Go from bare-bones to bountiful!

When some florists give their quotes, brides are forced to subtract arrangements from their wish list. With Love Is Blooming, most of my brides see their savings and add things on! If you go with designer silk wedding flowers, you don't have to break the bank--you can afford more flowers than you think!

Such was the case with bride Amabelle. She originally sent in a Bridal Checklist requesting information for a bridal bouquet and a toss bouquet for her black, white, and teal November wedding. In the end, she decided to order a bridal bouquet, a toss bouquet, a maid-of-honor bouquet, a junior maid-of-honor bouquet, 3 bridesmaid bouquets, and 6 boutonnieres!

Her original idea for her bouquet was a round, hand-tied bouquet of gardenia with pearl accents. The more we talked, the more we added. Pretty soon, her bouquet had roses too. Shortly thereafter, we added anemones because of their fabulous black centers. From there, she started talking about bouquets for her bridesmaids. The arm bouquets would have a combination of roses, anemones, and lilies all in the classic and clean white.

The designs became a little more complex, the bouquets a little fuller, and the embellishments a little more elaborate. For just under $300, I was able to create 13 beautiful, classic, and affordable arrangements! Take a look at some of the finished products:

Boutonnieres: White rose with black satin ribbon and teal overlay

Bridal Bouquet: White roses, Gardenia, and Anemones. Pearl pick accents, black satin ribbon and teal ballerina wrap with pearl-head pins.

Check back to see a feature on Amabelle's beautiful arm bouquets, a unique and uncommon bridesmaid choice.

Your 2011 Wedding Is Coming Soon!

There may be a gazillion inches of snow on the ground now, but your Spring or Summer 2011 wedding is fast approaching! I had three brides this week approach me about getting a jump start on their 2011 plans and I suggest making your florist decisions soon as well.

I'm getting excited about all the new trends this coming year and also a very exciting event I'm going to take part in. Check back for more details.

Coming soon:

• Developing trends for 2011
• A look back at some fall 2010 flower highlights.

Bold and Beautiful silk wedding flowers: Part 4

These bouquets were so fun to make! Because of the variety of flowers, shapes, textures, and colors, these little beauties were so interesting to the eye and sassy too. While I tried to make all the bridesmaids bouquets similar, they aren't cookie cutter--they are handmade after all. That amounted to each bouquet having a little bit of its' own personality.

At about 7" in diameter, the girls have a nice sized bouquet featuring Nikki's chosen flowers wrapped with a matching sheer purple ribbon. Cute!

Bridal Bouquet:

Nikki wanted her bouquet to stand out from the crowd, so to speak, so we added in some ivory open roses to give it that hint of "bridal-ness." The orchids we used were a different variety than we used in her other arrangements, but their scale offered a bigger impact while allowing us to use fewer in the bouquet.

Ivory ribbon wrapped down the stem gave it the finishing touch.

Nikki wasn't sure what flowers she wanted when she came to me, and we had to do a little hunting to find the perfect tangerine colored flowers. But our persistence paid off as we discovered some beautiful orchids to match her colorful and unique arrangements.

Thanks, Nikki, for working with me to create such beautiful flowers. I wish you the best of luck in finishing up the last of your planning and details and also many blessings in your new marriage!

Bold and Beautiful-Part3

There are usually a few extra arrangements that a bride wants to include in her design scape. Nikki had a few things she wanted, including an arrangement to honor her late Grandparents and the ever fun and popular toss bouquet. Take a look at how we incorporated her flowers into these two unique arrangements.

Grandparent's Arrangement:

Including all the flowers used in her arrangements, we created a beautiful accent piece for the ceremony site--something that can be called to the attention of her guests as an appropriate and thoughtful gesture of remembrance. I used a 7" silver julep cup for the vase to give it height, but also an elegant look.

Toss Bouquet:

This little clutch bouquet is cute and a nice keepsake for whichever lucky lady walks away with it. The toss bouquet is a fun tradition most brides choose to include in their wedding festivities. Nikki's toss bouquet incorporated the daisies that appeared throughout her wedding flowers, but no other flowers. It was a darling little bouquet that fit with the flow, but was completely different than all the other bouquets. Sweet and simple!

Whether you only want to add a toss bouquet or go the whole nine yards with centerpieces, altar arrangements, cake flowers, garlands, pomanders, and whatever else you can imagine, Love is Blooming is a great option for budget-friendly beautiful flowers to make your wedding day picture perfect.

Check back for Part 4 -The bouquets!

Bold and Beautiful- Part2

One thing I am excited to be seeing more of is brides personalizing boutonnières and corsages for the people in their weddings. The people you are honoring with these flowers with are special and unique, so why not choose designs that flow with your other arrangements but also coincides with the personality of the wearer?

Here's a peak at what Nikki chose for some of her friends and family:



Reader Corsage: Green rose with leaves and dark purple ribbon.




Groom's Bout: Ivory rose bud with tangerine mini orchid, lime button mum, and ivory ribbon.

Grandmother's Corsage: Open ivory rose, tangerine mini orchids and purple ribbon.

Mother's Corsage: Open ivory rose, tangerine mini orchids, lime button mum, and purple ribbon.

