The Day's Journal

Finding beauty in the everyday pieces of life

bouquet

Friday Flowers :: Shelby’s Autumn Bouquet

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First off, I need you to take a look at this gorgeous scenery…

Mistry Farms Ann Arbor | The Day's Design | Ashley Slater PhotographyMistry Farms Ann Arbor | The Day's Design | Ashley Slater PhotographyMistry Farms Ann Arbor | The Day's Design | Ashley Slater PhotographyMistry Farms Ann Arbor | The Day's Design | Ashley Slater Photography

These are the views that would surround Shelby and Paul’s guests, making them fall in love with this wedding day even more.  And as a designer, I couldn’t imagine creating something that could complete with this natural beauty.

I knew this would be a day spent in the sun, with all of creation singing with glory.  Cowboy boots, wheat grasses and cool fall tones inspired me.  Autumn’s textures were abundant and I wanted Shelby’s bouquet to fit right in with this breathtaking backdrop.

Fall Bridal Bouquet | The Day's Design | Ashley Slater Photography

This bouquet was filled with lots of goodness.  Roses are always a standby in my recipe making, I chose to us Vendela Roses for their slightly off-white and creamy appearance.  I paired them with White cloud garden roses, which often have just a tiny kiss of pink or at least a warmer white hue.  Shelby had specifically requested cotton, which I was happy to deliver and added in some tallow berries to accent the woodiness of the cotton stems.  I always like to add at least one linear item to the design and chose tuberose for this bouquet.  Again, it has a white appearance but the ends fold into a mauvy blush tone adding a little depth to the muted palette.  We had talked a lot about using wheat throughout her wedding design, but wheat just didn’t have the right movement, so I opted for pampas grass which would give a similar color but swayed nicer in the wind.  I then added a couple of grasses that I plucked from the side of the road which had a similar size and scale to the wheat.  My bouquets always require a pinch of green, especially since I knew there would still be plenty in our stunning autumn background, so I added snow on the mountain, which would serve to act as a bridge we transitioned from the greens to white.  Lastly, I added in one single hydrangea.  It was trimmed from a plant that I had bought earlier in the season and it served a couple of purposes.  One, it filled a whole that was daunting me during the design process.  Two, it added a little more depth the pale color palette.  And three, I knew there was an amazaing hydrangea bush on property with similar tones and I had high hopes that the bride would be photographed in front of it.  She was.

Autumn Bridal Bouquet | The Day's Design | Ashley Slater PhotographyAutumn Bridal Bouquet | The Day's Design | Ashley Slater PhotographyFall Bridal Bouquet | The Day's Design | Ashley Slater Photography

Oh the places the bouquet traveled that day, it was such a dream.

Autumn Bouquet Recipe | The Day's Design | Ashley Slater Photography

Photography: Ashley Slater Photography | Venue: Misty Farms in Ann Arbor, Michigan | Floral Design: The Day’s Design

Prayer Walk

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Truth be told, 2017 is off to a rough start, in an emotional sense.  Everything that I’ve envisioned for the New Year isn’t exactly coming true and I’ve been a little disheartened.  I made a couple mistakes in 2016, both personally and professionally and I’m still beating myself up a bit.  But knowing that there’s nothing I can do to change the past, I’m striving to move forward and my mantra has simply been to do 2017 better.  I think we can all be a better version of ourselves.

Focusing on the future.  I’m hopeful that there’s some really beautiful things ahead.  However, it’s scary because the future is always an unknown.  I have a hunch that I’m not the only business owner out there who might be dealing with a little fear.

Prayer Walk | The Day's Design | Ashley Slater Photgraphy

Photography: Ashley Slater Photography

Yesterday, I was going about my day and stressed and hurried but then found myself in an usual situation with a couple extra minutes on my hands.  So I went for a stroll down a city sidewalk and wandered into an antique store.  I was minding my own business and going about my shopping when a stranger approached me, kindly introduced herself and asked if she could pray for me.  Was there anything on my heart that I could use prayer for?  She was on a prayer walk.

I nearly burst into tears then and there.  There were a number of people out and about yesterday, and yet this person I don’t even know wanted to pray for me.  I don’t know that I looked like I needed prayer or that there was a troubled look on my face.  But I gave her an abbreviated version of what’s been keeping me up at night and she prayed for me and was then on her way.

