Adorable Idea: Fruit and Flower Bouquet

I love bouquets that are a mix of soft and bright colors and different textures, with an extra added twist, like this lemon! Adding fruit is a unique and fun way to mix it up - pomegranates, apples, pears, lemons, or limes could all make sweet additions to a bouquet. 

Bouquet by Blue Daffodil Flowers, Photography by Michelle Cross Photography

via Elizabeth Anne Designs

Royal Wedding Flowers

There was a ton of buzz around London today as Westminster Abbey began to have trees (yes, trees!) and flowers moved inside in preparation for the Royal Wedding on Friday. The flowers and trees are  coming from the Valley Gardens of Great Windsor Park, and Prince William himself asked the Queen's permission to use them. (What a resourceful groom!) Here's what I've learned so far about what we can expect to see flower-wise on Friday:

Photo: Sang Tan/AP

The couple have chosen Shane Connolly as their florist, and he will be decorating both the ceremony at Westminster Abbey and the reception at Buckingham Palace. Kate and William liked that he is a 'green' florist with a focus on seasonal, local, organic and sustainable flowers and plants.

Kate Middleton worked closely with Connolly on the floral concept, and very much wanted to incorporate a theme of "The Language of Flowers" into the day - a sweet Victorian tradition where each flower has a special meaning. Kate wanted a neutral scheme of green and white.

via Kingdom of Style

The Look: The look they are going for promises to be very natural but with a romantic "enchanted woodland" feel. "The Abbey will be very romantic and everything will be seasonal, British and sustainable," Royal Wedding florist Shane Connolly explained. "I want everything to look as though it has been gathered from a garden."

The Details: Inside the Abbey, an "avenue" of tall trees will line the aisle - including English Field Maples and Hornbeams. These and will be planted in wooden tubs that have been hand painted to replicate the worn stone of the medieval Abbey's pillars. One 20 ft tall tree will be at the very front of the Abbey.

"The aim is the Abbey looks unpretentious and simple and natural and that it reflects the fact that Catherine is a country girl at heart and that the couple are the best of British."

Among the flowers that may be used are "buds and blossoming branches of azaleas, cherry blossoms, magnolia, rhododendron, viburnum and weeping birch - all predominantly white and fresh green; the scent of garden jasmine, wisteria and lilac."

Post-wedding, the flowers will be left in the Abbey for viewing until May 6. (I will definitely be going to check them out!) Then the trees will be taken to the gardens at Price Charles' home Highgrove for planting. Many of the cut plants and flowers will be donated to local charities.

Kate's Bouquet: The details on the bridal bouquet are still under wraps, but expect to see a spring of myrtle - every royal bride since queen Victoria has carried one in her bouquet. I hear lily of the valley may also show up in the bouquet, which is traditionally all white. After the wedding, following tradition, Kate's bouquet will be sent back to the Abbey to be lain at the Grave of the Unknown Warrior.

Sprig of white myrtle via Helena Carter Weddings

Article sources: BBC News, People, Homes & Property

Lovely (And Affordable) Centerpieces

Centerpieces. You want them to be great, but you don't want them to break your budget. And the words 'budget centerpieces' can conjure up images of some scary, sparse, 80's looking flowers. Can you have lovely, lush centerpieces on a budget? Yep. Here's some lovely centerpieces that are affordable but don't scream 'We were on a super tight budget!'

Baby's breath: Not the ugly stepsister it was once considered in the flower world, baby's breath is enjoying a revival. And rightly so. Popular with vintage loving brides, whimsical brides and modern brides alike, baby's breath gives a romantic, lacy, fluffy cloud look to your tables. Put them in tall (17" is ideal) silver trumpet vases to up the elegance factor.

Ah, dahlias how I love thee. These lovely 'dinner plate dahlias' are large enough that one bloom mixed with some garden roses, thistle, sage, passion vine and berries and put in vintage bottles (scour antique stores for these) goes a long way in stretching your flower budget and decorating a long table.

