Happy Scenes By Emma

24/01/2025

I will be leaving Facebook after today 1/24/2025 and going to Bluesky https://bsky.app/profile/happyscenesbyemma.bsky.social
I am deeply committed to being a safe space🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍⚧️ and I do NOT support Meta's policy changes to allow hate and bigotry to go unchallenged. I'll leave this page up for now so people can still see my portfolio, but I will not be checking DMs. I will also still be on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/happy_scenes_by_emma/ for the time being until I can switch my portfolio over or an Instagram alternative emerges. I know this is an inconvenient switch to make, but I encourage anyone who cares about marginalized individuals to learn about Meta's policy changes and come to Bluesky instead.

19/01/2025

Less than an hour to vote in my Valentine’s poll! Go check it out! I’m going to start doing more polls because I think they’re really fun and it’s good for engagement!

331 Followers, 260 Following, 148 Posts

12/01/2025

First arrangement of 2025! My husband calls this palette “mixed berry fruit snacks”. So excited about my faux feathers and blue dried bunny tail grass from The Scrappy Elephant

🩵🪻🫐🍓💜🪶💙
Swipe for Hazel photo bomb.

12/01/2025

One of these is still available for sale! $30 and free delivery in Cville today! I’ve been feeling very drawn to the winter sunset palette recently. We think of pastel colors as being for spring but there are so many soft, delicate, feminine colors in the winter. I find I almost notice them more with the contrast of the bare trees and earthy colors. I’ve been trying to explore this aesthetic in flowers. This might be my default palette for the next couple months. Like this palette and want a burst of winter inspired beauty? You can have one today! One arrangement is still for sale. $30!

And yes, the house where I made this arrangement is soooo Emma. I couldn’t think of a more Emma background to take this photo.

08/01/2025

HAPPY ENGAGEMENT SEASON!💍🥂
2025 is still pretty open for me! For people wondering if I do weddings, the answer is sometimes and depending on the wedding. Because I am a one-woman show, am still part-time and newer to the business, and because I truly have a special love for DIY/backyard weddings on a smaller budget, I only take on small/casual weddings and elopements. Happy Scenes may be the right fit for your event if you:

-love unique arrangements with a lot of movement and texture
-are having a small and casual wedding on a budget
-have been thinking about DIYing but would prefer to get something more professional without paying $1,000+
-have a general vibe you want captured rather than a super specific example you want replicated
-like a wide variety of different flowers and are satisfied with the selection at the grocery store/seasonal local growers (*I do NOT at this time have the diverse wholesale access that larger florists do)
-love flowers enough to pay for them, but it’s not your top priority for your budget wedding
-want to support a newer vendor building their portfolio who will offer you a personalized, enthusiastic, and warm experience
-want to support a vendor who is dedicated to being an inclusive, accessible, and affirming safe space
-want to support a vendor dedicated to sustainable practices like repurposing, using exclusively foam-free mechanics, thrifting, and supporting local whenever possible

…let’s chat!💍💐

📸:
Slide 1: https://www.instagram.com/annashapirova?igsh=MXRoOHg3NHh5OGsyeA==
Slide 2: CYork Photography
Slide 3: rue luna photo
Slide 4: Kaitlyn Burdette Photography
Slide 5: https://www.instagram.com/arianarossphoto?igsh=c2hmeGVsc3ZzeWR5
Slide 6: https://www.instagram.com/sadielynnfilms?igsh=ZTV5M2g0amNwMjRm

03/01/2025

I’d say season 1 of Happy Scenes set the bar pretty high for romance. Will season 2 see as many shippable pairings? I have a good feeling. Thank you so much to everyone who welcomed my creativity into their special day!

Also, looking for a photographer? Each photographer credit is in the comments of each corresponding photo. All of these photographers featured are incredibly talented, professional, kind and welcoming to new vendors, and have affirming values🌈! I would recommend all of them!

31/12/2024

Can we talk about how vow renewals just hit you in the feels a little harder? There's something about the honesty, humility, and reflections on time that make the classic wedding vibes extra poignant. Time was a big theme with this event as it was thoughtfully and lovingly planned with an ailing parent in mind. I've been present to help pin boutonnières plenty of times, but getting to witness this bride's first look with her dad and show her how to pin his boutonnière was an honor. This was such a sincere and tender event. Thank you Jeanette and Bob for choosing me to do your flowers... and for my newfound excitement for working with feathers and nontraditional textures!

📸: rue luna photo

29/12/2024

This is the time of year where I’m simultaneously sad and relieved that the holiday season is coming to a close. There is so much creative momentum in the October to December run in both my personal and professional life. The stillness of later winter is comforting, yet I also feel a little empty. Anyone else?

Also guys, no one buys flowers in January. If you know someone who’s got a birthday or anniversary or even a spontaneous, casual elopement, this is a great time to send them my way. Help me keep my skills sharp until Valentine’s Day.

Here are some photos from a staff holiday party! I’m definitely bringing the dried citrus back. Can I do citrus through January or is it too holiday themed? Pine cones can stick around I think.

25/12/2024

Merry Christmas to you and yours!🎄❤️

23/12/2024

Who wore it best? 🍷 or 🌹? I thrifted these “vases” for arrangements only to discover they are actually wine glasses. Personally, I’m not mad at either option.

P.S.A. Please buy my s**t in 2025 so I can graduate from screw-top wine by next Christmas.

