Vendor Spotlight: Verde Flowers, Santa Rosa Floral Design

Photographer: Joy Marie

Photographer: Joy Marie

Sara Mcconneloug of Verde Flowers stumbled upon floral design quite uniquely. After a BA in English and History, she worked on a biointensive farm in Southern Yosemite. She instantly fell in love with design and companion planting. Discovering that farming was hard work, she returned to work cleaning buckets at the local florist shop, determined to glean more about design. Floristry classes at San Francisco City College and hands-on experience in several event studios led her to a full-time career as a floral designer.

Photographer: Susan Adler

People find Sara largely due to her positive word-of-mouth reputation which she says gives her working relationship a great starting place. She works closely with couples to come up with a look they love for a price that works. “Making a wedding celebration a personal reflection of my clients make my work interesting and every event unique,” she says.

She tells us her mother’s garden has been a huge inspiration. “The sacredness of making and keeping a home and kitchen garden takes skill, determination and love. My siblings and I had the best playground: an undeveloped parcel of land in Fairfax with a meadow edged by bay trees and blackberries. The natural beauty of Marin continues to shape my designs. Hiking with my husband and shopping at the Farmers Markets keep me going. There are so many independent-minded, small farms in Santa Rosa where we live.” She says the change of seasons also keeps her fresh: as the weather changes, so do the flowers, fruit and foliage. “Hard to say goodbye to the juicy dahlias, hydrangea, garden roses and late summer apples and lingering sunlight. Snowberries, narcisssus, peonies and citrus and rain that we all need are ahead,” she says, thoughtfully.

Photographer: Richard Wood

Photographer: Richard Wood

We love Sara’s work. Totally Mother Nature inspired and you can see it in every aspect of her designs. Verde Flowers is hands down Bridebound approved.