McCool Flowers

Pretty Cool!

2012-01-27T10:41:00.001-08:00

{Dana Point,CA} – January 27, 2012 – WeddingWire, the nation's leading wedding Marketplace, is excited to announce McCool Flowers has been selected to receive the prestigious WeddingWire Bride’s Choice Awards™ 2012 for Flowers & Decor!

The esteemed annual awards program recognizes the top local wedding vendors from the WeddingWire Network who demonstrate excellence in quality, service, responsiveness and professionalism within the wedding industry. While many industry awards are selected by the organization, McCool Flowers was selected based on its stellar reviews from past newlywed clients.

McCool Flowers is recognized as part of the top five percent of wedding professionals in the WeddingWire local vendor community, comprised of over 200,000 wedding professionals throughout the United States and Canada. The Bride’s Choice Award recognizes the best local wedding vendors across 20 service categories, from wedding venues to wedding photographers, based on their overall professional achievements throughout the past year.

“WeddingWire is thrilled to honor the success of the top-rated wedding professionals within the WeddingWire Community,” said Timothy Chi, CEO, WeddingWire. “Since the launch of the Bride’s Choice Awards™ program four years ago, thousands of outstanding wedding professionals have been recognized by the bridal community for their supreme service and dedication to the wedding industry. It is with great pleasure that we congratulate McCool Flowers for their continued professionalism and commitment to enriching the wedding planning experience for engaged couples.”

We are happy to announce that McCool Flowers is one of the very best Flowers & Decor within the WeddingWire Network, which includes leading wedding planning sites WeddingWire, Project Wedding, Brides.com, Martha Stewart Weddings, and Weddingbee. We would like to thank our past clients for taking the time to review our business on WeddingWire. Thanks to their positive feedback we were able to receive the WeddingWire Bride’s Choice Awards™ for 2012.

For more information, please visit our WeddingWire Storefront today at http://www.weddingwire.com/biz/mccool-flowers-dana-point/890c5dff30918956.html.

To learn more about the Bride's Choice Awards™, please visit www.WeddingWire.com.

About WeddingWire, Inc.

WeddingWire™, the nation's leading marketplace serving the $70 billion wedding industry, is the only online wedding planning resource designed to empower both engaged couples and wedding professionals. For engaged couples, WeddingWire offers the ability to search, compare and book over 200,000 reviewed wedding vendors, from wedding venues to wedding photographers. WeddingWire also offers a comprehensive suite of online planning tools for weddings, including wedding websites and wedding checklists, all at no charge. For wedding professionals, WeddingWire is the only all-in-one marketing platform for businesses online and on-the-go. WeddingWire offers one simple solution to build a professional network, improve search visibility, manage social media and reach mobile consumers. Businesses that advertise with WeddingWire appear on WeddingWire.com, ProjectWedding.com and other leading sites, including MarthaStewartWeddings.com (NYSE: MSO), Brides.com and Weddingbee.com.

###

Thank you Wedding Wire!

2012-01-10T13:14:00.000-08:00

Thank you Wedding Wire for awarding McCool Flowers with the Bride's Choice Award!! Have you visited Wedding Wire yet? It's a great resource for anyone getting married!

You can visit our Wedding Wire site here... http://www.weddingwire.com/biz/mccool-flowers-dana-point/890c5dff30918956.html

Did you know....

2011-11-30T10:12:00.000-08:00

Did you know that Poinsettias are NOT poisonous? I know, I know, you've always heard that they were.... but they are not!

According to MedicineNet.com "While the genus (Euphorbia) to which the poinsettia plant belongs does contain some highly toxic plants, the popular poinsettia itself is not toxic." Even Snopes.com had something to say about the poinsettia myth! ttp://www.snopes.com/holidays/christmas/poinsettia.asp

Now, nobody said you can add them to your salad (I hear they taste awful!) but now you can feel safe bringing home a few poinsettia. They make the house feel so festive and cheery! And we have some gorgeous 3 and 4 stem beauties in the store right now! Come by and grab one for yourself or send one to a loved one. Happy Holidays!

Our Holiday Event!

2011-11-08T12:35:00.000-08:00

Our Holiday Event will be held on November 18th this year from 2:00 until 7:00pm. Be sure to come by the store and see our gorgeous Christmas trees, cute beach themed ornaments, lighted wreathes and other holiday decor! We will be hosting an hourly drawing, offering in store specials, enjoying holiday snacks and giving out free roses (one per customer, while supplies last).

Be sure to bring along a toy for the Boys and Girls Club Operation Homework box. We are accepting donations for the Boys and Girls Club of Capistrano Valley's holiday event in our store this year.

And Santa Claus will be visiting the Wee Loft Toy Store next door from 5:00 until 7:00! So bring along the whole family!

Wedding Wire

2011-11-08T11:28:00.000-08:00

Have you heard of Wedding Wire? We hadn't until we started reciveing emails that brides were reviewing us- so we checked it out! What a useful site!! So far we have had 4 brides review us and guess what.... all are 5 stars! Check us out here- http://www.weddingwire.com/reviews/mccool-flowers-dana-point/890c5dff30918956.html

Look what we've got!

2011-10-11T11:26:00.001-07:00

We had to keep up with the trend, right?! Use your QR reader on your phone to follow it to our Facebook page and "Like" us!! We have LOTS more photos there!

