Going the extra mile

Weddings can be stressful, and planning them even more so. One of our goals has always been - and continues to be - to take the stress out of the floral component of the planning process for our clients. We received this sweet note in October from one of our September brides, and I finally have a moment to blog so I had to share it with you.

If you ever wondered what sets us apart from the rest, read on. Leigh, it was truly an honor to be part of your wedding plans and work with you. Thank for trusting us. We are humbled.

Laurabeth & Adrian 11-11-11

We just received photos from Jason over at Reclaimed Moments and I wanted to share a few with you - enjoy! Heather - it was a breeze working with you, hope to see you again soon. Laurabeth, I loved your fun vision, and I'm so glad we were able to help bring it to life. It was our pleasure working with everyone!

Event recipe: 
Planning & Coordination - Heather with Simply Jubilee Events
Church - Sugar Land First United Methodist | Sugar Land TX
Reception - Willow Fork Country Club | Katy TX
Photography - Reclaimed Moments Photography & Video

Love this pose!

(I love that the sash changed colors)

A Recent Event in the Life of PBD!

Here's a few photos from our recent event at Jordan Ranch. Congratulations to the happy couple. It was so much fun being a part of your special day. See the details below and see if you can spot all the details. Photos courtesy of Matthew.

A Snaptacular Shot! [Shannon & Keith 1-15-2011]

Clearly, blogging isn't my top priority. So today I'm shamelessly linking to another blog post, from some awesome photographers, JD and Jessica of Snaptacular Photos. They just blogged about one of our favorite weddings from this year, and I want to share it with you!

(Oh - and I previously blogged a quick video from the same wedding back in May, go check it out!)

Shannon and Keith: The Wedding (Houston Racquet Club, Houston, TX) 

Here's a sneak peak:

 

 

Thanks again guys for being so fun, funky, and cool! Its always fun to see the photos you capture, thanks for grabbing some great decor shots too!

Just released... WW Rated 2011

This just in! We're now Wedding Wire rated, and it's all thanks to our wonderful clients. You are such a blessing to us, and we're thrilled to have worked with each and every one of you! So give yourselves a pat on the back, and a round of applause - you deserve it!

The Time (Dirty Bit) - Joya & Emre's wedding video

My husband and I have always liked music from the Peas, especially their current hits. My brother is a big fan as well, and he found and shared this blog (and video) with me recently. I *HAD* to share! The details of what went into their wedding were pretty amazing, but this video takes the cake.

The blog is Junebug Weddings, featuring Joya & Emre's wedding story, details & video.

Have a blast watching it, and yeah, go ahead and sing along and dance a little! In fact, I think I'll change my Pandora station now.....   ;)

Time to be Courageous

Photo by Christine Tremoulet

I'm in the business of flowers. Duhh, right? The first thing you might think of is "beauty", while others (like my amazing husband) might think "allergies". ;) Sorry babe!

More specifically, I'm in the business of wedding and special event flowers. While we do other things, the majority of our business involves weddings and related events. Now, what's the first thing you think of? Love? Passion? Princesses? The splendor of that magical moment? Forever after in happily married bliss?

I want to share something from my heart. Too often I'm reminded that the focus of the months leading up to a wedding are on the beauty and painstaking details that go into the one-day event, and not on the lifetime of togetherness that should come afterwards. In other words, we need to prepare for the marriage - not just the wedding.

Now don't get me wrong, I absolutely *love* weddings, receptions, and everything about them! Particularly the flowers and the decor. After all, it's why I'm in this business! But after having dinner with a friend recently, I've been reminded of the extreme importance of the sanctity of marriage. My husband and I hold our own marriage tightly, guarding it close to our hearts, and remembering that keeping God in first place in our lives (and marriage) is crucial. I'm reminded of a song I heard recently, you can see the video below:




I'm renewing my commitment to pray for all the couples, and families that cross paths with us. For the husband- and wife-to-be to pause and think about the covenant they are entering into, and to have the courage to stand and fight for their marriage, long after the wedding. When money gets tight, or a job is lost. When an argument arises that seems without end. When unthinkable difficulties surround you. Praying that your marriage is be a safe place, with your partner as your protector and confidant, like no other. There's a strength found within those safe walls that I can attest to, and I want that for all of our couples as well.

