Thallo

Spring Update

admin — Tue, 20 Mar 2012 13:53:29 +0000

Hello, friends. Its been a while since we’ve checked in, so here is what is new with Thallo.

Our new Studio is almost complete and we installed our cooler this past weekend!

Its not photo-ready, we love the fact we can have a functioning space to design in. The space is airy and larger and greener than what we had before. While we had a love affair with our former space’s historical charm and style, logistically, it presented challenges. Our new space is more spacious and wide open! Kinda like our schedule!

Ann has re-embraced her inner artist soul, painting and gardening at home.

A month-long visit from an old friend, Reed Dixon, who’s creative mind and art enlivened both of us has set Ann off on a painting frenzy. She is creating beautiful art, and, no surprise, she is her own toughest critic. She is also rapidly becoming popular on Pinterest…

Sara began working in the world of gourmet food and wine, as a jack-of-all-trades at The Green Turtle Market.

So far, so good. I am learning a wealth of information about wines, the daily operations of the catering department and all-things food. An interesting transition to make from Thallo, this feels right. I’ve also been given the freedom to make some changes to the store’s visuals, which has been challenging, in a good way. If you shop there, you might notice those changes, particularly in the wine department.

Thanks to everyone that has made this bizarre transition easier for us.

We’ve been experiencing a whirlwind of emotions, but I think Ann and I both believe we’ve made the right choice to “rightsize” our business. A special hi-five to Bill and Karl, who really helped us vacate Thallo and are all-around great men and supporters of Thallo. Also, thank you to Carlin Long, a dear friend who has guided us through the ups and downs of this and is always willing to offer constructive criticism and an honest opinion. Heather Snyder, you too are a great friend and sounding board. We love you! And of course, to our family, you are all the best. Also, thank you to our Spring clients ~ we can’t wait to get our hands on your blossoms!!!

Ally + Jason – A Marietta, GA Wedding

admin — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 15:46:40 +0000

I think Ann and I would both agree that when our work and personal friendships intersect, the experience is even more meaningful. This was absolutely the case with the following wedding.

Allyson and Jason were married on the last weekend of October in their hometown of Marietta, GA. Allyson and I met as second graders and have been best friends ever since. We’ve gone through the ups and downs of life together and maintained a friendship despite distance, and can always start up again like old times.

When Jason proposed, Ann and I both agreed that we couldn’t imagine not being a part of her floral story. Ally’s style was clear from the beginning and we loved her vision of a romantic, warm, Autumn celebration. Ally and her mother, Rita, graciously allowed us to design with no restraints. Complete freedom + perfect flowers + autumn leaves + Marietta, GA? Heaven.

The Thallo team, ready to rock.

We did the majority of design at our studio, then loaded everything up and headed north the Thursday before the wedding. The logistics of traveling with flowers are simple. A cold van, ample water for hydration and extreme organization. And coffee… lots of coffee.

The van, packed and ready.

Delicate blossoms were delivered via Florabundance to the venue the day before the wedding and we added finishing touches in our custom portable design space:

Pop Up Studio aka Parking Lot

The Marietta Golf and Convention Center, where the wedding was held, is perched atop the course and offers stunning vistas of the Northern Georgia hills. I’ve always admired the city of Atlanta/Marietta because, although you’re in a major urban area, it feels like the country.

The ceremony space was anchored by this table. In the distance, the golf course and changing leaves.

We wanted the floral palette and color scheme to be reflective of the season, but void of the bright, contrasting hues that Fall is sometimes known for. We wanted less “Autumn Leaves Bulletin Board” and more romance. Helping us achieve that look were Caramel garden roses, antique hydrangea, hocus pocus roses, mustard-hued yarrow and porcelina spray roses. The rustic textures were incorporated via mahoghany stained boxes for the centerpieces and floral ingredients like millet, wheat and liquid amber. Liquid amber: we couldn’t of done this without you!

Stay tuned for Part II. The wedding went off without a hitch and everyone was filled with love. The room was warm with an autumn glow and I might say this could have been one of our most favorite weddings to date. Lots of love to the Mr. and Mrs.

Telephone Change

admin — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 13:18:58 +0000

HELLO FRIENDS!