Using moss instead of vases saves you money and gives a rustic chic look to your tables. Here sheet moss mingles with dahlias, thistle, berries and mint.

All photos via Brides, Arrangements 2 & 3 by Poppies and Posies.

Fall Bouquet Inspiration

Still on my total kick of loving all things fall... Like this lovely fall bouquet by Calie Rose Design Studio over on Utah Bride Blog. A bouquet of artichokes, ranunculus, billy balls, hypericum, teacup roses, smokebush, leucadendron, fountain grass, and lambs ear is perfectly finished with a creamy crochet lace wrap...so fall perfect!

The bride's hair by Cara Williams is simply a masterpiece.

Sooo fall perfect! Check out the rest of the shoot over at Utah Bride Blog.

Credits: Photography by Heather Bliss Photography, Flowers by Calie Rose Design Studio, Dress by Abigail Wright Designs, Hair by Cara Williams, all via Utah Bride Blog.

Summer Floral Class @ ink & peat

This past weekend I went to Portland and while I was in town I took a celebration of French cooking class at Le Cordon Bleu and I also went to a hand tied bouquet workshop at the fabulous florist + shop ink & peat. I attended ink & peat's spring floral workshop and loved it, and couldn't wait for this class. We made two different hand-tied arrangements, a one-sided arrangement and a Dutch spiral all sided bouquet, using all seasonal, mostly local roses, garden roses, dahlias, unripe blackberries, poppy pods, mint, and flowering oregano. Getting the hang of arranging the flowers in my hand was no small task - I'm left handed but do most things besides writing with my right hand, so any new endeavor takes some switching off of hands to see which works better. I was pretty happy with my results!

Also, I did a guest post over on The Sweetest Occasion today - my first inspiration photo shoot!

Here's the hand tied Dutch spiral bouquet I did in class... I love how with each turn it has a different look to it!

And here's the one sided hand tied arrangement
Pam, the owner of ink & peat has a great blog called housemartin that is a must read for floral inspiration plus great finds she comes across for the home.

Spring Floral Inspiration

Last night I attended the Spring Floral Studio class at flower heaven, also known as ink & peat in Portland, Oregon. I have long loved the lush, full, wild but still tame look of the florals that designer/owner Pam Zsori puts together, and when I saw on my google reader that she was putting on this class, I called about 30 seconds later to reserve my spot. I'm soooo glad I did. The class last night was all about putting together spring arrangements in the lovely ink & peat style, taught by Pam herself. We made two arrangements, one shorter low, round, lush arrangement and one taller, looser one-sided arrangement.

Here are the results of my low, round, lush arrangement using pittosporum leaves, Dusty Miller, white wax flower, yellow stock, pinky/purple alstroemeria, pink roses, yellow ranunculus, and green moss balls. I'm super happy with the way it turned out!

And here's the taller, looser arrangement with chocolate eucalyptus, pittosporum leaves, cherry blossom branches, pink hyacinth, peach ranunculus, yellow stock, bright pink roses, pink riceflower and a little spanish moss "nest".

In between making the arrangements we had tea, mini cupcake and lintzer cookies. So sweet!

Flowers: Peacock Bouquet

This bouquet totally embodies the fabulousness of the peacock trend I've seen going on in the world of weddings. So many different elements - and I love the succulent in it! The bouquet was made by the amazing team at Geranium Lake Flowers in Portland, Oregon and the photos are by the talented Kate Kelly (who I've met and is super sweet in addition to being a great wedding photographer!)

