Real Weddings: Burlingame Country Club

This wedding might be familiar to a few of you, we did a post about having a Plan B with an outdoor wedding in May after we worked on this wedding. We now have elegant shots from the wonderful Anna Kuperberg to show off the Modern Classic designs we created for Eloise and Ryans wedding and the nice weather that held up through the ceremony. Thank you to Stacy from Stacy McCain Events for making everything run smoothly and working out a Plan B just in case of rain. Thank goodness we got to go with Plan A but it's best to always be prepared for the worst.

The bride kept her bouquet classic with all white peonies but we added modern twists to the reception with wheat grass, Kermit mums and moss balls. One of our favorite pieces of the wedding was an iron birdcage that we adorned with flowers, moss and greenery to look as if the flowers had grown there naturally, it was enchanting.

Eloise and Ryan's story of how they met re-instills the belief in fate. It all started when Ryan left a note on Eloise's father's car to see if he would be interested to sell it...he didn't get the car but he got the girl. Every couple has a funny or cute story about how they met, incorporate it in the wedding somehow to share the story with your guests and use it to add personal touches throughout the wedding.

Please view the full gallery Here

What do you do with all those extra cords from electronics and outdated electronic devices?

We had the opportunity to really step out of the box for a clients event this past October with a tech theme. When we got the call for this event we immediately went through a few boxes labeled "Random Parts" ,that were stashed in the back of our supply closet, to see what we had in the way of electronics that could give us some inspiration. We found old floppy disks, CD's, Ethernet cables, phone lines, old cell phones, key boards and for some reason circuit boards and old computer replacement parts. The design process started off great thanks to our plethora of random electronic parts and forgotten dated technology, good thing we pretty much keep everything over here at MDD.

In light of the Holidays we call these our "Where past Christmas presents end up" centerpieces. We have you intrigued, right? Click here to see the full album on our Facebook page.

 Let us know what you think!

Real Weddings: Viansa Winery, Sonoma

Jessica and Mike were such a laid-back and cool couple to work with from the first time we met to the wedding day. Their vintage inspired wedding took place at the beautiful Viansa Winery in Sonoma, CA. The views were breathtaking, the sun was out and everyone was relaxed, it was perfect!

We also got the chance to work with the wonderful vendors that the couple chose to be apart of their wedding.Jessica from LoveSpun Films created a beautiful film for the couple that highlights their touching personal vows and the unique details of their wedding.

Provided by LoveSpun Films

Photographers Jason & Anna captured the essence of this Wine Country Vintage Inspired wedding with softened images of the blissful couple and their DIY creations. 

 

 Check out more images of the wedding on the Jason & Anna Photography blog.

Jessica & Mike’s Exceptional Vendors

 LoveSpun Films | Jason & Anna Photography | Viansa Winery | Day of Planner: Brooke Altman with Viansa | Polly Ann Bakery | Sage Catering | Delightful Ink | Michael Daigian Design

Real Weddings: Treasure Island

We had the pleasure of working with Joyce from Events of Distinction this past October who created this "Fashionably Ever After" wedding design concept and with the beautiful images from Meg Perotti Photography we are able to share it with you. We had a really great time designing fashion inspired arrangements for this fun couple, especially in the cocktail area with the food station, cocktail table arrangements and escort card display. We hope these images will inspire you to personalize your wedding with a theme and really go for it!

To view the entire album please click here.
After you view the album let us know what you think here or on our Facebook page.

Holiday wreath making tips from MDD

1. When buying your wreath ring make sure you buy a double wire ring. This will prevent the wreath from becoming an oval.
2. Pick greenery that does not drop needles when it dries. Avoid Douglas fir. The best evergreens to use are pine, cedar and juniper.
3. To make your wreath unique and contemporary add interesting accents such as eucalyptus pods, tallow berries, succulents, bromeliads, birch bark strips and mossy branches.
4. Cut all your materials first into shorter pieces, length depends on the size of the wreath.
5. Make little bundles of your materials before you start and wrap them with rubber bands, wire or twine. You will need about 30-40 small bundles of material for an 18”-24” ring.
6. Use spool wire to wrap the materials to the ring and pull tight so when you let go of the spool it does not unravel. 20 gauge wire works the best.
7. To begin your wreath start with one of the bundles of material that has some longer pieces in it. This will cover the empty space that the end piece will leave.
8. If you end up with a blank space where your wreath ends place your bow there and you will not have to worry about filling it with greenery.
9. If you want to your wreath to be lit I would recommend using a 35 light strand for a standard 18”-24” wreath. Start wrapping the lights from one side of the top or bow and continue all the way around. Make sure you tuck the strand into the wreath as you go this way you will just see the glow of the lights when you are finished not the wiring.
10. You can add in the larger accents like ornaments, pine cones or acorns after the wreath is complete with a hot glue gun.

For more inspirational images and please visit us on Facebook

Inspiration: Holiday Centerpiece

Textural Holiday arrangement with succulents, tallow berries, cedar, eucalyptus, dusty miller, pine and pumpkins from Halloween sprayed gold to give them a festive Holiday look.

Back in the posting spirit!

