Mystical Rose elicits a certain wonderment in its title.
Short Version
The Story of Mystical Rose, Long Version
Who Is "Mystical Rose"?
Mary the Mother of God has a particular title which I have always loved, "Mystical Rose," and my research has revealed that since 1739, in Speyer, Germany, a miraculous image of the Mystical Rose has three roses on her pedestal, one white (prayer), one red (sacrifice with expiation), and one gold (penance).
So my journey begins with a love for the Marian title, Mystical Rose.
You may notice that my logo uses the red rose, the rose of sacrifice.
My personal training in flowers begins...
Corsages
...with making corsages with my mom. We would make corsages for baby showers, wedding showers, and sometimes, to help the bride and her family save money, we would make the corsages and boutonnieres for the wedding party.
Azaleas
...in about fifth grade, I began raising azaleas with my dad. My great uncle Bill Grunwell raised and sold azaleas on his mother, Mama Grace's property located on Prosperity Avenue in Annandale, VA.
Wedding parties would drive their limo to his property just to take formal pictures at the height of the azalea blooms. My family always enjoyed the annual Memorial Day picnic at my great uncle's property. To call it picturesque is an understatement. It was exactly what the romantic poets at Lake Geneva would have called inspiration (albeit on a smaller scale), ironically right in Northern Virginia. I would say this was a formative place in my childhood of yard darts, badminton, hammock swings, creek jumping, and tadpole catching in mason jars.
So my great uncle taught my dad and me how to raise azaleas from cuttings. He taught us the names of the bushes, from his own terms like Mama Grace, to well-known titles such as Purple Splendor, Pink Ruffle, and Madame Butterfly.
I have always had a secret desire to raise the yellowish orange azaleas that are not prominent, but can be found in Northern Virginia if one has an eye for it.
By the time I graduated from high school, my dad had been raising the azaleas himself, and he moved many to my grandparents' home in Arlington, and spread the rest on our property in Falls Church.
Flowers Anonymous
I would say that the smell of a flower shop always brings me smiles. Back in college, a friend and I arranged to buy 2 dozen white carnations one St. Valentine's Day. She and I delivered one carnation to each of our friends on the campuses of Notre Dame and St. Mary's. The joy of a thoughtful gift left anonymously cannot be explained.
Poor Graduate Student
To pay my way through two torturous years of graduate school, seeking a degree in Teaching English Literature and Writing, I delivered flowers. From monthly tributes at the Arlington Cemetery for several soldiers and one daughter of a soldier who died at age 9, to pre-engagement deliveries at Gucci in Tyson's, to fan flowers for gymnastics olympians, to Newt Gingrich's flowers for Callista, to get-well bouquets, to happy birthdays, to fireside baskets as memorials upon the death of a loved one, I cherished every delivery I made. Sometimes the instructions for delivery required that I open the card, and that sweet moment of reading the message to a sweetheart simply melted my heart... or made me giggle. These years of floral delivery enlivened my love for flowers, and I would often dream of having my own flower shop someday.
Rejected
I attempted to obtain a part-time job at a local gift shop called Impulsive. This was in my first year as a married woman, and I was simply hoping to have a position close to our apartment. During the interview, the shop owner, a Realtor by trade, asked if I ever imagined opening a store for myself. "No," I responded, "except I do have a pipe dream of owning my own flower shop someday, but that's not realistic at all." She smiled, thanked me for coming in, and said she was not comfortable hiring me and sharing her business practices with a potential competitor. Hmm. Okay. Honestly, that was the first time I'd ever been turned down for a position. Since then, I have surrounded myself with fellow florists and have insisted on being trained by experts in floristry who want nothing less than to share their wealth of knowledge and experience so that we may all increase the success of floral art.
Fast Forward
16+ years of marriage, 7+ years of running an independent writing and editing business, 4 authored wedding planning books, 12 years of running a bridal nonprofit, 1 home in adorable Fairfax City, and some beautiful gifts of children, I am running a small business while raising a family. In 2011, I attended a spiral hand-tied bouquet class, and that was the beginning of an addiction. Suddenly, I wanted to do nothing but hand-tied bouquets and baskets and creative expressions that welled up inside my overly creative mind. Remember, color combinations and concepts of technique began when I delivered arrangements in graduate school. In 2013 I trained in flower treatment and high-end wedding designs by world-renowned California-based Dutch Florist, Rene van Rems. "Fashion Forward Weddings: Bouquets, Tablescapes, and Beyond" was his seminar that I attended.
Christmas, Advent, Beginnings...
So my husband was supportive of my desire to pitch to Facebook friends flowers for Christmas. Because I have low overhead and because I have access to floral wholesalers in the area, my prices are far below flower shops and online ordering sites. Mystical Rose is dedicated to making beautifully arranged flowers affordable and poetic.
Don't Fresh Flowers Die?
Yes. The brevity of freshness reminds us of the brevity of life, the delicacy of life, and the dignity of life. When I deliver flowers for a new baby, or when I arrange flowers in memory of the death of a loved one, when I make up a design for a sick relative, or when I consider the love between sweethearts at St. Valentine's Day, I find it a prayerful opportunity specifically because of the brief, fading beauty of live, cut, fresh flowers.
Thoughts and sentiments between loved ones, friends, family, and even anonymous givers, offer a glimpse into the hearts of souls who desire to express something kind, true, beautiful, fleeting, and genuine. In brief, I'm a romantic.
And, if you really would like silk or artificial flowers that will last in your interior decorating, I am happy to consult with an in-home visit and work up a quote.
Large Events
I only select two or three large-scale events each year. I have been blessed to design for events at The Willard Hotel, The Four Seasons Hotel, The St. Regis Hotel, Morais Vineyard, The Naval Academy Officer's Club, The Odyssey on the Potomac Cruise Ship, Glenview Mansion, and so many more amazing venues. When I have an event larger than my dining room table and office can handle, I have fellow florist assistants and a makerspace that I lease. Tradition
If you want to be convinced not to spend money on flowers, feel free to gather from the garden or to walk on a trail.
Traditionally, flowers have been used because of the presence of a scent which offsets a lack of showering prior to modern plumbing in homes.
At weddings, in cultures with citizens who bathed infrequently, flowers distracted from foul odors. At wakes and funerals such as those in traditional Ireland, in which a body would remain for days in the living room of the family home, flowers would help loved ones willingly enter the room of the deceased and share in the mourning.
But recall, flowers have also been a sign of royalty, olympic athleticism, and romantic secretive language.
If you're looking for a thought, if you're looking for a symbol, Mystical Rose aims to provide affordable flowers arranged with a prayer, and arranged with a customized touch of favorite color or favorite flowers at no extra charge.
(As long as the favorite flower isn't too pricey or isn't out of season and thus unattainable.)
Prayer?
Yes. During the time that I am arranging, I pray for the giver and for the recipient. If it's a new baby, I'm praying for the new mother, new father, and child. If it's a wedding, I'm praying for the couple and their marriage together. If it's a get-well, I'm praying for the recipient's health. And I'm also praying for the silent prayers of those whose hearts are moved to give flowers for whatever reason or occasion.
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