Dos Pueblos Ranch Wedding

Do you remember that feeling when you were just a wide-eyed child of visiting the magical land of Disney for the first time? Multiply that by 100 and that might justify my pure joy and excitement of getting the opportunity to work at Dos Pueblos Ranch in Goleta with two people I absolutely love and admire. Words cannot describe.

Let's rewind a bit... Joelle and Brian are quite possibly two of the most rad people walking this planet. Getting to work closely with them for a year and a half was an incredible experience. Joelle has the most kind heart of anyone I have ever met. She is the type of person that immediately lights up a room and makes instant friends with just about everyone she meets. Brian puts a simple on your face and makes you feel completely at ease.  These two are over the top in a lot of ways, they are both so genuinely nice and quirky and fun in all the best ways. On the other hand they are incredibly humble in the way they approach life, appreciating all the little details and not taking any day or anyone for granted. Creating a wedding that reflected the amazingness of these two was no small task but it was worth every last handcrafted detail and perfectly placed stem.  I would do it all over again in a heartbeat. Of course Dos Pueblos Ranch is the venue wedding vendor dreams are made of. I think Joelle and I both found the venue within hours of each other and both instantly knew it was the one. However, I did drag them around to a few more just to be certain. After the date was secured we spent the last year and a half selecting every last detail of the wedding. From the light bulbs used to the interior of the restrooms. haha See you didn't believe me! I meant EVERY single detail. I hope you enjoy their wedding. So many incredible memories were made that night. 

When a girl from Buffalo dreams of getting married at a barn at the beach you find her a barn and the most epic clifftop ocean view.

Janet, I mean come on! These photos are pure gold!!!

THIS. This reception space blows my mind. Even when it is completely bare it is stunning so you could imagine how incredibly excited I was to add in some fun designs. Joelle said she wanted her wedding to be bright, fun and happy. Hand painted vases, crafted tassels and succulents on every place-setting, dyed fabric and old fencing from my parents house were some of my favorite details from this wedding. And of course those place-cards from Ampersand Collections were incredible.  

See Joelle and Brian's wedding featured on Wedding Chicks here and for the full list of vendors

Photography: Love Janet Photography | Design, Flowers & Planning: The Dainty Lion | Venue: Dos Pueblos Ranch | Signs & Calligraphy: Ampersand Collections 

Wild Themed Birthday Party

I love it when creative minds blow me away. Designs By Loralee Alcantara did just that and then some. When she contacted me about doing flowers for her adorable daughters 2nd birthday party I was over the moon. Not only did she have an incredibly rad theme going on she is one of the most detail driven people I have ever met. It is quite entertaining to see her mind at work. And then something beyond amazing happened. Loralee casually e-mailed me and said she was thinking about doing a 3 dimensional instillation with the word wild and wanted me to floralize it wildly (insert jaw drop). My excitement level shot through the roof and there may have been some dancing involved. Ok, yes there was dancing. It happens. See the feature at Inspired By This as well as the entire list of vendors involved. 

Design: Designs By Loralee Alcantara | Flowers: The Dainty Lion | Photography: First and Orange

Kristen & Tony: The Crossings

As much as I LOVE color I also like to show my softer more romantic side. Kristen and Tony's wedding at The Crossing in Carlsbad was so soft and dreamy I could get lost in it forever. There is so much love between these two that it just warms your heart. And these photos...I mean come on. Mike Arick Photography did such a good job I could hardly contain my excitement after viewing them.

Vendor Party

When Samantha Louise Moments asked if I wanted to floralize a vendor appreciation party she was hosting with Frost Me Gourmet Cupcakes I am pretty sure the word YES! came out of my mouth before she could finish the sentence. Elyse from Plum and Oak Photography {who took all of these amazing photos by the way} said it best on her blog post about this shindig- us wedding and event vendors usually work on our lonesome/with furry companions so when we get the chance to socialize with other creatives you better believe we jump at the opportunity. It is always wonderful to meet new people, especially when those people live a similar crazy lifestyle as you. Of course fun cocktails, absurdly delectable cupcakes and flowers on the most gorgeous evening in San Diego is not something I tend to miss out on. Did I mention the fireworks? BECAUSE THERE WERE LITERALLY FIREWORKS AT THE END OF THE NIGHT.

