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Fall '07 :: Good Receptionflower talks with bride and floral designer Suzanne Graves about "flowering" the party of her dreams. 
Suzanne, thanks for sharing yours and Nolen's big day with us. How did you two meet?Suzanne: Actually, the flower shop where I worked was near his iron furniture shop, Frontera. He had a Christmas open house and we all went down there. They were letting people get things out of the scrap pile and weld, and I welded a cross. There was a metal flower in a box full of decorative pieces, and I grabbed it and welded it onto the cross. He was real impressed with my welding skills... And when did you know he was the one? I knew when we went on our first date, because of his sense of humor. We were walking into a play and he stopped me and said, "let's just go ahead and kiss now, and get it out of the way..." How did he propose? Oh, that's a wild story. We were at his house and he talked about getting married and I went to work and told everybody. Of course, when you work at a flower shop and mention the word marriage, it's off to the races... One of my co-workers ran down to Nolen's shop and just started broadcasting that we were engaged, at which point, I guess Nolen realized it was real. He ran to a jeweler, took me to lunch, and proposed, formally. It sounds rushed and pressed, but I guess sometimes a little nudge in the form of an overenthusiastic friend can be just the right touch. We're so happy. What's your first floral memory? 
My grandmother always loved flowers and worked in her yard. She was a real artist, and very Southern. She always had scads of azaleas and planted impatiens everywhere, every year. Her porch was always covered in ferns of every kind. It was like a wonderland to me as a child. And my mom was in garden clubs and would do flowers for the meetings. I just thought flowers were so beautiful.
How did you get into floral design? The first time I did an arrangement was when a friend asked me to do her wedding. My mom came and helped, she showed me what she knew how to do. I was a hard taskmaster; she wanted to stop for lunch and I wouldn't let her. It all got done, but I was running out of the reception carrying buckets as the guests arrived. How did it turn out? The bride was pleased. So you have a history of taking risks... I imagine pulling that off, with so little experience must have in some way indicated to you that you had a talent for flowering. I believe it did. Where did you go from there, florally sPeeking? 
Well, I took a few horticulture classes. Then I started helping with events on the weekends, at Wildflower Designs, and stayed for seven years! Mine was the last wedding I worked on.
I guess working weddings and other events gave you something of an inside track when you decided to plan your own nuptials. Definitely. I had the opportunity to work with a lot of caterers, bakers, musicians, party rental people, etc., so that when it came time to plan my day, I knew exactly who to call. Of course, the flowers were a given... Pick up a copy of the Fall issue of flower, on newsstands this month, to see more of Suzanne's perfectly "flowered" reception.
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