Wedding at the Lodge - Edelweiss Flower Boutique - Elizabeth Seiji AIFD

Reprinted with permission.
A wedding at the lodge

The epitome of a destination wedding, this featured event by Liz is situated at the Biltmore forest Country Club in Asheville, North Carolina.

The Groom is a Hollywood producer claiming many projects of note including the biographies of famous people.

The location is lush and green. The venue has a country lodge feel and since it was in the fall months, flowers chosen were of that color theme. 

The large fireplace in the main dining room had to be decorated with ladders and installing done on site. Tall johnson grass harvested in the fields add a whimsicle "fresh from the field" air to the design. The beautiful hunting lodge decor of the dining room with the imposing fireplace.

A lush display of flowers in a footed compote. Swirls of bittersweet add a forested autumnal feel for this entry guest book table.

A dramatic cake cascade of flowers flows onto an ocean of blossoms. Accent swirls are created by individual insertions of hypericum berries.

Elizabeth Seiji AIFD and

Edelweiss Flower Boutique

Success through Innovation, Internet and Involvement

Elizabeth Seiji AIFD can point to a handful of professional practices that she firmly believes have boosted the success of her shop in Santa Monica. The amazing thing is that her practices and philosophies are incredibly basic tricks of many trades and professions. To succeed, it sometimes seems, one needs to step outside the shop. Take Liz's belief that industry networking" is crucial to the success of the entrepreneurial florist-designer. Operating in a vacuum and ignoring industry opportunities. Her participation at a competitive level demonstrates another of her business success philosophies: Competition is good for the floral soul.

Elizabeth believes her broad network of florist friends, cultivated over 22 years of entering design contests and volunteering on floral event planning committees, has taught her, through the experiences of colleagues and herself, how to manage her floral business more efficiently. Being involved is a big key to continuous learning.

"Competition is what made me a better florist," she says. "It’s valuable experience; it’s fun and it doesn’t matter if you win or lose."

Although she has never won the top spot in a CSFA "Top Ten" contest, she did win Top Ten’s second place, the 1998 Carik Cup and several FTD competitions.

But perhaps the biggest competition Elizabeth experienced was when she dedicated herself to become a member of the American Institute of Floral Designers. It was a huge achievement for this former Hawaiian who majored in Bio-Chemistry and Plant Morphology at UCLA.

Posted by SouthWest Regional Chapter AIFD at

2:56 PM 0 comments

Victorian Wedding Flowers - Some thoughts and ideas...

Garden Rose & Peony Wedding Centerpiece

We did flowers for a wedding recently that had a "Victorian" theme.  The location of the wedding was in Santa Monica at the Victorian House.  A beautiful Victorian Home on Main Street made into a romantic event site.

The Bride requested peonies for her mid-summer wedding, as professionals we let her know that peonies might not be available so late in the season.  English garden roses was suggested as a substitution if the peonies were in bad condition or unobtainable.  Since our industry is at the mercy of the seasons there are times when curtain flowers are very, very scarce or just not available.  

Well "luck" was on our side! The Peonies for her wedding arrived and they were beautiful.  Our lucky bride, not only had peonies, she also had garden roses in her bridal bouquet, brides maids and ceremony flowers.

We use a "vintage" birdcage with pink peonies, pink & white garden roses, mauve hydrangeas and hybrid delphiniums.  English garden style is the use of "cottage" flowers in a luscious, soft, formal yet relaxed look. We also used Queen Anne's Lace to add a soft romantic feel to our floral composition.   Two of these garden floral designs were placed on pedestals on opposite sides where the wedding couple said their marriage vows.
The Bride also wanted the herb lavender incorporated in her wedding flowers.  She loved the fragrance and  it reminded her of France.  We found French Lavender to compete the theme. Lavender was in everything including the Groom's and Groomsmen's boutonnieres.

Fragrance was also a bonus with our selection of flowers  chosen for this wedding.  We feel flowers should touch as many senses as possible.  Sight is the first impression, most women will remember if the flowers were beautiful or ugly.  After a week, most that attended the wedding will forget what they ate at the wedding.  If the flowers were beautiful, many will remember it for months and years!  Fragrance is discovered soon after and adds to the beauty of the flowers.  Wonderful fragrances can send someone to very memorable milestones in one's life.  Every time this bride smells peonies, lavender and garden roses it will transport her back to the events of her wedding day.  We love gardenias, as their intoxicating fragrance can fill a room. A fragrance so wonderful, the bride and groom remembers this flower with thoughts of romance forever.  Men in particular are attracted to this blossom along with Tuberose which has a similar Jasmine-like fragrance. 

Flowers and floral artisans who have the knowledge of best varieties can make this possible.  Like a chef who knows which combination of ingredients can make a spectacular meal, a professional florist with a passion for their craft can make memories with every stem.  We are constantly seeking out new and wonderful varieties along with classic blooms to make this possible.

On the day of the event when everything was set ready to take pictures of our hard work, the camera quickly ran out of battery charge and the only pictures we have is the above ceremony flowers.  What a bummer!  Hopefully we will be able to get pictures from the photographer.  To be continued.... : )