.S. I Love You.

and you wish you could be just like jennifer lopez

So Caitlin's fabulous wedding was tonight and it turned out beautifully! It was a busy, busy day and I am wiped out, but I was happy with the result!

Anyway. So what's with the title of this post you may ask? Let me explain. Usually when I have weddings and the creative bug in me gets going, I get new design ideas and I make a choice- use the extra time I have to make myself look pretty, or use the extra time to implement my ideas and make the flowers even more stunning. I choose the latter without fail! Today was no exception, and it reminded me of a conversation I had ages ago with my good friend Leslie Nelson, who is both a colleague in the business as well as my own personal mentor. The conversation went something like this:

Me: "Les, I have a problem. I always look so terrible when I deliver and set up weddings because I never have time to get ready! Is that normal?"

Les: "Oh I know Melissa, that's totally how it is. I'm the same way. And it's like you wish you could be like Jennifer Lopez in The Wedding Planner in your cute little business suit with your hair looking perfect... but no... it's more like jeans and a baseball cap because you didn't have time to do your hair."

Ha. I always think of that conversation on days like today when I'm looking a little rough setting up. But, I'm glad I can say that at the end of the day, even when I'm not looking top notch, you best believe those flowers are going to wow the crowd!

Well, like I said, I'm wiped out. So, I'm going to turn in for the night, but be sure to watch for the next post with my photos of tonight's wedding! I should be posting this weekend.

In closing, I'd like to leave you with one of my favorite quotes from the movie that always makes me laugh (or cry depending on the day... let's be honest...) :)

"Y'know, 'those who can't do, teach'? Well those who can't wed, plan."

Just putting that out there. Ha. Good night!

back to life, back to reality...

...back to school.

Hello all. I am well aware of the lack of posting lately. I'll be back soon- I've been enjoying my week off! I am officially starting my Senior year at BYU tomorrow {hallelujah}! Granted... I did go to school during Summer Term as well, but somehow Fall seems like a much greater endeavor... :)

Anyway, I made my most valiant effort to bask in the beauty of my last week of sweet freedom.
But I'm back to life, back to reality, so watch for more posting in the near future.

Loves.

{i'm back}

I just got back in town and I've decided to start my own personal (non-business) blog so that I can avoid using this blog for so many personal posts. I just posted about Lake Powell- it was so fun! It's good to be back though- and I have a LOT of catching up to do. I'll be returning emails tomorrow, I promise!

My new blog:
melissasuzanne.blogspot.com