Wednesday, February 29, 2012

Wedding Wednesday with Grace Ormonde!

What a better way to celebrate the middle of the week and leap day with a wedding feature on Grace Ormonde of Grace Ormonde Wedding Style Magazine's Blog!

We were thrilled to be a part of Annika and Matt's Stunning April wedding.  With her modern and sophisticated look of her white and slate color scheme, with the the touches of the natural elements like the moss and rocks - we couldn't be more in love with this wedding!


For the tablescapes we paired phalenopsis orchid plants with manzenita trees that sat on top of moss runners accented with blooms and natural rocks - creating a simple and understated yet, fabulous look!

We hope you enjoy! Click HERE to view the feature!

XO-Zoë

Monday, February 27, 2012

Our Big Reveal and What It Means to Zoë!

Since our big reveal and the posting of the video with Ian, I personally have had a lot of questions about what that means for me. (Zoë) Since we have a large following of clients, friends and vendors on our blog, I figured I'd just start from the beginning.

As some of you might or might not know, for the past 5 years, I have had my own wedding planning business on the side that I run completely separate from Botanica, Zoë Gallina Event Styling + Coordination. Most Botanica clients that are reading this didn't know I did planning on the side, but to avoid a conflict of interest, this information was never shared - unless you were referred by an outside source. With the announcement of my new position at Botanica many of you have asked, what does this mean for your planning business? The answer, as of May 12th, 2012 I will have completed my last wedding as a wedding planner and will no longer be offering this service. But as always, will be happy to refer you to some of our favorite and fabulous planners in the area! :)

Why? As much as I absolutely love and adore wedding planning, Botanica will always have the number one place in my heart. My business was incredibly successful, but as it continued to grow and as Botanica continues to grow on a daily basis, I came to a point where a decision had to be made of which one to choose. A turning point in my life, but the more I explored different ideas, the thought of not waking up every day and going to Botanica and working with some of the most amazing staff, let alone not working with my parents everyday, was just not something I wanted to even imagine doing. I got so emotional thinking about it, which led to me knowing exactly what my heart wanted to do.

Now what? With the creation of Ian Prosser Productions, you will start to see a transition with Botanica, Ian will oversee the luxury division of Botanica (IPP as we call it) and I will be the new Ian of Botanica. This will allow for clients to either meet with myself or Ian - affording us slightly more flexibility when it comes to scheduling, and assisting in accomplishing our goal of getting proposals out even sooner.

What next? We've already started the transition, I've been meeting with clients for over a month and absolutely love getting more involved in the design process of a client's big day! Our next goal is a new website. This will most likely take a couple of months to accomplish and perfect, but we're already on our way and we can't WAIT to share the finished product. We're planning on making everything just more fabulous!

We couldn't be more excited about all the amazing things we have going on in the works. I couldn't be more thrilled to be at the helm of everything, loving the opportunity to be more involved in the design aspects of Botanica and creating my own unique twist on this fabulous company. I invite each of you to join us on this journey! Stay tuned!!

XO - Zoë

Thursday, February 23, 2012

OUR BIG REVEAL!!!

Last night we couldn't have been more excited in front of our closest friends and colleagues to showcase our new studio, along with share the exciting news of our new division of Botanica, Ian Prosser Productions.

Below is a video, produced by Jeffrey Stoner of Stoner Video, featuring Ian sharing our Big Reveal and our exciting news. Tomorrow I'll elaborate a little more, but in the meantime, we can't wait any longer to share!



Ian Prosser Productions Promo v.2 from Jeffrey Stoner Video on Vimeo.





We'll post pictures from the event soon! Stay tuned and we welcome you to join us on this new journey!


XO - Zoë

Monday, February 20, 2012

Sarah and Ian Wedding Sneak Peek!

We are so excited about the blog posts we have lined up for this week! Today was going to be about our photo shoot this past Saturday - some fun and surprising details - BUT I figured I'd add a little suspense and save it until Wednesday. :)

In the meantime, I'm so excited to share some sneak peeks from this wedding! The Bride for this wedding, Sarah, was a college room mate of mine and is still one of my best girlfriends. We were SOOO thrilled to be a part of her wedding, the day was amazing and she was such a gorgeous bride. We loved her color palate, and pretty much just everything about her wedding. It was a beautiful February wedding at The South Florida Museum in Bradenton, FL and the day could't have been more perfect.