I have been filled with such a peaceful feeling since this encounter.  It gave me a little hope for the world, there’s good around us. I think this is just a good reminder to all of us that we never know what the person who parked crooked next to us, is taking too long in line in front of us or has a beautiful life on social media is really go through.  What would happen if we all just prayed for each other?  And what if we showed someone grace and kindness whether their life is beautiful or they’re just flat out rude?  What if we all promised to be the very best version of ourselves?

Flowers Made with a Mirror

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Building a Bridal Bouquet | The Day's Design | Helter Photography

Photography: Helter Photography

I finish every single bridal bouquet I make in front of a mirror.

In our current home setup (which is only last for a few days more…) I begin collecting flowers, arranging all the beautiful blooms in my hands, painstakingly spending minutes which quickly turn to hours, agonizing and arranging.  And then I stop what I’m doing, walk to the other end of the house and hold it in front of our full length mirror.

Then I tweak some more.

The mirror is also conveniently located at the end of our hallway, which gives me the luxury of being able to practice walking down the mock aisle – giving the bouquet a full test run and enables me to see exactly what everyone else will see on your wedding day.  It’s fascinating to me how a shift of perspective can completely change the look of a bouquet.

Sometimes I completely start over.  Sometimes I just adjust a flower or two.  But inevitably, there always seems to be a pile of loose petals and random leaf trimmings that migrate down the hallway and into this area of my house.

My husband tells me to put a mirror in the dining room, aka my flower studio, “condense your steps,” he says. I think in reality he would like to suppress the spread of flower trimmings.  He also gets upset that we have so many mirrors in our house.  Seems a bit contradictive if you ask me.

This weekend I began to wonder where I would put my “bouquet mirror” in the new house.  I was thinking I should find something full length and pretty fancy – since I will not be taking the gold and black trimmed, faux marble mirror that is glued to our hollow core wood door with me, such a shame.  And then I realize flea market season is just around the corner.  A mirror with a little aging and patina would fit the bill just right.

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Finding “The One”

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Shelby | The Day's Design | Hetler Photography

Photography: Hetler Photography

I’ve had quite an adventurous week. I jetted off to NYC and experienced the wrath of winter storm Jonas. I ran through the airport like a mad woman being chased by angry bees and plowed through the airport, nearly missing my flight. I made it home to only to leave a mere 8 hours later to continue our quest for the perfect new home. I’ve been up to my elbows in emails and ridiculously gorgeous linen swatches, invitation samples and room layouts. And my quince, which I bought for a project two weeks ago, finally decided to bloom and is displaying the most exquisite, dainty little white blossoms. Yes, I’d say it’s been a pretty good week.

Most notable on that list, or at least on the forefront of my mind, is the continued housing search. It’s all I can think about. We found another house we like. The number of houses that we have even come close to considering has been slim pickings. This is #2 in the past 4 months of looking. But is it truly “the one”?

I am that person who finds value in old things. When I see an older home being torn down, it’s all I can do to stop myself from knocking on the door and pitching a fit, throwing myself in front of the crane and wondering why in the world someone would rather throw a treasured piece of history away than try to breathe new life into space and return it to its former glory. If we continue on this path, one day there won’t be any history left and no one will know the ornate detail of a hand carved mantle, the allure of coved ceilings or recognize the creak of an old wooden staircase. So to purchase a house without these things feels untrue to myself and hypocritical. I want an old house. I want to know what the walls would say if they could talk. I want to think of what is was like when Mr. & Mrs. 19th Century walked through the doors of their brand new house for the very first time.  It makes me sick to my stomach to consider purchasing otherwise.

Other thoughts that keep me awake at night include the nightmares of remodeling a room, or worse – an entire house, again. It took months of living in filth, having furniture chaotically spewed about and not being able to cook in an oven, sit at a kitchen table or use certain rooms. Painting takes hours. Shopping is time consuming. And now we have two little girls who would be shuffled in the midst of it all. It took us 5 years to get our house to its current décor state and my to-do list isn’t even finished.

On the other hand, if we purchases something that is “move in ready” I won’t get the pleasure of making it my own. I can’t take pride in the design or know that I have truly found the very best chandelier to display proudly over my dining room table. I’m really picky about the finishing touches (in case you couldn’t tell by now) and often when I think I can deal with something and live with a space as is, later down the road realize that I can’t and these quirky little things drive me bananas. I despise modern touches like vaulted ceilings, can lighting and other nuances that seem to be perks to other buyers and heavily advertised in home listings. That’s not to say I won’t or haven’t ever lived in a space with these items, their simply not what I would choose for myself and they definitely don’t add value from my standpoint. I’d rather head to the flea market and find a rusty little gem to spray paint and pop on the ceiling. I love the idea of designing a space from scratch.

