HAPPY HOLIDAYS!!

We pray this holiday season is filled with peace, joy and a lot of love to our blog readers! We are so incredibly grateful for everything that has happened this year and as we remember the true meaning of this season we want to acknowledge all of our clients, friends and family that has helped us launch this company. As new business owners we have learned the value of hard work, dedication and humility and we look forward to a new year with endless possibilities for Posh Stems. The greatest gift of all was given to us this time of year many, many years ago and it is because of that wonderful gift we celebrate Christmas, so let this time of year be about opening our hearts and not only packages. Happy Holidays!!!

A few pics of some of our Holiday work this year!

Heels + Flowers = FABULOUS

Other than arranging flowers, there is no other hobby that excites me more than shoe shopping. It is really difficult to put into words the satisfaction and uber joy one can feel after finding a fabulous pair of shoes, especially when they are on sale! My sister is my shoe shopping partner and I believe she has a slightly stronger addiction to adding to her shoe collection but I think that is only because flowers are my other love :) Recently we were discussing the fabulous trend of brides wearing gorgeous shoes in all colors under their wedding gowns instead of the traditional standard cream or white shoe. I love to see a great photograph of a bride wearing hot pink or apple green shoes on their special day, picking a non-traditional shoe is a great way to showcase the brides personality and of course her fabulous sense of style. Well, I think flowers make everything look better, including shoes! Check out the beauties I found below that can add style, sophistication and that WOW factor to a bride's overall look:

Floral Shoes by Posh Stems featuring Betsey Johnson shoes

Fabulous and very POSH shoes, what more can a girl ask for.....well maybe a dozen roses delivered weekly :)-

Specialty Arrangement!

We delivered this gorgeous arrangement on Friday and were delighted to hear it was a hit! I asked the client what was the special occasion and he responded “Just Because”, how sweet is that!!! With no direct request for any particular flowers or colors, we came up with this beauty:

Let us help you put a smile on someone's face. Contact us for your custom arragment today!

C & A ~ Centerpieces & Details!

One thing we pride ourselves on is being able to bring any space to life, this was definitely the case for this reception space. Tallahassee only has a handful of event spaces that allow you the freedom to bring in your own vendors and this was really important to this couple. They wanted a family friend to handle the catering so they had to find a space that would allow it and the Old Antique Car Museum was a great location for that. However, this space did present some challenges decor wise but with a little imagination and COLOR, the end result for this reception was spectacular. The couple initially had a yellow and chocolate brown color scheme and after viewing the reception site, we asked them to allow us to add a pop color to the decor because the paint and the carpet of the venue blended with their color scheme. They agreed and I think the pop of pink here and there was very posh. We loved this bride so much, she is just the sweetest person and we will miss our meetings with her, she kept us smiling :) It was our pleasure to surprise her with a crystal tree for the check in table:

I absolutely loved how this tree came out. The china mums are so luxurious in texture they worked well with the crystals and the metallic gold of the tree.

We created two different centerpieces for this wedding. This was our Lemon bride :) That is all she requested and gave us creative control to come up with something that would work well in the space. For the tall centerpieces we created a caranation ball with birch branches. The ceilings were sssooo low in this space so we didn't want the centerpieces to be too high. The first picture was taken right before the guest came in.

The smaller centerpieces were in a small round cylinder vase, lined with coffee beans and packed with gorgeous skyline & light yellow roses, white roses, pink spray roses, yellow freesia and billy balls. We also used birch branches and lemons to tie in all the centerpieces.

We also created all of the paper details for this wedding. In this next shot you can get a view of the coffee beans used in the smaller centerpieces.

I wanted to share how cute this cake was. Tiki's Tasties really is a fantastic vendor to use. Her work is fantastic and her cakes are beyond delicious. Hands down, one of the best in this area. We used her for our wedding so I can personally recommend her services. Posh provided the flowers and Tiki and her team produced another masterpiece. Cute!

Chirrie & Ren, we wish you all many years of wedded bliss. We loved working with you and your family and thank you for letting us be a part of your day!

VENDORS:

Reception: Old Antique Car Muesuem

Ceremony: St. Paul's Primitive Baptist Church

Flowers & Decor: Posh Stems

Cake: Tiki's Tasties

C & A ~ Bouquets!

