We at Proposal have fallen in love: we are now romancing the paper flower! When we first saw Washington based aNeMonE’s work we were absolutely floored. Beautiful, exquisite and unique, these flowers are made by hand, can be shipped anywhere in the world and will last you a lifetime. We repeat: they will last you a lifetime!

We were lucky enough to talk with Mary Eberle, co-owner of aNeMonE, and learn more about her craft and her business! Enjoy!

PROPOSAL: What is your role in the Wedding Industry & how long have you been working in your position? 

ME: aNeMonE is the front-runner of custom-made bridal bouquets. We have found others who make flowers out of paper, but we have not found anyone making custom-designed bridal bouquets using art quality papers, beads, and coloring media. We have done weddings all over the country and ship flowers all over the world. We have been working with brides for 7 ½ years!

PROPOSAL: How long have you been making handmade flowers & how was aNeMonE formed?

ME: aNeMonE was born in November of 2002 after Nathan & Mary Eberle’s passion for art culminated in 600 paper flowers for their wedding. The business has since bloomed into a full-scale paper florist, transforming this vintage craft into a unique, modern art form.

PROPOSAL: Your work is clearly very unique, however, is there something about the way you work or a particular product that would be considered your signature?

ME: The fact that we can create both realistic flowers and fantasy flowers and that we use precious stones, beads and anything special that the bride has, like grandma’s brooch or a sleeve from mom’s wedding dress!

PROPOSAL: How many weddings or events have you created flowers for?

ME: Over 200.

PROPOSAL: Where can we find your site?

ME: http://handmadepaperflowers.com/weddings/

PROPOSAL: What are the benefits of having paper flowers at a wedding opposed to real flowers?

ME: Originally we would have told you that the benefits would have been that the flowers are created uniquely for the bride, the flowers are available in advance, thus eliminating all color and wilting problems, and that we are an eco-friendly option over real flowers. Over the years, however, we have come to realize that our brides primarily choose aNeMonE flowers because they get to keep them forever.

PROPOSAL: What would be helpful for a Bride & Groom to know or have in mind before they were to consult with you?

ME: It is always helpful if a bride and groom have a budget in mind. This is not totally necessary, as we can usually meet any budget. There are some people who think the flowers are paper, so they must be cheaper. This of course would be true if you make them yourself. We have tried very hard to match the cost of real flowers and in many cases we can, we do however mostly work with brides that consider there flowers to be works of art; because they get to keep them, they are willing to spend more than they would have on live flowers.

PROPOSAL: What piece of advice do you give a Bride or Groom (involving your field) that will impact how they plan their big day?

ME: Our number one word of advice is for the bride and groom to have fun. The wedding is only a party to celebrate the union of the couple. Too many people get hung up on the details, and when the day comes they cannot have fun. Our brides have hired professionals to take care of the details for them, so we try to remind them there is no need to worry. The other word of wisdom is that there are no rules to follow. This is your wedding so do what expresses you best!

PROPOSAL: What was one of your most fun experiences while working with a Bride & Groom?

ME: We have had so many fun moments. We work with brides who want to think outside of the box, so every wedding is different and creative.

PROPOSAL: What was one of the most challenging or unexpected things that happened during one of your jobs?

ME: The only challenges seem to come when the brides do not hire wedding planners; we come to set up the flowers, and in many cases we end up going the extra mile to ensure that our flowers look great against the unplanned venue. We always recommend hiring help if the bride has big plans and little experience executing plans. Once at a wedding, a cake traveled 3 hours to get there and showed up completely destroyed. The resort came to us for help, wondering if we had extra flowers to cover their reconstruction! We did, and the cake turned out looking great, covered with flowers that were not planned for it. No one but the bride and family knew it was missing a full layer.

PROPOSAL: How do you face a Bride who has turned in to her alter ego (a.k.a. Bridezilla)?

ME: We have had a few brides turn into what most would call a “bridezilla” and we in turn give them extra attention and every time the bride turns into our biggest fan sending many referrals our way!

PROPOSAL: Does your company have any exciting features or news that we can showcase in this article?

ME: aNeMonE was named by the Knot 2010 top 10 florist in Washington State!

PROPOSAL: Are you married?

ME: Yes.

PROPOSAL: Tell us about your proposal.

ME: We had traveled from Nashville to my home town in WA State to attend a wedding of a friend of mine, my husband asked my father while we were there, we then flew back out east, and drove to Milwaukee WI (where Nathan is from) for a music festival over the fourth of July. I knew Nathan way planning on asking me but did not know he had been traveling with my ring all this time! At one point we were leaving our picnic area and he was bringing his backpack, I said, “what are you doing? It’s 100 degrees leave the back pack here” he didn’t hesitate and threw my ring on the ground unattended!! If he had hesitated I would have known. (I love surprises but hate knowing they are coming!) He later proposed during the grand finale of fireworks and I started to laugh. He said, “Is that yes?”!!

PROPOSAL: Tell us about your wedding.

