We spent our Valentine’s at Anthropologie. My gift from James was to hang out with me for the day. You know, wake up at 5, help me set up, keep me company, make pastry/coffee runs, chit-chat with customers, enjoy his day off… Ha! We were so busy, we managed to sneak in one of those caffeine runs and then proceeded to go all day on a single ham and cheese croissant and latte. Needless to say, when we were pitching water out of the 30+ cylinder vases into the alley drain at 8:30 that night, I was more than ready for food and a few ibuprofens. And yes, it was a long day, but a good day. We sent so many happy people home with beautiful flowers. And The Whale Wins would be our Valentine treat at the end of it all…

That is, until we pulled out of the alley, stopped at the first intersection downtown and saw a homeless man walk into the crosswalk, slam his fist on the hood of our car, and proceed to shout profanities (that quite frankly didn’t make any sense); none of this directed at us, of course, but at the scraggly-looking young man that had also walked into the crosswalk to swing his skateboard at the other man’s head. Aww love…

Needless to say, we didn’t make it to our planned destination. After assessing the 6″ dent on the hood, we decided to file a report with our insurance company and head home. A quick bite and a bottle of wine at the nearby pizza joint would have to suffice, and did only after I arrived three minutes past when they stopped seating, gave the poor waiter a completely defeated look and politely (ahem, begged) “Please?” He consulted the kitchen and allowed us to take a table in the corner if we didn’t mind them cleaning up around us. You just gotta laugh. And James, toasting to V-Day and us and life, reminded me yet again how lucky I am. I love him.

Thank you, Julie Harmsen Photography for snapping these lovely shots!

A couple of the bouquets I snapped from instagram:

Aren’t you completely impressed with the new look of BRIDES magazine? It’s so great to see major players in the wedding industry embracing this fresh style. Of course I love that lately they’ve been featuring floral geniuses like Livia Cetti, Nicolette Camille, Poppies & Posies and Amy Merrick… Honestly, that right there is enough to make the magazine golden. But this August’s issue is even a bit more special because there’s a 4-page feature on Seattle and includes “the people and places you need to know to plan a wedding” in our beautiful city. And guess who’s featured, along with a fantastic group of talented event pros…