I wanted to share the awesome bouquet images my team took of the personal flowers for Chirrie’s wedding a few weeks ago. I prefer to post professional pictures of our work but I think some of these images are extremely gorgeous and most would think they were taken by a skilled photographer. Don’t be surprised if you see Posh Photography in the future, gotta dream big, right :)

Jr. BM's bouquet. We wanted to do something special for her since she was daughter of the bride. We added the lemon slices for fun. Yummy, right?!

Bridesmaid Bouquet!

Bridal Bouquet! Loved the vintage inspired lace wrap we found for this bouquet!

All the bouquets hydrating before we head over to the church. Toss bouquet is wrapped in yellow satin ribbon and the Jr. BM bouquet is wrapped in the pink!

Please excuse the awful box :) but I wanted to showcase the gorgeous corsages and bout's. Loved these colors!! Stay tuned......will be back soon to share the centerpieces from this wedding!

Orange You Glad It's Fall.....

I know.....that was way corny but I can't help myself. I am THRILLED the season is changing, the leaves are starting to turn golden yellow and orange and pumpkin patches are popping up on every corner. Even though it's still ninety degrees here in sunny north Florida, I can tell that cooler temperatures are on the way to stay and fall will be in full effect in this area! Most people in the country have witnessed the change in season for a few weeks now and are starting to get ready for winter and I ssssoooo envy them. How I long to wear great boots, leather blazers and pea coats on a weekly basis.....okay, I know I am going off on a tangent but fall fashion is like to die for and this is one of my favorite times of the year :) I love how nature slowly changes and warms everything up into gorgeous colors that define this time of year. I especially love all shades of orange, especially what we call “burnt orange”, I love the gold undertones of this color and I buy everything in this color, especially shirts and sweaters…..off on a tangent again, sorry. Many fall brides choose burgundy, orange, brown and gold for a color palette but I was just thinking the other day of  creating a board with only orange. Different shades of orange that is, this is often done with pink and red and I thought it would be fun to play around with one of my favorite colors. One great color scheme that we see a lot in the summer is orange with hot pink…swoon, love that palette. It’s very refreshing, bold and chic, I really LOVE seeing linens in these colors, especially pintuck tablecloths. For those brides that are season conscious, I removed the hot pink from that color scheme and came up with this board:

Orange Crush by Posh Stems on Polyvore.com

Orange is a color that changes moods depending on what you pair it with, for instance if you use black and orange, you get that dark Halloween feel, pair it with brown and you think fall. I love it best when it is used with gold or on its own, it just becomes so vibrant. I believe brides should choose colors for their wedding that they love, no matter the season but orange is a great option for this time of year! Stay Posh :)

Sneak Peak ~ C & A 10.03.09

I loved working on these centerpieces, they were so much fun! This picture was taken after we started loading the flowers for delivery.  My yellow bride told me she only had one request in regards to her decor....LEMONS!! Stay tuned for more, we have so much to share from this beautiful wedding. Have a POSH weekend!

Weekend Tidbits...

The team at Posh Stems had a very busy weekend, we had a beautiful event and I can't wait to share the pictures from this weekend's wedding.  Everyone worked so hard and I really want to let Chenee', Alecia, Shanda, Whitney, Terrance & my awesome husband know how much I appreciate all of their hard work.  My mother and niece even stopped by the venue to lend a helping hand and we are all so proud of our work.  Check out a portion of our shipment of flowers, we received over 700 white carnations alone. Check back soon to see how we turned these gorgeous stems into Posh Designs!!

Sorry about the bad pictures, I used my camera phone!

Stay Posh!

R & T ~ 08.08.09

I recently received a few professional pictures from the nuptials of Roshanda & Terrance Dorsey and I wanted to share a few of my favorites. I just loved their pink, wine & berry color palette, it was simply gorgeous. One piece of advice that I can offer any bride to be is to not be afraid of color; USE IT, lots of it. Here is one of my favorite pictures of the bride. Isn't she gorgeous, simply a natural beauty!! Don't even get me started on her dress, it was perfect! Her bouquet was sssoo pretty, I wanted to keep it myself :)- It was made with pink dahlias, which had such a lovely fragrance, roses in different pink shades and callas which are the brides favorite flowers.

Here is the happy couple, the groomsmen & groom boutonniere's were simple but elegant and featured plum colored callas.

I just had to feature this picture of the grooms adorable nephew who was totally content kicking the petals off the aisle runner while walking down the aisle, kids are so unpredictable but that is what makes them oh so lovable. I loved how the petals were so vibrant against the white runner.



We created three different centerpieces for the reception tables. The tall centerpieces featured silver manzanita trees with crystals, roses, lillies, carnations and spray roses.