Father's Day is approaching, and I've come across a new song and music video that I believe applies not just to fathers, but to marriage as well. Take a moment and listen:



Your wedding will be beautiful! (especially with Petals by Design involved!) But I also want your marriage to be beautiful as well. So I encourage you - don't be afraid or indifferent - BE COURAGEOUS!!

Megan's Bridals - Bellafotografica

Megan and Aaron are married now, so it's safe to *finally* share these photos. (I think I audibly squealed when Megan sent a few of these to me a few months ago.) Megan, you look like a model - so stunning! Congratulations you two, so happy for you, we really enjoyed working with you! 

I definitely have to give Allen @ Bellafotografica a shout-out - definitely a thumbs up! And I can't wait to share some of the wedding photos from Agave Road.

Y'all enjoy, and stay tuned for more.  (see Bellafotografica's actual blog post here)

Wonderful in white

It's a wonderful thing when we get to work with an equally wonderful family multiple times! We first worked with them a few years ago for her sister's wedding, and I was thrilled to hear from them again asking about helping with Shannon's. Of course, the answer was "yes!" It was beautiful, and they were kind enough to share this video of the wedding highlights with us. Enjoy!

Venue: Houston Racquet Club
Videographer: inlight-10 Productions
Photographer: Snaptacular Photography



Shannon + Keith's Wedding from inlight-10 Productions on Vimeo.

Chosen as a "Woman of the Year" by NAPW

I received a phone call last week, which in and of itself isn't out of the ordinary. However, the reason for the call was definitely not ordinary. I joined up with the National Association of Professional Women in 2010, and they were calling to let me know I had been chosen as one of their VIP Women of the Year for 2011!

Needless to say, I was elated. I'm a little bashful about things like this, so all I can say is, aww....shucks! (with a slightly embarrassed grin) Here's a link to my NAPW profile if your're curious.

Now for my acceptance speech. (hehe....I've always wanted to say that, but never want to be on stage) Not really, just kidding! But seriously, the bottom line is that without fantastic clients, I wouldn't have a business, and Petals by Design would cease to exist. So thank you to all of our fantastic clients - you know who you are!

So I'm going back to work now, to keep helping more of you fantastic-type people. 'Cause that's what we do.
: )

Cheers!

Maui & Micah - March 26th

I love weddings! And I love wedding flowers, and wedding photos. What I've discovered recently is my love of wedding video. Our happy couple from this past weekend was kind enough to share a video that was made for them of the wedding, and after watching the engagement videos, I couldn't stop my eyes from tearing up and my face from smiling. It was a privilege to be part of their wedding day, and we loved working on the flowers for them. I saw the love they have for each other in person on the wedding day, and it shows in this video. I can't wait to see the photography from the talented duo that make up Serendipity Photography.

Thank you, Micah & Maui, so much for sharing it with all of us, and congratulations!!!



Here are the links to their engagement story - kudos, Micah! I couldn't stop smiling!
Part I: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xpsdUj0O_TU
Part II: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kepUt_6adKw

We hope you enjoy watching! 


Church: Our Lady of Guadalupe
Reception: Kim Son - Bellaire
Photography: Serendipity Photography
Video: Ryan Bernardo

Petals by Design to receive Bride's Choice Award 2011

Katy, TX – February 18, 2011 


WeddingWire, the nation’s leading wedding technology company, is thrilled to announce Petals by Design has been selected to receive the prestigious annual WeddingWire Bride’s Choice Awards™ 2011 for wedding flowers!

Recognition for the Bride’s Choice Awards™ 2011 is determined by recent reviews and extensive surveys from over 750,000 WeddingWire newlyweds. Our past clients are among those that shared their experiences on WeddingWire, the largest wedding review site in the nation.

