Growing up, my Mom used any excuse to put her botany degree to use and bestow flower and plant knowledge on both my sister and I. Whether we were out on a nature walk, weeding the garden or taking a drive, my Mom saw each place as an opportunity to spot and learn about different flowers. She even had us start creating and entering bouquets into our local 4-H fair. While it’s something I quite enjoyed (and even frequently took home the top prizes in), I wondered what good this flower arranging skill was going to be in the long run. Last month, I finally got my answer. I had the incredible honor of being invited to Ode à la Rose’s headquarters, here in Manhattan’s flower district, to design my very own bouquet. For those of you who might not know, Ode à la Rose is a flower delivery service that focuses on rose-centered bouquets with a French touch. Oui, oui! I mean, roses? A French touch? You know I couldn't resist!  The entire process was such a fun (and fragrant) one, I’m almost thinking I should have gone into the bouquet making business full-time...

While I’m not biased when it comes to flowers, I do have a few favorites that always seem to catch my eye, like peonies, garden roses and orchids. And of course you know I love my neutrals, so I threw in some eucalyptus for good measure. I’ll be sharing more of my bouquet in a fun entertaining post next week, but in the mean time, I hope you enjoy some of the thoughts that were behind it and some of the BTS moments that went into making it. And if you want to get those Valentine’s Day flowers ordered early (it’s same day delivery in NYC and next day in the northeast) or you just want a bouquet that helps you "stop and smell the roses", you can order the one I created here (FYI, if you use code AlyssaxOALR you’ll get 10% off!). 

Photos by Albert Cheung