Cute Little Wedding

2011-09-11T10:42:00.000-07:00

It's not often that we are able to document the numerous small weddings that we do here at McCool Flowers- and we do A LOT! It just so happened that I had my camera at work the day we put this one together for a bride who was getting married at the gazebo here in Dana Point overlooking the Harbor.

Wedding at Marbella Country Club

2011-09-06T10:34:00.000-07:00

Such a beautiful venue for a wedding! Marbella Country Club, for those of you who are unfamiliar with it, is located in San Juan Capistrano and is an exclusive gated community with a wonderful country club that they have just recently begun renting to those who do not officially belong! The backdrop is a beautiful golf course with the hills behind it!
And the Hoopah (that is the official name for the structure the bride and groom stand under at a Jewish wedding for those of you who did not know)- well, the Hoopah looked spectacular against the green of the golf course with the beautiful green and white flowers!

And Yet...Another Wedding at Laguna Cliffs Marriott Resort and Spa

2011-08-13T12:24:00.000-07:00

It's been a busy summer for Laguna Cliffs Marriott weddings!

This one was in a similar color scheme to last weekends wedding- the greens anyway. And of course we had green cymbidium orchids in the arrangements and on the cake! They are so classy and beautiful! And like I said before, Cathy's favorite.

The sweetheart table. I love the bear grass loops. Hopefully we will get some photos from the photographer of the bridal bouquet- it had those cute loops as well.
I love their seatting card idea! And of course our arrangement made it look extra cute :). There were similar arrangements at the guestbook table and the gift table.

Speaking of cute ideas, how cute is this? A wroght iron garden screen with photos hanging from it!And of course there were centerpieces on all the tables to match. Doesn't it look great all put together!?

Thank you to the bride's friend and photographer from Green Bean FX Photography for sharing a few of his photos!

Another Wedding at Laguna Cliffs Marriott Resort and Spa

2011-08-08T11:31:00.000-07:00

Another wonderful wedding at the beautiful Laguna Cliffs Marriott! And what a beautiful day for a wedding! The bridal bouquet for "J" looked incredible! With mini calla lilies, hydrangea, and Cathy's favorites- green cymbium orchids :0) And how cute are the bride's maids bouquets? With bright pinks and greens- so much fun. In the same colors were two pomander balls that were to be hung off sheppard hooks on either side of the aisle at the beginning. So fun!

And finally the centerpieces. These were really pretty! Nice and full and again in all the fun colors of the bride's maids bouquets- hot pink and green and tied with a bright green ribbon.

Thank you so much to Joe Latter Photography for sharing photos with us!

Did you know we have more photos on our Facebook page?

Pin It

Rancho San Clemente Tennis Club Wedding

2011-07-11T11:19:00.000-07:00

As you may have read here, we did a wedding show at the Rancho San Clemente Tennis Club back in May and this weekend we had a wedding there! Yeah! It is such a cute venue! (could it be that I'm partial to it because it is where I got married??) The garden area with the wrought iron gazebo is just so cute and quaint! And look how spectacular it looks with our flowers adorning it! :)
And our busy bees in the shop putting together the pomander balls...
And look how stunning the bride looks with her beautiful bouquet!

And her bride's maids looked pretty awesome too!

How great are these tall centerpieces!? Now the guests can actually talk to each other :)

And don't forget you can see more pictures on our Facebook page http://www.facebook.com/pages/McCool-Flowers/270571130333. I wish I could tell you who the photographer was, but we have not heard back from the bride with their name yet!

Pin It

St Edwards and Ocean Institute Wedding

2011-07-10T11:27:00.000-07:00

Don't you just LOVE the fun colors "A" chose for her wedding?!! Love them! And she also chose two great venues for her event- St Edwards Catholic Church and (one of my personal faves) the Ocean Institute in the Dana Point Harbor. If you have never attended a wedding or event at the Ocean Institute, you are missing out! It is one of those comfie, yet elegant venues, with fabulous views of the harbor. And to entertain the kids, there is a real whale skeleton suspended above!

And how amazing are these photos from Jolynee Photography! (her website is really cute too! Click on her name and it will take you there)

Another advantage of chosing the Ocean Institute, the Youth Docks, the Dana Point Yacht club or any of the other venues in the harbor is the awesome setting for photos!

Cannon's Wedding and a Funny Story!

2011-07-08T09:43:00.001-07:00

This is a funny story! This adorable couple- L and K, had almost the exact same wedding plans as Cathy (our fearless leader and owner of McCool Flowers- and yes, her real name is Cathy McCool!). Anyway, Cathy and her sweet husband were married almost exactly 20 years ago to the date as L and K! At exactly the same location (the Blue Lantern Gazebo), we a reception at the same location (Cannon's, overlooking Dana Point Harbor) and a honeymoon at the same place (Tahiti)!! How funny is that??!!

Dana Point Wedding Show

2011-05-23T11:56:00.000-07:00

What a turn out we had for the Bridal Fair By-the-Sea Wedding show in Dana Point Harbor! Wow! We met lots of wonderful brides-to-be!! Thanks for taking the time to literally "stop and smell the roses"!! (we had these wonderfully scented roses in a couple bridal bouquets)

Our vintage inspired centerpiece and bouquets were quite the hit! Thank you to Archive Vintage Rentals for loaning us the buffet, table, table settings and chairs to make the look all come together!

You can see more photos on our Facebook Pages (yes, there are two!) Our personal page Here or the business page Here.

We've Been Blogged!

