News

To welcome the new year 2023 (year of the Rabbit) and for good luck, we are offering a one time discount on purchases of $250 or more in the online store. The code is

Hello23

This discount is good for purchases of gift cards, local gift and flower deliveries, workshops and even small event orders including birthdays, weddings, corporate events, funerals and memorials.

We look forward to a year full of sustainable flower design, local grown flowers, supporting local business and artists and teaching novice, new and seasoned florists how to be more sustainable in their floral design work. 

This past year we were able to do a few destination weddings at some wonderful properties in our home state, the beautiful California. Here is a sneak peak at the amazing color and joy we presented for a couple in Carmel, CA this fall. 

Julia and Paras hosted a multi-day feté to pay homage to their combined diverse cultures. Western/American, Japanese and Indian cultures were taken into consideration in choosing food, ceremony and decor.

The 3 day event took place at The Holly Farm. Filled with lush gardens, crushed granite pathways, garden nooks and plenty of natural beauty and peace. Our floral, plant and fruit designs matched perfectly; but also stood out in the most flavorful way.

All photos by the talented Laurken Kendall

The couple during the ceremony under the Gorgeous and Green mandap decor.

The couple had two ceremonies, the first was an Indian ceremony that took place on the lawn at Holly Farm. The second was a western ceremony that took place in the grotto by the oak tree.

 The couple with the bride's bouquet by Gorgeous and Green featuring fall sugarbush protea, local grown hanging amaranth, celosia, spider gerbera, gladiola and foliage.

And a beautiful shot of a table piece with some mango, persimmon and palm fruit for extra texture and the feeling of abundance.

Planning: Lily Spruce

Catering: La Créme Monterey

In Person Flower School For Flower Lovers!

We're inviting people back to the  lovely Gorgeous and Green flower studios in Oakland this April for an In Person workshop experience. 

The Spring workshop on April 22nd, 2023 will be an in-person workshop at our Gorgeous and Green flower studios and the photo studios of Mama Dog Studios (for beauty shots of everyone's designs).

 This workshop will include head garland making, with avante-garde techniques that are more sustainable and eco-friendly. We will also cover hand constructed posies using spring blooms. 

All in person workshops will take place at our lovely outdoor/indoor garden studios and include an array of beautiful foliage, flowers and textures that are locally and sustainably sourced for students to use in their designs. 

To SIgn up for the Spring Workshop click HERE.

We Look forward to seeing you at our Oakland Flower Studios!

 

 

Pilar Zuniga has taught flower workshops for 14 years, and has been teaching and writing curricula for the past 22 years. As a seasoned instructor with a lot of experience in flower design, she has a lot of insight and tools to offer the novice and seasoned flower designer.

Sustainable Flower School for all Flower Lovers

This one is for flower lovers near and far! 2023 brings some new opportunity for learning sustainable flower design techniques from Gorgeous and Green with local grown and organic flowers and foliage. This first installation in the workshop series is virtual, so students can learn here in the Bay Area, the East Coast and abroad.

Join us January 29th for a class focusing on flower frogs as support structure for centerpiece and statement designs. The class will be virtual on zoom and is for locals and non-locals alike! Locals have the opportunity to pickup materials from our studio in Oakland that will include: flowers, foliage, a container and a flower frog as well as directions on how to process their materials.

A beautiful centerpiece design for the table with a frog as the initial support structure. This allowed for a overflowing and low to the table effect.

Pilar Zuniga is the owner of Gorgeous and Green. She teaches the workshops and classes and has taught many groups both large and small throughout the bay area, including at the SF Flower and Garden Show shown above. That container is actually a shallow plate/bowl with a ceramic flower frog laid in the middle.

To Sign up for the Winter Workshop click HERE.

Frances and Vincent know how to throw a party! This wedding was one for the books, complete with costume changes, floral abundance, and a stunning palatial venue. Every detail was expertly planned and fulfilled. 

It was a special challenge for us to work solely in white (plus a little something blue), but we rose to the occasion and the results speak for themselves. Many-petaled roses, larkspur, and peonies created a layered, cloudlike effect that was the frosting on the cake of this heavenly occasion.

Photos by the very talented Over Power Production

Wedding Coordinator: Le Muse Events
Venue: San Jose Corinthian Grand Ballroom
Makeup and Hair: Christina Li Makeup & Beauty
Videographer: The Moment
Catering: Phu Lam Chinese Restaurant
Bakery: Jen's Cake

Shefali and Charlie have impeccable taste, if we do say so. They showed admirable restraint by nixing flowers from their nuptials and opting instead to go for layers of lush, green foliage filled with texture and focusing on form. 

For us here at Gorgeous & Green, this approach was an absolute delight! We used emerald green monstera leaves, silvery fan palms, local lime green hanging amaranth, along with a symphony of other tropical foliage to craft decor for the mandap, a flat-lay tablescape, and clouds of greenery suspended from the heavens. 

Take a stroll through this viridian vision in the gallery below! 
All photos by the excellent: James Moes Photography

   

       

   

    

venue | @blancourbanvenue
planning + design | @handheartevents
photography | @jamesmoesweddings
florals | @gorgeousandgreen
lighting + sound | @joesquaredproductions
plants | @theplantlibrary
dj | @djusaevents
rentals | @standardeventrentals @foundrentalco @luxeventrentals
linen | @bbj_latavola
signage | @theblushingboxwood
guestbook | @fetefone
bridal mehndi | @ritualbydesign

Spring couldn't have come sooner. With the state of the world as it it, the blossoms and greening plants just make life a little softer. We are here for all the softness. Treat yourself or a friend to an hour and a half of floral meditation. Together we will each create a luscious bouquet in a vase for the Spring Floral Workshop.

This workshop will focus on how to: put together a vase arrangement, incorporate branches and bulb flowers in your design, use a floral frog, employ eco-friendly tactics, and care for your cut blooms in a way that extends the life of your bouquet. 

How it works:

• If you're local to the Bay Area (San Francisco, San Mateo, Alameda County, Orinda, Moraga and Marin County) we will drop off the materials to your specified location the day before the event.
• The materials include: flowers, container, clippers, floral frog
• If you're not local, we will provide you with a list of materials to acquire on your own
• On April 23rd from 11:30-1:00 PST Pilar will lead you through the workshop
• The following week you will have a fabulous floral arrangement to enjoy!

We believe that flowers are a thread that tie us to the natural world and remind us of the sheer delight that can be found there.

The small work that we practice in floristry is a way to enlarge the meaning found when we hold a single stem to encompass our regard for the environment as a whole. This work helps us remember that we are all stewards for the earth. 

SIGN UP HERE!

From passionate elopements, to drastically pared-down pandemic guest lists, love always finds a way. Gorgeous & Green offers a Small Event Order option as a more economic choice for those seeking an intimate ceremony without sacrificing the romance of fresh flowers. 

Bite sized wedding ceremonies can provide a special level of sweetness. Whittling your guest list has a cascading effect on the total budget for your wedding day.

A smaller venue, fewer plates of food, and fewer overall flowers gives you extra funds to put toward increasing the quality of your experience. Extra care can be spent on luxurious blooms for the bride, a decadent menu, or live entertainment. Your connection with your guests is also deepened, and you may even get to (gasp!) hang out with everyone!