It has come to my attention that I might not be romantic. At least that’s the feeling I get as I am introduced to event industry folks as a floral designer. The gist of what I hear as they describe me, in my role, is as follows:
Them: “This is Emily of Lola Event Floral & Design. Their designs have this great earthy, organic, handmade element.”
Me: ”Great.”
Them: “This is Emily Ellen. She does these amazing sculptural creations.”
Me: “Totally!”
Them: “This is Emily. She does these bold, modern arrangements with dramatic shapes.”
Me: “Yup.”
Them: “This is Emily. Her designs club you over the head and drag you by your hair back to her creepy plant cave.”
Me: “Whuh?”
Them: “This is Emily. She stole my socks.”
Me: “Well, why did you leave them by my croissant?”
Well, I’ll have you know, we are planning a little marketing photo shoot this weekend. It’s gonna be romantic. It HAS to be romantic. All the other participants’ work ooze romance.
Vintage Ambiance? Hello!? The bones of romance.
Alante Photography? Capturers of wistful glances.
Victoria’s Couture Bridal? Anybody who makes dresses this exquisite and customized can only be of the Fairy Godmother variety.
Kerry Efendi? A treasure maker.
Lilli-Pilli Patisserie? Dreams to eat.
Oasis- Herban Feast? Earthy wonderland.
Mollie McGrath of Pinup Salon: Expert of dewy skin, touchable hair, and kissable lips.
Until recently, I thought, “Ya, no problem. Weighty, drippy pieces, graceful sweeps, soft textures, fluffy something, soft lighting. Got it.”
Then, something started happening. My thought process went a little something like this…
“Well this is all too much texture.” I thought, “How is anyone s’posed to see the shape? It’s so blobby? The flowers look like a junior high cheerleader pyramid. That’s it. Cut out the flowers- just grasses with some flowering branches. Readable. But that’s not country estate in Northern France romantic. (sigh) What mademoiselle wants a load of grass and sticks on her table…?”
“Hmmm. Is there a way to incorporate rocks? Oooh, a pile of jagged rocks in a dark corner with desaturated blue light and a piece of driftwood holding one of Vintage Ambiance’s candelabras… Moody.”
“Bah! Moody does not equal romance.”
“I couldn’t get peonies in the right color. Can I even have romance without peonies? What are romantic flowers.”
“Gasp. The colors. All muted tones. Without the contrast, without the massing, won’t they all resemble the approximate color of undercooked pork?! This is a mess, what am I doing? Can one who drops food on herself daily truly be responsible for creating a romantic arrangement?“
…
Why is suddenly trying to be romantic so damn strange? After all, I have done this before.
I’ve temporarily regained composure. As for romance, we shall see. I’m sticking with my original recipe for romance: graceful shapes, naturally weighted elements, effortlessness, abundance. I’ll keep you updated from the shoot.
Tags: vintage ambiance, lola floral, alante photography, oasis herban feast, kerrie efendi, lola event floral & design, mollie mcgrath, pinup salon, victoria's bridal couture, lilli pilli, romance, romantic weddings, photoshoot, anxiety, self doubt




































































































