Personal Attendant: Purple daisy, lime button mums, and ivory ribbon.

Whether you bling out the personal flowers or go simple and chic, it's easy to find designs that work for you and your budget.

Up next: Extras!

Bold and Beautiful - Part1

As you may have noticed, purple has been a recurring theme in many of the weddings I've done this year. There have been all sorts of beautiful shades showing up in the flowers--lilac, lavender, aubergine, and eggplant. My brides and I have found all sorts of ways to match their color choices, and if you haven't guessed by now, I'm about to show you another wedding featuring purple!

Nikki, another local bride, came to me with a fun and bold color palette. Her girls are going to wear "tangerine" and she also wanted some purple and lime green thrown into the mix. We went back to the ever popular button mums for the lime factor, found some beautiful fresh touch orchids for the tangerine twist, we hunted down some delicious rich daisies for our purple accent, and then included green and white roses to fill everything out.

These flowers were fun, splashy, and full of zest, just like the happy couple.

Coming up next: Personal flowers.

Inspired by...Part II

Here's a better look at some of Jennifer's finished arrangements:

Groomsmen's Boutonniere: Single ivory calla with matching purple ribbon.

Grandmother's Corsages: ivory calla, 1 mini ivory calla, hydrangea clusters and ribbon.

Bridesmaid Bouquet: 9 ivory callas with purple ribbon wrap.

Toss Bouquet: 10 mini ivory callas with ivory ribbon wrap and purple ribbon tails.

Altar Garland: Designed to adorn the gazebo where they'll get married, these 6-foot garlands are made of crystals and matching purple hydrangea.

Bridal Bouquet: 15 Ivory callas with ballerina wrap in satin ivory ribbon.

Thanks Jennifer for letting me be a part of your special day!

Silk flowers Inspired by example bouquet...Part I

It's pretty common for brides to come to me with some sort of inspiration already shaping their ideas for their flowers. In some cases, it's just a vague idea and sometimes it's pretty clear. Then you get brides like Jennifer who end up having a little bit of each.

I had the pleasure of doing a consult with Jennifer and her fiance since they live in the same town as me. At our first meeting we talked about her wedding flower ideas which boiled down to ivory callas with somehow tying in her dark purple accent color to some of the arrangements. For several months we hunted around for orchids or some other flower in a good color match. But because of the depth of the color we couldn't find a great match in callas so we had to come up with plan B--tie it all together, literally, using purple ribbon. What we found was a perfect color match to the swatch she had given me. We found some dark purple hydrangea brought the accent color into the centerpieces, corsages, and also really added a punch of color to her beautiful altar garland.

Jennifer was pretty open to my design suggestions and when it came down to the details, she wasn't feeling picky, but she also wasn't sure what she wanted. Then she found a picture of a ballerina wrap on a bouquet that looked almost identical to hers. It was a perfect fit for her style, her bouquet, and her wedding. For Jennifer, it wasn't about mimicking an entire design set she had seen somewhere, she wanted her flowers to reflect her personality and her tastes, so when she found something she loved, she wasn't afraid to ask for it. Her flowers turned out absolutely beautiful...check back to see more of the finished products.

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!

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!

July Jewels - Flowers in Yellow and White

Bride-to-be Gretchen called me up looking to get some information for her fast-approaching nuptials. Her style was clean, simple, and sunny--yellow and white roses. She gave me some of her ideas and from there I walked her through some different options for the bouts and corsages. What we came up with was a nice set of summery flowers, perfect for a July wedding.

Her son's bout: small rose bud and mini yellow roses

Mother's wristlet: mini white and yellow roses and butter colored ribbon

Groom's Bout: Open rose with mini yellow roses


Bridal Bouquet: 6 yellow and 6 white roses with pearl accented ribbon wrap

Gretchen set up a time to come over and see the flowers part way through their construction. We took that time to talk about ribbon ideas and finish the final design details together. She picked up her flowers with a few weeks to spare and was thrilled to check one more thing off her to-do list. Thanks Gretchen for working with me and allowing me to help make your wedding a little extra special.

Tropical Heat and Bright Summer Colors

I don't know what it's like where you're from, but around here it's HOT! What better way to get into the spirit of embracing the high temps than with a few pics of a lovely tropical themed wedding?

Kathryn, a local bride, wanted a bright colored bouquet for her simple wedding. Her's would be the only bouquet and she needed a handful of extra flowers for her groom and family members. I sent her a picture of a grouping of flowers and she was able to choose the colors and styles she liked--essentially building her own bouquet. From there it was easy to come up with designs for the bouts and corsages, basing them on the flowers that we had already chosen. So grab a glass of iced tea, crank up the AC and take a look at Kathryn's luscious tropical treasures.Yellow Hibiscus, Ivory Callas, Flame Callas, Magenta Peonies, Dark Purple Orchids

Groom's Bout: Ivory Calla with mini flame Calla

Bouts: Mini Flame Calla lily

Corsages: Yellow Hibiscus with mini flame Calla.

Thanks Kathryn for working with me to create your fun and gorgeous wedding flowers.

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!

Welcoming New Brides!