2011-05-23T11:46:00.000-07:00

We were blogged here http://livewhatyoulovekris.wordpress.com/2011/05/22/bridal-fair-by-the-sea-dana-point/

Thanks!

Wedding at Laguna Cliffs Marriott Resort and Spa

2011-05-16T10:42:00.000-07:00

Wait until you see the stunning bridal bouquet that our bride "M" wanted for her wedding at the Laguna Cliffs Marriott! ~~We are waiting on more photos from the wedding photographer as these don't do it justice and will post them as soon as we can!~~ Photos have arrived!! Thank you Alex Neumann Photography! The photos are great!
The bride chose yellow, blue and white as her colors. Look how cute the bride's maids bouquets and the two flower girl's head wreaths are!

The groom's men also had coordinating yellow boutonnieres and the groom had an orchid boutonniere. And how cute is grandma with her corsage? :)

The ballroom had this great yellow lighting to coordinate with the brides color scheme- unfortunately, it caused the photos to look odd! We was unable to make the flowers look white and yellow without making the photos look vintage! Oh well! Vintage is trendy right now, right?

And a parting shot- this is St Edwards Catholic Church in Dana Point. A beautiful location for a wedding!! Did you know that this is where Kobe Bryant was married??

Thank you again to Alex Neumann for sharing all most of the images you see here!!

Wedding Show at Rancho San Clemente Tennis Club

2011-04-11T11:41:00.000-07:00

This weekend was the Bridal Fair by the Sea's wedding show at the beautiful Rancho San Clemente Tennis Club in San Clemente, Ca. Many people miss this as option for events- weddings as well as other occasions. It is tucked up on the hill off of Pico, with a nice ocean view and ocean breezes! We will try to post more photos of it soon (not just flower photos).

Anyway... the event was lovely as usual! The Bridal Fair by the Sea coordinators know how to put together a great event! We had a nice little spot out by the pool (complete with ocean view- what a way to spend a Saturday!). And we were able to meet lots of wonderful future brides (and a few future grooms).

Of course the hit of the booth was the stunning bouquet with lilacs, heliboris, Porcelina roses and freesia. It smelled wonderful! And was done in the trendy loose style, tied with a satin ribbon.

The other hit was the pink more traditional bridal bouquet made with "Sweet Memories" roses. These are one of the few commercial grow scented roses and they smell sooooooo wonderful!

Our next bridal show will also be with Bridal Fair by the Sea. But this one will take place at the Dana Point Yacht Club on May 22nd. If you are, or you know someone who will be getting married any time in the next year, be sure to pass along the info!

PS- Thank you to Jen O'Sullivan Photography for sharing some of the photos from the event! You can see more photos on our Facebook page!

Wedding at Laguna Cliffs Marriott Resort and Spa

2011-04-09T12:57:00.000-07:00

Don't sunflowers just make you smile!? But we haven't done a sunflower wedding in a while now. That all changed this week with a wedding at the Laguna Cliffs Marriott Resort and Spa in Dana Point- and we couldn't have been happier. The bride's bouquet was all sunflowers and the bride's maids were roses, calla lillies and delphinium.

The cake had a sunflower theme! (That's the toss bouquet next to it)The beautiful ballrooms of the Laguna Cliffs Marriott! The ceremony took place out on the lawn- we hope to have photos from that soon, so check back!

Event at 7 Degrees

2011-03-18T12:55:00.001-07:00

Seven Degrees in Laguna Beach is another local great venue! Very Classy! The downstairs/inside has this great purple lighting. We did small cubes with green Cymbiduim Orchids in water along with white votives- it looked great! Then upstairs we did these stunning Mokara Orchids (aka "smile orchids" how cute is that?!) with silver wire! They looked amazing with the almost futuristic pewter tables!

Once again, we were too early to get photos of the table set up! But this time the flowers looked amazing even without all the fluff!

Happy St Patrick's Day!

2011-03-17T12:47:00.000-07:00

Happy St Patty's Day!

Event at the Marconi Auto Museum

2011-03-15T11:24:00.000-07:00

What a unique venue! The Marconi Auto Museum in Tustin is a unique place to have any event!They do weddings as well as corporate events! (These flowers were for a corporate event). The photos don't do the whole thing justice! And the chargers look a bit orange here (they were very classy and gold as was the silverware) But the photos of the centerpieces turned out pretty good :0).

The centerpieces were gorgeous! Yellow Calla Lilies, Hydrangea, "Billy Balls", and Hanging Amaranths with gold wire! They looked amazing on the black tablecloths with gold accents everywhere!

Marbella Country Club Wedding Show

2011-03-13T12:07:00.000-07:00

Our first wedding show of the year was at Marbella Country Club in San Juan Capistrano, Ca. It is such a stunning venue! With beautiful views of the golf course from the back balcony!

We had 7 tables to decorate in the colors of peach and white/cream- 3 large, 3 small coctail tables, and a buffet table that was set up with free nibbles for everyone (the perks of wedding shows if you haven't been to one yet :0) So if you have a chance, go! They are worth it if nothing else, for the free food and free champagne!)The hit of the event was a centerpiece we did to match the dark wicker chargers for the table. It was green cymbidums with brizilia. It was beautiful, economical and unique!

You can see more photos from the wedding show on our Facebook page.

Our next wedding show will be on April 10th at the Rancho San Clemente Tennis Club in San Clemente, Ca. See you there!