We used a soft color palate of champagne, chartreuse greens, chocolate, ivories and off whites. We included, tulips, succulents, hydrangeas, ranunculus and roses with touches of lilies, dendrobium orchids and chocolate fern curls. We hope you enjoy this wedding as much as we did. Congratulations Ian and Sarah!!

To see more of these stunning photos courtesy of the amazing Brooke Images, click HERE!

Xo - Zoë

Friday, February 17, 2012

Wedding Sneak Peek - Trisha and Garrett!

It's Friday, so why not end the week with some pretty photos? :) Below are just a couple of teaser images from Trisha and Garrett's November Renaissance Vinoy Resort Wedding.

There is nothing we love more than a beautiful wedding, but add in an amazing family and in our eyes, it doesn't get any better.

Everything from the linens we selected, to the little details the Bride included throughout the day - we loved every aspect of this wedding. There is just something so classic and timeless about a soft color palate. Not to mention all of the vintage elements with the table numbers, broaches on the cake, etc. - simple stunning!

A HUGE thank you to the wonderfully talented Jason Mize of J.Mize Photography for these gorgeous images!

We hope you enjoy!



The Vinoy did this cake, and I just had to post a picture because I'm absolutely in
LOVE with the cake, the ribbons, broaches and of course the cute little birds. :)

Happy Friday!

Xo- Zoë

Tuesday, February 14, 2012

It's Valentine's Day!!

Even though today is Valentine's we are strong believers that every day should be filled with love and flowers. :)

Since Valentine's Day is known for the day when couples express their love for one another, it also makes it quite a popular date for engagements!

For those lucky couples that take that step towards the next fabulous chapter in your life tonight and get engaged. We'd love for you to join us this Sunday, at The Don CeSar for their Bridal Show! Or for those couples that are still in need of some wonderful vendors! It's a collection of the Bay Area's most amazing vendors from Planners, to DJs, photographers, and of course Decor Companies! We'll be there and we'd love for you to come and say hi!! Details below! :)


See you Sunday!

Xo- Zoë

Monday, February 13, 2012

The Guy's Guide to Buying Valentine's Day Flowers

Probably a post we should have done last week, but better late than never! :)

With Valentine's Day tomorrow, we thought it might be fun to give a little advice on buying flowers for loved ones for the big day!

As everyone knows red roses are always the popular choice. It's easy to pick up the phone and say, "I'd like a dozen roses". But why not make it a little more unique to your Valentine, showing them that you didn't just pick up the phone and make a call (or have your secretary do it). :)

First and foremost, if you're a guy won't budge on ordering red roses, at least keep the items below in mind - these are our Dos and Don'ts of red roses:

1. DO NOT get baby's breath! Something you don't know, but if you're Valentine works in a small office, baby's breath actually smells horrible. Ask your florist what other options they have available.

2. Red Roses always come with greenery - make sure you request NO LEATHER LEAF. It's a cheap flower and a lot of florists use it, but in our opinion, the 80s called, and they want their greenery back! Instead, other better options are seeded eucalyptus (my favorite), lemon leaf or Italian ruscus.

3. Don't just stick with red! Roses come in a variety of AMAZING colors, pick a unique one or perhaps her favorite color.

For the guy wanting something a little more personal - below are some additional suggestions most florists should have available.

1. A seasonal mix arrangement. You can have your florist keep it in the pink/red/purple Valentine's Day color palate if you prefer, but a seasonal mixed arrangement is a beautiful alternative that will certainly brighten anyone's day - (same goes with above on the DO NOT use flowers and greenery list, a couple others we say DO NOT include are: Carnations and mums).

These are some of our favorite flowers and any combination there of which would be perfect for your 'seasonal' mix - tulips, garden roses, ranunculus, hydrangeas, lisianthus, unique colored roses, anemones and our big favorite - Peonies! (they are out of season, but some florists might have them available).

