Q&A: Spring Events in the South

We sat down with two of our designers this week to talk about their favorite parts of this time of year and how that correlates into weddings and events.

Below is our Q&A session:

Photo credit: Kathy Thomas Photo

1. What is your favorite part about doing events at this time of year?

Alison: Springtime events are always refreshing to me. With the warmer weather upon us, the days longer, and the flowers in bloom, it's a wonderful awakening after a gray Tennessee winter. My favorite part of weddings in the Spring is the comeback of outdoor ceremony installations! Flowers are beautiful in natural light!

Gayle: It feels like emerging from a cocoon and seeing everything bright and fresh as if for the first time…even more so after this long Covid hibernation...

2. What is your favorite flower to work with during the Spring months?

Alison: Oh, there are so many beautiful spring blooms, but my current favorites are Icelandic Poppies, and my long time favorites are Anemones! The delicate petals are so graceful and they are such a large focal flower that gets everyone's attention. Watching poppies open is also so rewarding, and the black center of a white anemone is a show stopper!

Gayle: Flowering branches! They are fleeting and therefore special. I love the “architectural” possibilities with these!

3. What is your top venue to work at during the Spring? Why?

Alison: I love all the Middle Tennessee farm/estate venues in the spring. So it's difficult to pick! We are so lucky to live in such a lush green environment with beautiful properties showcasing the TN rolling hills and rivers.

Do you have flowers at your home that you like to plant at this time that you have tips & tricks for?

Alison: This is a great time of year to pick up foxglove at the garden centers. Foxglove is a beautiful addition to your flower bed and it will reseed itself! You just have to be willing to let it live it's full life span in the flower bed. No cutting! You want the flower to show, die back, drop seed, and then wait for the new baby plants to arrive. Once you get several plants growing, you can then cut some of those gorgeous blooms for a vase!

Gayle: I have to stay out of garden centers or I bite off way more than I can chew! I do love popping in more perennials with interesting and colorful foliage. Most people just think of blooms but if you seek out striking foliage, you create year-long interest without worrying about times when blooms are sparse or non-existent. My favorite? Heuchera (old-fashioned name is “Coral Bells”) - hands down! They have been hybridized to provide gorgeous foliage colors like red and peach and gold. And they’re not just for shade anymore!

We hope this gave you some ideas for your own garden! Drop us a note below with any questions you have when it comes to all things Spring :)