Join us for our FALL Fashion Show on Saturday, September 23rd!
 
Wedding and Event Design

Wedding and Event Design

It makes us so happy to see all the design elements of your wedding come together seamlessly. We want your vibe to transcend every moment!

What happens when you work with us? Many brides are surprised to learn that the first thing we do is set up a consultation. We can’t possibly begin to bring your wedding vision to life until we have made that personal connection. We want to hear everything! Send us a Pinterest board, bring your photos, and all the ideas…dream big and then let us handle the details.

This process should be fun and exciting! Let’s talk about your wedding hopes and inspiration. Are you coastal? Boho? Elegant? We will help direct you on theming and weave in gorgeous, statement features to make your wedding truly unique and personal. Struggling with color palette? Few things bring us more joy than selecting just the right hues for your season, venue, and style!

Bridal florals and bouquets

Lindsay Hackney Photography

We’ve got you covered on all the moving pieces too. Our event designers know exactly where your signage needs to be placed, how many centerpieces you really need, and what can be repurposed after the ceremony. When you leave, we want you to feel completely psyched and confident that every detail is taken care of.

We always meet a few weeks before your big day to confirm all the details—date, venue, headcount—and make any necessary adjustments.  Our team also works directly with your venue to ensure everything is set to perfection—every last detail. You won’t have to do a thing!

Wedding Event Design

Lindsay Hackney Photography

Are you ready to hear more? How can we help? We only have a few dates left for 2022 and we are already booking 2023!

Contact us soon to schedule your consultation!

Backyards & Beaches

Backyards & Beaches

Backyards & Beaches … 

What do each of these have in common? Yes, they’re both places that we’re retreating to, but in the year of COVID, they’re also the new destination for wedding venues! 

This year has us all rethinking the traditional wedding and for many brides, it has them opting for a more relaxed, intimate, and smaller version of the conventional ceremony. 

Now defined as microweddings – these smaller versions of a traditional wedding honor all the details and essentials of a wedding ceremony, just in a scaled down version. 

While we’re all for tradition, microweddings definitely have their advantages. More couples are adopting a backyard wedding, destination wedding, or a micro wedding as a placeholder – they’re not putting their lives on hold just because they can’t have their dream wedding right now. Instead they’re choosing a smaller and more intimate version of their wedding ceremony.

Microweddings can offer more freedom than a confined venue including being budget friendly, customizable and less pressured than orchestrating a huge event.

We’ve loved seeing our brides’ adaptability during this season and have had so much fun being a part of their small wedding and backyard wedding ceremonies including this beautiful backyard wedding for Emily & Jim and their two furry friends. 

SEE MORE PHOTOS OF THIS STUNNING OUTDOOR WEDDING IN OUR PORTFOLIO

Are you ready to adopt a micro wedding for your big day?
Let’s chat!

We’d love to help you create the wedding of your dreams whether it’s a scaled down version or just a place holder for a later celebration.

Meet Dianne

Meet Dianne

 

 

It’s Dianne’s turn! Get to know the determined heart & soul that’s behind the Only Prettier Design Team.

Dianne is a co-owner of OPD along with Heather. She’s an old soul, thoughtful and the hardest worker you’ll ever meet. 

As a co-owner she juggles a thousand tasks a day including wedding floral proposals, arranging jaw-dropping bridal bouquets, running staff meetings and managing all the details that go in to running a small business, and merchandising our little boutique in Norfolk,  . . . just to name a few.

She has a way of making everyone she meets feel right at home, an internal drive that never stops, and a God-given ability to make all things beautiful. 

Keep reading to hear Dianne’s answers to our staffs’ interview questions. Again…. All unfiltered and unedited. 

Tell us a little about your kids.

I have four boys, all under the age of 4 – Jake, Cole, Rhett and Bryce. My house is full of monster trucks, baseballs, dinosaurs, footballs, race cars, snapbacks, and guitars. My kids are outside from dusk until dawn when the weather is nice, and can curl up and watch the day away when Fireman Sam is on. 

I go through 7 boxes of cereal a week – yes 7 – and two of them don’t eat cereal yet, and 28 bananas – again two of them don’t eat the banana yet. 

