The Straw (Couch) that Broke the Florist’s Back
That title is complete idiom clickbait. My back is fine.
Signing on for a fall fest event was an easy sell. October is the best month of the year. Best clothing. Best recipes. Best weather. Best sports. Best version of myself. Getting to partner up with Helen Merz Photography was the second easy sell of this equation. Our personalities and talents mesh well together for creative partnerships––she trusts me enough that I can just say “hay bale couch photo booth” without asking any follow-up questions.
Helen and I split a tent at the Barrington Harvest Festival to do a little photo and flower collab. A small photo booth area had a seasonal seat and simple flower backdrop of local marigolds and purple shiso that anyone could have their photo taken in, for free! Both of us are working on building up more clientele in the area, so it was a great opportunity to flyer out double-sided postcards with a QR download to the gallery and a promo code to save on future flower orders.
I’d love to knowledge share what I’ve learned through this little journey into hee-haw-furniture building if you find yourself needing autumnal seating for a photo booth or farm wedding.
What you are looking for is, in fact, not a hay bale. It is a straw bale, and yes, there is a difference. Animals eat hay. They sleep in straw. You want the straw.
Check the forecast. You’re not going to want to buy and transport bales of straw if it has rained in the past few days. Don’t save that task for a rainy day. If you did not think about this until after 5 straight days of rain, you should call ahead and ask a few places if they have been storing their straw inside, or under a tarp or awning.
Lay down a tarp in your car for transport. After unloading, hit that backseat with the leaf blower to clear out the chaos.
Dogs are going to pee on your creation. I don’t have preventative advice beyond telling you that is going to happen so you’re mentally prepared.
Don’t be a monster. Give people a blanket to sit on.
“Excuse me, do you mind if I pull straw off your pants.” Practice that interaction.
The Subaru Forrester can hold 4.5 bales of straw in its cargo. You won’t find that stat on their website.
This definitely needed some cute throw pillows.
Featured Event
What: Barrington Harvest Festival collaboration with Helen Merz Photography
When: Oct. 8, 2022
Gallery: View and download your photos here.
