2025 Grateful Reflections
“Gratitude makes sense of our past, brings peace for today, and creates a vision for tomorrow.”
We're in the New York Times and San Francisco Chronicle
Love at the South End Rowing Club
Bouquets to Art Wedding Edition
Order your Thanksgiving centerpiece
Small Business Saturday Giveaway
Bell and Trunk designer (and model!) Audrey Grover became a living floral installation inspired by a sculpture in Viola Frey's Reclining Nude series at the di Rosa Napa.
Bell and Trunk Family,
Three of my favorite things: flowers, friends, and the South End Rowing Club converged in a major way this year. Eight Southenders were in need of wedding flowers. For those of you who don't know, the South End Rowing Club is a 151-year-old volunteer-run organization that promotes running, handball, swimming and rowing at San Francisco's Aquatic Park. If I'm not working at my flower shop, chances are I'm rowing or swimming in the bay -- something that has been a big part of my life for 18 years.
If these Southenders and I weren't exactly friends before, we are now. Flowers bring people together in such a meaningful way. There's a lot to be learned about someone by their bloom selections. For instance, Sydelle's husband Jamie, nostalgic for east coast autumn, wanted to incorporate pumpkins into the decor. It didn't exactly gel with Sydelle's California wildflower vibe, so we playfully added one to his boutonniere. Bianca loved the touch of Italian ruscus greenery in her bridal bouquet -- an homage to her Italian heritage. Melissa, an avid art enthusiast along with her new husband Dave, wanted to bring Bouquets to Art to her wedding. One of the sculptures at her wedding venue is a bridge, and Melissa's father was the key advocate of a suicide barrier on the Golden Gate Bridge. Our team created a bank of fog out of 50 bunches of babies breath and hovered it just below the bridge sculpture illuminated in orange light. The finishing touch was a weave of white netting to represent the suicide barrier.
As the year winds down I am feeling especially grateful for these new friendships and stronger connections to my South End community. It's a great time to be in the flower business by the bay!
Warmly,
Vanessa
P.S. Hi J'Amy. ;)
We're in The New York Times and San Francisco Chronicle!
Melissa and Dave's October wedding was covered by major news publications The New York Times and the San Francisco Chronicle for good reason: their connection and dedication to the arts community culminated in an extraordinary multi-day art festival-themed wedding.
When Melissa approached me to do several Bouquets to Art installations in addition to her wedding flowers, needless to say I swooned at the opportunity. The idea was inspired by the annual Bouquets to Art event at the de Young Museum in San Francisco, something I've been a part of over the past few years. The museum selects top floral designers and pairs them with works of art for a weeklong exhibit of floral installations. Dave's grandparents Dorothy and George Saxe currently have dozens of pieces from their collection on view at the museum.
It was the ultimate creative challenge--shifting gears between decorating a chuppah, decorating Audrey (see photo above), constructing a 264 ft long table scape with lemons and limes, and creating a floral installation inspired by a fire-breathing dragon. We did a total of seven Bouquets to Art installations. It took three days, a team of nine and a truckload of flowers from Mayesh https://sfflowermarket.org/vendor/mayesh-wholesale/ to do the work but it came together beautifully and we were pretty proud of the results. Most importantly, Melissa and Dave were happy too.
NewYork Times
Love at the South End Rowing Club
The South End Rowing Club hosted a special happy hour for the engaged couples.
Introducing the South End Couples!
Bianca and Ben. Photo by Kait Miller
Photography https://www.kaitmillerphotography.com
Elisabeth and Joseph. Photo by Alex Goldman
Melissa and Dave. This couple had an awesome team of vendors including wedding planner Elizabeth Bainbridge from 2 the 9's Events https://2the9sevents.com and photographer Radostina Boseva http://radostinaboseva.com
South End couple Dominica and Brian. Photo by Teri B.
Photography https://teribphotography.com/
Sydelle and Jamie.
Photo by Ace Photographs https://acephotographyllc.com/
Catering by Above and Beyond http://abovecatering.com
Nira and Chip. Photo by Kevin Buckholtz
Elena and Jamie. Photo by Ramble
Free https://ramblefree.com/tag/wedding-photography/
Small Business Saturday Giveaway
To celebrate the season — and to thank you for shopping small — we’re hosting a special giveaway as a little love letter to our community.
You can win over $150 worth of our all-time favorite items from bestselling brands like A Pleasant Thought, Field Kit, and Poppy & Pout.
A few of our favorite items among the many in the basket are:
Premium handmade palo santo incense cones from Luna Sundara
Fragrant (and wildly popular in-store) perfume oil roller from A Pleasant Thought
And so much more!
How to Enter:
Leave us an online review! Every review = one entry.
Send a screenshot of your review to our email: http://info@bellandtrunk.com to be counted.
Share your experience, spread the word, and increase your chances to win.
The drawing will happen on Small Business Saturday, the Saturday after Thanksgiving.
Thank you for choosing Bell & Trunk for your holiday gifting, supporting local makers, and keeping small businesses thriving. We’re so grateful for you.
Order your Thanksgiving flowers today!
The Seasonal This earthy choice is for the kind of person who is easily stopped in their tracks by colorful buds popping out of the soil after a fresh rain. No matter the type of flower, as long as it's fresh, fragrant and in full bloom, it's fair game. Our seasonal arrangements are often playful--mixing warm tones with cool tones--but always on point with interesting textures and delightful accents. This Thanksgiving we are working with loads of texture and fun shapes with an emphasis on warm tones to keep it fresh and modern.
Festive Centerpiece Celebrate Thanksgiving with a low lush floral arrangement in fall colors. These centerpieces are sure to elevate any Thanksgiving dining table. Bring one to dinner along with a side of mashed potatoes to "wow" the host!
Flowers for the Home
Flowers for the Home Bell and Trunk has 16+ years of experience of curating homes all over the Bay Area with fresh flowers. Surround yourself indoors with the season's best offerings. Or, just bring those favorite vases to the shop and we will create something special for you to take home. Send us an email and we can come up with a flower routine that works with your lifestyle. Our customers love the way having flowers in a room makes them feel happy, less stressed and and more present.
E-gift certificates available online
E-gift certificates make it easy to give the gift of flowers without actually giving flowers.You can order them off our website to be used anytime for anything on our website. Couples even list Bell and Trunk e-gift certificates on their wedding registries.
“Flowers always make people better, happier, and more helpful; they are sunshine, food and medicine to the mind.”
Flower subscriptions--perfect for every occasion
The gift that keeps on giving and is perfect for any occasion is the popular Bell and Trunk flower subscription. Choose a weekly, bi-weekly or monthly subscription for pick-up or delivery and you all enjoy watching the seasons change through the assortment of fresh flowers we hand select and design just for you!
