Connection & Creativity
Getting a Taste of A Berry in the Wild
Colorado Springs & Denver Wedding, Event & Party Rentals Design & Decoration
And there’s no offense intended to our other partners when we say that one of our absolute favorites is Donise Newkirk. She provides Colorado Springs, Castle Rock and Denver party rentals and event design services. Donise is warm, funny, and creative. Her company, A Berry in the Wild, has already helped us decorate for one of our farm to table dinners, in addition to helping us provide decorations and design, wedding rentals and consulting for couples, families, and organizations who come out to the Ranch.
After a very busy fall and winter, we were finally able to sit down with Donise to find out a bit more about how she got her start, how she came to Colorado, and how she’s working with us here at Snow Creek Larkspur.
Never Be Typical – Bringing Beauty to Everyday Life
Donise Newkirk – Well, thank you for sitting down with me. I got started in the Bakersfield area in California in 2000. I was a florist for a bigger company originally, but my position was eliminated. So I struck out on my own, hoping to provide silk and natural floral arrangements for weddings and events.
Donise put out her shingle in a small area of her husband’s construction shop in nearby Hanford. She partitioned a bay of the shed to create a dramatic backdrop for her beautiful and creative arrangements. Soon, her corner of the shed became a destination for memorial services, weddings and other events in Central California.
SCL– The name of your company – A Berry in the Wild – is beautiful and evocative. How did you come up with it, and what does it mean to you and to your business?
DN – On a trip to upstate New York, my husband and I went 4-wheeling above Lake George. While we were driving around, we happened into a field of wild blueberries. The scene was so beautiful, that it moved me, and that image stayed in my head for years.
So when it was time to name my company, I wanted to evoke that same sense of beauty, and power and impact that I felt that day standing among the blueberries.
The motivating concept that drives A Berry in the Wild, is – in Donise’s own words – “to never be a typical anything, and to bring beauty to everyday life.” I asked her how she got her ideas.
Outside-the-Box Event & Wedding Rental Concepts
DN – I just love to talk to people in tough times of transition, and to do what I can to help them see this period as an opportunity to celebrate their loved one’s life.
I love to sit down with family members and loved ones of the deceased, and try to get to know what they were really like. That way, I can help transform this love and these memories into designs that are more than just flower arrangements. We try to incorporate objects that were important to the person we’re remembering.
And virtually anything is fair game to be included.
DN – I had a farmer’s family who wanted to honor their husband and father’s calling, so we took his tractor seat, restored and repainted it, surrounded it with flowers, and made it the centerpiece of the installation. It turned out to be both beautiful and unique, and it seemed to really help the family remember what was so great and unusual about him.
Donise brings the same drive and creative spark to all of her wedding and event rental and design projects.
DN – My strength is conceptual design. I really believe I’ve been blessed with the ability to see a cool design in my head, and then to see it through by connecting with my client and seeing to all the little details that bring it to life.
I love anything that’s fun and that helps my clients to explore the beauty and serendipity that exist above and beyond what they thought was possible for their event. I love to combine ‘eye candy,’ with a unique concept.
I really love the farm to table and farm wedding ideas we work on at Snow Creek Larkspur. There’s a really loving family atmosphere here. And I don’t mean just family. Michelle and Joe and their team really go out of their way to make everyone who visits the Ranch feel loved.
And as far as designing the events goes, there are really no rules. Creatively, the sky’s sort of the limit. It’s fun.
“I want to help people connect with their creativity.”
I’ve done a big Maypole for Mayday, created a vegetable-hung chandelier for a farm to table event. For one party we created an enchanted forest concept.
Ultimately, I feel like the goal of a great wedding, corporate event, party, or even memorial service is to build connections between people. Together we can create emotions and memories.
SCL – How did you meet Michelle and Joe, and get involved with the Ranch?
DN – When I first moved to the Castle Rock area to be near my kids and grandkids, I hosted a small event to kick off my Colorado operation. Michelle and Joe were having dinner and drinks down the block, and something about my event drew them in. They came in and spent some time mingling with my other guests.
We really hit it off. They’re just so loving and fun and it seemed like we inspired each other. As we chatted it became apparent that they were looking for someone who could help them to fulfill their vision of everything the Ranch could be, and I was looking for a place and a partner that was just as driven as I am to create something fun and beautiful and unusual in the Colorado Springs and Denver event rentals arena.
So we worked together to set up a few vignettes in the barn, using my designs and wedding rentals, so that brides to be and mothers to be and other people thinking about hosting events at the Ranch could get an idea of what my style is like, and what I can do, and how it would complement the atmosphere and the setting.
Working with Donise has been some of the most fun we’ve had since we’ve started to host events at our Ranch.
We think you’ll love making memories with her as much as we do. Give Donise a call at 559-562-6104.
To find out more about working with Donise for your beautiful farm wedding, call Lindsay at 303-618-6647 or email weddings@snowcreeklarkspur.com.