We have diconnected our studio line and will be available via email for future queries!

thallodesign@aol.com

Just wanted to keep you in the loop. We are working on changing this information on our site as we type.

Best,
S + A
Thallo

Making Spirits Bright

admin — Thu, 22 Dec 2011 23:01:38 +0000

Here are some images from one of our favorite floral studios, Saipua, located in Brookyln, NYC. Saipua is the Finnish word for “soap” and this little gem of a shop not only designs some of the most ethereal, natural and striking wedding and event flowers ever, they produce organic soap. We also appreciate the owner’s candor and honesty about the floral trade, expressed through her blog on a regular basis. We relate. A lot.

Anyway, after our (somewhat melancholy) previous post we thought we’d share some of Saipua’s holiday flowers for you to enjoy.

Merry Christmas, y’all.

All Good Things

admin — Fri, 09 Dec 2011 18:39:33 +0000

Thallo Centerpiece from an October Wedding

Following a lovely wedding in Islamorada last weekend, our 2011 season is complete. This week we’ve been spending time preparing for our personal holidays, and moving out of our studio of the past five years. It’s always good to edit and purge the old to get ready for new, as we take some time to reflect how we want Thallo to evolve.

We are downsizing (or “rightsizing”) our operations, reducing our overhead expenses, and working with a few select clients in the coming year. It was always our intention to offer premium flowers, comprehensive service, and an enjoyable planning experience for the families who found floral design as critical to their event’s success as we do. In the past two years, wedding budget considerations and the global flower market have made our job more challenging. We have been working harder and earning less.

The evolving Thallo will consider working with brides who have a clear, creative vision, and understand the expense involved in making that vision a reality. We have traveled to Atlanta, the Keys, and as far as Pennsylvania to work this year, and those events were very satisfying artistically as well as financially, as have our weddings with destination brides traveling to the Vero Beach area. We are very grateful for the recommendations from our vendor friends who have promoted Thallo for those celebrations. We believe opportunities like that will become our niche.

We are moving back to our comfortable, functional roots at our home studio in Indialantic, scheduling consultations and meetings on-site or in client’s homes, and will thoughtfully pursue more balanced personal lifestyles as we move forward into 2012. We will be updating our web site over the next two months so it better reflects our intention to become a “boutique” design company. In the meantime, our e-mail contact information will remain the same. If you would like to speak by phone, e-mail us for personal numbers.

Both of us will pursue other interests to see if they equal the passion we have for flowers, knowing we will find inspiration and clarity along the way. Honestly, our work has never been better, and moving toward a new business approach is exhilarating and terrifying all at once. It is always a pleasure to work with like-minded wedding professionals, and we hope to have the chance to work with you again soon.

Peace and best wishes for a happy season, and prosperous New Year.

Ann & Sara Petrosky

Thallo Wedding ~ Quail Valley, Vero Beach

admin — Wed, 05 Oct 2011 00:28:54 +0000

We are always appreciative of a healthy client/business relationship… one that evolves pleasantly, is creative and fun and one that continues, far after the wedding ends. This was the case with the Blagriff Family, whose daughter, Lindsay, held a lavish wedding in Vero Beach in June. We met the mother of the bride, Pat, when she came to Thallo 4 years ago for her other daughter Ally’s wedding and immediately hit it off. We only wish we would have been in business when the other Blagriff daughters were married (there are 4 total) but they’re all hitched now! Pat was a wedding-planning-veteran when we first met her and collected beautiful accessories for both of her daughter’s celebrations, maintaining a level of detail and finesse that I am sure all of their family and friends had come to expect when an invitation arrived in the mail featuring their return address. That said, there is a charismatic synergy between Pat and Thallo and we look forward to the Blagriff christenings, anniversary parties and baby showers to come.

Lindsay recently opened LA Bridal in Viera at The Avenues, a bridal boutique featuring the latest wedding and formal wear fashions. We, of course, would recommend a visit to her store… we are sure the Blagriff standard of excellence will impress you.

Here are some photos of the flowers and stylings from Lindsay’s wedding at Quail Valley in Vero Beach. Lindsay’s vintage-inspired celebration featured flowers in shades of blush, slate blue and whites and included hydrangea, garden roses, peonies, astilbe and spray roses.

