{Inspirations: Mark of Mark's Garden}

Forgot to share a funny story about Bouquets to Art.

In general, I'm a bit reluctant to admit that I am obsessed with Mark Held and his fabulous floral studio called Mark's Garden. I've memorized his beautiful wedding work which includes the weddings of Jessica Simpson, Britney Spears, Ashley Simpson, Fergie, Tori Spelling, and so many A listers!

To show you how obsessed I am, two years, during a brief trip to LA, I made my husband drive one hour out of our way so that I could visit Mark's floral shop in Sherman Oaks. So crazed was I, I went up to the manager and asked him if I could go to the back room to see where the work was done. Of course, the lovely gentleman said, "sure" and gave me a thorough tour of the work stations. Feeling probably sorry for me, he showed me their portfolio which made my mouth water. Each page revealed one masterful creation after another until I felt quite unworthy.

Flash forward to early 2009...

So when I heard that Mark Held was a featured speaker at Bouquets, all I could think about was going to his class. Unfortunately, this year, one of my weddings landed the day of his speaking engagement. I was crushed. Dejected. Hopeless.

The entire time I was unloading and installing my art piece for Bouquets, I kept hoping that I would catch him. A brief glimpse would have been enough to fulfill my obsession. As I came and went throughout Monday mornings installation, there was no sign of the fabulous, Mark Held. Nothing.

Finally as I was getting into the elevators to leave, I rounded a corner and bumped into.....drum roll.....the man himself, Mark Held.

In person, Mark exuded sophistication, a warm and welcoming spirit, and of course, uber charm. We chatted briefly though I imagine I was a complete fool, gushing on and on about how much I admired him. He turned a slight shade of pink but smiled kindly at me. If I had a pen and paper, I would have asked for his autograph. Somehow I managed not to embarrass myself and shook his hand(I would like to say that I had no intentions of watching my hand again, but cleanliness overruled that thought and I have since washed my hand!)

Lucky for all of us, Mark's new book on Fabulous Parties is in stores now. This way we can all enjoy his beautiful work without having to drive to Sherman Oaks.

Enjoy!