Sorry for the huge pictures but you can get a great view of the reception hall in the manzanita centerpiece picture. This is a very popular venue in the Tallahassee area and I was really pleased with the Civic Center staff and how helpful they were while we were setting up. The catering manager was such a wonderful woman and I would recommend this venue to any one of my clients.
The all time favorite of many brides, the submerged centerpiece:

I do want to note that the venue would not allow us to light our floating candles for these centerpieces which would have completed the look. Strange request from them but we complied, they turned out beautifully without the candles so no complaints on my end.
Last but certainly not least, the third centerpiece (my favorite). Small round cylinder vase wrapped with ti leaves and filled with tightly packed flowers in various shades of pink and burgundy.

We loved, loved working with these clients and we wish them a lifetime of happiness!

Vendors:

Ceremony: First Church of the Nazarene

Reception: Leon County Civic Center

Coordinator: Shenika Brown

Cake: Ms. Mary's Cake's Valdosta, GA

Brown/Chocolate Flowers...Gross or Gorgeous?! You be the Judge!

I have a wedding coming up in a month or so and the bride and groom have chosen a yellow and chocolate brown color scheme. First off, I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE yellow, who doesn't love yellow?! It has to be one of my favorite colors due to the instant gratification you get when you see most things that are yellow, it is such a happy color. Brown on the other hand is very modern, very sharp and crisp when you have the right shade of brown. I'm sure just about everyone in and out of the industry has noticed how brown almost became the new black. However, black is timeless and classic and can never be replaced but it is nice to use brown and have it look just as elegant. Anyone keeping up with wedding trends can affirm the massive takeover this one color has had on everything from dresses to favors to tuxedos. It is often paired with tiffany blue, apple green, even red and lavender. It was one of the dominant colors in my own wedding and I love to see it used the right way, especially in fabrics but does anyone want to see brown flowers? I'm biased, I think all flowers have some sort of beauty that makes it unique and different and I'm looking forward to accenting my designs with chocolate flowers for my yellow bride.

First up, the beautiful Chocolate Cosmo. This is a wonderful flower to use in bouquets.

Orchids and Yes, I swooned over these!!!

Another favorite, brown fern curls, these beauties look great in bouquets, bout's & centerpieces.


Chocolate Sunflowers!!! Yes, they come in brown, I was introduced to these beauties by my wholesaler.

Stay tuned to see which of these gorgeous brown flowers I use in my designs for my yellow bride!!

Stay Posh!

Weekend Tidbits!

We had the pleasure of creating flowers for a beautiful couple who were married this weekend. The groom is a longtime friend, I call him the brother I NEVER wanted, lol. He has been there for my husband and I in every way a friend should be. When they told us they wanted us to work on their wedding I was truly honored. Their love is the stuff you read about and see in the movies, high school sweethearts, true first loves. They were married in a beautiful midday ceremony surrounded by family, friends and of course our POSH creations! Terrance & Shanda, we wish you both many years of married bliss and thank you from the bottom of our hearts for allowing us to be a part of your special day!

Enjoy a sneak peek of our work, we will post more & better pics later.

(Reception Centerpieces & Mint Julep Pew Cup Arrangements)

The sweetheart centerpiece is probably one of my favorite arrangements that we did for the wedding besides the bridal bouquet. I was running around so much, I forgot to take pictures of the bouquet, hopefully the photographer captured some great images of the bride and the bouquet.

Stay Posh!

Quick Floral Care Tips!

When you get your beautiful flowers delivered to you from a florist or you purchase them from your local market you are always so excited and hope they last for weeks and weeks! Unfortunately, they don't but there are ways to extend the life of your flower arrangement with proper care.

1. Always make sure the flower vase is filled with fresh water. Flowers need FRESH water (just like we need air). Make sure to keep all leaves and foliage out of the water.

2. Every 2 or 3 days replace the old water out of the flower vase and refill it with a clean , fresh water. This will help remove any of the bacteria that started to accumulate in the vase. If any leaves or petals have fallen in to the water remember to remove them. There should be nothing floating in the water.

3. It doesn't hurt to trim your stems when you change your water every few days. Even if your arrangement was delivered to you from a florists, just remove each stem, trim and put back in its place.

4. If you have flower food add a packet of it when you change the water. If you do not have flower food then you could add a drop of bleach to the water. This will help keep the water free from bacteria which is ultimately what kills the flowers.

Stay Posh!