The above images were taken on behalf of Thallo by John Sluder Photography. You might remember these images from an earlier post. They are John’s work as well… so ethereal.

The images below are courtesy of Lindsay’s wedding photographer, Angela Tappen Photography.

Purple and People

admin — Tue, 20 Sep 2011 14:47:27 +0000

Here are a few photos from a purplelicious wedding. Love the palette and ingredients. This is a wonderful time of year, florally speaking, with an abundance of new Early-Autumn lovelies up for grabs. So excited… since our season is beginning in a few weeks.

Someone recently emailed us a question:

Dear Thallo,

Why do you seem to be away for extended periods of time? Is your shop no longer open? What is your “schedule”?

From,

Frustrated

Answer: As we ease into the October wedding season, we will be in the studio for longer periods of time during the day. But, since day one, we have operated as a studio, without a retail shop or schedule that facilitates walk-in traffic.

We are trying (with a capital T) to offer a service that give our event clients concepts/looks/flowers/ideas/attention to detail. Things that are different from our local competitors. Things that are interesting and not ho-hum, not just good enough (and not white lamour chair covers and sashes). Basically, we are a two woman team doing the job of 6. To keep our prices competitive, we cannot operate a 9-5 business that requires manpower/staff. We are simply a small business trying to make ends meet in this strange and scary economy.

If we miss your call or aren’t in when you stop by, never-fear, we are checking and responding as we gather and prepare for your Autumn celebrations! We’ve been getting inspiration, props, and papers in New York, Texas, Orlando, and Atlanta…. sooo, not really vacationing, but acquiring the very best for you and yours!

We sincerely thank you times 1000000 for understanding and apologize 1000000 times if we’ve upset or offended you. We thank everyone for their support and love our Thallo fans like family.

Thallo Wedding ~ Vero Beach Hotel and Spa

admin — Tue, 06 Sep 2011 22:23:57 +0000

Sara and Robert were married in mid-July in Vero Beach. From the very beginning, Sara had a clear vision for her florals and decor, inspired by clean lines, modern details and the seaside venue, the Vero Beach Hotel and Spa. It was a pleasure working with this family and we can’t say enough about the images of the celebration, captured elegantly by Vitalic Photo. Enjoy!

The bride and groom's flowers ~ Sara carried white cymbidium orchids and miniature callas and the groom wore a miniature calla, accented with ornithoglum and a green hypericum berry "button".

The ladies carried modern clutches of green cymbidium orchids and white roses, accented with green hypericum. The handles were wrapped in crisp navy satin to coordinate with their dresses.

The gentlemen, looking dapper in their seersucker suits, wore handsome boutonnieres featuring hypericum "buttons", navy satin and green dendrobiums..

Sara's choice in accessories reflected her classic, polished style.

Bathed in light. So beautiful.

The terrace at Vero Beach Hotel and Spa offers couples the perfect oceanfront backdrop. Our white lanterns, handsomely trimmed with wide satin and an orchid "jewel".

A perfect shot of the beachfront ceremony.

Clean white and green tablescapes filled with candlelight created a celebratory, glowing ambiance inside the reception, held at the hotel's mahogany hued restaurant, Cobalt.

The floral palette continued with blossoms in shades of white and green, including hydrangea, miniature callas, supergreen garden roses, cymbidium orchids, escimo roses and amaryllis from Holland. Modern glass vases were filled with polished marble to add texture and another layer of white. The custom linen, provided by Thallo, was in white pin-tuck.

The flowers were designed in an organized and architectural style. We loved how un-fussy they looked.

Round tables featured a coordinating tablescape, incorporating bleached manzanita.

Tablescapes in the adjoining dining area added elevation to the space via sandblasted manzanita, lowered into tall glass cylinders, accented with cymbidium orchids.

Congratulations to the happy couple.

Sara and Robert’s wedding is a perfect representation of a wedding planned with a thoughtful eye and is a reminder that sometimes, less is more. This floral story honored the summer season, the coastal venue and the bride’s style. Thallo’s recipe for success! They were recently featured on a local wedding magazine’s cover. I have a feeling this wedding will be admired by many, for a long time.