Laguna Cliffs Marriott Birthday Party

2011-02-13T12:30:00.000-08:00

You might think that red and white would be good colors for a Valentine's Day weekend 50th birthday party, but not for this crew! And we're glad they chose green!

These Spider Mums looked great on the black tablecloths! Around them were sprinkled hops! Yep, the same thing they use to make beer with! How fun

The party was at the Laguna Cliffs Marriott Resort and Spa and it looked like it was going to be a fun one!!

The St. Regis in Teal

2011-02-04T11:11:00.000-08:00

We did the centerpieces for an awards ceremony at the St Regis in Monarch Beach this week. Don't you think the yellow looks great against the "peacock" (aka teal) linens? Wow! They really popped!
Too bad we didn't get a photo with the tables all set, but we have to get there and get those centerpieces on the tables before they are set up, so most of our photos don't have the plates, napkins and the rest of the settings there. It looks so much more stunning when the whole thing is put together, but what are you going to do?? :0)

Do You Really Need a Reason to Shop Locally??

2011-01-28T10:07:00.000-08:00

Do you really need a reason or two to shop locally? Thanks to Barbara Wold for sending this along! (paraphrased a little by us)

Reasons to shop locally:

Shopping local creates jobs- and those hired in turn spend in the local economy.
Local independent shops invest more in their communities- supporting our local schools, charities and local events.
Local shops sell great products at affordable prices. We are able to carry small unique companies that big box stores can't or don't.
Shopping locally saves YOU time and money- less driving means less gas and less wear and tear on the car.
Shopping locally retains your community. Don't you hate it when there is a Starbucks on every corner! It is so much more fun to mix it up and have variety!
Shopping locally retains distinctiveness of your town. Don't we want Dana Point, San Juan Capistrano and Laguna Niguel (and all the other local communities) to be though of as unique, fun and a great places to wonder through unique little shops?! It would become just chain store after chain store if we did not have customers who felt the need to support the local stores
Shopping locally saves the environment. Often times local shops stock local brands that require less transportation, less packaging and therefore, less pollution
Local shops are for everyone. The kids can walk to them, you can ride your bike to them, etc.
Local shops value YOU more. You often receive better customer service and a better product because local business strive to obtain a good reputation- and keep it! You are often assisted by the owner of a local business, whose livelihood depends on YOU.
Shopping local saves services. Private and public sector serves cluster around shops. As shops disappear so do hairdressers, banks, restaurants, etc

Just in case you needed a reminder to keep it local! :0) We are blessed to have so many local stores to choose from here in South Orange County. We hope that you will continue to keep in mind that shopping local helps us and it helps you too! Thank you for supporting our local business.

Event at the Salt Creek Grill

2011-01-26T10:26:00.000-08:00

We haven't posted any of our events in a while! Cathy keeps forgetting to grab the camera on her way to do a set up!!

Well, Cathy remembered to bring her camera this time as she did the set up for a rehearsals dinner at the Salt Creek Grill in Monarch Beach. Yeah! The theme was black, red and white and the room looked great with our centerpieces of white hydrangea and red roses with accents of eucalyptus and each glass cube vase was wrapped in a black satin ribbon!

Look at Where We Are Now!!

2011-01-18T13:29:00.001-08:00

Look where you can find us now!!
The Knot!
http://www.theknot.com/Vendors/McCool-Flowers/Profile/FAD/042/369131/profile

"L" and "T" at Lantern Bay Park/Dana Point Harbor

2010-09-13T12:54:00.000-07:00

"L" and "T" had a beautiful wedding at Lantern Bay Park in Dana Point overlooking the harbor. Thank you to Scott A. Nelson Photography for sharing their photos. Their reception took place at the OC Sailing and Events Center in Dana Point Harbor. This is another great place for weddings/receptions if you are looking for a spot! It is right across the channel from both the Ocean Institute and the Dana Point Yacht Club- a bit more bare bones then the other two, but the view is still great. I love the succulents tucked in among the more traditional roses and hydrangea! Succulents are very trendy right now for weddings.

"D" and "M" at the Ocean Institute

2010-06-28T10:09:00.000-07:00

What a cool and trendy wedding "D" and "M" had this weekend.. as far as flowers go anyway! No roses... Succulents (very hot right now!), Fressias, Tuberoses, Calla Lilies, Stock, Lisianthus, Queen Anne's Lace, Dusty Miller and Kermit Button Poms. All greens and whites! I loved it!! And the bouquets smelled sooooooo wonderful!

They chose to do two heights for the centerpieces- it look really nice.

The wedding was at the beautiful Ocean Institute in Dana Point Harbor. What an amazing place for a wedding!! Not only is it a great place for a wedding, it is also a great place to visit if you are down in Dana Point Harbor. They have a great educational program set up there- a must see if you are in the area.

"S" and "R"'s wedding at Capri Inn in Laguna

2010-06-13T13:08:00.000-07:00

"S" and "R" chose to get married at the Capri Laguna Inn in Laguna Beach. We haven't done a wedding there before- can't wait to see how the flowers look! Don't the Black Beauty roses look stunning in the bride's bouquet!! I just love the combo of the green Cymbidium orchids with those roses!! "S" chose well!! And the brown ribbon is part of her mother's wedding dress! Isn't that sweet!!?.The bridesmaids bouquets were very pretty with green Cymbidium Orchids, Bells of Ireland and Sahara roses. I can't wait to see the photographer's photos- the bridesmaids dresses were champagne colored and they must have looked really pretty with the champagne colored Sahara roses!

