Even if you haven’t seen the beautiful face of Gay Whatley, the chief designer and owner of Cottage Flowers on St. Simons Island, chances are you’ve seen her work.  Her beautiful floral concepts have been all over the bridal inspirationsphere:  The Knot, Style Me Pretty, Elegant Island Weddings and more (even here!).  She’s had the pleasure of working with a variety of brides from grand Sea Island events to small, personal in-home weddings, and I’ve loved them all.  Gay was even honored to be personally picked to provide flowers for Governor Bill Clinton’s "Man of the Year" party in Arkansas!  Gay is a fabulous floral designer that gently guides bridal couples and their families through their selections for their weddings that fit the overall event design scheme. 

1. My favorite part of the wedding day is seeing the bride’s face light up when she see’s her bouquet.
2. I never leave the house for a wedding without a mimosa and my tool box.
3. My one tip for couples getting married in the Golden Isles is: Just relax and let your vendors do the work. I hate to see a bride on her wedding day trying to put out place cards, fixing centerpieces, trying to oversee what is going on, etc. This is your day. Make it special: sleep late, eat breakfast in bed, have mimosa’s, get  your hair and make up done, laugh large with your girlfriends and then put on that beautiful dress and stand in front of the mirror and just enjoy the moment.
4. Your must-see or must-do for couples while in the area: The island is an experience that may be hard for everyone to get enjoy because of time. I think one the the best things one of my brides did for her wedding party and families was to rent the trolley for "welcome to the island" tour. She had it catered with fun snacks and refreshing drinks for the ride.

Here are some images of Gay’s fabulous work that we had an opportunity to collaborate on: