Today I thought I would experiment with a neat little embedded movie gallery from a group of wedding images from Arrowhead Yacht Club in Greenwood, Mo. Love this place!
For a few years now we have been big fans of the wedding florist creations at Victorian Gardens and its owner Amy Cason. Amy has done the flowers for a number of our clients and all have been very pleased with Amy’s work. No drama, no hassles, and only good surprises is what you can expect from this Kansas City wedding florist. We spoke with Amy recently to learn more about her and her services and to introduce her to our current and future clients.
Q: How long have you been in business?
A: I have been a floral designer for 14 years.
I’ve had a passion for flowers and natural elements for even longer though. I remember picking flowers from my mothers garden, taking time to place each flower in its special place until the flowers looked perfect. I dreaded the first frost because it meant I’d have to wait until spring to see the little heads of daffadills and crocus poking through. The desire never subsided and I knew that this is what I was designed to do.
Q: What are your artistic sensibilities, the styles you love, you favorite flowers and palettes?
A: I love the variety and addition of taboo flowers. Years ago certain elements would have been unheard of. Thistle was a weed and grasses and branches were never added. Now pods, mosses and many other elements are adding textures and details. Nothing is off limits and floral design is now more of an art form and an expression of ones self. Picking a favorite flower, for me, would be like picking one of your children as your favorite. I love to use each one in its own form and design style. I love the power of monochromatic, the effect of one color in a grouping is quite striking.
Q: What is it you love about being a florist?
A: Every bride has a vision of what her day is to look like. Some since they were a young girl or others that have just started to plan the day with their new love. I love bringing that vision to life and helping their dreams come true.
I also enjoy the artistic design of bringing several element together to create a complete and finished look. Transforming a blank space into a breath taking venue or complementing an already lovely location by magnifying or accenting its beauty.
Q: What are some popular trends, styles right now?
A: What I love about this era of floral design is that anything goes. There are no traditions and making your wedding day more of your style is what is in. If you love punk or want to wear a short sun dress with guys in suits or have your ceremony in a theater , whatever depicts you is what make this your day. Popular styles are using your personal collections and incorporation them into your design.
Q: Do you offer rental items, such as vases, potted plants, arches, trellises, candelabras or urns?
A: We can rent whatever your needs or wants are. Candelabras, urns, vases, plants, arches, chuppahs, mandaps , pillars and anything you might need. just let us know.
Click on the images to view a gallery of photos featuring the floral creations of Victorian Gardens
Q: Do your preserve bouquets after the wedding?
A: No, we do not preserve bouquet but we have a list of people who do.
Q: How many weddings do you service per day? Do you have a maximum number you’re willing to do?
A: We try to only book one wedding a day. You do not need to worry about your florist being late or problems occurring. However if we do have weddings that have only personal flowers that they need and no setup is required then we may book two on a day but never more than that.
Click on the images to view a gallery of photos featuring the floral creations of Victorian Gardens
Q: What makes your service and products different?
A: My personal touch to each bride and attention to detail. I love when a bride adds any sentimental items, or heirlooms from her collection. The more creativity brought in the more personalized and unique each wedding becomes. We’re also different from those vendors that don’t deliver or instead require the bride to make arrangements to pick-up their own flowers or those vendors that just drop them off at the wedding. Those vendors have no personal attachment to the brides and It seemed to make their day much more hectic.
I realized that I could supply better product without the mark up, while offering a personal touch with the delivery, set up, and helping remove items for the clean up afterwards. This helped to personalize each wedding for each bride. Each bride is different and should be treated as such.
Q: Do you decorate the cake with flowers or should the cake baker?
A: I usually decorate the cake but if the person is there that made it and wishes to place the flowers, I am fine with that. It is their form of art and if they have a vision and wish to finish it I respect that as a fellow artist.
Q: What’s the craziest experience you have had as a florist?
A: The craziest experience I have had was having to almost completely cover a cake with flowers because it was dropped on the way into the reception and had to be pieced back together.
