aisle arrangements

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Silk Flower Aisle Arrangements and Centerpieces Do Double Duty!

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I absolutely love the versatility that custom silk wedding flowers affords brides of any budget. Maricel reached out to me about a unique idea for ceremony and reception silk flowers. When she emailed me, she asked, “We were wondering if it would be possible to make the aisle arrangements in such a way that it could be broken apart into smaller pieces and reused as table decor during the reception?”

Her idea was both creative and budget friendly, and you know I’m all about both of those things! They were planning on using wood boxes for both the ceremony decor and centerpiece containers, so that was an easy way to make sure that what I created would fit both spaces. Let’s take a look at what I came up with for Maricel’s silk flower aisle arrangements and centerpieces so they could do double duty! Here are some lovely photos by Andrew Do Photography!

All of the arrangements consisted of a variety of white and champagne flowers, touches of blush pink and greenery. We included white Lilies, mini Cabbage Roses, Phalaenopsis Orchids and Gardenia in white, champagne Hydrangea, pink Peonies, Garden Roses and Eucalyptus, lush green Fern and Ruscus. Each aisle piece was actually two smaller arrangements placed together for a nice full look.

For the reception, they just needed a few helping hands to grab the aisle arrangements, separate the two small bouquets and place each one in a container on the reception tables. Easy and budget friendly!

“Erin was incredibly responsive, creative, and resourceful. She truly made our vision come true. She also remained patient, flexible and transparent about what was possible with our budget. I would recommend her to anyone looking for truly unique floral arrangements for their special moments in life.”
— Maricel | Florida

I know I’ve given you a list of my top 10 reasons brides choose silk wedding flowers, but I think we can add this example as an 11th reason! Custom silk wedding flower arrangements can handle being handled, moved, and used for your entire wedding day without need of water, the perfect temperature or a professional installation. If you are interested in learning more, fill out the Free Bride’s Checklist for a free quote and to start the design process with me!

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Terra Cotta, Rust and Neutral Silk Wedding Flowers - Reveal and Review

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When I was in high school, centuries ago, our school colors were orange and navy blue. My school was built in the 60’s, and apparently, those colors were a hot combination! Us enlightened youth though there was no way orange could be or ever would be a popular color again. I stand corrected! I am in love with this hot new trend of neutrals, earth tones and terra cotta, rust and oranges. Never would I have put them together myself, but we only need to look to nature for inspiration! Today’s lovely wedding photos were passed on to me by my awesome bride Brianna! She had a clear vision for her flowers and I was honored to bring it to life! The following photos are by Bob Durling and you can find him on Instagram.

Brianna’s bouquet was a loose handtied style with a mix of orange preserved Bunny Tails, off white Pampas, rust Roses, white Roses, white Bamboo, orange Eucalyptus, mini beige Pampas, and beige Baby's Breath. It had more pieces going vertical than you might see in a typical round style bridal bouquet, but that only added interest! The bridesmaid bouquets had the same mix of flowers, just in a smaller size.

Brianna also needed an altar arrangement go on this beautiful arch. It was nicely accented with draped fabric that tied everything together nicely for the decor.

These custom aisle arrangements were a great way to draw the eyes all the way down the aisle and also stretch the decor farther into the room.

Are you considering a color combination that maybe you never thought you would? Or maybe it’s a classic color palette that you’d like to put a new spin on? If so, custom silk wedding flowers might be just what you are looking for. Fill out the Free Bride’s Checklist today for a quote and to start the design process with me!

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Cabernet, Taupe and Nude Silk Wedding Flowers - Reveal and Review

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I am SO excited to share this moody and dreamy and lovely wedding today! Local bride, Abby, had a color palette that I’ve seen rise in popularity the last two years: Cabernet (burgundy), navy and gold. But we didn’t want to hit those head on in the custom bouquets. Instead, we featured that deep burgundy, taupe, a little touch of nude and greenery for bouquets that were lush and textured and really stood out against the cabernet bridesmaid dresses and the mens’ suits. Let’s take a look at Abby’s stunning silk wedding flowers. Photos by the very talented Katy Greseth of Capture Glory Photography. You can find her on FB @KatyGreseth or IG @katygreseth.

Here’s our happy couple! Abby worked closely with me to pick out just the right colors for her bouquet. The bridal bouquet was a loose handtied style with a mix of nude and burgundy Garden Roses, taupe Garden Roses, white seeds and lots of Seeded Eucalyptus. We tied it off with some sheer, gold ribbon to give it just the smallest bit of shimmer and tie in her color scheme even more.

The groom’s boutonniere featured a burgundy Garden Rose, taupe Rose bud, some seeds and Eucalyptus. We used the same sheer gold ribbon to finish off the look.

