I love zinnias. When we wed a few years back, I grew my own flowers. Well, not just me, but 11 other women as well. I sent out an invite in an over-sized vellum envelope with a packet of seeds to women who rock my world in the spring and come September 17, buckets of flowers began arriving at my house. The invite:We all gathered and arranged for hours. It was one of my favorite parts of my wedding. I bought some wheat and millet for added texture in the bouquets but other than that, all bouquets and arrangements were grown and constructed by ladies I love. We wore them in our hair too.

Man, I wish I’d had a blog during my wedding planning. It was a definite DIY affair complete with white China purchased from garage sales and thrift stores, best friend-made guest book and food made by the moms that people still talk about.

Alice was the flower girl. It was affordable (which allowed for an excellent wine selection. yeah. I know what is important.) and very very fun.

And so back to my 2007 zinnias. geez. They obviously carry a bit of nostalgia now. They are a welcome cheeriness in a smoky western Montana. I love that they are hardy, colorful and bloom when little else is blooming except rudbeckia.