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Thank You,
Chris Cummins
chief photographer - Glow Imagery
EDITOR’S NOTE: In an effort to better serve our clients, we will be running a series of blog posts throughout 2010 profiling various Kansas City wedding vendors we have worked with before and we feel offer excellent services to couples planning their wedding.
Our first vendor spotlight is of Elite Sounds, a Kansas City wedding DJ. Elite Sounds is owned by Craig Loftis and they can be contacted at (816) 305-7291. We worked with Craig at an event in early August of 2009 and were impressed. One of the main criteria I use to judge a DJ is if they have a feel for the reception, can keep the dance floor pumping and actually make the effort to learn the correct pronunciation of the wedding party’s names (this is kind of a biggie for us.) Elite Sounds succeeded on all counts.
Here’s what the bride from that evening, Amanda Durnal, had to say:
I really enjoyed Craig. He was organized but flexible and kept my dance floor full. His reception plan sheet is very detailed and allows the couple to practically design their night and then he sticks to the plan. He helped us think through some of the things that we may have overlooked (special songs, announcements, etc) with his planning.
THE INTERVIEW:
How long have you been in the industry? I have been in the industry since 2001
What size is your music library? Our music library features tens of thousands of songs.
Are you the DJ at the receptions or do you have a team of DJ’s? Elite Sounds has four DJ’s all of which have roughly 10 years of experience in the business. Our DJ’s have not only performed for thousands of wedding guests, but have also opened or worked with nationally touring artist such as Jessica Simpson, LL Cool J, Mya, Christina Millian, Tone Loc, Vanilla Ice, & C & C Music Factory. Each client has the opportunity to meet their DJ before booking if they would like.
What equipment do you provide? We provide PA, microphone and lighting.
How much time do you require for set up? Our set up time is 1.5 hours.
Do you take requests? We take requests that fit into the music guidelines given by the bride and groom.
If a couple requires you to MC, are you capable of doing so? Our DJ’s have experience working for local radio stations such as Jack FM, 95.7 The Vibe, and Magic 107.3 so we pride ourselves on the ability to be able to offer great emcees when needed.
Will you get every song a couple wants, or do they have to provide you with the ones you don’t have? We offer what we refer to as an “endless music library” meaning we will get any song that a client wants with no additional cost to them.
How will you be dressed? We prefer to dress just like a guest.
What makes you different from other DJ companies?
Since 2001 Elite Sounds Entertainment Group has set the standard for DJ entertainment in Kansas City for wedding, corporate, school, and nightclub clients alike with their eclectic song selection, mixing, and versatile style.
Ask any previous client, and they will tell you why Elite Sounds was voted Kansas City’s Best DJ Company during KMBC’s A List competition this past year! Elite Sounds has found their niche in the market by providing technically polished Club DJ’s skilled in the art of seamlessly mixing records spanning from the 60,s , 70’s, and 80’s all the way to current Top 40, Rock, and Club. Although most guests don’t understand what the DJ is technically doing, they do understand and appreciate how Elite Sounds differs from the competition!
Elite Sounds Entertainment Group has quickly become the go-to company for clients such as Ralph Lauren Fragrance, Sprint/Nextel, The Buckle Inc., Harrah’s North Kansas City, Cumulus Media, as well as hundreds of brides looking for a modern vibe not achievable by most. Once you experience Elite Sounds you will understand why they are considered the premiere DJ company in the Midwest.
The after effects of a Christmas blizzard could not stop this terrific couple and their gorgeous wedding! Congratulations Jennifer and Mike! We will be posting more images from this wedding in the coming days. All the pictures from this wedding will be visible in an online gallery by Jan. 10.
Click on the pins and markers to see a description of the location with a sample of our pictures from the various locations. You can download, print or email to your friends! You can also view a larger version of this map inside Googe Maps.
Here’s an excerpt from a recent review one of our brides shared about us on Kudzu:
“I look at my wedding album today, and I can’t believe that every moment could possibly be captured in still, but its all there. I felt like a princess that day, and all my great memories are preserved forever thanks to Glow Imagery.” Read the rest of the review.
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