You typically will get better service, quality, and pricing if you avoid national order-gathering companies and work directly with a local florist. Read this article by Florist Chronicles for more information.

Call the local florist prepared with the day you would like the flowers delivered, the name and address of the recipient, the message you would like on the card, your budget, and your credit card number. You will often get better product if you allow the florist some flexibility, rather than picking a numbered or titled bouquet.  Think of descriptions such as “simple, white, and modern” or “wildflowery with lots of pink” instead of “TF105-3.”

And order early. You will get better service and make the florist’s job easier if you place your order sooner rather than later.

Happy Mothers Day, and I’ll be thinking of all of my retail florist friends this week!  Sending you lots of positive energy!  Some of our floral friends, who can help you with Mothers Day orders (in alphabetical order) are:

• Fleur
• Flora
• Flowers Flowers in Evanston
• Larkspur

I was excited to meet some vendors with whom I have been hoping to cross paths.  And I got to see some friends’ new(ish) businesses, such as Plate, Crafty Broads, and Pink Cottage Pastry.  Kudos for taking the leap!

Thanks to friend/floral designer/interior designer Paul, who was at my side while putting together the display and on the day of Indie Wed.  Here’s the final display:

A couple of weeks prior to Indie Wed, Paul and I scoured The ReBuilding Exchange for inspiration, without too much of an idea of what we would do for the display.  We picked up some folding doors and somehow came up with the idea of attaching pussy willow branches to the doors.  The overall effect of the pussy willow was of a somewhat random pattern… neutral but natural.  We went with Pollen’s colors of dark brown, mossy green, and raspberry (picked up in the flowers).

I wanted to use furniture from the studio so that the display “felt” like Pollen.  The pedestals were locally made a few years back by my talented carpenter friends Carson and Dave.  The table was a craiglist find (with a little revamping to change the tabletop from orange to white and expose the layers of plywood).  And the chair is one of four Heywood Wakefield school chairs I picked up at the Kane County Flea Market.  (Have you been?  You must go!)

The display showcased our favored naturalistic style.  On display were a bouquet, a floral centerpiece, a planted centerpiece, a boutonniere, and a showier piece, like might be used at the guest book table or bar at a wedding.  The flowers all went together, but weren’t too matchy-matchy.

The designs kept with our eco-friendly focus, eschewing floral foam (a non-biodegradable petroleum product).  The focal arrangement was designed in a recycled glass vase.  The smaller floral centerpiece was designed in a vintage glass container.  While our first choice is to work with locally grown product, during Chicago’s winters that just isn’t possible.  So we hand-selected a combination of sustainable, domestic, and Dutch floral product.

photo by Lily Red Studio (©Lily Red Studio 2012)

The bouquet was loose and sprawling, and wrapped with a plant-based ribbon.

photo by Lily Red Studio (©Lily Red Studio 2012)

The planted centerpiece, a low container of succulents, showed an example of a centerpiece that can have a life beyond the day of the wedding.

The flowers used included the following:

• from California, acacia, scabiosa, blackberries, and viburnum;
• from the Netherlands, kale, anemone, muscari hyacinth, cymbidium orchids, snowball viburnum, ranunculus, hellebores, and bullet allium; and
• from a certified sustainable grower in South America, blue thistle and hydroponically grown roses.

Paul “person”-ed the booth while I joined fellow Green Wedding Alliance members Nina from Tweedle Press and Molly from FIG Catering to give a short workshop on green wedding tips.

Thanks to all who came out to Indie Wed and stopped by to say “hi.”  I hope you enjoyed it as much as I did!

But without thinking about it, it’s easy to be tense walking down the aisle, and the arms go up, up, up until your bouquet is under your chin and obscuring the beautiful neckline of your dress.  And with your bridesmaids standing in a row, it really looks best if the bouquets are all being held in the same way.  Trust me on this one.  Whether you’re a bride or a bridesmaid, you’ll look best in photos if you look relaxed.

In short, hold the bouquet low and close.  Shoulders relaxed, arms relaxed, hands lower than the elbows.  I recommend keeping your hands below the belly button.

Do you think Kate Middleton had someone instruct her on how to hold a bouquet?  You betcha she did.  See?  That’s how you do it.  One-handed, no less.

source: New York Post

Thanks to Marissa Strassel Design for creating the beautiful new site.  And thanks to Sarah M. for setting the tone with the graphic design she had previously done for Pollen.  In addition to the design, I love the photographs, which were so kindly provided by talented photographer/friends of Pollen.  Thanks to Amanda Hein Photography, Barry Phipps Photography, Callie Lipkin Photography, Colin Lyons, Greenhouse Loft, Jaclyn Simpson Photography, Melissa Hayes Photography, and Trustudio for the photos!  And a big thanks to Jennifer W. and Nathan P. for working on the copy.

I plan to continue to add content to the site, and once again I’m making a New Year’s resolution to blog more frequently.  No, really.  This time I mean it.  Again.  If you have any suggestions for topics, I’d love to hear them!

Another big change is in the works for Pollen…  We’ll be pulling up stakes and moving into a new space early in 2012.  I won’t be moving too far, but I’ll certainly miss my friends in the building.  In the meantime, I’m having fun thinking about paint colors and new configurations of the workspace.