And because this bouquet is just too pretty, here’s a few more shots of it!

“Erin was GREAT to work with! Easy to communicate with, timely with replies, and the flowers turned out beyond perfect. They photograph so well! Would highly recommend working with her.”
— Abby | Minnesota

The groomsmen had similar boutonnieres, simplified without the rose bud. It made for a cohesive and classic look.

The bridesmaids carried clutch style bouquets that incorporated one of each of the 3 colors of flowers, seeds and Eucalyptus. Even though clutch bouquets are smaller, you can use greenery to give a fuller look.

One of the many great things about silk wedding flowers is that set up is a snap. You don’t have to pay for a professional to come get things laid out perfectly and they will look great for your entire day. I wanted to show some examples of Abby’s use of silk flowers for wedding decor. Here you can see some clusters of flowers and greens aisle arrangements. These can also be hung on ribbon loops if your chairs allow.

Abby had also order two custom pieces meant to sit on top of wine barrels for the ceremony. Unfortunately, due to rain that day, they had to move things inside. But as you can see, it was a beautiful place to exchange vows and the wine barrel arrangements worked perfectly on stands next to the fireplace.

These custom pieces had a little more height and width to them than a standard bouquet, but had a flat bottom to sit on whatever surface was needed!

At your reception, I always suggest having your bouquets do double duty at your head table or somewhere else in your reception venue. Just buy vases, space them out along the head table and as each of you and your bridal party enter, drop a bouquet in the vase! It’s as easy as that!

If you love the idea of being a part of the design process for your custom wedding flowers, don’t want to be surprised the day of by substitutions, wilting flowers or tricky set up, silk wedding flowers might be a good fit! Fill our the Free Bride’s Checklist today for a quote and to start the design process with me!

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Dusty Blue and Sunflowers in Custom Wedding Flowers - Reveal and Review

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Dusty blue is a hot color right now for silk bridal bouquets, and I’ve mixed it with everything from blush, to burgundy, to gold, to peach! The wedding I’m sharing with you today was a gorgeous outdoor wedding in Florida that was full of texture and color and just so lovely. Take a look at these images from Imely Photography and Video.

Katie’s gorgeous modified cascading silk bridal bouquet was a mix of Sunflowers, dusty blue Roses, ivory mini Cabbage Roses, yellow Astilbe, Queen Anne’s Lace, Fern and Ficus greenery. She wanted some pearl accent so we went with some larger scale pearl picks to just add that little bit of glam to her bouquet. A lovely bouquet for a beautiful bride!

The two bridesmaid bouquets were round handtied style bouquets with the same mix of flowers as the bridal bouquet. We left the pearls out so they were just special to Katie’s bouquet.

Katie had the most amazing venue for her big day. This awesome entryway to the ceremony site had window boxes on either side of the doors. I created small garlands to lay in there with a few of the feature flowers and greenery for accent.

The arbor was a rustic wood piece that I created big, lush corner swag and a smaller vertical piece for the side. Peep those palms leaves in the back-so unique!

Katie had hanging jars for the ends of each row of benches. I created small bouquets for each one and all she had to do was drop it in the jars! And what’s great about pieces like this is that you can use them elsewhere in your décor-scroll down to see how they transferred seamlessly to her reception tables.

“I found Erin online looking for wedding flowers. Sunflowers with blue flowers were very rare to find but I ended up coming across a beautiful bouquet that was the colors I wanted but not exactly what I was looking for. When id read more through her page I had reached out and asked for the specifics. I wanted blue flowers and sunflowers with a very small amount of white but more added greenery and if possible somehow added accents of lace and pearls. Erin absolutely hit exactly what i wanted out of the park. She consulted with me while they were being done to make sure i was getting exactly what i wanted (actually better than i ever could have expected) and they came well before the wedding, so no nervous bride! I also did all the decorating for my wedding and the ties on these flowers and the easy drop ins for my mason jars made for an easy experience. I love that i get to keep these beautiful pieces as well and use them now as décor for my home as we couldn’t give them up and found a way to insert them into our lives daily. The fact that they are so tastefully done and not over the top made that easy for us as well. The price was also perfect and well worth it! I wouldn’t change one thing about how beautiful her flowers tied our wedding together! Thank you Erin for such an amazing and easy experience.”
— Katie | Florida

A couple of the guys’ boutonnieres.

The cake flowers were small clusters of Sunflowers, dusty blue Roses and accent flowers, Queen Anne’s Lace and greenery. Katie also incorporated some of her own décor that all looked so good together!

Thank you again to Imely Photography for these stunning images and to Katie for being so easy to work with. Does this color palette inspire you? Fill out the Free Bride’s Checklist today for a quote.

