We are back from a fabulous season in Nantucket (well, we’ve been back a few weeks and jumped right in to NY/CT weddings). While working on our last wedding, my staff let me in on a little secret: I have a few little ‘quirks’ that I wasn’t aware of!!
-1- when I’m really busy and my hands are wrapped around beautiful flowers, I have a tendency to nod my head in answer to a question being asked and say ‘it’s the THINGY over there’ – who knew!

-2- I get pulled in many directions on game day by staffers from any of the venues we work in. Evidently, when I walk back in to a space we are designing in and transforming to something magical, I jump up and down a few times and clap my hands while saying ‘yeah, yeah – I LOVE it!!” – I hope all of our brides feel the same when they walk in and see their dream day for the first time.

-3- when I am on the verge of something really big (sometimes the creative process can be painful!) I start twirling my hair around my pointer finger and bite my lip. Not sure how that helps, but apparently it does.

Happy holidays everyone!

We are having the BEST summer. Our brides have been fantastic, our cocktail parties have certainly had hostesses-with-the-mostest, and we just realized it’s the middle of August. Where has summer gone? As we gear up for a busy fall season, we just wanted to give a gentle reminder that 2008 is filling up quickly. If you haven’t booked us, be sure to call and make an appointment today. We would love to be involved in your special day!
Cheers,
Dawn

This is our third year participating in a fashion shoot produced by Claudia Kronenberg Photography. This year was nothing short of fabulous! I thought it would be fun to share a few photos from the day. We had two definite themes – the forest and the beach. All of the vendors involved always have a good time pushing the envelope and trying something a little different. Look and see for yourself. Enjoy!
P.S. – if you go to our ‘in the news’ page, you can open a pdf of the layout in N magazine.

I had the pleasure of attending a design lecture by the renowned Rene van Rems (an incredibly talented dutch designer for those of you who aren’t familiar with him). He is truly inspired by nature and has a more organic approach to his design style. His stories from doing more than 1,000 weddings were inspirational and made everyone there that night realize that at the end of the day, all we want as a designer is to make sure our clients have an amazing event/wedding.

I’ve added some pictures from that night that i thought were pretty incredible. Enjoy!

Pink Martini Night!

We are honored and delighted to be a part of this big evening! What is it? Build for a Cure event by the Susan G Komen Foundation. Mark your calendars for an evening of amazing food, rubbing elbows with celebrities, bidding on silent auction items (we are proud to say we are doing all of the flowers for the event, as well as teaming up with our friend Traci Romano from Traci Romano Events for one of the auction items), and pink martinis of course! Tickets are $75.00ea and the event will be held at the Inn at Longshore in Westport, CT. You can purchase your tickets online at www.komenct.org or call 860-728-4955. Help us raise lots of money for this important cause.

We look forward to seeing you there!

https://soireefloral.com/1833-2/

A legend….

I was one of 35 people who had the special honor of having breakfast with Preston Bailey (he is adorable and so handsome!) last week in Holyoke, MA. He spent the day with some of us from ABC (Association of Bridal Consultants) in hopes of helping us prevent some of the very mistakes he has made during his star-studded career.

Ever the gentleman, he wasn’t afraid to weigh in with his opinions on different business questions we had for him. Getting to hear the do’s and don’ts, the successes and failures , and to see the highlights of his design ideas was amazing. Later that afternoon he gave a presentation showcasing his most recent work in his new book ‘Inspirations.’ He had some humorous anecdotes and some truly wild tails to tell. Even the master has not finished a job on time as guests were walking through the door (something he said is a BIG don’t). The point of his lecture was that in our business of dreaming up different things for clients, sometimes you occasionally have ideas that are bigger to pull off than you could have ever imagined. You just have to keep moving forward and keep a positive attitude. I think we can all take something away from that and apply it to our daily lives.

Best wishes,

Dawn

A little sunshine….

We’re back from L.A.– and it was FABULOUS!!! My mind is in overdrive after seeing so many things. From the latest color trends, to the hip new containers (it’s not about the glass cube anymore!), to the fabulous new colors in linens, I can’t wait to start working with our 2007 brides. There are so many dynamic things out there, and you are all going to have lots to choose from.