And look how great the groomsmens boutonieres came out! With the white Dendrobium orchids and Bells of Ireland.

Look how great the toss bouquet looks!

"C" and "K"'s wedding at St Edwards

2010-06-05T11:08:00.000-07:00

We had another St Edward's wedding this weekend. If you have never been to St Edwards here in Dana Point, you should stop by for Mass some Sunday. The view is beautiful- the Pacific Ocean and the boats sailing by!

"C" and "K" were our bride and groom. They, like "N" and "M" back on the May 16th, chose fun colors! Orange, green and purple with teal ribbon! But "C"'s bouquet was traditional white- beautiful!!!

Their reception took place at Lake Forest Sun and Sail Club. We didn't get any photos from the venue...but again, we are hoping the professional photographer who covered their wedding will come through for us!

"N" and "D"'s Wedding at St Edwards Church

2010-05-31T13:21:00.000-07:00

"N" and "D" chose the beautiful St. Edwards Church here in Dana Point for their wedding with a reception at Cannon's Resturant, also in Dana Point. Can you believe the view from the here??? "N"'s bouquet was an adorable mix of white and light pink- so sweet! And for her bridesmaid's bouquet, she chose pink white and teal. We added the teal using a teal stem wrap and blue Bombay Orchids.
For the centerpieces she chose white and light pink with touches of the same ribbon we used on the bridesmaid's bouquets. Aren't the Dalias just stunning!?
The alter piece at the church...

"E" and "N"'s Wedding at Tivoli Too in Laguna Beach

2010-05-30T12:49:00.000-07:00

Oh my.... have you ever seen a Gardenia bouquet? Oh my..... Stunning! Just Stunning! So beautiful and simple and the smell is just heaven!

"E" and "N" chose a Gardenia bouquet for "E" and white rose with hydrangea and purple Phalenopsis orchids for the bridesmaid's bouquets. We also put together Gardenia for the bridesmaid's hair. For the grooms, there were boutonnieres made with orchids and beargrass- they were really lovely. The whole thing was really beautiful!!

Both the wedding and the reception took place at Tivoli Too in Laguna Beach. We were able to get a few photos of the cake at the venue. But again... we are hoping that the photographer will come through and share with us :0) Aren't those Phalaenopsis orchids just beautiful on the cake!?

"B" and "T" Wedding at South Shores Church

2010-05-26T13:21:00.001-07:00

What an awesome color combo green and purple turned out to be!! So fun and fresh!!

"B" and "T"'s wedding at South Shores Church in Monarch Beach was this weekend and that was their colors. The bride's maids wore dresses that were the color of the Lisianthus in the bouquet! Thank you to Jim Kennedy Photographers for sharing your beautiful photos of the event with us!! Without you we never would have been able to see how amazing the aisle runner with the petals turned out! We did purple Stock and green Bells of Ireland instead of the traditional rose petals- and it looked really unique (but messy!).

The reception took place at Tivoli Too in Laguna Beach. The cake turned out so beautifully with the flowers on it!

"N" and "B"'s wedding at Tivoli Terrace in Laguna Beach

2010-05-23T11:49:00.000-07:00

It has been a hot month for Tivoli Too weddings!! I know why... it is a beautiful venue! And right down the street from the beach in Laguna Beach. It is one of those cozy spots with the beautiful Laguna Canyon Hills for the backdrop but cool ocean breezes.

We were only able to snap a few photos of "N" and "B" flowers here at the flower shop- so once again... we will be waiting for the photographer to share :0). The yellow Cymbidium Orchids were really unique in "N"'s bouquet!

All the bouquets lined up and ready to go!

All the groomsmen's boutonnieres lined up and ready to go!

"N" and "M"'s wedding at Pines Park/Dana Point Yacht Club

2010-05-19T11:35:00.000-07:00

Our second wedding of the weekend took place at Pines Park in Capistrano Beach. The view from the park is really pretty. But I really think it was the flowers that took the show! :0) "N" and "M" chose really fun bright colors! Bright yellows and greens- and we got the most amazing Dalias in for the arrangements!! The aisle was lined with hundreds of rose petals- but because of the breeze, they were not laid out until right before the ceremony and we were not there to take photos. We will post some from the photographer as soon as we can. We also did not get any photos of "N"'s stunning bouquet- again, as soon as we can, we will post them.

The reception took place at the Dana Point Yacht Club in the Dana Point Harbor. This is another incredible place for a reception. Unlike the Chart House, where you are looking down at the boats in the harbor, here you are in the harbor watching as they pass right outside the windows! The cake was another It's All About the Cake masterpiece with our beautiful dalias and roses. What a fun wedding this must have turned out to be!

"A" and "A"'s Wedding at the Chart House

2010-05-19T10:28:00.000-07:00

Our first wedding of the weekend was at the Chart House here in Dana Point. What a beautiful place for a wedding! - and you can have the reception at the same place- all over looking Dana Point Harbor.

The colors that "A" and "A" chose were so fun! Hot pink and white! The bouquet was stunning!! They used my favorite hot pink roses and stepanotis with rhinestones-So cute!! And the hot pink Gerber daisies looked so pretty on the beautiful cake done by It's All About the Cake (which by the way, has THE BEST wedding cakes I have ever tasted!).

Are You on Facebook? We Are....