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Custom Silk Winter Wedding Flowers - Reveal and Review

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I hate to talk about winter when spring in Minnesota hasn’t really shown up yet. As I write this, we are on day 4 of rain, snow, and clouds. But, it’s never too early to think about your winter wedding and how you want to incorporate silk wedding flowers into your big day.

Darlena is my hero! She had a February wedding, in Duluth (it gets real cold up there by the way)! She had a vision for her wedding and bridal bouquet, and she made it happen. I was lucky enough to be able to provide the floral accents to her beautiful wedding. Her photographer was a friend and gave permission to share photos from the wedding. Let’s take a look!

Darlena’s bridal bouquet was a mix of white Roses, Carnations, Anemone, Queen Anne’s Lace and Foxtail. The greenery was a mix of Cedar, Olive Greens and Seeded Eucalyptus. And then to add a little something extra there were gold dipped Pinecones. This bouquet was a result of a few inspiration photos Darlena sent and working together to come up with a perfect custom look for her.

I got to make these really fun and classy aisle arrangements that featured big pinecones, roses and carnations and pine and cedar branches. The simple white ribbon finished the look perfectly!

“Erin was FANTASTIC to work with! She took what I saw on Pinterest and brought it to life! Definitely worth going to her! Thanks so much Erin!”
— Darlena | Minnesota
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Planning a winter wedding? It’s never too early to think ahead. And the bonus is that you can check that item off your planning agenda, have the flowers months ahead of time and not have to think about it anymore. Fill out the Free Bride’s Checklist today for more information.

Wild Wedding Flowers Part II: Get the Most for your Money

Callie had a variety of other arrangements she wanted to match her wild silk wedding bouquet. She had a vision of lining her aisle with greenery and flowers as well as the long banquet table that would seat all 20-30 of her guests. This may be a smaller wedding, but it still needed to be pretty right? In this scenario, Callie’s flowers are going to do the heavy lifting (but really they are super light weight).

For her designs, I incorporated similar greenery to her bouquets and sprinkled some Dahlia along each 6 foot garland, of which there are 4. She can spread these out along each side of her aisle and then recruit a friend or family member to carry them to her over 20 foot long banquet table.

I mentioned an altar arrangement and here she is! This custom piece will attach to Callie’s arch and then after the ceremony, you guessed it, will travel to the reception and will lay in the very center of that big beautiful table. Can’t you just envision this luscious and long table arrangement? I also suggested that Callie use her bridesmaids bouquets for double duty as well. Just purchase some vases, space them out on your table (or head table if you that’s your set up) and drop them in after entering the reception area and voila, more decor!

If you need some decor, but like to stay on budget, doubling up might be the answer for you! Fill out the Free Bride’s Checklist today to get a quote and to talk design ideas with me.

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Silk Wedding Flowers in Wisteria and Ivory

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Besides burgundy and blush, the other hot color that I’ve seen a lot this year is purple! Whether it’s a light lavender, a royal purple or something in between, it seems that purple is a timeless color accent for a wedding in any season.

If you’re not sure about finding an exact match in purples, you can go the route we did with Alli’s bridal bouquet and wedding flowers. Her bridesmaid dress color was Wisteria and she got a little panicked walking around a craft store comparing her swatch to the other purples. I found a variety of silk wedding flowers in a variety of purples and softened everything up with some greens and baby’s breath and it was a perfect match! Her bouquets consisted of Roses, Ranunculus, mini Tulips, Lavender, Baby’s Breath, Lamb’s Ear, and Seeded Eucalyptus.

The bridal bouquet—a modified cascade style.

A Jr. Bridesmaid bouquet.

For the boutonnieres and corsages we kept is simple with the lavender Roses as the main flower and then accented with some of the smaller filler flowers from the bouquets.

Alli had also ordered centerpieces for half of the tables that would be at her reception. I made custom, matching arrangements that would slip right into the vases that she had purchased at a local store. Isn’t that vase amazing?

Alli was so fun to work with and I loved the fact that she kept thinking of more arrangements she wanted to add. After she picked up her first round of flowers, she decided a few more things would finish up their wedding decor. For the other half of their reception tables, Alli had gold lanterns that she was putting on top of a mirror. She sent me the measurements and wanted some greens and bit of purple to add to the overall look.

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I suggested the same idea was used for Janelle’s centerpieces (scroll to the bottom of this post). I experimented with how many sprigs of Seeded Eucalyptus would go around a 6 inch square vase and gave her a few options for the amount of purple. I trimmed and prepped all the flowers and bundled them up for her. This was a great cost-saving idea because Alli still got matching flowers and greens but without the cost of custom arrangements.

This toss bouquet was also a later addition. Same flowers found throughout the other bouquets. Cute, right?

Lastly, she had recently been to a wedding where they had simple aisle arrangements. I was able to come up with a similar design and added a simple ribbon loop with tails for an elegant way to hang them from the chairs.

