DIY flowers : reasons why you shouldn't DIY on your wedding day.

the age of DIY, pinterest and youtube

i am the DIY queen! i love to make things and especially if it involves saving money, but NOT on my wedding day and in my humble opinion i don't think it should be on yours either. i don't mean to sound bossy or overly opinionated, but in the age of DIY, pinterest and youtube i've heard SO many brides mention that they are going to "do their own flowers for their wedding". it sounds so easy right? it's really not. there are SO many things that could go wrong. i'm going to hash out some reasons why you definitely should leave this aspect of your wedding up to the pros.

1. It isn't as expensive as you think to hire a florist.

everyone has a misconception that florists are too expensive for their budget. they're not! you just have to find the right one for you. 99% of florists will work with your budget and make suggestions as to what flowers and styles of arrangements and bouquets will work within your budgeted amount. they can even suggest an affordable budget for you if you're not sure.

2. Flowers are difficult to keep alive.

florists are trained on flower preservation. we know how to make your flowers look their best on your wedding day and we have the tools to do so! at your house or venue you aren't going to be able to keep the flowers fresh. from the amount of water to the temperature they're stored at, who wants to be thinking of these things and stressing about this on their wedding day?! not me. also, more times than not when you order them from these avenues they arrive in less than fresh condition.

NOPE. doesn't work - the humidity and temperatures in your fridge will kill your flowers.

3. Flowers aren't cheap from those websites and big box stores that are open to the public.

you will probably end up spending just as much money as you could have paid a florist to do your wedding flowers. those websites, not going to name names, aren't cheap. neither are those big box retailers that offer "bulk wholesale prices" to the public. a florist can buy your flowers MUCH cheaper and handle all of the manual labor behind creating them.

4. Design, design, design.

this is pretty obvious, but florists have an eye for design and a knack for nailing your style! that's what we're here for. odds are you will feel in over your head the moment you start looking online or in a store for flowers. you won't know where to begin with all the options! we know what flowers compliment one another and how to create a classy color palette.

VS...

5. MANUAL LABOR

flowers are really hard work! sometimes i would even say back breaking work. who wants to do this the day before their wedding?

6. Would you DIY your wedding dress?

i didn't think so. for some reason when it comes to wedding planners, wedding dresses and caterers we simply accept these costs and don't question whether or not to hire a professional. it should be the same way for florists. we aren't replaceable either. we are professionals at bringing your vision to life and that is almost priceless on your wedding day!

7. Stress Level

i can't harp on this enough. you do NOT want to add to your stress the day before and the day of your wedding. nerves will be at an all time high and this is the last thing you want to be worrying about. you should be enjoying your rehearsal dinner and spending time with friends, not de-thorning roses and filling buckets with water.

8. Best case scenario you save 25%.

that's best case. who gives a care about 25% when it's the biggest day of your life and you don't have to go through all of the hassle?

9. Delivery and Setup

the only time you see your flowers on your wedding day when you hire a florist is when they are ready to go! this is such a stress reliever. we deliver them and set them up so you literally don't have to lift a finger. who doesn't want to be pampered on their wedding day?

10. Bouquets, boutonnieres, arbors and corsages.

these things aren't easy to make. leave it up to the pros. that's all i've got on this one.

VS...

well, i hope my two cents on the matter helped you if you're trying to decide whether or not to tackle your flowers yourself. hope you all are having a great start to the week!

XOXO,

ashley

camping trip to the Mojave Desert!

hi ho, hi ho, into the wilderness we go! 

some of our friends wanted to go camping last weekend in Joshua Tree National Park. since it was the same weekend of Coachella and it's apparently prime-time desert season, there were no camping sites available. so we decided to go to the Mojave Desert instead.

everyone else went Friday night, but we weren't able to head out until Saturday. so after a three and a half hour drive on long desolate highways we finally reach our exit. we're there, finally! so we thought. the exit turns into the dirt road and the dirt road turns into another 30 minute long drive. we are in the absolute middle of nowhere! it was definitely the most legit camping i've ever done. it was so much fun though and i'm glad i didn't chicken out! 

CAMPING DOUGHNUTS ARE BOMB. 

if you wanna make these doughy, sugary rounds of deliciousness next time you go camping they're pretty easy. just get a roll of pillsbury biscuits and cut a hole in the center. fry the dough in oil until cooked through and shake in a bag of cinnamon sugar. so simple, but so amazing!

the lava caves

ok, so we drove out even further to the middle of nowhere to these amazing caves that are technically called lave tubes, but caves sounds so much cooler. you know you're in the middle of nowhere when you stop at the one sign of civilization in about fifty-ish miles and when you ask how to get to the caves the guy tells you, "go to mile marker 14 on that highway and you'll see a dirt road." so we did. and there was no sign. I meant road sign, but you could also take that as there was no sign of life, because there wasn't. we drove and drove and drove down this crazy bumpy, deserted dirt road in the desert and gave my little car a run for it's money. then we finally got to the caves! i was halfway doubting whether it would be worth all of the trouble, but it SO was! i've never seen anything like it. 

