Late last month I had the absolute pleasure of working with Sarah Brysk Cohen of Blossom and Branch on a small project, and when I say she is absolutely divine, I totally mean it.
Sarah’s work is stunning, unique, and wonderfully modern… And she’s just an all-out amazing person to boot, so truly, it’s no wonder we reached out to her immediately for our Chic Vendor Spotlight series.
There are tons of wonderful floral talents in Manhattan, but if I were planning my wedding all over again, I would certainly call Sarah, stat.
Here’s an excerpt from our recent chat… hope you enjoy.
There are so many wonderful florists in Brooklyn and Manhattan, most of which do fairly traditional flowers. With Blossom and Branch, I wanted to offer chic and modern designs that I wasn’t seeing with the other companies.
It can be difficult to characterize my style and I like it that way! Recently, I have heard my work described as a “flower extravaganza” using “explosions of color.” I love a tailored, monochromatic look, but my signature style tends toward bright, saturated color. I like to use an abundance of flowers, unusual textural accents with fewer greens and fillers – my goal is the elusive “wow” factor.
When I was in high school, my friend’s older sister bought a flower shop and I started helping out cleaning flowers, ringing up customers and putting together little bouquets. I fell in love and continued working in flower shops throughout graduate school. By that point, I was managing shops, buying at the wholesale market and designing events. I went on to pursue clinical social work as my primary career, while maintaining my own little freelance flower business on the side. In California, I was working on weddings in my garage and delivering everything with a fleet of station-wagons and borrowed cars!
After living and working in NYC at a few high-end shops, I finally decided to start my own business full-time. In 2007, Blossom and Branch {in its current form} was born. Of course, just as I was beginning to establish the business back the West Coast, fate {OK, love} brought me back to NYC in 2008… and here we are!
What I love most about this business is being surrounded by the warmth of beautiful occasions and creative people. Having done other really tough work, I can truly appreciate waking up every day now to pursue my own passion for gorgeous design.
Where do you draw everyday inspiration from?
I am, of course, inspired by the seasons and my home state of California. I am influenced by my memories of the bright, shiny and fresh environment of Southern California and beach life.
What I hear most often from clients is “I have just never seen anything like that!” Everything I do is custom – I don’t have “out of the box” designs or packages. Because I focus exclusively on events, I have the opportunity to sit down with every client and create a totally unique vision for their florals. I am thrilled to work with clients who have a clear sense of what they want and I am equally delighted when people say to me “Do whatever you think is fabulous.”
I possess a deep commitment to the significance of your event, while maintaining a sense of humor and encouraging you to remember yours! I never lose perspective that this work is a privilege and about bringing light and beauty to every occasion.
Our studio is now located in Clinton Hill, Brooklyn. We have a Web site , a Facebook page, a Twitter account and have been featured in various online and print publications. We have recently been featured on 100 Layer Cake , Brooklyn Bride , Design*Sponge {where I currently write a biweekly post}, on the The Knot LIVE , and in Brides and Nonpareil Magazine .
All images courtesy Blossom & Branch