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A huge thanks to Alli for trusting me with her wedding flower designs! If you are looking for custom wedding flowers in silk in Minneapolis (or beyond!), fill out the Free Bride’s Checklist for a quote and to get started on the design process with me!

Real Wedding Flowers: Bekah Part 5

Bekah's ceremony decor was simple but still so pretty! The real touch silk pomanders she ordered were chosen to enhance the already beautiful setting, but still bring in her colors and her flowers.

At the reception site, Bekah made use of the bridesmaids bouquets as table decor--a great and free option! You can also consider purchasing vases to put the bouquets in and spread them out across your head table.

I had to include this last picture of my friend Sarah toasting her sister Bekah. Thanks to Sarah for the referral and thank you to Bekah for working with me to design your beautiful silk wedding flowers. I wish you all the best in your marriage!

Be sure and check out Bekah's wonderful photographer, Jamie Johnson, over at Signature Studio.

Real Wedding: James & Clarissa

Local couple and our friends James and Clarissa contacted me about doing the flowers for their July 22nd ceremony and of course I said yes! Clarissa came ready with color swatches, a hand drawn sketch of her ideas for the ceremony site and pictures showing what she liked for the bouquets. Having all that in hand made my job so easy and the expectations so clear. In just a matter of a few weeks we had flowers chosen, designs picked out, and we were ready to roll.

Her color palette of turquoise, spring green, yellow, and white was such a vibrant and fun combination for a summer wedding. The flowers she wanted incorporated were daisies, roses, mums, hydrangea, and some greenery. Her two bridesmaids carried smaller versions of her bouquet and the guys wore white roses with smaller accent flowers that were also found in the bouquets. Check out what we came up with together:

James and Clarissa had me create aisle arrangements hung from matching turquoise ribbon, and altar arrangement using the same flowers and colors, and centerpieces for their intimate reception at

The Northland Inn

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It was an honor to attend such a beautiful occasion with my hubs and also so fun to see the flowers outside "in the wild." And now I have these stunning photos from

Michelle Maida Photography

to remember the day by. If you are looking for a talented photographer, be sure and e-mail her at:

michelle@maidaphotography.

com

or give her a call at 763-389-0561.

Thanks to James and Clarissa for included me in your special day in such a big way! Blessings in your new adventures together!

A Ceremony in Paradise!

Iman contacted me in July to help her come up with some romantic designs for her destination wedding. She loved Pomanders and had some very specific colors she was working with. To help find the perfect flowers, Iman came up with the brilliant idea of heading to her local home improvement store to pick out the correct shade of paint swatches. She dropped those in the mail and within a few days, I had exactly what I needed.

The pale green hydrangea we chose was a perfect match and the Amethyst satin ribbon was the shiny version of color perfection. We worked together to figure out the perfect proportions of pomanders and the right ribbon length.

In addition to the pomanders, Iman wanted to bejewel the gazebo altar with jewels and orchids. We found the perfect way to combine the two to give it just a bit of sparkle and a whole lot of awesome. The result was a subtle embellishment to an already breathtaking locale. So feast your eyes on these beautiful photos from Iman's big day.

Isn't she beautiful? Thanks again Iman for giving me the creative reigns to add a little bit of flower lovin' to your amazing ceremony.

To find out what other destination brides have to say about working with me, head on over to my recommendations and read for yourself.

Pomanders - A KISSing Ball You Won't Soon Forget

Pomanders, or Kissing Balls, are one type of arrangement that really stands out from traditional flower styles. Their unique shape and design draw attention whether they are carried down the aisle or hang throughout the reception hall.

A Pomander "is a round ball completely covered by flower blooms."

Here's an example of an elegant and simple use of pomanders.

While the main flowers of this wedding were white roses and blue hydrangea, though the bride chose to incorporate a different flower into the pomanders -- carnations. Carnations work great because of their full-petaled bloom and their larger size; it takes less flowers per pomander to get that full and luxurious look. The royal blue ribbon incorporated her wedding colors and added a little shine to the arrangements.

Mixing multiple flower types is another option, and it creates an entirely different feel. The hydrangea, snowball bush and daisies bring different textures to the arrangement while still keeping a polished look. A delicate strand of pearls is double looped through the center of the arrangement for a dainty and classy accent.

Pomanders are often a great choice for flower girls or junior bridesmaids. When looking for alternatives to mini bouquets or baskets and petals, brides look to the pomander to make their younger participants feel special but still included in the wedding party. Either looped over the wrist or carried in front, pomanders are romantic, stylish and a great visual accent to your big day. So consider a kiss of sweetness with kissing balls as part of your ceremony experience.

What Wedding flowers do you need?