Colors of Autumn

Happy Holidays!  It's true - another year has gone by and we're again facing the most wonderful time of the year.  In honor of the timing of this post, the Tuesday before Thanksgiving, I thought a little autumn was in order before we completely turn things over to the red and green, silver and gold of the Christmas season.

Molly & Scott were a terrific couple to work with, and their late October wedding was a beautiful testament to the season.  The backdrop was The Piedmont Club in Haymarket, which was particularly glorious on that fall day.

The bridal bouquet was a blend of sherbet-y orange and smokey peaches, Free Spirit and Freedom roses with a rich mango red mini calla, green hypericum, dark red dahlias and a little curly willow for accent.  The dahlias and curly willow were both grown at local farms.

The boutonnieres and corsages were a mix of the best the season had to offer, including panicum grass seed plumes and locally grown wheat.  Pearls and preserved oak leaves added a bit of class and whimsy.

The ceremony took place on the back patio overlooking the 18th hole.  The sky was incredibly blue that day and the grass amazingly green. 

This ceremony setup is a perfect example of not needing to spend a ton of cash to get a special look.  The designs, mums and pumpkins were re-used during the reception as well.

The cake was a beautiful confection and done so well with fall detail.  We supplied the pumpkins and topper - isn't it amazing how a little bit of attention to detail can tell a story?

Centerpiece containers were ceramic pumpkins with lids - a perfect find for this beautiful day.

 My clever couple loves dogs, and their dogs were with them on their big day...as table numbers!  What a lovely was to personalize the centerpieces.

Any time you can coordinate the colors of your event with the timing of natural season surrounding you, it's almost impossible not to hit a home run, it just feels like a celebration.

From our family to yours, hope you have a wonderful Thanksgiving.  Don't forget the flowers!

Inspirational Spring

As a gardener and one who makes her living with flowers, Spring is my favorite time of year.  The promise of another gardening season filled with a riot of color, fragrance and work!  Yes, it's true, I look forward to the work as much as I look forward to reaping the rewards.  It's very soul satisfying when you uncover a bunch of bouquets you're delivering and the Mother of the Bride quickly and loudly takes a breath in surprise and delight, and starts to tear up a little (true story, happened this weekend).  It's just as satisfying, but in a more earthy all-about-me way when I can sit with a beverage after that delivery, in my garden, and appreciate a job well done (while noticing the edging, weeding, and planting that still has to happen).  Spring is a time of promise, when the entire wedding and gardening year is before you, and you just know it's going to be a great year!

Here's some of the work we've already accomplished this year, starting early in February, when the hellebores were just starting to bloom..... 

First of the garden bloom, the hellebore 'Tutu

bridesmaids bouquets, ready for delivery

a wild spring wedding

Doesn't Kristy look gorgeous on her wedding day?

beautiful combination of green spider mums, hypericum, pink spray roses, pink and orange gerbera and standard orange and hot pink roses

lovely table number, designed by the bride - the perfect compliment to her centerpieces!

Easter flowers at River Creek Club

Ceremony flowers for Andrea and Drew

boutonnieres of Malibu and Tangerine, ready for action

bridesmaid bouquets were select blue hydrangea, white and orange germini with Orange Unique roses

the bridal bouquet - Orange Unique and Escimo roses with white and orange germinis, thistle, and amazing blue hydrangea from Holland

The Martha Effect

I love Martha Stewart and reading the newest issue of Weddings very often inspires and informs.  She’s so crafty!  BUT, she’s also not at all interested in keeping within a reasonable budget for your wedding.  One of the recent issues has Blake Lively’s bouquet on it from her wedding to Ryan Reynolds.  Oo la la!  It’s masterpiece - lush garden blooms in pale colors accented by jasmine vines and a beautiful duchesse satin vintage ribbon.  $300, easy, probably more.  If this is your budget, great!  I’d love to re-create this for you.  If you want to avoid the Martha Effect, be open to floral substitutions that will mimic the design, without costing a fortune.  Your bouquet is one area where you should get what you want, but you shouldn’t need a second mortgage to do it.  

I found this similar bouquet while Googling for Images.  Its design is attributed to Flowers by Fudgie out of Sarasota, Florida.  You’ll notice the same overall feel and texture to the bouquet, colors are pretty close, and some ‘gourmet’ blooms are used, but it’s not all about them.  Pale pink lisianthus, white freesia, pink spray roses and pink hydrangea are at its base, the texture comes from spray of waxflower, seeded eucalyptus and bupleurum.  At somewhere between $125 and $150, it’s half the price as well.  

