He spent more than three decades making the Metropolitan Museum of Art a blooming success as director of special events and master floral designer.

Now Chris Giftos has a lifetime of stories to tell and knowledge to share. He will be the guest speaker at Art in Bloom, presented by the Women's Committee of the Carnegie Museum of Art on April 9.

His lecture will deal with arrangements and the many people he has worked with, including Martha Stewart and Oprah Winfrey.

"I name-drop as often as I can," he says with a laugh.

One of his annual events was the legendary Costume Institute Gala at the Met. He remembers planning it with the late Diana Vreeland, the woman who made Vogue the bible of the fashion world.

"She was fascinating, and I never realized how fortunate I was to spend so many hours with her and so many days. She really was a very exotic woman but also a loving woman," he recalls.

She took the time to write him quite a few notes over the years. "She appreciated anything that was done for her," he says.

Mr. Giftos has worked with many famous women connected to the Costume Institute party, including the late socialite Pat Buckley (who ran it for 17 years), the late Liz Tilberis (former editor of Harper's Bazaar), Jackie Onassis and Vogue editor Anna Wintour.

"Diana and Anna Wintour are quite different," he says. "Diana had great style, and you really can't compare them because Anna runs the Costume Institute benefit, but Diana ran the Costume Institute and would put together the exhibits."

Ms. Onassis, who ran the benefit for two years, got involved through her friendship with Ms. Vreeland.

"Jackie basically just let us use her name," Mr. Giftos said. "She didn't pick the menu or the tablecloths. She didn't care about that, where Anna does. She is involved with every phase of the event."

Mr. Giftos continues to lend his expertise each year even though he retired in 2003. He was there when the first Costume Institute party was conceived. "It really has grown from a small dinner."

He remembers well the year Princess Diana came to the ball. "That was an evening I'll never forget. Her eyes were incredible," he said.

Ms. Tilberis brought the princess over to Mr. Giftos and told him to take care of her. He escorted her everywhere that night and still has a photo of the two of them together.

"I procrastinated and never gave it to Liz Tilberis to have it signed for me. Now I look at that photograph and think, 'Don't procrastinate.' "

Over the years he has collected many photographs of himself with notable people. Even before he was hired at the Met, he was meeting the famous when he worked at Christatos and Koster, a flower shop on Madison Avenue in New York City. There his customers included Astors, Paleys, Rockefellers and Greta Garbo. It was there he made the bouquet for Elizabeth Taylor's first marriage to Richard Burton.

"Irene Sharaff, a big Hollywood costume designer who did 'Cleopatra' and 'West Side Story,' was a customer of mine. She had me make this bouquet of yellow freesia. It flew in its own seat on Air Canada to the wedding. I had to sign a waiver not to tell anybody," he remembers.

As far as keeping the events fresh from Jackie Onassis dinner parties to big corporate galas he says, "I never look back, only ahead."

Mr. Giftos notes how floral and gala styles have changed through the years.

"Especially here in New York, you always had the ability to go and get whatever one wanted. But I am fascinated by what's out there now," he says.

What goes into his floral arrangements depends upon the season and the type of event. At some events, there would be 800 for dinner and 3,000 people after dinner. "That's why I'm retired," he jokes.

Fate and confidence took him from flowers to party planning. While working at the flower shop, he was in charge of the fresh flower arrangements in the Metropolitan Museum's Great Hall.

"I found out they needed an assistant banquet manager. I lied and said I could do it," he confesses.

Mr. Giftos knew little about banquets but learned on the job.

"Working in a flower shop when I was 14 years old, I never thought it would take me where it did.

"Working with flowers, you just don't age," added the 70 year-old.

For tickets to Art in Bloom at the Carnegie Museum of Art on April 9, call 412-622-3325.

Doug Oster writes a blog, "Growing With Doug," exclusively at PG+, a members-only web site of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Our introduction to PG+ gives you all the details.