Purple Passion...A Bit of Eye Candy

There is just something spectacular about the color purple. Purple has many shades but when I think of purple I see the dark royal and regal shades of purple, that is what excites me about this beautiful color. The lighter shades of purple represent a soft, delicate and romantic feel which is often found in most purple weddings. However, I'm waiting for my BOLD purple bride to call....seriously. I love the elegance the darker shades bring to an event, especially in flowers. Enjoy the eye candy :)

First up, ORCHIDS & TULIPS!!!! They have to be my favorite flowers. You rarely see purple orchids here in North Florida but they are so exotic and ultra fabulous and the tulips are just so whimsical and pretty.

I created this purple passion mood board, it contains several images that will inspire me to create posh purple designs. I love the dark purple and black callas as well as the beautiful plum colored orchids. Now I just need my purple bride.....

Posh Princess Party!

My adorable niece celebrated her 6th birthday party last month and her party was truly fit for a posh princess. After several weeks of hardcore negotiations between my sister and my niece, a theme was finally decided on and my sister who has mad glue gun skills, created a memorable birthday party for my niece and her friends.

I want to first showcase her "throne". Please note the pink feathers on the bottom of the chair :)

Her cake was a two tiered gorgeous masterpiece complete with a tiara and wand!

This was one of my favorite elements of the party, the sweets buffet. My sister decorated the bowls with ribbons and rhinestones.

No family event is complete without posh fresh florals provided by yours truly. Pink gerbera's, lilies, hydrangea and roses were used to create these fun festive centerpieces.



Here is the posh little princess, she is growing so fast. Happy Birthday Princess Jayla!!

Don't Sleep On Your Local Market Flowers....

Seriously, you can find very gorgeous flowers in your local markets. Every week, I create an arrangement (or two) for my home and I normally go to my local Fresh Market. They normally have a beautiful display of fresh floral in all colors and forms. Here is an arrangement I made for my dining room table this week.

For this arranegment, I used green antique hydrangea, hot pink mums and yellow lilies and it turned out lovely. So the next time you are hosting a dinner or simply want to enhance your home decor with a fresh floral arrangement don't be afraid, DIY & don't sleep on your local market for beautiful and POSH flowers.

Where it all began....

Granted I have always had a huge and obsessive love for fresh flowers, I didn't really think a career in floral design was for me. I have always had an eye for color and the amazing things it could do for any space but creating fresh floral designs was something that I did as a hobby in my home, never anything I thought could add to anyone's life other than my own. Well, after working with my first bride and groom, Monte and Jermaine, who were very gracious by the way; to let me use their wedding as my muse, I took my love for everything fresh and floral to new heights.

Monte and Jermaine were so easy to work with; they told me their wedding colors and also instructed that I use my own creative tools to develop a look for their wedding. They were married on a warm December day, two days after Christmas 2008 to be exact and what a beautiful wedding it was. Here are a few pics of my work from that day (please excuse the quality of the pics they are not professional).

The church decor was very simple as the church and the altar were already decorated for Christmas. We decorated the aisle runner with dark red rose petals and hung a rose pomander ball from the door leading into the church. The bride and groom followed the old African tradition of jumping the broom and we created the broom below for that special part of the ceremony. In front of the flower girl basket is one of the boutonniere's we created which really complimented the striped black and white shirts the groomsmen wore under their black tuxedo's. We are working with a bride and groom that will be getting married in August at this very same church and are really looking forward to using this beautiful church again.

The bridesmaid wore stunning black floor length satin gowns so we designed a simple bouquet of roses with no greenery, wrapped in black satin ribbon and adorned with a rhinestone and pearl pin which added an extra bit of glam to their look. We are hoping to get a picture of the bridesmaids holding their flowers soon and will post for viewing.

I don't have many images of the reception decor but the tables were stunning. Monte and Jermaine had a very small intimate reception for their closest friends and family and we wanted to create a very warm and romantic space. The couple opted for black linens and we alternated between medium high and very low carnation arrangements. The medium high arrangements consisted of black curly willow surrounded by a ball of carnations. We used lots of votive candels and crystal ice on the table which illuminated the room when the lights were dimmed. Wish I had some of those pics.

The cake was so POSH! We used freedom red roses shipped directly from Ecuador, the blooms were so full and just gorgeous. Publix Bakery delivered the cake and the Posh Stems staff placed at least forty-five roses on the cake.

I also want to showcase the centerpieces that we used on the high cocktail tables. We used freedom roses, fern and ti leaves to created these cotemporary arrangments in square vases.