In Bloom

"Flowers always make people better, happier and more helpful; they are sunshine, food and medicine to the soul." - Luther Burbank

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Hiya, Bees!

So about 3 weeks ago, I turned to lovely age of thirty-one {oof, it looks so much older when I write it out!}. And for me, once I passed the 30 mark....my birthday wishes changed a bit. Gone are the crazy birthdays at the club...the dreams of a new "It" bag...the girls' weekends to LA. Now, I just wished for simple things - a picnic with friends, a cozy dinner at my favorite Italian restaurant....

And a bouquet making class at Studio Choo.

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Yep, you heard me! Studio Choo is a charming floral design studio that I have been pining over since I stumbled upon one of this marvelous greenhouse wedding of one of the owners, Jill.

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Cheerful, unruly and hopelessly romantic, I didn't know much about flowers, but I did know that I loved everything about Studio Choo's arrangements! And if I had a pot of gold, I would have just booked Jill & Alethea 2 tickets to paradise as my wedding florists. But since that wasn't in the cards for this budget bee, I did the next best thing...I signed up for their bouquet making class.

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The class was really tiny - only 6 of us - and for almost 3 hours we watched and listened to Jill and Alethea as they shared with us their tips and tricks for creating the perfect unruly bouquet. They taught us how to incorporate the ever popular succulents into an arrangement and which flowers to start and end with, based on sturdiness and delicateness. Then, they sent us off to wander around the shop to pick our own blooms for our very own bouquets. There was an army of dahlias - giant and small - in a dazzling array of colors. There were ranunculus galore. Berries, Jasmine, Hydrangeas, Geranium and others that I can't even remember the names of. It was like a candy shop! And slowly but surely, bloom by bloom, our bouquets came to life...

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Once it was assembled, the Studio Choo gurus showed us how to wrap it together and finish it off with a pretty ribbon of our choosing. And, the great thing about these bouquets is that you can easily pop them in a jar or vase and voilà! instant floral arrangement.

 I tried to take as many photos as I could but realized quickly that my hands were full almost the entire class! Jill and Alethea took most of these but I was able to snap a pic of my masterpiece at the very end.....

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And the best part? The Studio Choo gals gave us parting gifts of our bouquets, the mason jar as a vase, flower shears and a sweet Studio Choo tote to carry everything in!

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In those 3 hours, I learned so much about floral design - the style I like, the flowers, berries and filler I love and even the way I want my bouquet bound! And while it would be dreamy for me to design my own bouquet for my wedding day, I know that is down right crazy for me, as it willl just add more last minute stress that I am trying desperately to avoid. But, I now have the knowledge I need to speak the same language as my local florist, who is super flexible and loves new ideas. Hooray!

So, if you have the opportunity to sign up for a floral design class, I say go for it! Mine was reasonable and I know that many flower shops and city colleges offer classes like these. Now I'm counting the days until I can take another one.  :)

Are there any bees DIY-ing their bouquets for their special day? And for all our bride to bees out there - what style bouquets are you dreaming of?