Wired Wonder

One of the big upcoming trends in wedding work is wire.  We have seen it all of the design shows and it is running rampant along the costs.  It's just a matter of time until it makes its way to our town.  We have seen designs like the one shown here and we just had to try it.  For a bridal show in August we featured this bouquet and the response was huge.  Out of all of the bouquets we brought this one had the most oohs and aahs.  


We sure can't wait until one of our brides falls in love with this as much as we did!

Purple calla lilies are one of the hottest things this season.  This bouquet also holds alstroemeria tucked inside, its deep purple color blends perfectly with the alstroemeria.  Blue thistle is also worked in to add more texture.  The tree fern that surrounds it really adds flare.  The wispy feel of it works amazing with the wire.  The wire is in a lime green.  It is twisted into spirals that pop out of the deep purple calla lilies.  Notice how the bouquet is wrapped in deep purple with a green wire twisted down the stems.  This really accents the green wire and brings the deep purple down away from the bouquet. This bouquet could be created in an array of colors and flowers.  Calla lilies are available in so many shades, and we could even create this bouquet with roses or carnations!

Welcome

Welcome to our new Wedding Blog!  After the busy summer we have had with weddings and events we have decided to tell you all about it.  We will show off some of our work, show you upcoming trends, and give you some great tips.  We can't wait to start sharing with you.  If you have anything you would like to see here please leave it in the comment box and we will see what we can come up with.  Enjoy!

Help Us Help Others

The Secret Garden needs your help!  We are collecting cans of food for the WSOY 10th Annual food drive.  In the past few years the need for help from The Salvation Army and Catholic Charities has greatly increased.  This increase has put a strain on the local food pantries.  The WSOY food drive will go a long way to helping these pantries stock their shelves. 

So how can you help?  We will gladly accept your donations at 1215 E. Pershing rd from September 26th to October 6th.  We have a special offer to reward you for your generosity.  

Bring in 2 Cans of Food and you can purchase a dozen roses for just $10.00!

There are a few stipulations ~ The roses are assorted colors, we can not fill requests for specific colors.  This offer is good in store only, not for delivery.  The 2 cans of food must be presented at time of purchase.  Tax is not included.  

Make sure to tell your friends!  The food drive can use all our help!  Even if you do not wish to purchase the roses, please be sure to bring in some food for the Food Drive.  

The Corsage Bar is Open!

It's that time again!  Time to get the dress, the suit, the dinner reservations, and order your corsages & boutonnieres from The Secret Garden.  We take pride in creating one of a kind corsages.  When you visit our Corsage Bar you will see so many bracelets, ribbons, and flowers to choose from.  
Step into The Secret Garden and let us help you create a memory for you.  




First ~ Choose your bracelet.  We have an assortment of keepsake bracelets to choose from.  After homecoming is over you can simply remove the flowers and keep the bracelet to wear for special occasions.


Second ~ Choose your ribbon.  We have colors of ribbon that will accent any dress (over 50 to choose from).  We can match your dress or choose a color that will bring out your accents.


Third ~ Choose your flowers.  You can choose from, spray roses,  dendrobium orchids, miniature carnations, gerbera daisies, daisies, or button mums.  


Finally, finish it off with a little bling.  Gems, pearls, and colored baby's breath will bring it all together.  


This year we have something exciting for the guys too ~ All of our boutonniers come with magnets!  Yep, that's right, no more pinning on your big night.  We make homecoming easy.


So stop in soon to 1215 E. Pershing Rd to create the corsage of your dreams.  Be sure to enter our Best Dressed Contest too!


Check out more of our creations on Facebook ~ 

Silk or Fresh Cut?

Can you spot the silk flowers in this bouquet for bride Leah?  It may be tough but they are there.  Silk flowers have come a long way.  Sure you can still find the cheap stuff for low cost designs, but for something as important as a bridal bouquet only the best will do.  Good quality silk looks very realistic and sometimes better then the real thing.  Here at The Secret Garden we use top quality silks from companies like MeraVic and some great lines from Tapscott.  

