Upcoming Competition

Well, tomorrow is a big day for me. I am one of three competitors in the Annual Capital Cup Competition. We have competitions at three times during the year and each one has one winner. I was one of those winners in March. So, tomorrow the three winners meet at one location and bring a permanent botanical arrangement they have designed. It is a holiday theme. Mine is done in a contemporary feel (I'll post a photograph later). Then we'll have what's called a "surprise package" competition where we are told that we will design a wedding piece, a sympathy piece and a designers choice. We can only bring our toolbox. We will be given a half hour to go into the room and see the flowers, containers, accessories, etc. and have that time to sketch ideas. They will tell us spefically what types of wedding pieces or sympathy pieces we can do: for instance, a wedding piece can be a wearable piece like a corsage or head-wreath, bridal bouquet, or even a flower girls piece. The sympathy piece could be a standing easel spray, or table arrangement.

We'll have two hours to produce all three pieces and then we'll be judged on principals and elements of design, mechanics. I'll give you the categories after the competition.

The winner gets to do the design show next year in October focusing on the Christmas holidays. This show is in front of all the Teleflora shops in the D.C., Maryland, and Virginia area. Boy, would I love to do that!

So, I'll take all the prayers I can get. I'll post pics and stats after the competition. Stay tuned!!

Washington Wedding Show Update

The Washington Wedding Show was a fabulous time. We had a beautiful booth full of gorgeous flowers. Our bridal bouquets were featured in the fashion show and were a bit hit. Brides came anywhere from West Virginia, Maryland, Virginia--even Georgia.

The wedding vendors were top notch and made the professional success of this show overwhelming. I was looking over the timing of the upcoming weddings of the brides who attended the show and they were ranging from November, 2008 to undecided. Most of the couples have dates in 2009. My question is has the state of the economy kept brides from making decisions until closer to their wedding date? Are the shows on television hurting brides by showing the platinum weddings? This sometimes put the brides at a disadvantage to get the world on a dime. I know that as a floral designer for over 20 years, I want to give the best I can for the money each bride has to spend in her budget. I do think that the television has made it harder to brides by showing these luxurious weddings that aren't exactly able to fit the average bride's budget.

In order to give bride's a better way of budgeting for their special day, Bergeron's has a wedding floral calculator that helps them put together what will be needed for their wedding. Check out our event website and you can download onto your computer and get a budget for yourself. Our event website is bergeronsevents.com.

By the way, our photos are courtesy of David Madison Photography. He took the time to come to the show to photograph our images exclusively. He does a fabulous job, doesn't he? We recommend him highly if you are in need of a photographer to capture your special moments. Thanks, David!