I’ve realized in the past few months, when its time for pick up games of 3 on 3 – I have to play, and I made myself the designated hitter for backyard wiffle ball. These boys are the sweetest, toughest, and most determined little souls. They test my patience when they need to turn their ears up, and then melt my heart when they run to give me a hug. 

Have you always had a thing for flowers?

Nope. Not at all…. When I was getting married, I had one request – no roses. I was adamant that there were none. My husband knew early on, if they are traditional flowers, I wouldn’t love them. I love texture, detail, uniqueness, and imperfection in flowers. I always remind myself as I arrange – let the flower be. We try so hard sometimes to make it do what we want, but when we just let it flow, that’s when we see the true beauty in the flower. When I began working on OPD, I made a commitment to stay true to the vision I had and to deliver on making things prettier through all things floral.

 

What do you consider to be your superpowers? 

I used to say that I had a photographic memory – then I had four kids and lost it. HA!! I would say that I am a master multitasker. I manage many things daily, and some days I even wonder myself how I keep it all straight. I ask myself, what can I take off my plate and the answer is always nothing – because my plate makes me who I am. Lastly, determined. I am as determined as they come. If someone says that I can’t do something, you bet that I am going to prove you wrong. It might take me a little while, but I will not quit! Ha!

What is your favorite product? 

Anything Beautycounter.

My Simplified Planner – I can’t live without it.

Sojourner Leather Co earrings from the store. Literally wear them everyday.

And my new blowdryer.

If you were stranded on a deserted island, what would you bring? 

Is this a trick? Totally my family if they aren’t with me.

Chapstick, sunscreen, water haha. I have no idea.

Would you rather go a day without food or without the internet? 

Umm, if you know me, you know I can’t go a day without food. I will go days without the internet and do not try and touch my food!

What are a few things that most people don’t know about you?

I actually went to college for Sports Medicine. I love NASCAR. I refuse to fly over an ocean. I hate to travel unless its to Charleston, SC. My wedding was in a magazine. I have no clue!

Who is your Role Model?

Who my kids think I am…. I try to be that everyday

Would you rather skydive or swim with sharks? 

UMMM neither … never in a million years … not even for a million dollars. I’ll wait on the ground with your cocktail and on the dock with a drink in hand.

What’s your favorite flower? 

Hellebore and Honeysuckle

Are you an early bird or night owl?

Both – but lately I am neither (I really have to get back on track) I guess if I had to choose I’d say I’m an early bird.  

What’s been the most exciting moment for Only Prettier Design?

Oh gosh! This is hard. Opening party at our first store.

The day that I saw OPD up on the P7 board at Gillette Stadium.

The day that we drove Nessy home.

Do you have a favorite Mantra?

I have a few:

GIVE ME STRENGTH WHEN I AM STANDING AND FAITH WHEN I FALL

It’s a Kip Moore song and its tattooed on my foot .. I basically live by

this and remind myself of it daily. – Faith when I fall is on my foot.

–  And   – 

JESUS I TRUST YOU

My mom circled this in her Jesus Calling book. I found it when we moved her into hospice and it kept popping up day after day. It was a message that I was meant to find and has taken me through each day since we lost her. This is also a tattoo I have. 

  

 

 

 

 

 

Meet Heather

Meet Heather

We’re taking these next couple of weeks to lift the curtain and introduce you to the lovely ladies who power the Only Prettier Design Team. 

 It only seems fitting to start with ourselves, Dianne & Heather. . . co-owners, dreamers and doers.  

We have a deep love for making all things Prettier and everyday we wake up feeling blessed that we get to do what we love while working with each other! 

 We each have 4 kids, run 1 shop (that’s growing!), own 2 Flower Bars, and generally thrive amidst chaos.  

To make things interesting (and a bit more personal), we asked our staff to interview us so you could get to know us a bit better. 

So here we go…. All unfiltered and unedited. 

Heather is a co-owner of Only Prettier Design [OPD] along with Dianne. She’s a dreamer, a doer, and can multitask like no other. 

As a co-owner she’s pulled in a gazillion directions from arranging flowers for weddings & events, ordering merchandise for our little Norfolk boutique, and keeping up with social posts . . . just to name a few.

She has fierce tenacity, determination, and courage…. And also has a natural knack for making ALL things prettier.

