Thursday, April 28, 2011

Centerpieces in Honor of a Very Special Person

I was asked several years ago by my best friend's friend if I could make gardenia corsages for her dearly departed boss, who lost his life to cancer. They were having a "celebration of life" event to honor his memory. Yoriko lost her battle to breast cancer earlier this year. She was and still is such a special person to so many. She was this sweet Japanese woman who had a great sense of humor and no matter how much pain she was in, she always tried to muster up a smile and to make life seem like it was okay. Funny, now that I look back on those times with Yoriko, I realize she was like my mom in many ways in the way she handled cancer as well.Yoriko's dying wish was to have a celebration of life in honor of her. Her husband, mother-in-law and best friend are helping with the arrangements. Yoriko loved my flowers and asked if I could make corsages for all the attendees. Because of the change in prices since the time she asked me, we decided that maybe doing a smaller number of corsages for close family and friends was more ideal and to create larger centerpieces that her daughter could keep and one to give to her family who resides in Japan. The flowers requested were 3 different types and shades of orchids, green hydrangeas, white gardenias, roses, and pikake. I also decide to add purple sweet peas as these were also a favorite of Yoriko's.
These arrangements took a lot of time, more so because they asked for orchids I never made before and had to figure out. I love the color combination of green, purple and white/cream. I don't know why I struggled with this order so much, but I did. I am so happy to almost be done as it was a lot of hard work. My hope is that these arrangements and corsages will help to lift the spirits of those who mourn the loss of a very special woman. :) We miss you Yoriko!

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