2. A single variety of flowers. Similar to the easy dozen roses phone call, but just something slightly different. There is nothing we love more than a monobotanical arrangement - some of our favorites are an arrangement of all tulips, sunflowers or even a bright and colorful mix of gerbera daisies) or any of the mentioned flowers with a base of hydrangea is always beautiful. Want bonus points? Have them make the arrangement in her favorite color. :)

Gerbera Daisies

Anemones

Garden Rose

Hydrangeas

Lisianthus

Peonies

Tulips


3. An orchid plant. Great brownie points because it's something completely unique and different from a standard arrangement, but the bonus? It's lasts MUCH longer. There are several amazing varieties and colors available.

4. If you REALLY want to wow her?! If you're married, try and find out the flowers that were used in her wedding bouquet (9 times out of 10, they were favorite flower) and she'll not only love the arrangement, but more so love the fact that you knew they were in the bouquet. (If you don't want to ask, take your wedding picture with her bouquet in it to the florist and they can help you). If not all flowers are available, just use as many as they might have.

And last but certainly not least, for the grocery store flower shopper.

1. The same can apply above to you as well. But right now the stores are full of amazing tulips, grab a couple of bunches and your Valentine will love putting them together in a vase because they are really easy to work with.

2. They also can have orchid plants along with other varieties of planted flowers.

Yes, everyone sends flowers on Valentine's day, but it doesn't matter how much you spend, there is nothing a girl loves more than getting something special delivered to her at work. :) Happy Shopping and Happy Valentine's Day!!

xo- Zoë

Wednesday, February 8, 2012

Decor Budgets and Why We Ask What They Are

Budgets - a word no one ever wants to talk about and we always feel weird asking, but in all honesty, us knowing what your budget is prior to coming in, is really a necessity.


Why? Because, first and foremost, we want to make sure we are a good fit for each other. As much as we would LOVE to be a part of every Bride's wedding, it's important to make sure your budget and our pricing 'marry'. (yes, the pun was intentional) ;) If you aren't sure of exactly your floral and decor budget, we can help guide you with giving a ballpark starting point based on your guest and bridal attendants count. That way, we don't waste your time by having coming in and discussing something that is no where close to the pricing you had in mind.



Knowing your budget will also help us give you ideas that work perfectly for your event and will ensure we are all on the same page. It will allow us to customize something to meet your needs, desires and expectations.

Unlike buying a car, by telling us your approximate budget, you aren't giving the game away. Our pricing and the cost of flowers aren't 'negotiable' business. It's our priority to provide quality product and unfortunately, pricing provided by our wholesalers is something we don't have control of.


Every florist and decor company will be completely different. Their processes, procedures, pricing, etc. - not one is the same. At Botanica, our number one priorities are the quality of product and the level of service we provide for each client. So perhaps the next time you meet with your decor company or when you start the decor company selection process, an important question to ask is what makes their company different from the next. We'd love to answer that question and share how important our clients and their experience throughout the entire process means to us!

XO - Zoë

Monday, February 6, 2012

Rustic Winter Wedding

We love flowers, of course. BUT we love this wedding! Fun fact? This wedding didn't have a SINGLE flower in it! How, you might ask?

For Samantha's rustic winter wedding to fit her style and personality best, flowers weren't necessary. Instead, for the ceremony we used all 'snow' covered branches in vintage chippendale boxes down the aisle connecting each box with 'snow'. This was the perfect setting for a gorgeous January Florida wedding. 76 degrees in Brooksville, FL and her vendors not only gave her, her perfect winter wedding, but after the couple were announced as the new Mr. and Mrs. her planner, the fabulous Georgia Watson from Georgia Watson Events, made it snow. 

For the tablescapes we incorporated gathered objects mixed with rustic elements, 'snow' covered trees pine cones and lanterns. Accented with Chivari chairs and our signature Bentwood chairs and whicker chargers, this created the perfect setting.





We were thrilled to be a part of this wedding and cannot thank the ever so talented Michael Schuhmann of Photography by Michael enough for sharing this stunning images! 

Happy Monday!

xo-Zoë