bold dinner party with house of harper

It is still dinner party season and we love this bold tablescape Caroline from House of Harper put together! So if you are worrying how to entertain in the next week - keep scrolling for a couple tips and inspiration! Photographed by Kate Robinson with florals by Maxit Flower Design and calligraphy by Nancy B Creative.

This arrangement shape really is one of our favorites to create! It packs such a punch and will be sure to wow your guests! With a large focal point like this one, you really want to go with a simple pacesetting with clean lines for the rest of your table decor.

We also love how Caroline pulls the gold from the room to echo on the table with the flatware and candlesticks! So studying the space you will be entertaining in is key! You want it to look like you style this room like this every day (in a perfect world right?!) Let your wall decor or chandler set the underlying color scheme. 

Then after placing your focal point, in this case the centerpiece, slowly pull color and detail from there. The light purple wine glasses and sweet little figs on each napkin echo the tones of the candlesticks and play off the deep shades in the arrangement. 

And then once dinner is done - reuse the decor! We love how Caroline placed the arrangement in her front entryway so that her guests could again enjoy it once the table had been cleared! Be sure to  check out Caroline's full post here! And we hope that each of you have a wonderful holiday season! Cheers! Xoxo 

top 5 lessons from 2017

Hard to believe it is 2018 now! Where did 2017 go? At Maxit Flower Design, we fully believe that setting goals and looking forward involves a reflection on what happened over the last 365. After thought and discussion, these are the top 5 lessons that we learned in 2017.

Lesson Number 1:  It takes the right combination of people to make magic. Every year we get to meet so many new vendors that quickly become friends and are always joyed to collaborate with them. Whether it be for weddings, intimate parties, or just a cup of coffee and discussion, these people fill our studio and life to support us, dream with us, and work alongside us to create some of the most wonderful times! One of these regular collaborators is the wonderful Courtney from Little Coterie who styled this shoot. (Photography by Three Smudges Photography, Linens by Lettrefina, Food by Casually Gourmet, Signage by Slinging Inks, Florals by Maxit Flower Design) 

Lesson Number 2: You never stop learning. We were very fortunate to welcome Kiana Underwood of Tulipina Design and her team into our studio for a week of production which of course came with the gracious opportunity to learn and pick her brain on all things flowers! It was truly one of those experiences  from 2017 that we cherish. And sometimes its great to take a break from doing all of the creative direction to sweep up and clean buckets for someone else! 

Lesson Number 3: Finding your 'Number 2' is important. In 2017, Maria teamed up with Amy McGee of Botanical Brouhaha to create the Botanical Brouhaha podcast. (Insert shameless plug where we recommend you go download and listen to all the episodes here!) In the creation and continuous development of the podcast, Maria serves as Amy's support and sounding board. Spending time in the shoes of a 'number 2' has provided her with insight and lessons that she can take back to utilize in her own business. 

Lesson Number 4: Crafting systems for growth in business is pivotal. 2017 brought a new office manager to the Maxit Flower Design team, our own 'number 2' if you will. We will officially introduce Ashley here on the blog soon, but the last few months we have been honing in on and developing the systems needed to get to our 'next level'. She provides not only a sounding board but can focus solely on things like our booking process and the 'paperwork side' to our weddings, scheduling, and managing day to day tasks in our studio which allows for Maria to spend more time crafting and dreaming up amazing new things.

Lesson Number 5: There is no special sauce. The ups and downs that inevitably occur during the course of 365 days really reminded us that the 'secret to success' truly is made of tenacity, grit, and a lot of hard work. There is no instant solution and growth takes time. For us it has been 8 years of sweat and passion to bring Maxit Flower Design to this point in time.

This point in time in which many things are coming together to create an amazing place to jump (with our collective team feet) into this amazingness that we know 2018 will be. As long as we keep that tenacity and grit and acceptance of hard work posted on the wall to push us on!
 

What lessons did you learn in 2017? We hope that some of our lessons resonate with you at this start of a new year and are so beyond excited to get to work on our big ideas and goals! Cheers to 2018! May it bring you all the  joy and success that you desire! XOXO

5 reasons we do styled shoots

A Styled Shoot. If you are not in the wedding industry you may wonder what is a styled shoot? Or why wedding vendors can get so excited over creating one for themselves? In short, a styled shoot is the creation of a setting that can be captured photographically and used to display work though various ways. It is typically not a real wedding or event. But it is just as magical!

Over the last 8 years of Maxit Flower Design, we have had the opportunity to work alongside some amazing Houston wedding vendors on various styled shoots. In 2017 we participated in two full scale shoots that were truly once in a lifetime experiences! 

In our studio we chose to participate in styled shoots for a chance to develop and capture the following 5 things that we find to be the most important aspects of styled shoots:

1) Set The Tone For Our Brand.  Your first impression is of utmost importance. What did you think when you saw the first image of Maxit Flower Design? Whether it be on this website or on a social media platform, you get one shot to make a first impression and set the tone. We want the tone that you interpret to be one that is in line with the heart of our company and brand. By styling a styled shoot, we get to ensure that the aesthetic is perfect for us as a brand. 