ME: Our wedding was before we knew anything about weddings. We did everything ourselves and planned it on a shoestring. Being artists we wanted to incorporate art as much as we could. We had a friend paint us while we said our vows, we had other friends dance, and then we of course made our flowers out of paper. We wanted a very traditional feel, yet we wanted to throw in the artist flare. I walked down the aisle to a Bjork song!

Thank you so much Mary for sharing your story with us! Be sure to check out more of aNeMonE’s work on their website:  http://handmadepaperflowers.com/

See you next week when we feature another Wedding Pro!

This Sunday, March 28th 2010 is Black Marriage Day. After learning about this new Day and the organization behind it, The Wedded Bliss Foundation, we had to talk with their Executive Director, Nisa Islam Muhammad.

Nisa formed The Wedded Bliss Foundation in 2001 and not only serves as Executive Director, but is also a senior staff writer for The Final Call Newspaper and is a member of the National Association of Black Journalists. Read below to find out how Nisa has started a Marriage Revolution!

PROPOSAL: What inspired you to create the Wedded Bliss Foundation?

NM: I had a failed marriage and got tired of hearing all of the negative things being said about marriage in the Black community.  I wanted to do something to change the reality.  Wasn’t really sure if I could.  That was in 2001.  I’m always shocked at how well the notion of improving marriage in the Black community has caught on and the countless people who want to get involved and make change.

PROPOSAL: Black Marriage Day is this Sunday (March 28^th ) For our readers who don’t know about this important day of awareness, tell us a little bit about what this day means to you and your community ?

NM: It’s an opportunity to do something positive to celebrate the joy many couples find in marriage.  It’s a chance to create cultural change to think positively about marriage in our community rather than the negatives we usually hear about our marriages such as another one bites the dust or it just didn’t happen.  It’s about changing the hearts and minds of people to reconsider marriage.

PROPOSAL: Is there any particular reason you chose March 28^th to be Black Marriage Day?

NM: It’s a different date each year but always the fourth Sunday in March unless that day is Easter.

PROPOSAL: What were some of your biggest challenges that you have faced in bringing this organization to life and how did you overcome them?

NM: People asked me why I was doing this since I was single at the time.  I was very intentional in my goals and would not let the naysayers get in my way.  I knew this was a good thing to do and was affirmed every step of the way.  The more couples and singles I talked to the more I knew this work was needed and could be inspirational.  I knew that it could make a difference in the lives of people who were looking for hope and restoration.

PROPOSAL: Where can our readers find your organization’s website?

NM: www.weddedblissinc.com or www.blackmarriageday.com .

PROPOSAL: What activities do you have planned for Black Marriage Day 2010?

NM: We are partnering with Tyler Media to debut the new film You Saved Me in 25 cities around the country.  We are also partnering with Allied Media the marketing company for Tyler Perry’s new film Why Did I Get Married Too to sponsor vow renewal events in five cities around the country.  Also, communities and organizations large and small will have very unique events to celebrate Black Marriage Day.

PROPOSAL: What can our readers do in their communities to honor Black Marriage Day?

NM: They can go to www.blackmarriageday and download resources to conduct a Black Marriage Day event in their community.  We have flyers, brochures, fact sheets and lots more to help people be successful in their activities.

PROPOSAL: Can you tell us about the Marriage Hall of Fame? What qualifies a couple for receiving this honor?

NM: The Black Marriage Day Hall of Fame is a great activity communities can implement.  They induct incredible couples into their own Hall of Fame.  It’s a wonderful event that recognizes the joy and pain of marriage and the couples that stand the test of time.  Readers can get more information about this at www.blackmarriageday.com

PROPOSAL: What classes does the Wedded Bliss Foundation teach and how do they benefit couples?

NM: We offer classes using the curriculum Basic Training for Couples written by myself and Dr. Rozario Slack.  It’s eight sessions toward a better marriage.  It helps couples increase their awareness of the benefits of marriage, improves their communication, teaches how to manage conflict and deepens their commitment toward marital stability.

PROPOSAL: Can you tell our readers what You Saved Me is, and what is your involvement in the film?

NM: You Saved Me is a candid look into the lives of five couples that share how their marriages saved them.  Most people don’t think of their marriage or marriage in general as having “saving powers” but these couples go beyond the obvious and dig deep to give us the real deal of the benefits of marriage.  It’s a great production by a couple Ronnie and Lamar Tyler who also blog for EssenceMagazine.com and host a site called www.blackandmarriedwithchildren.com.  It will debut all across the country for Black Marriage Day.

PROPOSAL: Is there anything else you would like to add about your organization that we can include in this article?

NM: Wedded Bliss can be yours and we can show you how.  We offer classes for the DC Metro area and travel around the country bringing our successful program to those in need.  Call us.  We have a program for you.

Thank you Nisa for taking the time to answer our questions!
Make sure to check out more about Black Marriage Day & The Wedded Bliss Foundation at http://www.blackmarriageday.com/Black_Marriage_Day/Welcome.html !

Check back next Tuesday for another interview with a Wedding Pro!