Tell us a little about your kids.
I have 3 sweet girls 8,10, 13 and 1 rambunctious little guy who just turned 5!   

Have you always had a thing for flowers?Not exactly- I’ve just had a thing for unique textures and designs and flowers are just an extension of design expression! 

What do you consider to be your superpowers?  Multitasking- there are always a million to-do’s buzzing around in my brain! 

What is your favorite product? Spark from Advocare…I truly can’t live life without it!   It gives me all the energy I need to get through my busy days and helps me stay up during my night shifts at the hospital! 

If you were stranded on a deserted island, what would you bring? Mascara- I know it sounds crazy…but my lashes are seriously transparent and I just don’t feel comfortable without it 🤷‍♀️ 

Would you rather go a day without food or without the internet? Internet…I could honestly stand to go a day without food and the internet would help keep me distracted!

What are a few things that most people don’t know about you?
I grew up in waterskiing in Michigan and have always loved to travel!  I don’t get scared or cry easily.   I’ve been a pediatric nurse for almost 2O years!

Who is your Role Model?
My mom for sure!  All of my drive and courage comes from her.  

Would you rather skydive or swim with sharks?  Swim with sharks for sure!  Let’s go tomorrow 🙂

What’s the craziest thing you’ve ever done? 
I don’t know if it’s crazy, but I waterski a slalom course, snowboards the Alps, and have eaten termites in the Amazon. I’m super adventurous and competitive. The crazier the better!

What’s your favorite flower? 
Poppy!

Are you an early bird or night owl? 
Night owl…always have been!  

What’s been the most exciting moment for Only Prettier Design?
It’s so hard to just pick one!   There have been so many signs that have shown us that this is exactly where we’re supposed to be!  This expansion has probably been the MOST exciting… our vision is now becoming a reality! 

Do you have a favorite Mantra?
My dad always says…”many hands make light work”.  Truth!

5 Ways of Coping with Quarantine

5 Ways of Coping with Quarantine

Many of you have seen our IG stories documenting our new Store Renovation and may be questioning our sanity. While we’ve certainly been tempted to pause and have had many days of doubt, we’re rallying around 5 P’s to get us through these crazy times. 

 

Stay Positive: We’ve closed our shop. Our wedding, workshops, and event calendars are in shambles as brides are forced to move their weddings to later dates to be determined. It feels like a pivotal moment for us where we could throw in the towel and give up on our dreams… or persevere! We’re obviously chasing the latter. While we can’t control our circumstances, we do have control over our response. So we’re refusing to complain and cave to fear. We’re seeing the potential, focusing on the positive, and continuing to push forward.

 

Be Productive: Rather than drowning ourselves in the sea of netflix, we’re viewing these days as a gift of time and using it as an opportunity to prepare and plan, so that on the other side of this pandemic we’re all the stronger. 

So Yes, although it seems crazy to be spending money on renovations while we don’t have any money coming in, we know that in time it will and we want to have our shop ready when you’re ready. 

 

Have Patience: We’re all trying to find our new normal. We don’t have it completely figured out just yet, but we’re slowly and patiently finding ways to balance building a business while also engaging with and teaching our kids who are now home full time. This requires us all having a LOT of patience with one another.

 

Play: Although the days can seem long, we know deep down that they are pretty special and are the good ol’ days. We have a rare and unique opportunity to slow down, just a bit. To play. To create. To eat dinners together. And to get crazy with after dinner dance parties. We’re choosing to embrace these memorable days we have together.  Let’s not waste this opportunity!

 

Have Perspective: Whether you’ve been affected physically, financially, emotionally, or just socially, there’s no denying that this pandemic is overhauling everything and impacting us all at some level . We feel the gravity of what’s happening, and while we don’t like it, our perspective is that EVEN THIS was meant for a reason. 

We have never realized more than now our need for one another. And there has been no better time than now to rally with our community, neighbors, friends & family. We’re all in this together and we love seeing all the creative ways you’re finding to support one another.  

We’re giving a huge virtual hug to our clients for your love and continued support. We miss you and can’t wait to see you shopping at our little boutique or sitting down with our floral design team to plan your wedding or event.

 

Until then, sending you our love.