Experienced designer focuses on weddings, bringing a fresh, new take on floral creations

Reviewing Samirah Ahmed, Owner & Designer at Designs in Bloom

 

Samirah Ahmed is a talented floral designer who specializes in creative, fun and funky flowers. We often turn to her for updates on the latest floral design trends, because for many years, she has been wowing brides with her passion for flowers and her ability to bring a whole new level of detail & style to your wedding bouquet. Focusing entirely on weddings while working from her home floral studio, Samirah's work is obviously incredible. That's why The Ring sat down with Samirah to find out more about how this young professional got to where she is today. Let us explain...

 

Falling in love with flowers

Samirah began her floral design career by combining a lifelong affinity for creativity with the opportunity for an apprenticeship with one of London's most popular designers. As she began to experiment with designing, she was sure there was no other career that could compete with her passion for flowers. "I spent hour after hour practicing how to create European hand-tied bouquets, topiary trees, foam arrangements and everything else. I took apart arrangement after arrangement, trying to get it just right! It didn’t even feel like work to me, I loved my job."

 

Samirah quickly translated her willingness and desire to succeed into concrete goals. "By the end of the year, I was working closely with the head designer doing weddings and events. Within the next couple years I became one of the head designers with a clientele who knew my work and would request that it be me specifically who designed their very special Valentine bouquet, Christmas arrangement, or Mother’s Day bouquet. I did this for several years..." After much deliberation about where to best utilize her talents, Samirah took on the challenge of starting out on her own and opened Designs in Bloom.

 

The artist at work

By catering only to weddings and special events, Samirah has been able to find her own style and build on her expertise. She can create exactly the floral look you want, from cool and elegant to hot and passionate or sweetly romantic. "I treat each floral design like an art piece... balancing and composing until the arrangement appears visually stunning."

 

Because she is so flexible in her design concepts, every wedding is one of a kind. "I can recreate any floral design that a couple has fallen in love with from a photo or magazine," Samirah told us. "We can also work together to create something that is unique and has never been seen before - brides are coming to me now saying they want something different than what their sister or friend had... and I can do that." Samirah uses her experience and creativity to help make your wedding just the way you've envisioned it – and still stay within your budget. If you don't have a clear picture of what you want, or if you don't know very much about flowers, don't worry! Samirah can inspire you with lots of great ideas. "I try to work with couples, providing them with hundreds of examples from my own work as well as images from books and magazines, to design something they truly love and get excited about."

 

Married August 31, 2008, Binh Huynh appreciated Samirah's design expertise to set the atmosphere of her wedding. "...She surprised us by adding petals to our tables. I also noticed that she tweaked the designs slightly to make them look nicer... she added small white flowers to my bouquet for it to match with my white dress better."

Samirah's bouquets use a variety of different textures and flowers to pull the design together. She says that couples are asking for bouquets that are more creative but with a hint or two of tradition. "It's not just roses these days... Brides still love the timeless element of roses but they are much more willing to combine them with a variety of different flowers for a look that is really unique."

Top quality flowers... and more

Samirah can work with silk if that's your preference. However, she recommends the look of fresh flowers, which she hand-picks from Toronto and London suppliers who import the best blooms from all over the world. Getting quality, fresh product for arrangements is her biggest priority, "A bride should never worry about her bouquet making it through the day. A fresh, well designed bouquet should last the day no problem! I’ve had brides comment that the bouquets and arrangements that have been taken home are still being displayed days later!"

 

She also uses a lot of non-floral items in her bouquets and centrepieces for an unexpected twist. Fresh fruit has been very popular for the last few years, she says, and she has also created great effects by adding berries, branches, stones and coffee beans.

 

One of her newest additions to her rental repertoire is a Manzanita Tree - a small tree made of dry branches on which you can hang strings of crystals, butterflies, place cards, wishes, orchids, etc. She also carries pillars, up-lit pedestals and other décor items that enhance your wedding day florals.

 

Trends in bloom

Wishes Willow branches in a tall vase, or a Manzanita Tree, with orchids pinned to the branches, or strings of crystals hung off each branch... at your reception your guests can tie their wish cards to the tree. "You can also put cards and wish cards in trendy baskets." Or for a more polished look, wish cards can be displayed on a bed of grass. Samirah will grow the bed of grass herself for your occasion.

Style Weddings are starting to be 'Hollywood' when it comes to her designs. "I like to think of it as affordable drama," Samirah told us. She has ultra modern illuminated pedestals, too. She says they add a dramatic touch to your head table, entrance way or ceremony location. "They can be used with urns or with tall vases." Pedestals are also available in neutral tones.

Colour One of the newest colour trends, Samirah says, is having a monochromatic theme at your wedding. Everything, from florals to décor, is actually a shade or tint of one base colour. "There has has also been a return to white and cream for bridal bouquets," says Samirah, who glams this colour up with soft white feathers and glittering accessories.

Pomanders Flower girls carrying flower balls (kissing balls, Pomanders) is still popular. "They are usually done in silk flowers for durability and so that the flower girl can take it home as a reminder of the day and her role in it."