Petals by Design stands among the top five percent of wedding professionals in the WeddingWire community, representing quality and service excellence within the wedding industry. Awards were given to the top wedding professionals across 20 service categories, from wedding venues to wedding photographers, and were based on the overall professional achievements throughout the past year.

“WeddingWire is honored to celebrate the success of the top-rated wedding professionals within the WeddingWire community,” said Timothy Chi, WeddingWire’s Chief Executive Officer. “With the annual Bride’s Choice Awards™ program, WeddingWire has the unique opportunity to recognize the best wedding professionals across the US and Canada. We applaud Petals by Design for their professionalism and dedication to enhancing the wedding planning experience last year.”

We are happy to announce that Petals by Design is among the very best in Flowers & Decor within the WeddingWire Network, which includes leading wedding planning sites WeddingWire, Martha Stewart Weddings, Project Wedding and Weddingbee. We would like to thank our past clients for nominating us to receive the Bride’s Choice Awards™ 2011.

For more information, please visit our WeddingWire Storefront today.

For more information on the Bride’s Choice Awards™ 2011, please visit www.WeddingWire.com.

About WeddingWire, Inc.
WeddingWire.com, the nation's leading technology company serving the $70 billion wedding industry, is the only online wedding planning resource designed to empower both engaged couples and wedding professionals. For engaged couples, WeddingWire offers the ability to search, compare and book over 200,000 local wedding vendors, from wedding venues to wedding photographers to wedding cakes. WeddingWire also offers an online community and a suite of cutting-edge planning tools for weddings, including wedding websites and wedding checklists, all at no charge. For wedding professionals, WeddingWire provides free online management tools creating the only market opportunity that gives local businesses control over their clients, reviews, leads and performance. Businesses that join the WeddingWire Network appear on WeddingWire.com and other leading sites, including MarthaStewartWeddings.com (NYSE: MSO), ProjectWedding.com and Weddingbee.com (both part of eHarmony), and Celebrations.com (part of the 1-800-Flowers family of brands, NASDAQ: FLWS).

Check your spam folder!

Normally, you'd see photos of flowerish stuff here, but I thought I would do something a little different today. So if you'll indulge me for just a moment..... :-) 

It's a well known fact that many of us use the internet as a primary means of communication these days. Yeah, we still use the phone, but how many of us use our phones more for email/internet/apps than we do for actually making calls? And like you, I've experienced times where I send an email, to receive nary a reply! 

Yep, it's frustrating. When planning a wedding (or other large event), chances are good that you've reached out to quite a few different companies via the internet. This could be through a contact form on a company website (like ours), or through emailing them directly. But if you haven't heard back from them, I promise you, most of the time these people are not  -- I repeat NOT -- ignoring you!  

As a quick side note, my first step when receiving an internet inquiry is to respond the same way - via an email, through the internet. If I don't see a response in a reasonable amount of time, a second email and a phone call are the next steps. Past that, I'll assume you've moved on or are no longer interested. Hard sell is not part of my vocabulary.

Solving this problem could be as simple as checking your email spam folder. While there may be other issues at play, this is by far the easiest to be aware of. Chances are, those companies have already responded to your message but it went straight to your email's spam folder, where it will probably be automatically deleted after so many days. Or, maybe they're having internet/email problems themselves. 

Regardless, as beneficial and necessary as they now are, spam filters now seem to be a hiccup for small businesses. In my own experience, Yahoo! is notorious for this. I have no way of tracking the other email providers, but they are definitely a repeat offender. And there's really no way to know unless I call and specifically direct the person to check their spam folder, or resend the email while I have them on the phone.

If this is indeed happening, I believe the easiest fix is to simply add the sender's email address to your address book. There are also ways to "whitelist" the good email addresses, but I won't go into that. (I know just enough to get myself in trouble!) Here's an article that helps back this up:

Why Does My Email Go to Everyone's Spam Folder? | eHow.com

So, the moral of the story - don't give up! We, the small businesses of the world, are listening and responding back to you. Just keep trying. And remember to check those spam folders! I would love to hear feedback on this issue, please feel free to share your experiences and suggestions.

Image: jscreationzs / FreeDigitalPhotos.net