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Garden Party Sisters bio picture

"Where flowers bloom, so does hope." Lady Bird Johnson

Meet Mary (the right sister):

My love for flowers started at a young age. One of my first memories growing up on our family farm was playing outside with my sisters (I am lucky to have two!) and gathering "flowers" for a bouquet for our loving mother. Little did I know, I was collecting some really beautiful (and unfortunately sneeze-inducing) blooms. I gave them to my mother and she thanked me, proudly displaying them on the back step of our farmhouse. Poor Dad is severely allergic. Everyone that came and went loved the colorful bouquet unexpectedly adorning our warm brick steps. I have never grown tired of the warm feeling I receive after giving my floral designs to friends, I believe it is what I am meant to do with my life. The simple act of creating a beautiful collection of nature's finest blooms and soaking up the smiles from our brides heals my soul. I consider myself extremely lucky that I can now devote 100% of myself to my business, well except for my little Lee.

At the ripe age of 25 (ha), I am proud of the path I am on in life. A Garden Party is going on 4 years, I have been happily married to my first love for over 2 years and we are settled in cozily on his family farm in a small town. We recently expanded our family on July 11th, 2009 to include Lee, a giggly, fuzzy-headed, curious, somehow always hungry little boy. We enjoy going to Penn State games (Horticulture, Class of 2006), playfully bickering about what to record on our DVR (don't act like you aren't guilty also), eating dinner together after the fields are tended, ignoring our cell phones on Sunday evening and getting our hearing back after spending time with our 4 nieces (ages 5 through 5 months).

Meet Dawn (the left sister, but somehow always right):

Playing with flowers has always been a part of who I am. Even as a little girl I remember picking the tiniest clover flowers and using them to decorate my dollhouse. In high school I was lucky enough to get involved in horticulture class and really dove into floral design. My college years (SUNY Cobleskill, Class of 02) introduced me to all aspects of horticulture. As an ornamental horticulture major, I learned about hundreds of trees, all by Latin name of course! Lots of my spare time at school was spent in the floral design lab with my new best friends. Amazingly enough, the first big wedding I designed for happened to be my own! Since my wedding a little over 7 years ago, it is amazing to think of where I am now. I have a fabulous husband, Chip, who is more than happy to take over "mommy" duty when I am at the flower shop working away. We have been blessed with two little girls, Grace and Leah, who like to spend a lot of their time picking flowers for me! My girls are always itching for an adventure, so we spend lots of time outdoors and make almost weekly trips to the zoo and park together. Grave even amazed her teachers this year when she explained the difference between deciduous and evergreen trees! It seems some things run in the family...

What we stand for:

Dawn and I have enjoyed watching our business grow from designing for our own weddings, to serving dozens and dozens of lucky brides. Our commitment to each other and to our business is one of the easiest things we have ever done. We believe that by doing what we love and always giving our best, our business will reflect that. Nothing makes me happier than watching our vision come to life through flowers. We are lucky to be able to say that we LOVE our jobs; we adore meeting with glowing brides, helping to plan their special day, adding our unique and personal touches with flowers, and then watching it all come together perfectly, just as nature intended.

A Garden Party is just beginning to bloom, our hope planted the seed...

Tag Archives: White

Waterfalls, Clayment DE Wedding Florist: Sarah’s Winter Wedding…Part 1

So this is the post all of our winter brides have been waiting for! I just got the digital prints hot off the press from Tina and couldn’t wait another day to share them with you! Thank you Tina for ALL of the great photos from Sarah’s January wedding, you amaze me more and more with...

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February 25, 2010 - 12:47 pm Tina - Your designs blew me away - can't WAIT to see what you do at my wedding!

February 25, 2010 - 12:49 pm Amanda C - I was so excited to see you post these pictures from your friend's wedding! I couldn't wait to see the ceremony backdrop in full effect and am blown away by the bride's bouquet - LOVE!!! As always, I am not surprised to see yet another beautiful job well done by the two of you. Just confirms my thinking that I made the right decision! :)

February 25, 2010 - 1:15 pm Kylene - You girls did such an amazing job with everything!! It was a really wonderful day :)and I agreee with Tina....can't wait to see what you come up with in October!