Magnets Samirah offers magnetic corsages and boutonnières. "They are an excellent alternative to the traditional pins. They won't damage fabrics and they actually keep the flowers straight."

 

Arrangements that go beyond the ordinary...

Designs in Bloom offers a lot more than just gorgeous bouquets and centrepieces.

• Samirah can do fresh flower decorations for your cake (carefully wrapping each stem to make sure that the cake tastes just as good as it looks). Imagine the impact of a few delicate orchids or hot pink gerbera daisies against a cream-coloured icing.

• Pew cones are another of her specialties. Instead of traditional bows, Samirah can hang flower-filled cones from the end of your church pews to create a stunning aisle.

• How about putting flowers in the back of each chair for the ceremony? Samirah can provide both the covers and the flowers - ask about the details when you make your booking.

• Garlands or topiaries can transform your reception hall, and Samirah has a lot of experience decorating tents in all kinds of beautiful ways. She can also provide other pieces of décor like tea lights, pedestals and carpet runners to complete the look.

 

CNE Bridal Photo Shoot featuring bouquets by Designs in Bloom (Samirah in green!).

Details&Prices

Samirah keeps her prices very reasonable, especially when you consider the quality materials that go into each arrangement. The bride’s bouquet ranges from $80 to $150, but the average is around $100. Bridesmaids' bouquets are $60 to $80, while corsages are $12 and boutonnieres are $10 each.

 

When it comes to centrepieces, Samirah gives you the choice of renting the vases or buying them. Renting can help to keep down your budget, while buying means that you won't have to worry about replacing vases that get broken or taken home by guests. Centrepieces start at $30 and go up, depending on the design.

 

To help you stretch your budget, Samirah suggests re-using your flowers. Arrangements from the church can very easily be incorporated into your reception décor, for example, while toss bouquets can be used to decorate the cake table.

 

Convenience and an on-site expert

Because Samirah doesn't operate out of a retail store, she is able to book your visit in or outside of standard retail hours, at a time that suits your schedule. You can choose to visit Samirah in her home studio (where you may even be lucky enough to see her mid-wedding designs as we did), or she can meet you at your home as well. Samirah's goal is for your meeting with her to be convenient and enjoyable. In fact, one of the coolest things about Designs in Bloom is the 'web consultations' that she offers to her brides. "Brides planning from far away can sit at their home computers - wherever that may be - and have access to my computer and all my examples/portfolio," Samirah explained to us. "Together I can walk them through all details while they watch my screen from their home! I’ve coordinated with brides everywhere from British Columbia to Greece."

 

From that first meeting on, Samirah strives to give you her undivided attention whenever you need it, "Many brides have been surprised to find out that I have been coordinating many weddings during the weeks and months we’ve communicated. I’ve had several say that I made them feel like they were my only client as they were given so much attention." She will meet with you several times leading up the wedding and she will visit your ceremony and reception sites with you to get the all the visual details in order.

 

On your wedding day, you have the advantage of having Samirah on-site to attend to any last minute details (like getting all the flowers to the right locations, last minute thank-you arrangements and more). "Each bride and members of her party have a number where I can be reached at any point throughout the day. I often coordinate very closely with all the vendors - especially the caterer and photographer - to make sure each detail is absolutely perfect. A bride should never be worried about any floral details on her special day."

 

Samirah is committed to having your wedding day go off without a hitch because she understands where you are coming from. And because she handles only one or two weddings each weekend, she can give your big day all the attention it deserves.

 

As a testament to Samirah's expertise, Natasha Denisi (married September 6, 2008) told us one of her favourite wedding memories was "walking into the hall for the first time, I rushed over to one of the tables to see the arrangements. They were breathtaking... EXACTLY what I envisioned. I had guests that thought the table arrangements were fake... they looked that good!"

 

detailsdetailsdetails

• You should book Designs in Bloom at least 6 to 8 months in advance. Keeping in mind that the more popular summer weekends book up faster, a year is sometimes better.

• If she’s available, she’s also willing to take last minute bookings.

• Deposits start at $300 depending on the size of the order.

• The balance is due one week before the wedding.

• Applicable taxes are not included in quoted prices.

 

Meeting Samirah...

To contact Samirah Ahmed at Designs in Bloom, you can reach her either by phone at 519-932-1155, or by email at info@designsinbloom.ca. For more samples of her edgy and fresh work, check out Designs in Bloom online at www.designsinbloom.ca for more.

 

- The Staff at TheWeddingRing.ca

* Prices are all approximate and are subject to change and verification by authorized staff and management of Designs in Bloom.  * The tenth photo in left photo strip by Jeff Toogood. First, third, fourth and seventh photos in left photo strip by HRM Photography. Fifth photo in left photo strip by Joey Kittmer Photography. Eleventh photo in left photo strip by JB Smith Photography. Twelfth and thirteenth photo is left photo strip by Eric Rockburn Photography. Sixth photo in left photo strip, fourth and fifth photo down the right side by The Last Forty Percent Photography.