So have we found “the one”? Heavens to Betsy, I don’t know. It’s a nice blend of old and new. It sparkles and has lots of land. But there’s always the nagging thought in the back of my mind that perhaps I should loosen my purse strings and purchase the 1875 farmhouse that we originally put an offer in on. We could polish her up and make her shine again. Or we can just keep on looking, we’re not being kicked out of our current home, yet.  Or perhaps the best option out there has yet to be listed. Value can be measured in many ways, I’m just trying to figure out which increment we’re going to use.

Shelby signature

Wedding Planning Services

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Wedding Planner Services | Job Description | The Day's Design | Ashley Slater Photography

Photography: Ashley Slater Photography

Somewhere between pretentious corporate event planner and “I planned my sister’s wedding so now I’m an event planner” – on the side, is where you’ll find me… with a bouquet of flowers in my hands. I am a small business owner and boutique wedding planner, specializing in one of kind celebrations. I have a degree in event planning – or as close as I could get (Bachelors of Science in Hospitality and Tourism Management with an emphasis is Event Planning – yes, that’s a mouthful).  I plan, design and floralize weddings for a living.

However for me, business isn’t really about the title, it’s about being able to do what I love. While The Day’s Design didn’t necessarily start with flowers, it was born out of my love for design. Pulling together all the individual details for a wedding and forming one cohesive event makes me so happy. I love finding the perfect napkin that matches your invitation that pairs perfectly with your bridesmaids dress.

FLORAL DESIGN

But often the element that speaks loudest in that design scheme is the flowers and since I am so passionate about this aspect too, they naturally became part of my service offerings. They are a tangible component that everyone can see. The floral selection for any event says a lot about a person and the impact is huge. This is what draws most people to my work. And then we bond because they fancy blooms almost as much as I do.

I can’t seem to quench this thirst for floral knowledge. Colors, varieties and bouquet shapes fill my imagination…

WEDDING DESIGN

At times, the conversation ends with flowers, but more often it continues on, circling back to that design discussion and dreaming of all the decorative possibilities from escort card displays to making sure each place setting is arranged with a perfectly graceful ribbon draped on top. My sketch pad is full of doodles from blooms, to ribbons to invitations and the possibilities are endless. My creative mind is always on a wild quest for more. We’ll fashion an entire mood board and sketch out designs for the day. Together, we’ll visualize all the various details, big or small, and the roles they play in the overall tone of your wedding. If you hire me to design your wedding, I’ll be a part of every aesthetic facet working with your other creative vendors and then onsite that morning making sure that everything is perfectly placed and spotless. I may even help your photographer style a few photos if our paths should happen to cross and your timeline allows.

EVENT MANAGEMENT/DAY OF COORDINATION

Since I am there anyway, event management becomes a natural step for me to take. It’s a little more work for me on the front end of things (with a stellar team of assistants in tow), but so worth it to any bride who is considering whether or not to do everything herself. I’ll help build the entire itinerary for the day, making sure there’s a planned arrival time for each and every vendor. You won’t have to worry about whether or not the cake was delivered or the linens are set on your tables in time for the caterer to begin their part. The bridal party will know where they’re supposed to be and when to start walking down the aisle and I’ll straighten out your train before your grand entrance. Concerns about whether the photographer is in the room when the best man makes his toast or when husband and wife dance for the first time are eliminated as it will all be scheduled and well thought out, flowing as if it were all just naturally meant to happen.

FULL SERVICE WEDDING PLANNING

Then there’s the bride that needs help from the very beginning. The number of inspiring vendors in her area seems daunting and the idea of figuring out a budget is tedious. I become the friend that’s planned a million weddings and a liaison between practical, glam, organic and what your mother wants. I’m the voice of reason and inspiration, guiding the couple through each step of the planning process. Our journey together may begin with a location, a venue, finding the perfect caterer, tasting cakes or drinking champagne after he first proposed. Having a wedding planner doesn’t mean that you lose out on planning your wedding, but rather you have an experienced hand helping you along the way and any dull tasks that you don’t want to do, you can have someone else take care of.  Everything stays orderly, on schedule and remains fun, after all wedding planning is supposed to be fun.  It’s a celebration!

Regardless of contracted services, each couple is special to me. Each event is one of a kind and deserves its own contemplation and creativity. Being engaged is a once in a lifetime experience and I want to make it the very best for you. But most importantly, I wish all of my clients a marriage far more beautiful than any wedding I could ever help to create.

Shelby signature