2010-05-14T11:02:00.000-07:00

Do you Facebook?? If so, you should add us as your friend or join our Fan Page!

Here is the link for our page:

http://www.facebook.com/#!/profile.php?id=1713618060

and here is the link for our Fan Page:

http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1713618060#!/pages/Dana-Point-CA/McCool-Flowers/270571130333?ref=ts

Wow! We survived Mother's Day!

2010-05-11T10:52:00.000-07:00

Mother's Day was fun and crazy and FULL of beautiful flowers! We would love for you to leave a comment if you recived flowers.

It was so busy we didn't get a chance to take many photos of the arrangements. But I did manage to snap a few of all the deliveries read to go on Saturday morning and one of a beautiful tulip and lilac arrangement we did.

What a Fun Way to Raise Money

2010-04-30T13:48:00.000-07:00

St. Margaret’s Episcopal School in San Juan Capistrano does a Library Fundraiser ever spring with each group decorating a table based on the theme of a book. This year we decorated two of the tables for a customer of ours. One was based on The Red Queen from Alice in Wonderland and the other was based on Caddy Shack!

Happy Administrative Professionals Week!!

2010-04-20T12:25:00.000-07:00

It is Administrative Professionals Week (aka Secretary's Week) with Wednesday being the official day to celebrate.

So send flowers, a plant or a plant basket to say "THANK YOU!" to your right hand guy or gal!! We have arrangements in all price ranges and styles- from a small desk top arrangement to a large tropical masterpiece! Most can be delivered the same day!

Here are a couple from today:

Laguna Cliffs Resort Bridal Show

2010-04-13T11:43:00.001-07:00

We attended the Laguna Cliffs Resort's Bridal Fair By-the-Sea this weekend at the Laguna Cliffs Resort in Dana Point. Wow! The hotel looks beautiful after its remodel!! If you are in the area you really need to stop by and see it! Very elegant and classy! Almost Old Hollywood meets the beach.

The bridal show was a blast! We met lots of great brides-to-be (and a few grooms too). The whole place was packed full of great vendors and tons of great ideas. Our pink parasols got rave reviews as did our beautiful centerpiece. Of course our tall vase with seashells and orchids got tons of praise too (it is always a hit! And economical too)

Happy 20th Anniversary City of Laguna Niguel!

2010-03-12T12:28:00.000-08:00

The city of Laguna Niguel is 20 years old! Happy Anniversary! We made the centerpieces for the celebration at El Niguel Country Club (yep, same place as the last wedding). They wanted the same colors but all different arrangements for the 10 tables. We think they turned out really unique and fun!

Another Upcoming Wedding Event!

2010-03-09T13:52:00.000-08:00

Just wanted to give you a "heads up" on another upcoming Bridal Show. The South Orange County Bridal Fair By the Sea will be April 11th at the Laguna Cliffs Marriot in Dana Point
http://www.bridalfairbythesea.com/toattend.html. Ohhhh! They will be serving champagne and hors d'oeuvres and giving away a $25,000 Dream Wedding!!! Ouuu! Can't miss this one! They also have a Facebook Fan Page

Dana Point Yacht Club's Wedding Show

2010-03-02T12:02:00.000-08:00

We had a blast meeting the great brides to be at the Dana Point Yacht Club's wedding show "Romance on the Water" this Sunday. Lots of excitement surrounding the location too! They actually closed the island that the Yacht Club is located on on Saturday because of the tsunami warning! But it all worked out and everything was good to go on Sunday. (Thank you Rod at Rod Foster Photography for the photo above)

With over 50 vendors, there was quite a bit for the brides to see and do! We were right at the entrance and had a chance to chat with almost all of them! What fun to meet such great people!

The hanging parasols with orchids was the hit of this wedding show! They were truly stunning! Another big wower was our Manzanita tree with orchids and hanging votives. It would make a great centerpiece or show stopper for a sign in table or buffet table! The hanging crystals with the orchid leis was another show stopper! These look great hanging behind the bride and groom at the alter, but there are lots of other creative ways to use them.

El Niguel Country Club wedding

2010-02-27T16:27:00.000-08:00

The El Niguel Country Club in Laguna Niguel is such a beautiful place for a wedding! Unfortunately, because of the rain we had all day, the wedding ceremony had to take place indoors. Of course our beautiful arrangements/alter pieces were stunning! I can't wait to see the photos from the wedding photographer of the bride and groom at the alter with those stunning arrangements on either side of them! We will post them as soon as we can- until then you get the "before" again. I'm looking forward to seeing the photos of the bouquet too, since I was too early to catch the bride- but then again, she had other things on her mind then having her florist photograph her wedding bouquet! The centerpieces were sweet and simple with white hydrangia, white stock and white roses surrounded by candles.The toss bouquet with the wedding cake behind. The table was adorned with rose petals, candles and small vases with with roses, but no flowers on the cake this time. It was very pretty and simple.

St. Regis Monarch Beach Pacific Ballroom

2010-02-26T14:28:00.000-08:00

Aren't these centerpieces just stunning! There were for a convention's awards night at the St. Regis in Monarch Beach. They were beautiful bugundy dendrobium orchid with cymbidium orchids at the base. They looked so beautiful in the St. Regis's Pacific Ballroom! Unfortunately, I wasn't able to get photos of the event with the tables completely dressed.

We also did small vases with matching cymbidium orchids for the high-tops in the entry way. So simple yet so classy!

The Best of Dana Point!

