fall arrangements

dancing for salmon only

I am pleased to report that Friends of the Hylebos' annual Ruby Dance last weekend was a great success surpassing the fundraising goal by $3000! But then, with Sean MacLean of King FM fame as the emcee, Gene Duvernoy of Cascade Land Conservency as the keynote speaker, MacKenzie Allen as the auctioneer, Margery Godfrey as the event chair and Finch & Thistle as the event planners/managers/designers, how could it possibly be anything other than a great Saturday night in Federal Way??

Over 200 guests turned out to the King County Aquatic Center for an evening of silent and live auctions, an action packed program, rusted steel herons and raise the paddle. We exceeded our fundraising goals and a good time was had by all (even those working the event). Many thanks to all the volunteers and committee members who contributed time and willing hands. We couldn't have done it without you!

A few pictures from the evening...

all good pictures courtesy of Seth Bynum, less decent ones by me

No. 6!

Finch and Thistle is currently in 6th place in the Best of Western Washington competition. We need to make it into the top five to receive any recognition so please send this link to all of your friends and vote now if you haven't already!

Photos from Ryan Flynn - Lara and Eric

I am so impressed with Ryan's work that I will be recommending him to my clients left and right. Stay turned for a very serious and proper interview with Ryan in an upcoming post. In the meantime, you can find him here - http://www.ryanpflynn.com/. And how adorable are these flower girls???

All photos courtesy of Ryan Flynn Photography http://www.ryanpflynn.com/

New Partner, New Direction

In addition to floral and event design, Finch & Thistle offers event planning and non-profit event fundraising consulting. In order to expand on the consulting side of the business, I am delighted to welcome my new partner to the business - Alix Compton.

Alix and I have had the privelege of working together for over three years now and I am thrilled to be able to offer her event management and fundraising expertise to our clients. Together we offer the full event package - creativity with logistical event management. As I recently explained to an event committee - you can have the most beautiful event in the world but if the logistics aren't under control then chaos will ensue - and conversely - if the event runs smoothly but isn't visually appealing, no one will remember it. Finch & Thistle is able to offer expertise in both these areas and the addition of a partner enables us to reach a broader audience in the Puget Sound area.

Between us, Alix and I have nearly 20 years of combined event experience working with a wide range of clients including corporations, individuals, trade associations and non-profit organizations. 10 years of that experience was acquired working directly with non-profit community relations and development teams, with a particular focus on fundraising through special events. So next time you need an experienced event planner to manage your company's event or fundraiser and take care of all your floral and design needs, you know where to find us!

Best of Western Washington!

I am delighted to announce that Finch & Thistle Event Design has been nominated for best flowers in King 5's annual Best of Western Washington competition! I could not be more excited that we have been nominated alongside some truly amazing local floral designers - Fiori, Aria and Willow and Bloom to name a few. The voting is open until October 11 so please follow this link and vote for us!

Lara & Eric, 8/8/09

I was thrilled to get to know Lara and Eric over the course of their wedding planning. What a kind, considerate and down-to-earth couple! Lara is one of the most organized people I have ever met and she had most of the details down and vendors booked well over eight months ago. Eric built their wedding arch by hand, carefully wiring curly willow branches together into a rustic masterpiece. The arch did cause a few issues though...when I went to decorate it after dropping off the bouquets etc, it wasn't standing up by itself on the grassy slope of Hamilton Viewpoint Park. My sweet husband ended up hoofing it to the hardware store to buy stakes to hammer in supports on either side. I am pleased to see from the pictures that the arch remained standing throughout the ceremony!

The wedding colors were lime and eggplant, the theme vintage, organic glamour. Here are a few pictures from the day...

*invitation design by iwona k design studio- www.iwonak.com