2) Develop New Design Trends and Possibilities. At Maxit Flower Design, we are always looking to try something new. Looking to develop new tricks to keep up our sleeves and impress our clients with and styled shoots are the perfect 'test run' for these ideas! What is the perfect length of ribbon on a bouquet? What aspects of working with blackberries should we know prior to putting them on a table for a client? Did this experiment work out wonderfully? Or like a scientist, do we need to go back to the drawing board to craft another hypothesis?

3) Showcase Our Work in New Spaces. We cannot guarantee that we book a client who adores the Museum of Fine Arts in Houston the way that we do so getting the amazing opportunity to develop a styled shoot there is the next best thing! Then we get to work there! And capture these amazing images so that our next client, who maybe never thought of utilizing a museum as a venue, would be able to picture what her wonderful day could look like! 

4) Work With New Vendors and Building Relationships. Hands down the best part (besides creating romance from scratch!) is working alongside some amazing hearts that get obsessed about details as much as I do! We have various weddings throughout the year and love getting to see our friends working in their respective businesses but that is work. We are providing the best for our client and it is not a place for chats and hugs. However styled shoots, were we are the clients, we get to talk shop and laugh while we try out those hypothesis we've had! And then the next wedding where a certain element is needed, we know the right person to bring in to the mix so that our clients experience the best possible day.

5) Enjoy Creative Freedom. Styled shoots are not all play. They are just as much work as any wedding or event except that styled shoots are up to us. We get to experiment. Play with color or texture. Test out materials or that crazy idea we have that could look so very cool! And developing styled shoots is something that you have to work on. Some shoots come easier than others but here at Maxit Flower Design, we truly love tackling the challenges that come with the never ending drive to try something new and different for our brides. 

The biggest of all thanks to the following vendors for making these beautiful images possible:

• Venue: The Museum of Fine Arts Houston.

• Event & Floral Designer: Maxit Flower Design. 

• Photographers: Marni Wishart Photography & Janelle Rose Photography.

• Cake Designer: Buttercup Houston.

• Jewelry: Susie Saltzman.

• Calligrapher: Hello Maurelle.

• Rentals: Swift Events.

• Ribbon:  Honey Silks.

• Plates: Arte Italica. 

• Film Lab: The Goodman Film Lab.

We will post more about this shoot soon so be sure to check back for all the gorgeousness! Cheers! XOXO

madeline + cameron [couples session]

After wedding sessions and anniversary sessions really do not get enough credit! While we normally work with brides leading up to their big day, it is always a treat when we get to work with married couples to help create another magical day for them! It is one of the truest forms of 'treat yourself' that we really love! Madeline and Cameron booked the amazing Mustard Seed Photography to capture a some sweet moments between the couple at Hughes Manor and we were thrilled to create this garden-style, all white bouquet for Madeline.

These photos are the perfect example that one stunning bouquet can truly elevate your photographs! How florals help to create a romantic and sophisticated aesthetic to any occasion! How the playful nature of white veronica casts a lighthearted spin on a rose bouquet. And of course we always love adding delicate silk ribbon to our bouquets to produce an ethereal feeling.  

At Maxit Flower Design, we pride ourselves with crafting every floral design with thought and intention. We study shape and color, movement and texture combinations that work together simultaneously to convey the perfect feeling. Our designs are unique and mini works of art and we would love to create something meaningful and beautiful for you. XOXO

holiday table styling tips with L. Avenue

Yes I know that Thanksgiving already came and went! We ate the turkey and we shopped a little bit too much! But setting your Thanksgiving table can also be a test run for setting your Christmas table! 

Last month we were delighted to parter with Lyndsey Zorich of L. Avenue for some holiday table styling! Below you will find a couple floral styling tips to make table styling a breeze for you this season. 

Holiday Table Styling Tip No. 1 - Do not feel like you are 'stuck' using the typical holiday colors! Thanksgiving decor typically comes in shades of orange, maroon, brown. Christmas decor typically comes in either red, green or white. But you are not forced to use these colors! Especially when it comes to floral! Think outside the box. For this arrangement we did utilize fall foliage but we also added dusty rose blooms to break up the color. 

Holiday Table Styling Tip No. 2 - Decide early on what your focal point will be. In this case, the florals were the focal point and the remaining items accented the arrangement instead of distracting or blocking the view. Lyndsey's use of clear candle sticks is the perfect example! You do not want competing visuals when the focus should be on those around the table, the conversation, and the food! 

Holiday Table Styling Tip No. 3 - Consider the views from each seat! Again, Lyndesy's use of the clear candle sticks allowed for her end-table guests to still view the floral arrangement and the guest at the other end of the table! We do not style our tables to seclude guests from each other! The holidays are about coming together and enjoying company and your table styling should reflect just that!

For further details and shoppable links, you can check out Lyndesy's blog post here. Thank you Lyndsey for a wonderful styling session! XOXO