phalenopsis orchids

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: Years Down the Road

Lisa and I have been working together on her flowers for a long time, almost 2 years! She contacted me in 2008 to get some initial pricing and information for her August 2010 wedding. I didn't hear from her for a while until she e-mailed me again last November. While time had marched on, Lisa knew she was still marching down that aisle, and she was going to do it with ivory and pink flowers.

Her flowers of choice were roses, orchids, and peonies, so we got to work finding great looking fresh touch orchids, perfectly pink peonies, and crisp, open garden roses. The orchids were going to be the flowers to tie everything together, but Lisa wanted her bouquet to stand out. We chose ivory roses with ivory and pink orchids for her bouquet, while the girls carried light pink peonies and bright pink orchids. We then decided which flowers would be for the bouts and corsages and then I got to work.

Here are a few shots of the final products:Groom's Bout: Ivory and Pink Phalenopsis Orchid

Groomsmen Bouts: Hot Pink Phalenopsis Orchid--these are incredibly lifelike!

Grandparents Bout and Corsage: Ivory rose, Ivory rose with ivory and pink orchid



Bridesmaid Bouquets: 3 Large light pink Peonies and hot pink orchids

Toss Bouquet: Ivory roses and ivory and pink orchids, ivory ribbon wrap and pink tails

Bridal Bouquet: 13 Ivory garden roses, pink and white Phalenopsis orchids, and an ivory ribbon wrap with pink criss-crossed ribbon and pearl accents.

In Lisa's case, she had lots of time to work with me to find the perfect flowers, designs, and colors. What we ended up with are arrangements that were Lisa's style two years ago as well as today and she'll have the same flowers to celebrate with at her 50th Anniversary. Congrats Lisa and thanks for including me in this wonderful time in your life!