It was a pleasure ending our Summer wedding season with such a beautiful celebration. Thank you for letting Thallo be a part of your big day.

And to our followers/follower, thanks for hanging with us after our Summer Break! We are back, rolling up our sleeves and warming up our vases for our Autumn season!

Thallo Wedding ~ Orchid Island

admin — Thu, 04 Aug 2011 17:20:19 +0000

Jenifer and Daniel celebrated their wedding with a mid-summer celebration at Orchid Island Beach Club. Captured by the uber-talented Concept Photography, the photos below showcase a beautiful love story, vibrant floral plan and magnificent venue. Their blog, which features an interview with the bride, is worth a read too. The way the couple met is unique, due to a very clever Mother of the Bride.

A shot of the ceremony space offers a panoramic view of the stunning grounds of Orchid Island Beach Club.

The bride chose to wed aside the reflecting pool in the club’s garden. We added a white fabric backdrop to center and camouflage the asymmetrical space behind it. Simple white columns and urns filled with ferns marked the altar space. Floating carnation wreaths, holding gardenia-filled bowls, trimmed the pool. A hidden LED light allowed these to glow throughout the night.

The bride and groom, in preparation. The groom wore a single phaeleonopsis orchid.

Jenifer's three sisters carried vibrant nosegays in pink, green and violet featuring sweetpeas, viburnum and garden roses.

*sigh*. Does it get any more adorable?

The groom’s sons wore petite boutonnieres of dusty miller, yoko ono poms and a fern fron. The flower girl wore a halo made from petite blossoms and tossed petals from a hand-made Thallo basket with a honeysuckle handle.

Jenifer carried a cascading bouquet of maidenhair fern, viburnum, white phaeleonopsis orchids, sweetpeas and gardenias.

The ceremony. Love the expression on the ringbearer's face.

The bride and groom.

Orchid Island Beach Club is West Indies meets Bermuda. Its a magnificent blend of European architecture and the Tropics and it reeks of elegance. There are serene water features at every turn, lined with cool, teal porcelain. We could easily be happy here, forever.

Jenifer, so gorgeous. Bella. Bella. Bella.

Do you see the teal porcelain tile?

Dinner was served in the interior dining room. The kelley green walls and white trim complimented the bright, summery color palette.

For the reception, the floral palette broadened to include hydrangea, lilies, orchids and peonies. Custom linens from BBJ adorned the bride and groom and cake table. Ann created gorgeous table number cards ~ notice them incorporated into the tablescape.

I’m sure we will find ourselves daydreaming about this wedding for years to come. Thank you so much, Jenifer, for allowing us to be part of your special day. You were an absolute pleasure and we wish you all the happiness in the world.

Waiting to Exhale

admin — Fri, 15 Jul 2011 02:42:03 +0000

We officially began our 2011 wedding season mid-March and have been going, full-steam-ahead, for almost 4 months. Wow. As our season begins to wind down, we wanted to say thank-you to all of our wonderful clients, friends and associates who have made the past few months possible. Although we may have blisters on our feet, chlorophyll under our fingernails and pinching pains in our lower vertebrae it is overshadowed by memories of Fed-Ex delivered Q-boxes filled with Holland treats, oversized boxes from Accent Decor and the of armfuls of flowers that made each celebration bloom.

Particularly memorable blossoms: coral charm peonies, clematis vine, pink vanda orchids, butterfly bush, 750 stems of Cali-grown stock, summer hydrangea from Aalsmeer, poppy pods, gladiator allium, peoniespeoniespeonies, the list could go onandonandon.

A special congratulations to our brides: Alison, Kaycee, Eliza, Julie, Brianna, Rebecca, Candace, Laura, Fawn, Megan, Deanna, Chrissy, Matt + Chelsea, Jenifer, Valdora, Lindsay, Katherine, Lindsay, Sara and Tonya!

So, with those beautiful blossoms and beautiful brides fresh on our tired minds we will be on break from July 30th through Labor Day. Have a happy summer and stay tuned for posts about our Spring/Summer events.

Flower Power,

Sara + Ann