2010-02-16T13:09:00.000-08:00

Yeah!! We were voted the "Best place to buy flowers" by the Dana Point Times in their Best of Dana Point article!! Thank you to all our customers for choosing us! (We were runner up last year). That's our Cathy McCool right there on the front cover!

You can read more about the Best of Dana Point 2009 at the Dana Point Times

Bridal Show February 28, 2010

2010-02-15T13:46:00.000-08:00

Just wanted to let you know- we will be at the Dana Point Yacht Club for their Romance on the Water bridal event on Sunday, February 28th from 11:00-4:00.

You can order tickets here- or you can read more about it at Romanceonthewater.com

Free!

2010-02-09T19:22:00.000-08:00

Our Valentine's Day special includes something FREE!

Get one FREE mylar balloon (while supplies last) with any Valentine's Day floral order you PICK UP at the store (on 2/11/10-2/14/10).

Sorry! Offer does not apply to Valentine's flowers that are delivered. Balloons are available for delivery orders too, just not for free.

About delivery- did you know we can deliver your floral arrangements to Dana Point, Laguna Niguel, San Juan Capistrano, Capo Beach, Laguna Beach (the south part), San Clemente- including Talega, Ladera Ranch, Laguna Hills, Mission Viejo and Aliso Viejo? And if you have someone special you want to send to out of the area, we can help you with that too! We send all over the country- and yes, we have sent all over the world!

And one last note- yes, Costco and Trader Joes sell flowers for less. But one, they don't deliver (it always makes for big "brownie points" when a dozen roses show up at her office or the house (and no- you bringing them in plastic wrap- dripping from the bottom does not count- sorry!)). And two, their flowers will not last as long as ours! Be sure to read about all the work we put into our flowers in the post below. We don't torchure our roses (or flowers) with regular water! Ours are pampered from the time they arrive at the store until they are in your (or your sweetheart's) hands!

Valentine's Day! It's Almost Here!

2010-02-02T16:27:00.000-08:00

Valentine's Day is just around the corner! We have lots of cute bears, albums, cards, balloons, frames and of course FLOWERS!

Red roses are always a favorite! Did you know the red rose was the favorite flower of Venus, the Roman goddess of love? The color red stands for strong romantic feelings making the red rose the flower of love.

Another favorite for Valentine's Day- Tulips!
How about some other Valentines Day flower facts?

73% of people who buy flowers for Valentine's Day are men, while only 27 percent are women.

15% of U.S. women send themselves flowers on Valentine's Day!

189 million stems of roses are sold in the U.S. on Valentine's Day.

California produces 60 percent of American roses, but the greater number sold on Valentine's Day in the United States are imported, mostly from South America.

Approximately 110 million roses, mostly red, will be sold and delivered within the three-day Valentine's Day time period!

Red roses are not your only option! We have roses in other colors as well, plus other arrangements.

One last tid bit of information. Did you know the cost of roses for florists from the growers increases almost 100% the week before Valentine's Day!? So when you notice that roses are a bit more expensive on Valentine's Day, it's not because we think we can make some fast money! It's because the roses actually cost us more to get.

XOXO

Getting Ready for Winter Formals!

2010-02-02T15:44:00.001-08:00

Winter Formals are coming up this week and we are getting ready! Dana Hills High School has theirs on Thursday, San Juan Hills High School and San Clemente High School have theirs on Saturday and St Margaret's High School and Laguna Beach High School have theirs on Saturday!

Whewwwww! We've been busy busy busy taking order! And the girls are busy preping the corsage bands and getting boxes ready!

Just the very beginning of the stack! I'll post again when we get them organized and in the other cooler later this week!

The crew hard at work preping the bands and getting some of them done the night before.

The boys- trying to figure out what they want to order!

Our idea area and bow picking area!

Bodega Chocolates!

2010-02-01T17:10:00.000-08:00

Did you know McCool Flowers carries Bodega Chocolates? We are proud to be one of only a handful of stores chosen to carry their award winning chocolate!

Bodega Chocolates? What is that, you ask? Oh, they were only called the best chocolate in the world (yes the WORLD!)by Bon Appetit Magazine and voted #2 in the world by National Geographic! Plus they are the chocolatier to The Academy Awards, The Latin Grammys, The Emmys, The Country Music Awards, TV Land, The Grammys, The Golden Globes, The Image Awards and Dancing with the Stars! Wow!

We offer the English Toffee, Sugar Free fudge, two sizes of assorted chocolates, a sampler platter and individual snack sized pieces. We also offer their chocolates as wedding favors. These come in adorable little boxes for your guests!

You can add a box to any flower delivery order or swing in and grab a box for yourself :0) They are perfect for Valentine's Day!!

Ocean Institute's Jazz in January

2010-01-30T17:18:00.000-08:00

We made the centerpieces for the Ocean Institute's Jazz in January concert this weekend at the institute in Dana Point Harbor. The colors turned out perfect for the gold table clothes! The event promises to be a spectacular evening of Jazz. And the money raised helps the Ocean Institute to offer educational programs to the schools!

The Ocean Institute all ready for the concert

During the afternoon- the flowers look a little alone on the tables- but just wait!

They look great with the room all set up and ready for the fun to begin!

Upcoming Wedding Event!

2010-01-26T12:51:00.000-08:00

We will be at the Dana Point Yacht Club on Feb 28th for their Brial Boutique "Romance on the Water". Check out their website at http://events.dpyc.org/. We will be sure to add photos just as soon as we have them. We will have a large display area! So it should be exciting! If you follow our blog and attend, be sure to stop by and say "hi" to Cathy or Kristine!

