Amy Pihlar
Owner/Designer at Bright
I am a designer at heart and worked as a clothing designer for over 17 years, mostly in New York City. I had my own line and shop in Manhattan and also worked for larger companies, including Ralph Lauren. If you're curious, you can view some of my clothing design work at amypihlar.com. After moving back to my native Santa Barbara with my family, I was ready for a career change. I learned to love flowers growing up on the beautiful California coast and even more so at one of my first jobs at a local flower stand. After creating flowers for a friend’s wedding, I was inspired to make floral design my job. I love my work and will never look back!
I have an eclectic style and like to use unusual materials in my work. I love the immediacy of working with flowers and the emphasis on color and texture, which was always my favorite part of clothing design. I love the challenge of making something traditional with a new spin, but also to create out of the box arrangements. I am equally inspired to create large installations and dramatic altars, as I am to make boutonnieres and corsages. I believe it is always important to use seasonal and local materials where possible, but, at the same time, your wedding is a once in a lifetime event so if you must have those peonies you must have those peonies!
I feel so honored to design flowers for each couple’s big day and take my role very seriously. I have been married for 15 years and LOVED designing my own wedding and know that you only get to do it once. No two weddings are the same, so I listen very carefully to each couple and incorporate their ideas and desires into the design to create a personal experience.
Amy’s work has been featured in Elle Magazine, NY Times Style Section, Style Me Pretty, Green Wedding Shoes, Martha Stewart Weddings, Ruffled Blog, Wedding Sparrow, Junebug, Joy Wed, Dear Gray, Santa Barbara Magazine, Santa Barbara Life & Style, 805 Living, and more.
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