February 25, 2010 - 3:13 pm Roanna - You and Dawn did such an amazing job, you really transformed that room, it was so elegant, beautiful, and romantic!! The attention to detail is incredible!

February 25, 2010 - 4:34 pm Sarah - All I can say is that everything far exceeded my expectations! You guys are incredible and I'm thankful to have such talented friends! Thanks for making our wedding look so beautiful :) :)

February 26, 2010 - 7:59 am Michelle - I LOVE your design and I'm excited that I am able to use you for my bouquets and reception!

February 26, 2010 - 8:56 pm Brandy - What a GORGEOUS wedding!! Dawn, I wish I could get married again and have y'all come to Texas to do my flowers! *Love it!* All your weddings have been phenomenal, love seeing all the beautiful pics.

The Palace, Blackwood NJ Wedding Florist: A Fall Flashback – Colleen and Stephen

Talk about a blushing bride…Colleen certainly was! I just got these awesome shots from David Humphrey, a local photographer serving the tri state area. FYI to my budgeting brides out there, he has maney different packages and prices listed on his website, thanks Dave! Anyway, back to Colleen and Stephen. Their wedding took place at...

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South Jersey Wedding Florist: Feathers make me smile!

Mary and I love to add little details to each wedding that help make them unique. About a month ago we got to do a wedding for Colleen and Stephen. Colleen was looking for a fall theme with a little something extra. We ran with the theme and decided to make that little something extra...

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Ocean City NJ Wedding Florist: A day at the shore…

It has been a few weeks since our last post, but we have been busy behind the scenes! Dawn and I (this is Mary!!) are enjoying our “off season”, and taking the time to reflect back on some of our favorite weddings of 2009. We talked about this wedding a little bit before, but I...

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National Constitution Center, Philadelphia Wedding Florist: The Perfect Philadelphia Wedding!

This past Saturday Mary and I got to do a wedding at The National Constitution Center in Philadelphia, PA. Clarisa was a beautiful bride, and we were lucky enough to deliver the bridal party flowers just in time to see her in her gown. Her bridesmaids wore purple gowns which showed off the vibrant orange...

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September 25, 2009 - 9:07 am Mary - Great blog Dawn! Love how Indpendence Mall is in the background of the tall centerpiece pic! Can you add a link to the constitution center website?

January 12, 2010 - 9:29 am This piece of paper just made my day! » Garden Party Sisters - [...] now and then…a card! Much to my delight, I recently received this card from one of our brides, Clarisa, and her new hubby, Dan. I love how she used one of her wedding photos! Of course, a little part of [...]

A Winter Wedding Wonderland

Spring is here…..and I am loving it.  I love the warm weather, the longer days, and of course all the new growth in the garden.  BUT as florists, Mary and I like to find the beauty in any season.  We have been anxiously waiting for a bride to come to us with the dream of...

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March 31, 2009 - 1:43 am Sarah - I can't wait!!! Love the ideas so far :)

June 7, 2009 - 8:20 pm nelssy - my wedding is also january 2010 and my theme is winter as well. this ideas are great, but i find myself challenged since my wedding is in florida...thats why im making it inside. Good luck to you

June 7, 2009 - 9:05 pm Mary - nelssy - I think amaryllis would be gorgeous in a Florida winter themed wedding. This blog shows a bouquet with amaryllis and poinsettias, http://kabloomofsandysprings.blogspot.com/2008/01/amaryllis-arrangement.html

August 20, 2009 - 9:13 am kaylie - Hi, I was wondering if you knew the type of flower used in the 2nd photo with the branches and crystals? I would love to imitate that exact picture for my bro's wedding in Dec 2009. Thanks!

August 23, 2009 - 11:21 pm jackie crouse - Looking for directions to make this cake. Thank you

August 25, 2009 - 8:55 pm Mary - Kaylie - it is a little hard to tell in that picture, but I think those small white flowers are orchids. Good luck with the wedding!