Marbella Country Club Wedding Show

2010-01-24T17:14:00.000-08:00

We were thrilled to be at the beautiful Marbella Country Club in San Juan Capistrano for their wedding show this weekend. We met some wonderful brides to be- and even a few grooms to be (poor guys- but they seemed to be handling it well!) and we made some good wedding coordinator connections. Our next Wedding Show will be after Valentine's Day at the Dana Point Yacht Club- more details to come.

The hot trend- Manzanita trees draped with votives or crystals, or both.

The hot topic of the show! This little anemone flower got more comments than anything. Yes it's real and it is another hot trendy flower right now. We put them together with some crystals for simple inexpensive centerpieces for the reception table.

Another great inexpensive centerpiece that is very popular.

Just Added- a Facebook Fan Page!

2010-01-24T13:19:00.000-08:00

For all you Facebook lovers out there! We just added a Facebook Fan page. Search for McCool Flowers or follow the link- Facebook Fan Page.

We can't wait to see what happens! There are so many cool ways to let you guys know what is going on!

A Quick Tour of the Shop!

2010-01-15T15:11:00.000-08:00

I thought it would be fun to post up a few photos of the inside of the store!

Just part of our great selection of flowers. Did you know McCool flowers specializes in long lasting flowers? Sure, you can buy flowers at the grocery store, but they are not babied like ours are! We start by selecting the freshest flowers for the flower mart. Then we use as special cutting technique that makes the flowers soak up more water- making them last longer. But we don't use just regular water! All our flowers are kept in special "flower food" water that nourishes them- again, making them last longer.

Frames and just some of our beachy fun stuff for the house!

Our selection of garden baskets, blooming plants and orchids. This is an ever changing section! Right now we have lots of cute spring baskets with violets and stunning purple phalaenopsis orchids!

Create your own video slideshow at animoto.com.

Wedding- H and J

2009-11-10T13:41:00.000-08:00

Unfortunately we have not received any photographs from the photographer of "H" and "J"'s wedding at Monarch Bay Beach Club yet. We will be sure to post them as soon as we do! Instead, you get our photos! Far from professional- the photos, that is! The floral arrangements- that's a whole different story! Did you know that McCool Flowers holds tons of prestigious awards for floral design- but we will save that for another blog entry!

Sadly, we only have a couple photos from the reception area and the bride's bouquet. They sure were beautiful! The photos don't do them justice! "H" wanted them to be the colors of the sunset- and they turned out to be just that!

Weddings- I and J

2009-10-22T12:38:00.000-07:00

This beautiful wedding between "I" and "J" took place at St Edwards Catholic Church in Dana Point with the reception at Cannons Restaurant also here in Dana Point. Both are stunning choices! St. Edwards is a wonderful Catholic Church with a beautiful ocean view and Cannons is a great restaurant here in Dana Point that has a stunning view of the harbor from atop the cliffs!

Thank you to Jeffery Neal Photography for providing most of the stunning images! http://www.jnpstudios.com/.

Weddings- M and P

2009-09-30T11:40:00.000-07:00

We offer full wedding services at McCool Flowers. We have worked with all the local venues, including The Ritz Carlton, The Laguna Cliffs Marriot, Monarch Beach Club, Cannons, The Chart House, Rancho Las Lomas, Rancho Capistrano, Tivoli Terrace, El Adobe, Hotel Laguna and Marbella Country Club just to name a few.
This beautiful wedding took place at St Catherine of Siena in Laguna Beach with the reception being held at The Ocean Institute in the Dana Point Harbor. Photos were also taken at Lantern Bay Park and the historic Los Rios district of San Juan Capistrano. The beautiful bride, "M" chose a beautiful striped ribbon to match her husband to be's, "P"'s uniform.

Thank you to Meurer Image Photography for providing the stunning images-http://www.meurerimages.com/

Burial At Sea

2009-09-12T20:42:00.000-07:00

Being so close to the Pacific Ocean and with a major harbor right in our backyard, we have quite a few inquires about arrangements for burials at sea or for "paddle outs".

One of the only acceptable arrangements is our burial at sea wreaths. The wreathes are "green" and break down in the ocean with no plastic waste. Single loose flowers for your attendees to toss are also available and they can all be delivered to the docks. Colors and style are all customizable.

Here is a sample of an arrangement we did for a burial at sea- included are the flowers for the Memory Wall, other arrangements and the toss wreath.

Welcome to Our New Blog!

2009-09-10T10:22:00.000-07:00

McCool Flowers is proud to welcome you to our new blog! We are a full service florist located in Dana Point, California since 1995. We are located in the Ocean Ranch Shopping Center at 32585 Golden Lantern, a couple doors down from the Ralphs grocery store. We offer delivery to the surrounding area- Dana Point, Capistrano Beach (aka Capo Beach), San Juan Capistrano, San Clemente, Monarch Beach, Laguna Beach, Laguna Niguel, Laguna Hills, Aliso Viejo and Ladera Ranch.

We are best know for our tropical arrangements. We are the place to come to if you need a unique tropical arrangement to give as a gift, for a party or wedding or for your own enjoyment!

We also sell Hawaiian leis! Our beautiful flower leis are popular for parties, graduations or just because!
Just part of the tropical selection we carry in the store.