All photos by Kate Kelly Photography, flowers by Geranium Lake Flowers

DIY: Floral Kissing Ball

Nancy of Nancy Liu Chin Designs came up with this great DIY project for making your own kissing ball! She makes it look so easy - I can't wait to try and make one for fun.
From Nancy: "I personally have a love/hate relationship with kissing balls(aka pomanders). I love making them but they aren't as easy as they appear. Even though we've made over a 200 kissing balls over the course of our business, it's still one of those pieces that we continue to finesse. For me, the trick with kissing balls is using the right flower. Many people don't realize that there aren't many flowers that work but yet they try to make a kissing ball with them. I once saw someone use a French Tulip. Sorry, but that's the absolutely worst thing you could do. First of all, the beauty of the French Tulip is its gorgeously long stem. What a shame to waste that stem on a kissing ball. Also out of water in oasis, tulips aren't very "happy"."
Bottom line: choose a sturdy, flat, round, mass flower like my two favorites:

-Mini Carnations
- Pom Pom(button) mums

We use two different methods when making a kissing ball. For mums, we like to use a Styrofoam ball. For the carnations, we use an Oasis ball. It's a matter of personal preference and ease for us so you don't have to follow this. Most people use Oasis balls because it will hydrate the flowers. We have a professional cooler. We can keep kissing balls in our refrigerator for several days so we can use the Styrofoam method. For a non-professional, use the Oasis.


Pom Pom Kissing ball:

1 3 or 4 inch Styrofoam Ball
1 Bundle of Pom Pom Mums
1 box of pearl pins or straight pins
Assorted Ribbon
Several straight pins
Mister of Water
Large Freezer Zip Bag or Clear bag(no holes)
Bag ties
Floral Shears

Cut individual mums from their stem. Make sure that all stem are removed.
Fasten ribbon to the Styrofoam securely with straight pins.
Starting with one side, secure mums to Styrofoam using pearl or straight pins.
Poke the pin through the center of the mums.
Continue until the entire ball is covered with mums.
Mist with water
Taking a bag, blow hot air into the bag.
Place kissing ball into the bag.
Secure tightly.

With a mini carnation, you do the same thing but instead of Styrofoam, use an oasis ball. Make sure that you let the Oasis foam stand until water stops dripping. Secure your ribbon onto the ball with straight pins. Instead of cutting all the stems off the mini carnations, cut them to 2 inches. Insert stems into the ball. No need for the pins. You can also add some spray roses and little green buds into the balls like this pink kissing ball."

Thanks for the tutorial Nancy!

More Lavish Flora

There were just a few more beautiful photos of Lavish Flora in Portland's amazing work...I love the versatility of the organic blooms she uses. I'm so glad it's spring and flowers will start appearing soon!

Vendor Highlight: Lavish Flora

Last month I attended the Bravo! Wedding Affair held at the historic Embassy Suites in Portland, Oregon. There were so many great Portland vendors there, but a few really stood out to me. One of these was Lavish Flora and the floral designer behind it, Adria Lailer.

The Lavish philosophy involves using locally grown and organic flowers, and also using locally produced arts and products - such as the vases they use. I was blown away by the natural, wild, yet somehow still charming and sophisticated look and feel of Lavish's arrangements.

A bonus on using organic and locally grown products - the scent of the flowers are stronger and you may be able to save some money on not having to ship your flowers! Lavish also has a great list of green/sustainable local Portland vendors on their website - a definite gem for anyone planning a wedding in Portland.

*How are you (or did you/will you) incorporating green or sustainable elements into your wedding?
All photos from Lavish Flora
More to come from the amazing Lavish Flora...

March Wedding Flowers

Six percent of your wedding budget is supposed to be devoted to flowers according to Mindy Weiss' 'The Wedding Book'. For some people, it can be much more than that. Buying flowers that are in season locally or regionally can be a big money saver. Although almost any flower can be bought out of season these days, importing them from Ecuador or Holland will cost you. Sticking to the "A March Wedding" theme, here are flowers that are in season throughout the spring.
Cosmos
Flowering branches such as apple, cherry, and dogwood
Daffodil
Forsythia
Freesia (available year round)
Hyacinth
Hydangea
Lilac
Lily-of-the-valley
Mimosa (acacia)
Muscari (grape hyacinth)
Peony
Poppy
Ranunculus
Rose
Sweet pea (into early summer)
Tulip
Viburnum
Violet