On Melinda's front door there always is a special arrangement to greet her guests. From beautiful winter wreaths to vibrant summer blossoms, clients enjoy a preview of her work before they receive her warm welcome.

Melinda's consultations are personal and detailed. First she will listen to what the client has in mind and then come up with ideas, all custom-designed for that client. If the clients are unsure of what they like, she has them go through portfolios to discover what appeals to them. As Melinda observes and takes notes, , she gets a good idea of the styles that the clients like. She always asks many questions, including the bridesmaids' heights to ensure the bouquets are proportional.

Melinda loves to add heirloom and character pieces to her creations. For an architect, she found glass cube votive holders and stacked them on each table to resemble structures. For a local artist, she designed centerpieces that incorporated paint brushes, tubes of paint, and crayons. Her style is classic with creative and personal touches. For one Bay Area wedding, she arranged a hand-held bridal bouquet with flowers that had their own meanings: for love, happiness, fertility, remembrance, and wisdom. She is especially fond of using wildflowers for a natural design.

Melinda and her energetic team are easy to distinguish on the day of the wedding. They arrive in fun Hawaiian shirts, always have cheerful, contagious smiles on their faces, and take great pride in their work. Melinda is usually is the one to present the bouquet to the bride. It is important for her to make sure that the bride's expectations are not only met, but exceeded.

Coordination is key to Melinda. She takes the initiative to be certain that all the details of the wedding blend together beautifully. When I arrived at her house to conduct this interview, she was on the phone with a caterer discussing color coordination for an upcoming wedding. Melinda can provide the caterer with beautiful flowers for garnishing their presentation platters. She also will coordinate her designs with the linens and maintain excellent communication with all the other wedding vendors.

Melinda keeps the bride's budget in mind and makes suggestions to help cut costs without sacrificing quality. Sensitive to the fact that grooms sometimes get overlooked during the wedding planning, she designs the sign-in table according to his interests. For one groom, a golfer, she used a grass base and leaned the place cards against golf tees. For another groom, who was a long board surfer, she used his surfboard as the sign in table! Her ideas always are creative and refreshing.