Spotlight on: Janie Medley {floral designer & wedding blogger extraordinaire}

We are thrilled and ecstatic about today's spotlight and our very first featured guest here at {ritzy bee}!

Please welcome the lovely and talented Janie Medley, owner and designer of Janie Medley Flora Design and creator of The Bride's Cafe, one of the most beautifully inspiring wedding blogs out there and a daily read for us here at {ritzy bee}. Janie is not only extremely talented but she is also one of the sweetest individuals we have ever worked with and was a huge inspiration to us with launching {ritzy bee}!

Janie trained in New York City with the fabulous Matthew Robbins of Artfool. Matthew is also floral contributor to Martha Stewart Weddings magazine. For those of you that are local to Virginia, DC & Maryland you happen to be in luck because Janie designs for weddings and events in this area!

We recently chatted with Janie about her work, blog and what inspires her most:

{rb} Where does your love and interest in floral design come from?

JM: My love of floral design comes from my mom. As a child, I can remember my mom planting the prettiest little flower gardens. She would get up early in the mornings to take care of them; I can still see her out watering them….wonderful memories!

{rb} Where do you find your inspiration?

JM: I find inspiration in so many things, but one of the main things that inspire me is fashion!!!! I look at my floral designs in the same way….to me the vase that hold the flowers is like the perfect pair of shoes to complete the outfit!

{rb} We love that! Can you give our bride's out there some advice...what timeline should a bride give herself when working with a florist?

JM: I think the sooner you meet with your floral designer, the better. Unless you already know who want to work with, you should interview at least 3 designers. Make sure that you “gel” with this person because you want to develop a great relationship with the person over the months of planning to come.

{rb} What piece of advice would you give brides who are working with a budget?

JM: For brides that are working on a budget, I would say to concentrate on a “focal” piece at the reception…something with the “WOW” factor. Then make the floral for the reception table centerpieces something on a small scale…but with style!

{rb} Great advice! Let's talk a little about flowers...what flowers are your personal favorites to work with?

JM: Asking me what are my favorite flowers to work with is hard……….I call my flowers “my children”….I love them all but if I had to pick….I love beautiful vases of peonies, sweet peas and garden roses. I love lush arrangements of monochromatic designs…..such an elegant look!

{rb} Are you noticing any recent trends with brides when it comes to flowers or styles?

JM: Trends that I am noticing are the use soft color palettes at the wedding ceremony and then coming out strong with the vibrant color palettes at the reception. Your guest will not expect this and will be totally blown away!

{rb} The Bride's Cafe is one of the best wedding blogs out there - what do you love best about it?

JM: Oh my gosh…what an excellent question and thank you for your kind words….I never expected The Bride’s Café to take off the way it has…it’s only 4 months old and the response has been amazing! I am excited and truly blessed for all the wonderful feedback that I have received from my readers and the incredible and amazingly talented people that I have had a chance to interview. There are so many wonderful blogs and I’m truly honored to have so many faithful readers. I wanted to bring a totally different look and feel to my blog and make it a “happy” place to visit. Doing the “interview segments”, well, that’s my niche and the day that I received an email from a reader calling me the “Oprah” of the blog world…..well I knew then that I was doing something right! I love being able to share all of this with you guys and it gives me total satisfaction to know that I’m helping so many wonderful people along the way. TBC is truly like having my own magazine!!!! I love it!

{rb} When you aren't busy designing and blogging what do you enjoy doing for fun?

JM: When I’m not busy designing and blogging and working my full-time job….what do I do for fun………right now, sad to say I don’t have a lot of down time. Honestly I am working a lot right now and just trying to accomplish goals that I have set for myself. The in between times are spent with my friends and trying to catch some much needed sleep!

Janie has such an eye for style and sophistication and her gorgeous floral designs are incredibly stunning as they are unique. Be sure to stop by The Bride's Cafe today to learn more about Janie and her work...and be sure to have a look around at some of her past posts, she always has such inspiring features!

We hope you enjoy a sampling of Janie's amazing work in the pictures below...click to enlarge images

Photo credits (above): Justine Ungaro

Photo credits (above): Eleise Theuer

Thank you so much Janie for stopping by {ritzy bee}...we can not wait to catch up with you again soon and will look forward to your daily inspiring posts on The Bride's Cafe!!!

Comments

[Rocio]

I love Janie's work! She is talented and has such a sweet spirit. Thanks so much for doing a feature on Janie! Congratulations on your blog!

[Janie]

Thanks so much for featuring me on your beautiful blog, I am truly honored. Your blog is awesome and I wish you much success with all you do!

[Wish!]

Janie told me to check out your blog! Looks like its going to be another great resource! I'll be sure to spread the word about this! Congratulations and best wishes!

[Ann Torres]

Janie Medley is a beautiful person inside and out! I have told many of my friends about her creation- The Bride's Cafe, calling it a beacon of light for brides during their wedding planning process. It's so wonderful to have resources like the Bride's Cafe and Ritzy Bee!!

[Wendy]

Thanks for inviting me over for a tour, Maria! I had a great time...I've got you in my favs so I'll be back to visit soon!