If you can't tell, the Calla Lilies (white flowers beside the roses) and the Larkspur (Tall pink flowers in the back) are both silk.  

Today's modern bride is in love with all types of flowers.  Some are seasonal and are hard to find during off seasons (or costly because of the distance they need to travel).  This is a wonderful alternative.  If you can't spot the difference, chances are the guests will never know.  

What's "Growing" On At The Secret Garden ~ September 2011

This is a little late but here is our newsletter for September.  Do you receive our newsletter?  If not you can click here and sign up today.  Flower of the Month ~ Aster 'Asters are named after the Greek word for "star." Asters have a star-shaped flower head similar to that of a daisy. Like the stars in the sky, asters are found abundantly throughout the globe as they grow in a wide range of climates from the tropics to cooler regions in the North.' Read more about this months flower of the month here.

Homecoming One of our favorite things to design is corsages.  We love talking to the girls, finding out their tastes, style, and a little about them, and then creating something unique just for them.  This year we have several new designs of bracelets to choose from.  We are also doing more of the beautiful wire work you see here.  We are working on a special section of our website that will feature our creations.  Be sure to watch ourFacebook page for our "Best Dressed" contest.  Our homecoming couples can compete to win fab prizes and our Facebook fans get to pick the winner!

What Inspires Us~ 

One of our favorite things is a trip to Milan Il, to attend Bonnette's Fall Open House.  It's a day filled with inspiration.  From the design team that puts on the show, to the flower coolers bursting at the seams with flowers, to talking to other florists to get new ideas, it's a day we long for all summer long.  I firmly believe that education is the key to a great florist, any class we come across we jump at the chance to attend.  For this year's show the theme was "inspiration", and we received a lot of it.  To see some of the pictures we took you can find our album here.   

Fall Is Coming ~ Are you Ready?

Fall is coming, is your house ready?  It's more then just about bringing those plants in to protect them from the frost.  It's also about decorating the inside too!  We can help with that .  We have a wide selection of silk wreaths, silk arrangements, and home decor items to help you get ready for the fall season. Stop in today at 1215 E. Pershing Rd, to see our selecation.

Arrangement of the Month

Our Arrangement of the Month this month is named, "Happy Harvest".  It was, once again, named by our Facebookfriends.    It features Sunflowers, Viking Mums, Burgundy Miniature Carnations, Green Hypericum Berries, and little apples. You can order it herefor just $44.99.

Best Dressed Contest ~ Homecoming 2011

It's Homecoming time!  One of our favorite times of the year.  We love helping the guys and gals pick out the perfect corsage and boutonniere to match with their dresses & tuxes.  Creating these little masterpieces and making each one unique really gets the creative juices flowing.  But the downside is we rarely get to see the couples all decked out and wearing our creations.  So this year we decided to try something new & exciting.  We are going to host our very own Best Dressed Contest on Facebook.  Here is how it works.


Couples can email us a picture of themselves all decked out and wearing their flowers from The Secret Garden.  We will then make up albums weekly starting September 27th for our Facebook fans to vote on the best dressed.  We will have 3 weeks of couples and each week the couple with the most "likes" will move on to the finalist round.  The 3 finalists will then be voted on, or "liked" by our Facebook fans, and the couple with the most "likes" will win our grand prize.  


So what are they going to win?  The winning couple will receive iTunes gift cards ~ $50.00 worth for him, and $50.00 worth for her!  Now that is a lot of music... think of how many Lady Gaga songs you can buy with $50.00!  


For more details on this contest stop in and pick up one of our fliers, or give us a call at 875-9038.


We have a few rules ~ The pictures need to be emailed to secretgardendecatur@gmail.com by the Monday after the Homecoming dance.  The Secret Gardens corsage and/or boutonniere must be clearly visible in the picture.  Please try to avoid showing any other shops work in the picture, this will be confusing to our judges and to potential clients.  All entries will be verified by The Secret Garden staff.  The Secret Garden will retain the rights to the photo, all photos submitted may be used in future promotional materials.  


Remember to tell your friends and family to join us on Facebook to vote for you!  Every vote moves you one step closer to winning that grand prize.