Alternative Arrangements

Amanda, who I mentioned in my last post, had settled on the luxurious St. Paul College Club for her reception. Located next to the Governor's mansion in St. Paul, Minnesota, this charming and historically rich home is a great place for a wedding any time of year. Built in 1916, it boasts 25 rooms, 10 baths, and 7 fireplaces. Their website not only provides the historical context for this fascinating building, but also provides virtual tours of the facilities. Be sure and check it out!

Ok, back to Amanda...after she picked up her finished flowers, she made a discovery about her venue. There was a gorgeous fireplace, with a not so gorgeous feather wreath and she really wanted an alternative arrangement. We talked through several ideas including another wreath that incorporated her flowers and colors. But as I hunted around I came across a beautiful, rustic, detailed window pane that I knew would be perfect for the space. The wrought iron detail made it interesting on its own, but adding in flowers and greenery would make it that much more spectacular.

(This is a picture of the actual fireplace.)

Our original idea for the design was to have small clusters spread out over the pane. But as I started playing around with it, we realized it was just too pretty to be covered up so much. So we kept moving the clusters until they got farther and farther away from ironwork, allowing it to showcase the beautiful details. We added in some greenery and voila, it was perfect! So without further ado, here's the finishing touch on Amanda's beautiful fall flowers:

Boxwood, Phalenopsis Orchids in cream, Mini Phalenopsis Orchids in Burgundy, and Bear Grass.

I'm looking forward to seeing this beauty hanging in its rightful place come September. And the great part about this piece is that we designed it to also hang in Amanda's home after the wedding. Amanda was so easy to work with and gave such great feedback all throughout the design process. Best wishes to her and her fiance'!

Bridal Timeline: Expedited!

Local bride Rebecca contacted me with some important details--her colors were red and ivory, she wasn't too picky about types of flowers, and oh yeah, her wedding was in a week and a half!

Knowing that she wasn't picky, I set out to find great flowers to fit her budget that were available immediately. Callas were in the realm of flowers she liked, so I quickly sent her pictures of callas that I had on hand. She loved them and so we made a plan.

Rebecca's gown had red details in it and she wanted her bouquet to be mostly red with just hints of white. Her bouquet turned out to be a stunning collection of large red and smaller ivory callas with a red ribbon wrap. The shape was exactly what she was looking for.

She wanted her girls to carry a simple but elegant bouquet of just ivory callas, tied off with an ivory ribbon wrap. The two styles of bouquets were a great compliment to each other.

The bridal party flowers matched each other, with the groomsmen wearing ivory callas and the groom wearing a red calla.

A cake topper was also a part of the bigger picture, and since the cake was going to be ivory, I created a 3 calla topper in red with bear grass accents.

For what little time we had, it was a quick and easy process for both Rebecca and myself. She got to see the flowers as they were coming together and she wasn't surprised by what her last minute order was going to be. Best of all, it was completely in budget and perfect for her style. Thanks Rebecca for finding me, trusting me, and being a great asset to my creative process!

Feature: Altar Arrangements

Occasionally I get brides who are only needing one or two of a specific type of arrangement for their wedding. My sister-in-law's neighbor, Jenna, originally contacted me regarding the Carlson Craft Invitations that I sell, but came back when she decided she wanted two altar arrangements for her outdoor wedding. She had already created the bridal party flowers herself, but didn't want to take on a larger arrangement. She e-mailed me this picture from another florist to show me the style and composition that she was drawn to:

I could tell off the bat that while this picture was helpful for conveying the idea, it was going to be way too small for what Jenna needed. She wanted arrangements that be floor-standing and designed to be a focal point of her ceremony site. Her budget was $100 per arrangement and while two of these small tabletop arrangements could have been hers from this other designer for $81.50 each, I knew I could creatively design  significantly larger pieces within her budget. So with the basic design ideas from her original picture, I created these two beauties:

View fullsize

Each arrangement has 13 Ivory Calla Lilies, Ivy, and Bear Grass. They are gathered in matte Ivory Rectangular vases with a single band of Latte ribbon to bring her other color into the arrangement. Standing over 3 feet tall, the pair will make a great frame for her altar, enhancing the natural beauty of her outdoor location without taking anything away from it. And for only $90 each, she received the wow factor she was looking for!

Thanks to Jenna for trusting me to create arrangements that were right for her!

Beth + Bryan: May 15, 2010

Referrals are so great for those of us serving brides and grooms. Not only is it a boost of confidence for me that someone would pass on my name, but it also helps reassure the potential bride that Love Is Blooming really is here to provide the most beautiful flowers she could ask for.

So on that note, I'd like to introduce Beth and Bryan! At the beginning of April, Melissa, one of the very first brides I ever worked for called me up with a request. Her younger sister Beth was getting married in a month and needed some flowers. Melissa had gone through this process with me before and was hoping I could do the flowers in time and create something unique and special for her sister. Over the course of a few conversations, we decided on red roses and perhaps a red filler for a monochromatic look. With a few creative suggestions from my end, we ended up with this:

-Red rose buds, dark red orchids, bear grass, raffia on the stem-

Beth absolutely loved her flowers. The grass loops and raffia really fit in well at their park ceremony. Being near Lake Michigan and the vineyards of Southwest Michigan gave me the inspiration to add in natural elements for a more rustic bouquet -- fitting for the farm-raised couple.

Thank you Beth and Bryan for the opportunity to make your day a little more personal, and thanks to Melissa for helping Beth choose flowers that fit her personality, her budget, and her wedding. Also a huge thanks to Ben Pancoast for these wonderful images of the happy couple!

And with that I bid adieu with a few more breathtaking photos.