I wanted to share this for all the brides out there I have had to tell that the flower they loved would not be in season… turns out none of us are immune.

I had my heart set on white bougainvillea for our wedding and ordered a few plants from a local nursery thinking that I would cut from them for my bouquet and Scotty’s boutonnière. I was told they would likely not have flowers in July, but ordered them anyway. Sure enough they were completely barren.

With no florist in the nearby town, my options were roadside flowers and some week-old white lisi we had picked up in the last big town “just in case.” Both would have been *fine* but as I florist on her wedding day I wasn’t all that excited about it.

I think it was my Dad who first pointed out the most luscious floral scent in the evenings at the Villa where we stayed. We all went sniffing around various bushes the next morning only to find the mysterious scent had vanished.

Many fragrant flowers only release their scent at night in order to attract moths, so I knew I needed to bring a flashlight and search again once night fell.

Sure enough, growing high up on the next terrace, tangled up in some bushes, I found her—Sweet Autumn Clematis.

Somehow both delicate and wild in the same breath, as soon as I brought her into the light, I knew she would be my wedding flower.

The morning of my wedding, I climbed up a latter to cut down enough to create a cascading bouquet inspired by the bouquets in black and white images from 100 years ago. And a bit more to line our dinning table alongside the candles I had hauled in from home.

She fit the bill perfectly.

Past and future clients might be horrified to know just how often all too similar scenarios play out sourcing flowers here—with only slightly less drama. I place my orders to fulfill the design only to discover something so much more wonderful growing in my garden, or turn a corner at the market to come face to face with *the* perfect element.

Moral of the story, in flowers and in life, *not* having your heart set on something opens you up to the most wonderful surprises you never could have planned.