I've been so busy this month that I never got a chance to say welcome to my newest brides: Amabelle, Amanda, Gretchen, Kathryn, Jenna, Dominica, Kelsey, Rebecca, and Jennifer. While each bride has a very different style and different needs for their arrangements, 5 out of these 9 brides have chosen the ever popular and always classy Calla Lily to be included somewhere in their wedding flowers. The Calla is classic and versatile--it works great on its own or mixed with other flowers, in pretty and feminine corsages, and as stand alone boutonnieres. I'm looking forward to sharing the finished product pictures with you, but for now, I just need to get back to work!

Surprising Color Combos

I recently was talking with a friend who's early October wedding wasn't jiving with the classic fall colors . Her girls will be wearing "Sangria," a dark purple/burgundy, but she wanted to tie in oranges and greens that would work with the Sangria. I wanted to help her come up with some ideas, so while picking up flowers for another bride I browsed the warehouse and showroom of my supplier for inspiration.

I came up with this little collection of an Orange rose, Orange Ranunculus with a green center, Green/Brown Hydrangea, Sangria Button Mums, and Sangria Mini Callas. This combo is great because the vibrancy of the colors brings attention to each of the unique textures of the flowers, but it still falls within the parameters of what most people consider fall colors. My friend is from my hometown in Michigan where the beginning of October can be more like the end of summer. The idea of doing variations on the classic burnt orange, wine red, golden yellow, and moss green is really fitting for an aisle walk that might still be backed with green grass and full trees rather than brisk air and crunchy leaves.

While my friend (Hi Erin!) ultimately decided on fresh flowers, I had fun working with her to come up with some ideas outside of the typical Autumn landscape. I know it's trendy right now to come up with out-there color palettes, but before you go too extreme, try adjusting tones and shades before scrapping the whole color scheme. You never know what you'll come up with!

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.

Spring Pieces - The Multi-Use Prom Bracelet Corsage

It's always fun to try new things in flower design. I recently had someone call and ask for a boutonniere and corsage for prom. These smaller projects are fun because I can get my creative juices flowing and whip up some fun little arrangements. Conor called me to say his girlfriend would be wearing a turquoise/teal dress and his vest would be light blue and turquoise. I knew finding flowers in that hue would be tough, so instead I started looking for a way to bring the color in with a non-floral embellishment. He liked the idea of a white flower so I used that as my "canvas" and went from there.


His bout was a single open Ranunculus with some grass accents and silver ribbon. I wanted to keep this stylish but masculine--I didn't think fru-fru is what this high school athlete was going for. The grass keeps it interesting without being over the top.

For the corsage, I found a beautiful silver and turquoise beaded bracelet; the perfect pop of color. I used a single larger Ranunculus and buds, adding in more grass to frame the flowers, a little bling to add sparkle and a ribbon bow to fill it out. The great thing about the bracelet concept is that it becomes more than a corsage. She has the option of removing the flowers after the event and having a beautiful bracelet to remind her of their magical evening together.

At less than $30 for the pair, these personal flowers have all the look of fresh without the price tag. If you are interested in learning more about what I can create for your special event, send me an e-mail with the details and I'd be happy to work with you on designing the perfect flowers.

Designer Invitations Made Easy!

I'm excited to announce another way I can help you get custom designs that fit your style and personality -- Love is Blooming is now a designing consultant with Carlson Craft invitations!

Carlson Craft is a well known, top quality, trusted source of Wedding Invitations and accessories. Their invitations and accessories are stunningly beautiful, just like Love is Blooming wedding flowers. 

And right now you may be eligible for FREE Thank You notes and 100 FREE personalized napkins.

Their beautiful stationery is not only available at great prices, but you also have a great selection of styles, colors, fonts, and even some eco-friendly invitations made of 100% post-consumer fibers. But what you really want to know is what they look like right? Here is a peak at just a few of the available styles:

So whether you are looking for colorful, contemporary, embossed, or formal items, Carlson Craft products from Love Is Blooming are the way to go. To set up a meeting to browse through the huge selection, contact me . Or if you'd rather shop and order online, head on over to my Carlson Craft Page to take care of it right from home.

Nicole's Reveal: Spring is in the air!

Last week I welcomed some of my newest brides, including Nicole, a local gal who saw my flowers at her sister's wedding. During our consultation, Nicole mentioned that she wanted bright colors, flowers that brought Spring to mind, and some chic Bare grass detailing. I'm proud to present Nicole's finished flowers for her April 17th wedding.

Bridesmaid Bouquet

Bridal Bouquet

Groom's Bout

Groomsmen Bout

Personal Attendant Corsage

Mother's Corsage

Thank you Nicole for including me in the preparations for your big day!

Centerpiece Collection 1- Events Empire

Here's just a sneak peek at the collection of centerpieces I've been working on with Leilani of Events Empire. I'm in love with the romance of the white, hint of greens, and the sparkly mosaic vases. Brides who choose Events Empire will have beautiful pieces like this available to them for their reception decor. I'm so happy to be working with the Events Empire team and look forward to sharing more of my creations with you!

Lily of the Valley:

Gardenia and Grass:

Mini Roses