19/12/2024

I’m trying to get to 300 Instagram followers by the end of 2024! I wanted to make an attention-grabbing graphic to get eyes on this post and spent entirely too long making this collage of the best ranunculus of 2024 and now my neck hurts. If you can talk me up to one friend and get them to follow me https://www.instagram.com/happy_scenes_by_emma/profilecard/?igsh=MW9zMGVscnhjYWphbw== on Instagram, I’d really appreciate it. Following on Facebook is great too, but I really prefer Instagram and that’s the platform I put the most time into. It’s been a great first year, but it’s still gonna be awhile before I have marketing money. Word of mouth is what keeps me going. Whoever my 300th follower is, I’ll make them a free mason jar arrangement… unless they’re a fascist.

18/12/2024

A little pivot🛋️ from holiday themed colors last week. Sometimes when you’re having a Celebration of Life event around a major holiday, you want to differentiate and individualize from the default palette of the month to really make the gathering reflective of the person you are honoring. This was for an art class’s Celebration of Life for a friend and fellow artist with a cheery and colorful personality, so bringing back the summery colors was a must. I love the personal nature of my business and wouldn’t do it any other way. I do not do recipe or formulaic floristry. Every arrangement is personally tailored to the event and the individual(s) being honored and celebrated. It’s never just another order. Floral arrangements are symbols of relationships and community, milestones and poignant days for real people. Happy and sad. If I get too big for my britches or get jaded in a few years, remind me of this.💖💐

18/12/2024

This weekend’s brunch centerpieces will be next weekend’s hot cocoa mugs! ☕️➕🌿🌹🌲

I think I’ll keep the citrus slices around for a bit! I’m into it.

It’s been a busy busy week for me! Thanks to everyone who’s been supporting my business around the holidays! It means a lot!😊💚

13/12/2024

I have 3 6” mason jar arrangements available for sliding scale $20-$25. I can deliver for free within Cville… (Factoring in my evening plans, I’m probably looking at deliveries tomorrow am, but could do a later night delivery tonight if you prefer.) Please share!

*Safe space business🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍⚧️
**all floral arrangements should be kept out of reach of pets as they contain products that are toxic to animals!

13/12/2024

My first arrangements of the winter season! These were for the holiday banquet for NAMI Central Shenandoah Valley VA. I was thrilled to work with them since mental health accessibility and activism are hugely important to me both personally and professionally. They found me on Facebook while specifically seeking a small and independent business to support. How cool is that?! If you are not familiar with this organization, I urge you to check them out. It’s a national organization with many, many local chapters. This chapter in particular is serving areas of rural Virginia where there is substantially less access to mental health resources. You can learn more about the work that they do on their page! https://www.facebook.com/NAMIShenandoah

12/12/2024

It’s become a tradition for me to bake orange slices for holiday season decorations. A few years ago, I attached them to candles along with cinnamon and evergreens. Last year I made them into ornaments. Should I try to incorporate them into floral arrangements somehow? Everyone knows I’m always looking for creative new textures and ways to incorporate fall colors into every other season. And no, if people are wondering, I haven’t really experimented with wreath making much yet, but it IS on my list to study and practice and be ready with them next year! In the meantime, between my mug vases and these potential new additions, I’m still cooking up ways to make unique, budget accessible, and eco friendly holiday arrangements. DM if interested!
🍊🌲❄️☕️🧣

10/12/2024

Looking for a 2-in-1 gift? How about some festive blooms thoughtfully arranged in a THRIFTED holiday mug? That’s right. In the fall, I replaced traditional vases with pumpkins… Now I’m back for the winter holiday season to once again expand on what can be considered a vase with both creativity and sustainability in mind. Many of us enjoy our hot cocoa, mulled cider, and Baileys-spiked coffee this time of year and jolly mugs are in high demand for a short time and then fill the thrift stores. Well, instead of consuming a bunch of new crap, why not pull from the mountains of those second-hand mugs? I know when thrifting, there is a thin line between what just looks a little stale and what has been sitting around long enough to now be nostalgia-chic. I’m on board with the sitcom-reboot era, cozy 90s aesthetic obsession as much as the next Zillenial girl and that’s why I’m scanning the thrift stores for the mugs that look like something the McCallisters would have given Kevin’s teacher as a thank you gift.

I am now taking orders for these whimsical holiday arrangements which will be available between the 15th and the 21st! $30 for a 6” floral arrangement in a thrifted holiday mug and free delivery within Cville. Add on a thrifted holiday card for $3 if you want. Floral designs and mug designs will vary, but let me know if you want more traditional red and green Christmas colors or more general winter/snow colors. (I’m also still keeping my eyes open for Hanukkah mugs.) DM if interested and please share. Al doesn’t want me to make money and my posts don’t go as far as they used to, so word of mouth is key! Also, should I make an email list? Do people want more emails? I feel like I don’t, but that’s been suggested to me. Let me know!

06/12/2024

This project was a challenging one. Celebration of Life event flowers for my oldest friend’s father. Remember how I’ve spoken before about my childhood obsession with planning elaborate pretend weddings with my friends and making my own parents attend with enthusiasm? Well, my friend’s father, Tom, also cleared a whole afternoon in 2008 to watch two stuffed animals tie the knot. I have many memories of spending time with this sweet family over the years and looking back, I am really grateful for how much creative, artistic, and imaginative play was supported and appreciated in their household. I was humbled and honored when they asked me to provide the florals for this event. Being able to give back some of this creative energy to bring some beauty to this difficult day is a tragic and special full circle. 💐❤️‍🩹