I wasn’t quite sure what to expect from 2013. It was an odd year for wedding work with couples booking more last-minute than usual. In the end, we grew and designed the flowers for over 65 weddings between February and November! But so much more than just weddings happened this year around Love ‘n Fresh. Here’s a re-cap for those who have just started following along on our flower adventures.

A Fateful Trip to NYC
I had the absolute pleasure of studying with Ariella Chezar at Flower School NY in March. I’ve admired Ariella for years and was so inspired to meet her. And on this same trip to NYC, I also got to meet the lovely Amy Merrick for dinner. But perhaps most important, this trip was the beginning of my friendship with Sullivan Owen. We’ve become besties over the months since, and I’m ever so grateful! Click over here to read more about this fantastic spring trip that shaped much of the rest of the year.

The Seasonal Bouquet Project
Where to begin with this gem of a collaboration? It pushed me further than I ever imagined to create beautiful unique arrangements every week. I stretched both my design and photography muscles. Some Tuesdays were tough because I was tired and too busy to give the SBP design much time and attention. Some Tuesdays I couldn’t wait to dive into the design because I had spied a certain bloom in the field and wanted desperately to showcase it to perfection. And some Tuesdays were much needed therapy to just “be” with the flowers because I was going through some tough personal stuff. Regardless of how I went into the week’s design, I always came away inspired.

The SBP Workshops
The Seasonal Bouquet Project also inspired heaps of flower lovers the world over and culminated in three intense and amazing 2-day long workshops in late October at our farm. Sixty some students came from all over the US, Canada and Russia to learn about flower farming and floral designing. It all feels a bit like a dream now — those days a blur of so much amazing energy and beauty. I am forever changed by and grateful to everyone who journeyed to be a part of it.

A New Team
I’ve had a few helping hands over the years, but it wasn’t until this year when Emily and Andrew came on board that the concept of “team” clicked for me. These two amazingly talented and good-natured peeps have added so much new energy to the farm and studio. I would have been lost without their hard work and dedication through the second half of the season, especially during the long hours of harvesting dahlias by the armful. I am so excited to tackle 2014 with them!

Valued Volunteers
In addition to Emily and Andrew, two dedicated and phenomenal volunteers, Catherine and Lynn, made my Wednesdays at the farm so much more enjoyable. Catherine was one of our April brides who wanted to learn about how the flowers were grown so she came to the farm to pitch in all summer. A trained pastry chef, she was also invaluable at providing the amazing food at several workshops throughout the season, including all the meals at the SBP workshops. So much talent!!! Lynn attended the first workshop at the farm this past spring, and we quickly struck up a friendship. She’s a new flower grower who happens to live nearby so she could come the farm each week to work in exchange for some mentoring. I’m certain I got the better end of the bargain!

The Love Shack
For the longest time, we had gotten by without a proper harvesting shed at the farm. It wasn’t ideal, working under tents, but I kept convincing myself that it wasn’t worth the investment to get a real building since I rent the land. Thankfully, I changed my mind in early summer and got a glorious pre-fab “shed”, which was promptly dubbed The Love Shack. The raw interior was painted white and made cozy with special touches. The vaulted ceiling makes it feel extra roomy and the large windows facing west let in the most lovely light. I really enjoy designing in there! We also put up a large cooler next to The Love Shack, making everything far more efficient. We still have the old studio space, but that’s transitioning into a large and awesome prop room instead. Yay for upgrades!

New Website
That’s right. This glossy website was launched in February of this year. It’s been a great repository for lots of info on locally-grown flowers, beautiful photos of our work and farm, and tips for planning a wedding. I’m still in love with the original artwork hand-painted by Momental Designs for each of the pages.

New Leadership Role
I was thrilled and honored to be elected as a board member for the Association of Specialty Cut Flower Growers. This national organization provided much of my early education on cut flower farming, everything from how to harvest zinnias to what shrubs to invest in my first season. I’m grateful for the opportunity to give back. We’re already elbow deep in planning for the 2014 national conference, which will take place here in the Philly area and feature a tour of our farm.

Online
Our weddings and photo shoots were featured abundantly around the blogosphere in 2013. It’s always so much fun to see our work on one of the great sites like Ruffled, Green Wedding Shoes, 100 Layer Cake, Style Me Pretty, and Wedding Chicks. Here’s a collection of those features if you care to click around.

In Print
The blogs weren’t the only ones taking notice of our designs and farm. Love ‘n Fresh was featured in several print publications in 2013, including The Green Scene, Magnolia Rouge, and The Knot. But without a doubt, a large photo and video feature in the New York Times wedding section on 12.29.13 was the best press we’ve ever had to date!!

New Growth
The business grew in many ways in 2013, and so did I as a person. I am not going to play coy: 2013 was tremendously challenging for me on a personal level. Sometimes success can be a tremendous burden. I say that very humbly, realizing it probably sounds ridiculous to complain about being successful. I spent many months this past year beating myself up mercilessly for feeling so tired, overwhelmed, and even bitter about how much the business was demanding of me as it grew exponentially yet again. Most small businesses spend five years just trying to get going and turn a profit. Love ‘n Fresh was successful from day one. Every one of the past five years has been one for the record books; upward trajectory all the way! I couldn’t understand why having my dreams come true and doing what I loved was proving so miserable. Turns out, “burnout” is a very real, clinical/medical condition that can cause serious problems. Many times over my life I’ve said I felt burnt out (who doesn’t?), but this was a whole new scary level.
Thankfully, I’m finding my way back out of the cave and am renewing my passion. I am genuinely excited to tackle 2014 with the lessons of 2013 firmly in hand. I’ve learned how to stand up for myself, how to not feel guilty about resting (sometimes at least), how to be a better boss, how to let go of things I can’t remedy, how to delegate, how to stay calm and not ramble in front of a camera, how to not freeze up when speaking with a microphone, how to demo with confidence, how to read people better (I hope), how to be more organized, how to say no, how to grow a couple tricky crops better, and maybe, just maybe how to finally trust that I am unique and no one can truly copy that.
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Without a doubt, Love ‘n Fresh wouldn’t be what it is without amazing clients, faithful fans, and a support network of friends and family. Thank you!!! Can’t wait to see 2014 unfold from here!
xo