The Swoon Event SD

I love when people are not afraid of color. Patricia from Art of Joy Events is one of those people. When she asked me to create some floral goodness for her tablescape at San Diego's The Swoon Event I jumped at the opportunity. To top it off, Jasmine from Let's Frolic Together photographed the event {i.e. amazing photo below}. San Diego is full of incredible talent, I cannot help thinking about how lucky I am to work with such amazing creatives. 

The Dainty Lion: Floral & Design Studio

It is with an extremely happy heart that I am going to formally announce The Dainty Lion: Floral & Design Studio. Surprised? Not really? Yeah, it has been a long time coming. In fact, the first wedding I ever did was just flowers and design. And well almost every single one thereafter had my floral and design touch. The past few years have been some of the best and I have learned more about myself than I thought possible both as a creative and a human being.

I'm gonna get personal. Ready? 

First before we get into the meat of this, did you see my new logo? It is pretty badass. I never had an actual logo before because I am extremely picky and was never satisfied with anything I was seeing. Not only is my new logo the most perfect illustration I have ever seen, it was created by one of the most influential people in my life. Faith of Ampersand Collections and I go back a long ways. Since Jr. High to be exact, where we determined that we must in fact be long lost twins despite our obvious height and overall appearance differences. She is by far the most creative person I know and has been inspiring me for a good portion of my life. I really hope all you creatives out there have a Faith. And for all you brides, she does custom work for weddings as well. 

Why did I choose to focus on flowers and design? Because I simply cannot live without them. Being a florist is not a gig for everyone. It is a profession that needs to be driven by passion and skill above all else. As for design, it is in my blood and something I take very seriously. I like to think I bring something a little different to the table in both of these elements. Maybe its because I don't like to restrain my creative side or maybe its because the idea of pumping out the same wedding over and over again hurts my soul.  Regardless, I love the evolving nature of my work- the excitement of stepping into the flower market every week and being surrounded by endless possibilities not to mention relentlessly searching for the perfect flower or detail. This is not a job. This truly is who I am. And it was time to specialize instead of trying to constantly do it all.

Do I miss traditional (non-design related) planning & coordination. Absolutely. It is really difficult to turn that side of my brain off but I honestly think I was doing myself a disservice not truly focusing on the things that drive me the most. For the longest time I thought I was failing if I could not do planning, design, coordinating and flowers all at once. Guess what I learned? It is ok to not "do it all". I know this might come as a shock {said with sarcasm} but I believe so much in the power of women. Here is the thing though, we are constantly fighting the "do it all/have it all" battle and frankly it was driving me bananas. I think I am strong and independent but I was quickly recognizing that I want to have time for myself and my little family and that does not make me any less of a progressive woman. I know, that sounds all serious but it is honestly something that I had been struggling with. Especially since my job is also my passion.  I learned a whole heck of a lot while "doing it all" and would not trade it for the world. I know the ins and outs of weddings now (which is sooooo important) and I really found out what I am capable of. If you have ever done all of those things during the time constraints, problems and high emotions of a wedding then you know what I am talking about. *I know those of you who "do it all'' are agreeing with me right now. So, yes I do miss it. There is a special connection a planner has with her clients and I hope I can still maintain half of that through my new approach to being a wedding florist and event designer. Granted my couples probably will not have anything to compare it to but I am setting up a better system for being a florist based on my experiences of being a planner as well. 

I think that about wraps up this portion of bearing my soul. The Dainty Lion has some incredibly rad projects on the way so stay tuned! 

Of course if you are looking or know someone looking for a florist send me a message and lets chat! The Dainty Lion specializes in wedding and event florals but will also begin creating floral accounts for those of you who would like an extra special arrangement for someone in your life and/or people who would like a steady supply of gorgeous flowers for their home or office. Deails to come soon!

Love you all!! xoxo, Kimberly aka The Dainty Lion