I have to say one of the biggest highlight of the trip was getting to tour the L.A. flower market. It is huge! 4am is an early wake-up call, but it was well worth it. Everything under one (well, two) big roof. You can’t help but be inspired. Spring is one of my favorite times of year as you have all the spring bulbs and vibrant colors to choose from for designs. Ranunculas with their showy petals, tulips with their graceful bending stems, hyacinths and their delicate fragrance, I could go on and on. Here are some pictures from the market.

Enjoy!

A fresh start……

The New Year always brings new resolutions. Mine is to make time to write more and keep you updated on all of the things we are doing. It is so important to continually look for inspiration and find new products to keep things fresh.

January is off to a great start for Soiree. We are heading to The Special Event Show in L.A. to get inspired and see what other designers in other parts of the country/world are doing. Some of my very own ‘idols’ will be speaking and to see them in action should make for a great week.

I can’t wait to tell you all about it when we return.

Happy New Year!

Dawn

What is the old saying about March? In like a lion, out like a lamb? I think it has been the other way around. The girls and I went to Philly to see the amazing designs put together by landscapers, designers, judged entries by garden clubs, etc. It is amazing to see how landscape and floral designers can use the same materials and end up with such different results. Truly inspiring. There was a lot of color this year. Green and pink with some chocolate accents still lead the pack, but blue and yellow are coming on strong. The blue color scheme is interesting to me. Obviously, it is driven by the latest fashion trend. But in reality, there are only so many ‘true blue’ flowers. It takes some creativity to continually use blue tweedia and hydrangea and have them look different. That is why going to the show is so great. It reminds me it can be done!

November 1, 2005

I guess I have to finally admit summer has slipped away and fall is here. We had a wedding in the city last weekend and the weather suited our flowers. It was a crisp, chilly day, and our fall color palette blended in with the leaves in Central Park. Sweet gum, bronze amaranthus, peach dahlias, hydrangeas from Ecuador and Holland, pale yellow stock (so fragrant!), red and yellow ranunculas, and seasonal berries all graced the ballroom at The Essex House. As we move towards the season of thanks and giving, the flowers in the flower market are alive with brilliant colors and lots of texture. I am so lucky to do a job I love. Our couple this last weekend was like many of our couples we work with. They become a part of the Soiree family, and on their wedding day, I feel like I am sending them off to college. I look forward to ‘adopting new kids’ as we book our weekends for 2006 weddings. Our summer is almost full, so don’t hesitate to contact us. We would love to be a part of your special day.
Cheers!

October 21, 2005

Yesterday I was lucky enough to be a privileged few to attend a seminar in NYC given by the Flower Council of Holland. I was surrounded by my peers as we listened to a lecture from a designer who grew up in Holland and now lives in Iowa (yes, I said Iowa!). Els (the designer) gave us her thoughts on the latest and greatest in flowers from Holland. Gorgeous amaryllis, long-stemmed gloriosa lilies, funky containers, and colored sisal/beads/leaves all had the makings for great event design. We were all awed by her talents and inspired by her enthusiasm and love for what she does. I came away with some new and creative ideas for both weddings and social events. Attending the event reminded me just how important it is to step outside of our own ‘world’ and see what is going on around us. After a fabulous summer in Nantucket filled with beautiful brides on their special day, it was nice to re-energize and be inspired for the holiday season ahead. Happy fall!

Aug 17, 2005

The Gift Mart in NYC was abuzz yesterday with the opening of many new suites. I attended a seminar on the upcoming trends for 2006. Fashion, home décor, and paint colors all affect the world of flowers and drive the ‘next big thing.’ What is up-and-coming for 2006? Well, many things at every end of the spectrum actually. Black and metallic gold will be strong (especially in jewelry). Wooden beads covered in crochet (which will translate over to flower containers) will also be big in jewelry as consumers look for a more relaxed, clean, earthy feel. The first half of the year will still show the bolder colors of this year in a more subdued palette (instead of burnt orange we will see a melon color, instead of deeper azure blue, we will see sky blue) with a softening towards neutral, clean color palettes. Sky blue and butter yellow will be big in clothing (and that translates to pale blue bridesmaid dresses) and make a wonderful backdrop for chocolate accents in bouquets and centerpieces. Black and white will be big in home décor, and that translates to a bold, modern look of black and white flowers (yes, black flowers! Black millet is absolutely gorgeous and looks stunning with white anemones which also have a dark center). The abundance of color combinations, textures, and new hybrids in flowers make for a promising 2006 season.