Phew!.....It has been such a busy wedding season that we have not kept up with our posts and now we are into full on Holiday mode!! To get back into the posting spirit we are going to start off with something fun and crafty.....

The Holidays can be pretty hectic so we have put together 10 quick tips to easily add some spirit and cheer into your home this Holiday season.

Michael Daigian's
Top 10 Holiday Decorating Tips

1. Do you still have pumpkins from Halloween? Instead of throwing them away, spray paint them gold and they become a perfect holiday decoration.
2. Antique Pomegranates by sprinkling them with water and spraying them with gold spray paint. Arrange them in a decorative bowl-instant centerpiece!
3. If you couldn’t tell already gold spray paint is a must on hand item for decorating for the holidays.
4. When decorating your home with holiday greenery use Juniper or Cedar branches, they don’t drop needles.
5. Lighting your Christmas tree can be hard work. To make sure you have an even pattern stand back and squint at the tree, I know it sounds odd. It will blur everything else out but the lights and you will see if your glowing lights are evenly spaced out.
6. To stretch your holiday decorating budget mix artificial and real floral elements to adorn your home.
7. Want a custom wreath that represents your design aesthetic? Purchase a cedar wreath already made and wire on your own personal touches. It could be berries, special ornaments, fruit, ribbon or cording.
8. When decorating your home or tree with bows always make your own. A homemade bow has more personality than a store bought machine made bow, because they look machine made.
9. Take twigs or branches from around your property, spray paint them red or gold and you have a modern holiday element to add to your home. Arrange in a vase alone or add to your wreath or holiday garland.
10. If you are re-using holiday candles from last year, take an old iron and renew the tops of the candles. Hold the iron flat on the top for a few moments and it will make the candle look like new.

Always Be Prepared When Planning Outdoor Weddings!

Two weekends ago I had the opportunity to do a beautiful wedding that took place at the Burlingame Country Club in the Hillsborough Hills. Everything was in place. The flowers were ordered.  Nothing could go wrong, except for maybe the weather! The forecast was calling for rain and their ceremony and cocktail hour was mostly planned for outdoors. 
I met with the bride's mother two days before the wedding and we planned how we would move things indoors if the weather turned bad.
This made me realize that every bride and groom should have a plan B if they are having an outdoor wedding. Living in the bay area we are accustomed to having sunny weather in the month of May-September. Unfortunately mother nature doesn't always cooperate!
Well in the case of my clients, they were lucky. Their outdoor ceremony was a complete success with the sun even making an appearance for a couple of hours.

Then as the guests moved into the tented candlelight reception area, the rain started. The pitter-patter of rain completed the romantic feel of this garden wedding. It was nature's way of setting the mood!
 
Hope you enjoy the pictures as much as I enjoyed working on this wedding!

 
Michael Daigian

California Growers highlighted in this month's Martha Stewart Living Magazine

Flying back from the Midwest to California during late winter/early spring you notice the hues of brown and white that dot the barren landscape. Not much grows this time of year in this part of the Midwest. Growers have to wait until the winter snow has melted away and the summer rains have returned. Once you pass the Sierra Mountain range you come upon the beautiful shores of the west coast, with it's mild Mediterranean climate and it's rich fertile soils. Perfect conditions for growing crops!

I realized how lucky I am to live in such a diverse eco-system that is found here in California. With a growing season that is virtually year round, I can find many different plants, flowers, veggies and fruits that sustain us and much of the country as well. California is often referred to as the breadbasket of the world and is the world's fifth largest supplier of food and agriculture commodities. CA growers also account for 75% of all domestically grown cut flowers!

In this month's issue of Martha Stewart Living Magazine there is an outstanding editorial featuring California's growers and the S.F. Flower Market. It takes you through several different nurseries and it gives you a glimpse into the life of a grower, their challenges and their rewards.

A big thank you for the hard work that California growers endure to bring us our fresh produce and flowers to market everyday. They certainly make my life easier by producing a high quality product that eventually become my inspiration for my floral designs!


Michael Daigian

Michael Daigian will be lecturing at Macy's anuual Spring Flower Show this Thursday April 7th!

Michael will be at Macy's this Thursday giving his annual lecture on  how to create beautiful tablescapes for this spring season. He will also be demonstrating the current trends in the floral industry and how you can recreate them at home! This is a must see for anyone who is a fan or just wants to learn a little more about what Michael does on a daily basis.  He will be on the 6th floor and his demonstration starts at 2pm.

We have pictures that were taken during last years lecture that we hope inspire you to come out and see Michael this Thursday!  

Hartmann's "An Evening of Inspiration" was a phenomenal event!

Last night Michael Daigian and team attended Hartmann's client appreciation party, "An Evening of Inspiration" and it did not disappoint! The florals....amazing, the food...incredible, the drinks....delectable, and the venue was spectacular! A big thank you to Hartmann and team for holding such an incredible party for it's clients. 

Room with a view!

Nixon and Marisa enjoying a drink!

Michael and Jennifer hanging out at the Hartmann Party!

Nixon, Marisa and Jennifer lounging on Hartmann's velvety couches!

The blue lounge decked out in crystals!

