Last July, when Janet P. Frye AIFD, CFD of The Enchanted Florist, Asheville NC was asked to join Schaffer Designs’ team of floral artists for the Philadelphia Flower Show, she never imagined the experience would be so grand.
The Major Exhibitor’s (category) entry won Best In Show; Display Gardens-Floral with an amazing 106 points, out of a possible 100! (The judges were so impressed they awarded the flower decked vignettes extra points.) The exhibit also took the Emile H. Geschick Memorial Award for distinctive orchid display, held for 191 years by horticulture groups. An amazing 3rd prize was the Society of American Florists Flower Show Award, given for best artistic presentation of flowers and plants for public enjoyment..
Frye was part of a dream-team of 28 floral artists from across the US who converged on Philadelphia to create a floral fantasy. Working with gloved hands, bundled in layers to withstand the cold environment needed to keep the blooms at their freshest, Frye and the rest brought the vision to life.
Schaffer Designs’ owner Bill Schaffer, AIFD and partner Kristine Kratt interpreted the show’s “Springtime In Paris” theme with an exhibit celebrating a movie classic, An American in Paris, on it‘s 60th anniversary. Show-goers experienced the classic movie in a way never seen before. The exhibit interpreted four, magical scenes of the film through a 360-degree diorama of vignettes. The true-to-the-period set added life to the spectacular floral designs. Designers created magical elements in moving, over-scaled designs, colors and incorporated original audio and video of the movie.
Most of the designers, including Frye, are Accredited and Certified with the American Institute of Floral Designers. To obtain Accreditation a designer must pass written and rigorous hands-on testing. Only the best of the best qualify to be inducted into full membership. Frye is the only Accredited AIFD designer in the Asheville, NC area. (More info at AIFD.org)
Frye also got news the same day that The Enchanted Florist Asheville had again received the Readers Choice Award for Brides Book magazine (for WNC area). This award is chosen totally by North Carolina brides and is awarded in each of NC’s major destination wedding areas. [Read more…]