One thing I'd add to help 'ritz' up this bouquet is a few fully opened roses in a rich color that compliments, but doesn't match the pink, the same way the Martha staff has.  One of my favorite roses to use that opens fully in this color is 'Finesse :

Simply popping in a few of these lovelies would add interest and a little warmth, not to mention your photographer will thank you for adding a contrast in color.  

So the next time you've picked up a copy of Weddings, or Brides, or any other publication with a nice fat floral bouquet on the cover, remember they probably didn't have a budget for the photo shoot.  If you're smart and work with a flower expert, you can have that same look, without the huge price tag.  

Open House at The Piedmont Club

This past Friday, I had the wonderful opportunity to participate in the Private Event Open House at The Piedmont Club in Haymarket, Virginia.  It's a lovely venue with the Clubhouse overlooking the golf course and multiple patios that make ceremonies and cocktail hours special (you should see their new patio sets, gorgeous!  Fire pits included!).  I love to participate in these 'bridal shows' as they give me a chance to meet so many brides and talk about my favorite subject for hours.  It's always inspiring to hear what brides are planning, and perhaps interject a thought or two to help them along with the process.

Since the budget for flowers and decor can be so daunting - I put together a little handout of the designs we brought to the party, and the cost for them as designed.  This was handed out to anyone who came to have a chat with me (and some couples that I foisted it upon!) with the caveat that these prices are variable - as with most things in life, we can scale it back and make it fit your budget, or we can pimp that design!

Foyer

Say hello and welcome!  The perfect spot to splurge a little and set the tone for your event is the entry or foyer.  Crystals and white dendrobium orchids adorn silver curly willow with iridescent butterfly accents.  (With this picture, I sincerely wish I were a better photographer as my angle does not do the design any justice.)  This design $125, with rentals.

Blush & Ivory

A soft and romantic design full of hydrangea and mini gerbera daisies.  A classic.  Notice the marabou collar and the tufts of white feather with aurora borealis rhinestone detail.  This design $110.

  

Soft Copper & Navy

The elegance of champagne is never lost and this design speaks to that.  Hand turned copper wire accents and big ole sparkly broach round out the design.  This design $65.

Gold & Aubergine

Recalling crisp autumn days, this color combination is perfect for an event during the harvest season or change up the colors and go any season!  Butterfly detail is sweet and a nice unexpected touch. This design $100.

  

Pure & Peacock

Drama always occurs when you have a bold color and white.  Uplight the room in teal and get the party started!  This design $85.

  

The “B” Word

Understanding the cost of wedding flowers can be difficult, especially when you see beautiful bouquets in the grocery store for $10!  Here are some insights on why the cost is what it is, and how you can best utilize your floral budget.

Fresh flowers add a special touch to any occasion, and  are perhaps seen the ultimate expression of extravagance when planning an event.  

Use One Flower for Savings

You love hydrangea?  Roses?  Great!  The more blooms you use of one type of flower, the greater your cost savings in the long run.  Bulk discounts come to your florist when she/he uses cases and boxes of blooms, so be savvy and get those savings passed on to you.  Every time you add one more different type of flower to an event, you don’t buy just one bloom, you very often buy an entire bunch.  If all those blooms can be used, great!  If not, you’ve just paid for something you’re not using.  Not great.

Be Reasonable About Color

If I had a nickel for every discussion on ‘pink’ I’ve ever had, I could retire today.  Flowers are living things and their growing conditions very often influence their final shade.  If you absolutely have to have a particular color, like your shoes, you’re going to have to dye it and hope for the best.  Of course, this comes at a price.  To avoid the must match problem, use different tones and shades within one color to have designs that ‘go’ rather than ‘match.’

Don’t be a Flower Snob

Carnations have come a long way, baby!  The underdog workhorse of the flower world is back and bigger (and more colorful!) than ever.  Designed with an eye toward modern trends, they can be a wonderfully budget friendly flower.  Mums can also add a full and glamorous feel to a design if used well, and again, budget friendly!  

Most Importantly.....

Work with a reputable local floral designer, hopefully one specializing in events and one who is a Certified Wedding Specialist <hint, hint>, to come up with a reasonable and workable floral plan for your event, and then....the hard part...stick to it! 

The start of something big.....

The first post of a brand spanking new blog should be something fabulous, no?  The best way I can think of to introduce Design in Bloom is to re-cap a little of the work we've done over the past year.  Enjoy the show!

Disclaimer: my talents do not run to photography (I'm taking a class to fix that) so unless otherwise noted, all pictures have been taken by myself or one of my fabulous co-conspirators.