Michael Daigian also provided flowers for the Mediterranean vignette that was one of the featured rooms that Hartmann provided to it's preferred florists.

How do I keep up with the Industry Trends.

The floral and event industry is constantly evolving. Every day there seems to be a new trend that just popped out of nowhere, whats new is old whats old is new again. How does one keep up? Well, by attending Open Houses like the one Classic Party Rental held last week.
As I walked through the party there were amazing table displays that were promoting Classic's newest lines of rental items. They were right on target with the trends that are forecasted for the coming years. It was an impressive display that left inspirational ideas with my team that attended the event.  Florists from the Bay Area were invited to do a display for one of the four "element " themed rooms.  I had chosen the fire room and sure enough our piece was red hot with hues of oranges, reds and fuchsias that complemented the room.

A big thank you to Classic Party Rentals for holding this amazing event. Please check out the photos from Doorstep Photography!

I will be attending Hartmann's open house this Wednesday and can't wait to see what they have in store for us!

MDDesign team was featured in SF Gate and ABC7 news!

Our Bouquets to Art piece done by our design team of Nixon Tran and Jennifer Lato was featured in SF Gate and ABC7 news this week! Their gorgeous arrangement was inspired by John Vanderlyn's painting Caius Marius amid the Ruins of Carthage, 1807.   You can view their piece on the second level in gallery 22 (B).  Great job to our talented designers. Michael Daigian Design is honored to have them on the team!

Michael Daigian of course had his own entry this year as well. His fabulous design was inspired by Michael Light's photo, Mono Craters 07.17.06 #10:Burned Jeffery Pine Forest and Tephra Flow Looking Southeast, Highway120 at Right, Mono Basin, California 2006.  His floral display is in Gallery 12 (E).

Come check out these wonderful displays of floral artistry that are now on view at the De Young Museum. This will only last until Saturday the 19th. Tonight is Members only night and the museum is open until 8pm. Also on Friday the 18th the museum will be open until 8:45pm. Please come and support the museum and the floral designers that made all this happen. This is all voluntary and the floral artists do it for the love of their craft!

Bouquets to Art inspired Floral Displays at Gumps and Wells Fargo!

Exciting news from Michael Daigian Designs!  Our floral creations promoting the upcoming Bouquets to Art are now on display at Gumps and at the main S.F. branch of Wells Fargo!

Gumps Hallway on Maiden Lane entrance

Our talented team of Nixon Tran and Jennifer Lato have done it once again and have created these dramatic floral works of art for public viewing. 

S.F. Main Wells Fargo Branch on Montgomery and California

We hope that this inspires you to attend Bouquets to Art which will be at the De Young museum starting with the opening night gala on March 14th. Michael Daigian, and the team of Nixon Tran and Jennifer Lato will have two pieces on display at the De Young.

Come and support the museum and all of the talented floral designers that will be showing off their works of art!

Monday's with Michael

 Flora Grubb: Beauty in the Bayview

I stumbled upon Flora Grubb about four years ago and have been a big fan ever since. This unique garden store in the Bayview district of S.F is one of the hidden gems that many locals don't know about. The gardens here at Flora Grubb promote the use of recycled materials, Eco-friendly succulents and sustainable horticulture that I can take back and apply to my floral designs back at the shop. I come here to find inspirational ideas and buy one of a kind metal artwork.  Not to mention I get my afternoon pick me up from Ritual Coffee. The staff is super helpful and are great at finding rare and exotic plants as well as cool metal artwork from local artists. Come by and take a look. You won't be disappointed that you made the trip out here!

Mondays with Michael

We here at MDD decided that a great way to start the week off was to have Michael share with you the in's and out's of the floral industry.  With Michael having over 25 years of experience and being a third generation San Francisco Floral Designer he has a unique perspective on both the floral industry and the history of it here in S.F!  Every other Monday Michael will write his own piece about what it takes to be a floral artist; the challenges, the designs, the drama! This will be your sneak peak of what really goes on behind the scenes of a successful floral studio.

To kick off this series, here's a few words from Michael about two recent industry events he participated in:

The floral world never stops moving and neither does it's designers....

I had envisioned January to be a slow month like it always is but I was mistaken this year. After we had packed up all of our holiday decor I thought we could breathe a little before Feb. 14th. Boy, was I wrong!  Mid way through the month we were at the Four Seasons Wedding Fair. The next day we had to designed a table-scape for ISES for their semiannual Designer Showcase when 5 days later I had to delve into another creation for The Special Event's Wedding Luncheon in Phoenix, Arizona. When I got back from Phoenix I was bombarded with Superbowl parties that needed attention.  The MDD team and I designed, executed and delivered the centerpieces just in time for kickoff!

To come up with something new and innovative was a challenge for both events. To say 'Hey I was the first who started that trend' is not easy. This is a constant challenge in this industry and my team of designers and I have to overcome it week after week. Now the next thing that's coming our way is Valentine's Day and what struck me was the preparation that is already going on at the S.F. Floral Market. We as designers never stop thinking, creating and executing. We never stop moving!

The S.F. Flower Market getting boxes ready for all of their orders next week.