they are tubes, caves, whatever you wanna call them, formed out of lava from nearby volcanoes that erupted eons ago. they have little holes in the ground that let the most beautiful beams of light shine in. it was just gorgeous. we took about five million pictures.

i can't decide if these pictures look more like album covers or the mothership is calling them home. maybe both? hahaha.

that's pretty much it for our camping trip to the Mojave desert! i hope it was entertaining to look at! 

xoxo, 

ASHLEY

day trip to Ojai!

when ya gotta get out of the city...

i straddle the line between city girl and country girl. there are so many things i love about the city - the openminded-ness, the millions of things to do, the opportunities, the get up and go mentality, the activism (particularly in LA) and the list goes on. howeverrr, i also miss my country raising - the clean air, the simple and slower pace of life, the friendly people and the small town feel of everyone knowing everyone. sometimes the rat race really gets to me. i can only handle being honked at so many times in one week, i mean ya know? 

so, when life starts feeling overwhelming it's time to take a road trip to a small town where i can gather my thoughts and get recharged! a few weekends ago we took a trip to Ojai, California. it's a magical little town nestled in the prettiest mountains ever about an hour or so north of LA. it was also a great time to go because we had a ton of rain this winter and the mountains were SO GREEN!

overall, it was a great weekend getaway and i want to go back and actually spend the night! it's so fun to get out of the daily routine from time to time. hope everyone had a great weekend! 

xoxo, 

ashley

ch..ch...chaaa...chaaanges!

NEW EVERYTHING! 

You may have noticed that Ashley Williams Designs is no longer. Womp, womp. BUT what has taken its place is even better - CULTIVATE designory! I don't even know where to begin this story to be honest. I started my business in Atlanta, Georgia three years ago and just when it was beginning to gain traction, BAM, my husband landed a job at Nickelodeon in Los Angeles. After packing up our belongings and moving west I found myself...overwhelmed. I was smack dab in the middle of the second largest city in the US and really, really intimidated. How was I supposed to operate a florist business in this new and sprawling city? I felt like a needle in a haystack and completely lost myself in the process. Add to that my sweet, sweet mother leaving this earth a year later and I just didn't have it in me to pursue much of anything, much less a business. 

After a lot of healing and a lot of soul searching, yes it's a real thing, I've decided to put my all back into what I love - FLOWERS! I have been lucky enough to work for two fantastic companies designing flowers and working on weddings since I've moved to LA. They both gave me the confidence and the kick that I needed to pick myself back up and start over. I can't thank the people I've worked with enough for teaching me and guiding me in this industry. 

Anyway, enough about me and more about CULTIVATE designory. So why this name? I decided to re-brand myself because Ashley Williams Designs just didn't fit my aesthetic or my mission any longer. I specialize in wild, whimsical, garden inspired arrangements and I feel that this name better suites that. Also, the company is eco-friendly which is huge! I'm so excited about this aspect of my business. All paper and cardboard are recycled by the company. When possible we use recyclable materials such as Kraft paper wrapped bouquets. Lastly, all trimmings and cut flowers that aren't used in arrangements are composted rather than thrown away. With these small steps I really believe that it will make an impact long term! Our planet is precious and deserves being preserved. 

I am no longer offering wedding planning. The business is solely focused on flowers for now. Eventually I will be adding rentals to the company, but that will be further down the road when space permits. I will be offering daily arrangements and bouquets for DELIVERY! (So stoked for this addition...) And of course, wedding florals are still the main focus! The order process is really simple on the website. It walks you through the entire thing, but if you have any feedback I'd love to hear it! Email me at : cultivatedesignory@gmail.com

Thanks so much for stopping by!

15 hilarious pets in costumes

"I don't know what I did to deserve this, but I won't be forgetting it anytime soon."

"Tell me the truth, am I convincing?"

"It's a little foggy, but I feel like you're staring at me."

"Please don't let me see anybody I know, please don't let me see anybody I know..."

"I'm glad you think a simple bath is so funny."

"Sure mom, I'll pose for the camera."

"I'm finding it difficult to see, move and quite frankly using the bathroom may be a challenge."

"I'm so thankful for my agreeable friends."

"Honestly, I think this costume was made for me."

"I don't know...maybe the headband is too much?"

"I can't figure out how I'm supposed to collect ANY candy with this?"

"Thanks Ma, I couldn't have drawn those eyebrows on better if I tried."

"I'm thinking about shaving my facial hair. It's starting to get in the way."

"According to my calculations, this costume is perfect."

"Hold up Superman, I'll be right there."

all images via pinterest, doug the pug, maddie on things, and buzzfeed.

happy halloween to everyone! 

 

xoxo, 

ashley