Since I missed the boat on sending out holiday cards, let me say “happy holidays” to all of Pollen’s clients, fellow wedding vendors, and neighbors.  Here’s to another year of celebrations!

–Lynn

MegAnn’s bridal bouquet was lush and rounded, in shades of purple and green.  More traditional wedding flowers, such as roses and hydrangea, were complemented by  unexpected textures and shapes, which came in the form of scented geranium, bullit allium, purple stock, and purple trachelium.  The deeper purple, ruffly flowers are lisianthus–one of my favorites.

The ceremony was held outside on the Museum’s terrace.  Pollen provided floral swags for the chairs, aisle petals, and a pair of arrangements to frame the ceremony area, featuring sustainably grown delphinium and organically and locally grown hydrangea.

For the reception, a simple yet striking escort card table arrangement of delphinium and hydrangea greeted the guests.  How beautiful is this room?!?!?

Low and lush arrangements on the guest tables coordinated with the bridal party’s flowers.

The cake, provided by Tipsy Cake, was simply decorated with gatherings of purple lisianthus and Cool Water roses.

Thanks again, to Amanda Hein Photography, Greatest Expectations Events, and the Chicago History Museum.  And let’s not forget Pollen’s Lee and Amanda, who helped me to install this lovely wedding!  Congratulations to MegAnn and Jim!  You were wonderful to work with!

–Lynn

I’ve been so lucky to have wonderful help this season. After a busy first year (Pollen’s first full wedding season was last year), I’ve enlisted much more help this year, realizing that I can’t do everything by myself. Thanks to this year’s Pollen staff (Amanda, Brian, Carla, Jennifer, Lee, Paul, and Sarah) for being so positive, working so hard, and making it possible for me to have a social life here and there.

And thanks to Kate C. Huber Consulting for improving Pollen’s internal processes and client communications. And another thank you, to Marissa Strassel Design, for creating a new website for Pollen, which will be unveiled very soon! I’m so excited to be winding down the wedding season with these improvements to the business, and look forward to having more time to work on improving Pollen. And I can’t wait to spend more time with my friends and family!

Buy One full price ticket and receive the second at half-price!!

Go to http://2011heliosbash.kintera.org/sun to purchase your tickets today!!

Society for Urban Nature (SUN), the Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum’s auxiliary board, is proud to host its fourth annual Helios Bash on Aug 19. Helios Bash is SUN’s largest fundraiser, with all proceeds supporting the Nature Museum’s Teenagers Exploring and Explaining Nature and Science (TEENS) program.

Once again, SUN’s event will shine as an example of an eco-friendly party. Calihan Catering will feature local, sustainable and scrumptious cuisine and Pollen will lay out eco-friendly décor. The evening includes an open bar with wine, Goose Island Green Line beer and Yes! Vodka, including a signature cocktail. Attendees will dance to tunes spread by Toast & Jam DJs.

In addition, Helios Bashers will have the chance to tour the urban gateway to nature and science, interact with live animals and pose for fun pictures in a special photo booth by the Traveling Photo Booth. Silent Auction and Raffle prizes include two United Airlines Tickets, premium White Sox tickets Cubs and Blackhawks tickets, and many more!!

Pollen and City Provisions are teaming up to offer a Sunday Fun Day: Blooms and Bloodies silent auction package, which will include a private group floral design workshop from Pollen and pastries and bloody marys from City Provisions.

All proceeds benefit the Nature Museum’s TEENS program.

Attend the 2011 Helios Bash and you will have the chance to bid on a private, hands-on floral design workshop for 6, taught by Lynn Fosbender of Pollen.  The introductory two-hour class will cover flower selection, cut flower care, and the basics of floral design.  You and your friends will each design a seasonal, low and lush arrangement, suitable for a dining room table centerpiece.

With this workshop under your belt, you’ll be the friend who brings the centerpiece to dinner parties!  Well, unless the dinner party is with the 5 friends you bring to the workshop–then you’ll have to fight over who gets to provide the centerpiece.

The workshop includes instruction and all materials, and is valued at $750.

The floral design workshop will be offered as part of the silent auction at Society for Urban Nature’s Helios Bash, held Friday, August 19th at the Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum.  Tickets and more information are available at http://naturemuseum.org/sun/

Making this party rock:  Flowers by Pollen, music by Toast & Jam DJs, photography by trustudio, photo booth by the Traveling Photo Booth, food by Calihan Catering, beer from Goose Island, wine from Winfred Winery, and vodka from Yes! Vodka.

This was an exciting chance for me to explore some new techniques, such as using a floral frog for the centerpiece (actually a very old technique!).  Also, I got to work in the naturalistic style which I have come to love.

Please visit the Sweetest Occasions blog to see more and leave comments!  The winner will be selected on criteria including the comments left on the Sweetest Occasions blog (*hint, hint*)

Same-sex couples can enter to win a midnight “mini-wedding” at Catalyst Ranch.  Six lucky couples will win wedding services from some pretty great wedding vendors, if I do say so myself!

Full details here.  Enter here.