{Flowers: Meet Flourish's Floral Designer}

June 5, 2009

Our Pink Blossom floral friend, Nancy Liu Chin has been sent on another assignment. This time we asked her to interview Sacramento floral designer, Shannon Cosgrove Rivas of Flourish Designs. In Nancy's usual fashion, she asked this flourishing floral designer some pretty insightful questions. Let's meet floral maven, Shannon Cosgrove Rivas.

NLC: If you were not a floral designer, what would you do?
SCR: I think I would have been a photographer. I have recently started learning about photography. I bought a Nikon camera so I could photograph my own floral designs. But I fell in love with creating in another medium. I have been also photographing families and children for friends and family. I love capturing those little moments that are so fleeting in life.

NLC: What are some of your favorite May flowers?
SCR: May flowers it would have to be the peony. Jim and I tied the knot in May so I could carry Sarah Bernhardt peonies down the aisle. I love the peony’s soft and ruffled appearance. It is one of those flowers you can lose yourself in. Scent and amazing colors the peony has it all! Some other favorite May flowers are sweet peas, mock orange and ranunculus. I guess you can tell I am a romantic at heart.

June is a great month for flowers but for me, June is ruled by hydrangeas and dahlias. Hydrangeas in the deep blue to lavender variety are wonderful. They can add such a saturated punch of color while adding a soft texture. I love that! I love the dinner plate dahlias you see later in the season. Couple of summers ago I had dahlias growing in my back yard. One of my plants was a gorgeous lavender color. The largest bloom was 10.5 inches across That just blows me away! In arrangements the dahlia is so versatile. Pair them with roses and hydrangeas and they have a romantic garden feel. Float them in a cube vase with a swirl of lily grass and they are clean and modern.

NLC: What color combination is your latest favorite?
SCR: I love the color combination of platinum, lavender and eggplant. I have a wedding coming up with that color combination and we are using silver leafed containers filled with deep purple trachelium, lavender hydrangea, Allure roses and Moonvista carnations. It is such a cool and sophisticated color palette. Another favorite is lime, orange and lemon. For the summer months this color combination is the perfect theme. From the food to the flowers there is so much you can do to make it come alive.

NLC: Who's work do you admire in the floral industry?
SGR: I have been following Seattle floral designer Kimberly Aurora Kapur of Romantic Flowers work for quite some time. I love how her designs are so romantically exuberant. Her color combinations are lovely too. She uses flowers and accessories combined to create bouquets that are more fashion statement than an afterthought to the bridal ensemble. She just wrote the book Bouquet Chic. It is a must have for any floral designer’s shelf.

NLC: Outside of flowers, what would I find you doing?
SCR: Spending time with my family, going to see my husband’s band play, gardening, making cards and cruising the internet.

NLC: If you could do any celebrity couple's wedding, who would it be and why?
SCR: Current celebrities it would have to be
Maggie Gyllenhaal and Peter Sarsgaard. Indie chic- I could see their wedding done in a cool color combo like tangerine, mustard and platinum. Linen blend table cloths decorated with a modern and interesting graphic; simply shaped white ceramic vases in a variety of shapes and sizes filled with orange and golden yellow poppies; brushed aluminum chargers and orange plates. Can you dig it?

NLC: Name 3 of your favorite blogs?
SCR: Just three? Style Me Pretty, Wedding Bee Pro and Hostess with the Mostess
NLC: I love Style Me Pretty! Writing for Wedding Bee Pro has been fun. Great choices.

A 2nd generation floral designer, Shannon has been designing flowers for 21 years. Shannon's aunt, Judy, was a florist and her work inspired Shannon to also become one. During college, Shannon started sweeping floors and doing office work at the flower shop. It was during this time that she decided that she wanted to do it full time. After working for other floral designer and flower shops, Shannon decided that she wanted to own her own studio, aptly named Flourish. She currently resides in Sacramento with her husband and two sons.

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