Happy Monday Guys and what a wonderful way to open the cafe today!!!!! I am soooooo happy to have not only one of my favorite floral designers but she is also a beautiful and an oh-so-sweet lady that has truly been an inspiration to me.......Ariella Chezar. When I started my floral business three years ago, I contacted Ariella for a little advice in getting started. When I received an e-mail response back from her, I was soooooo excited.....Ariella, I printed that e-mail and I still have it!!! Guys, she is truly "good people" and I'm so happy to have her here today!!
I have been waiting to feature Ariella's interview since I launched the cafe but she's been a little busy.......being a new mom to her beautiful baby boy!!!! Ariella's work is simply BEAUTIFUL!!!!!!! and can be seen in countless wedding publications and hopefully you all own a copy of her wonderful book, Flowers for the Table. So let's get started.......Enjoy!!!!!!!!
Ariella and "Moses the cat"!
TBC: What inspires you as a designer?
Ariella: More than anything I am inspired by nature, both wild and cultivated.
TBC: What is the best part about about your job?
Ariella: I have been blessed with scores of wonderful, creative clients who have provided me many opportunities to explore visions. I love that.....stepping into someone else's mind for a few months, discovering what they find beautiful or inspiring, and then turning their vision into a reality. Another best part, of course, is that I get to work with flowers. What could be better?!!!!!!!
TBC: What has been the highlight of your career to date?
Ariella: Whenever I do a wedding on location, I try to draw as much as possible from what is locally available. Two years ago I did a wedding on the Big Island of Hawaii. A week before the wedding we chose the majority of our flowers at various orchid and tropical flower farms. Additionally, we brought crates of incredible tropical fruit at the Hilo farmers market. It was pretty much as good as it gets. Everything was so fresh, so delicious and so beautiful.
TBC: In my opinion, I feel that a wedding without beautiful flowers is just like a blank canvas and if a bride's budget just doesn't allow for them to have the flowers that they dream of, what advice would you give them.
Ariella: If you are set on a specific flower, organize your wedding around the time that flower is in season. This will insure that even if you can't have lots of flowers, the ones that you do will be at their peak and as such, you won't necessarily need as many. I also think you can do a lot with fabric, whether linens or runners, to create warmth and impact with color. In this way, you don't necessarily need as many flowers to give you that color punch.
TBC: What are your favorite color combinations to use for weddings?
Ariella: It totally depends on the location and the bride. I love orange and white. I love green, orange and white, I love pink and grey, peach and grey, I love yellow combined with multiple shades of yellow, and I will eternally be in love with green. I'm not crazy about pale pink and green or pale pink with lavender. They are just a bit too sweet for me. I love how you can make pink really sophisticated when you combine it with darker colors.
TBC: What type of venues are the most fun to design for?
Ariella: I prefer classic, old estates or outdoor settings with beautiful landscapes.
TBC: What should a bride look for when choosing her floral designer?
Ariella: She should choose someone who listens to her, someone she feels comfortable with and of course, someone whose work she loves.
TBC: Ariella, please share some fun details about your home life. .
Ariella: I have a wonderful fiance, a beautiful eleven week old little boy, four cats and a dog. It's quite a party these days!!!!
Simply STUNNING!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I love Ariella's beautiful floral detail, and her selection of ribbon is always so beautiful and truly completes her design!!!!
Love the vibrant color of the tree peonies!
Oh-So-Charming!!!!!! What a romantic bouquet!!!!!
Love, Love, Love these centerpieces. Note Ariella's use of fresh fruit and veggies, wonderful textures and I love her use of vines!!!!
Simply elegant!!!! I love the vintage vases for the flowers and the candles are perfect!!!!
The oh-so-beautiful images are courtesy of Victor Schrager, Meg Smith and Ariella Chezar!
Ariella, thanks so much for stopping by the cafe and spending a little time with us and "congrats" on being a new mommy!!!!! No worries, Ariella will be back soon for another cafe visit!!!
lovely flowers, i love them.
Posted by: polish | January 28, 2008 at 02:35 AM
Ariella is one of my favorite people in the floral, wedding & event design world(s). Her work is beautiful & delicious & she is absolutely lovely. Best wishes to Ariella & the new family.
Posted by: Matthew Robbins | January 28, 2008 at 04:53 AM
I've enjoyed reading and getting to know Ariella's work. She is very talented and so creative to combine fruits and vegetables with her flower arrangements. Wow! her work is beautiful, I loved the bridal bouquets. Congratulations on your new baby!
Posted by: Rocio | January 28, 2008 at 06:49 AM
Gorgeous! I can only imagine what that Hawaii wedding looked like! I bet it was truly amazing judging from the photos posted here!
Posted by: Ann Torres | January 28, 2008 at 11:22 AM
Ariella's work is simply ahhhmazing.
Thanks Janie for this post. I'm always inspired by her work and I see it all the time in press. It's so nice to meet the woman behind the beautiful creations. Congratulations to her on the new baby!
Posted by: Sarah Dennis | January 28, 2008 at 11:34 AM
I haven't seen some of these new photos. Thanks for sharing. Beautiful
Posted by: Fresh Floral Art | January 28, 2008 at 02:19 PM
those flower arrangements are uber gorgeous.
Posted by: phil | January 28, 2008 at 06:06 PM
I have the good fortune of shooting a wedding that Ariella is going to be the flora designer for. I can't wait to see what she creates. These bouquets are gorgeous. I especially love the last one!
Posted by: Melanie Nashan | July 16, 2009 at 11:27 AM