When Eric Cmar of Cmart Celebrations introduced me to Nikki and Kyle, he said,  “I think you’re going to looove them!” 

He was not wrong. Nikki and Kyle are fellow prehistoric plant appreciators who, in the planning meeting, asked “Is there any way you could also incorporate carnivorous plants?” 

Answer: “Yes!” 

The Venus Fly Trap Fan Club in my brain threw serotonin everywhere like confetti. I love a client who is into weird botany, especially one whose choice of venue is a museum: 

The Houston Museum of Natural Science, to be specific. In the Paleontology Hall with all the dinosaur bones. The couple wanted a “prehistoric forest” aesthetic with just a hint of goth, specifically in the form of “nods to Edgar Allan Poe” in the décor, as Kyle’s last name, which Nikki was taking, was Poe. (The Poes!)

And since the Paleontology Hall at HMNS is so breathtaking in and of itself–aesthetically well-designed and ambiently lit to inspire awe as you walk through the winding exhibit–I knew a simple statement would be best for the space.

So the idea I came up with for tabletop floral was to create little biomes in rectangular glass terrariums, more or less mimicking the structure of a museum exhibit case. That’s where we included the carnivorous plants, ferns (one of the most ancient plants), and some fossil-esque content of our own: raven skulls (and there’s your Poe). The result was a smash hit! One that we’ve iterated on many times since.

And if a black velvet ribbon wasn’t enough to really bring the goth factor to Nikki’s bouquet, we also included some bleached leaf skeletons as a surprise; tucked in between the wild orchid varieties and the ferns. Truly an all-time favorite aesthetic. 

Venue: Houston Museum of Natural Science

Planner: Eric Cmar of Cmart Celebrations

Photographer: Grant Daniels