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'!

Keep the stress low by planning ahead

The wedding planning process often starts many months before the actual wedding day and there are lots of reasons why you need so much time. For local bride Amanda, she would be spending the year leading up to her September 2011 wedding studying for and then taking the BAR exam. Amanda's aspirations to become a lawyer meant she needed to make some big decisions about her wedding before her brain was too full of legal jargon to think of anything else.

Amanda saw my booth at the Maple Grove Wedding Expo last January and decided silk flowers would be a good option for her. Knowing that she wanted to take care of as many details ahead of time as she could, she liked the idea of choosing, ordering, and receiving her flowers before the calendar even flipped to 2011. After a couple meetings, we decided on deep red roses to complement the season and her style. She also wanted some greenery that wasn't the typical ivy or even rose leaves. I found some rich colored roses and perfect boxwood greens to give her arrangements a little bit of fall and a whole lot of fabulous.

Bridal Bouquet:

Bridesmaid Bouquet:

Boutonniere:

I get the warm fuzzies each time I get the chance to really help someone prepare for their wedding. And in this case, providing Amanda with her flowers a year before her wedding not only gave her the convenience of planning at her pace, but now she's got a little more room to learn about the legal system. Good luck Amanda!

Blushing Bride

I've always been drawn to the bright, the funky, and the unique. So when this design popped into my head, I was a little surprised at myself! It's definitely a very chic bridal look with the blush and pink and bling of course! All of these beautiful flowers are part of the new spring lines and are absolutely perfect for a romantic aisle walk. Take a look!

Made up of blush pink Rose buds, Hydrangea with green/white/pink tips, and mauve Scabiosa pods it's like a fluffy vision of perfection. I finished it off with some ivory satin ribbon and a beautiful vintage looking pearl and rhinestone broach. This bouquet would work for anytime of year with it's lush textures and soft tones. Can't you just see the candlelight, hear the soft music, and feel the lacy aisle runner beneath your feet?

*sigh* Makes me want to get married all over again.

Fall Brides: It's never too early!

Yeah, yeah I know there are like a gazillion inches of snow on the ground in most parts of the country, but don't let that keep you from planning for your fall wedding.

I was recently feeling inspired to reinvent the typical fall bouquet. I found some giant orange Dahlias, mini Button Mums in red, Spider Mums in burnt orange, and large golden Mums. It still needed something, so I added in dark colored berries to deepen the overall tone. To give it a little more rustic appearance, I used jute twine instead of the traditional satin ribbon.

This asymmetric design is a little bit warm, a little bit surprising, and a little bit spicy--perfect for a wedding any time this fall.

If you are looking for flowers for your Autumn wedding, send in a Bridal Checklist for a free quote on your design ideas.

Wolves & Weddings Winner!

Congratulations to Katy Nase whose home is going to be a little bit cleaner and greener thanks to her new prize. Her GenerationMe Newlywed Green and Clean prize pack includes:

5 Washup Towels

10 Two-ply Paperless Towels

12 One-ply Paperless Towels

2 Reusable Produce Bags

2 Reusable Duster Covers

2 Reusable Swiffer Sweeper Pads

Wondering how I chose the winner? Thanks to Random.org and their "True Random Number Generator" I didn't have to make the call.

Thanks again for all of you who signed up to win. I appreciate that you took the time to check out my blog and I look forward to working with you on your custom wedding flowers.

Highlights from the Expo

A big thanks for all of you who stopped by my booth at the Carlson Craft, The Knot, and Minnesotat Timberwolves sponsored event, Wolves and Weddings.

I had such a blast putting my booth together and getting to meet some fun and adventurous brides and grooms!

I even had one groom who had signed up for the event on his own, going around to all the booths collecting info and was going to surprise his bride the next day with all the research he had done. It didn't hurt that he got to do it while hanging out with his buddies and watching the game.

One of my favorite parts about getting ready for the show was this brand new focal point piece. I'm pretty sure no one could ignore the giant rose pomander I had on top of a 36" vase filled with orchids. Men, women, and kids all stopped to check it out and ask if it was real. I still get giddy at the look of shock on people's face when I tell them they are all silk flowers. I didn't have to worry about people breaking off petals, keep the stems watered, or all the gorgeous whites turning ugly brown by the end of the event.

I also had a good variety of sample bouquets in different colors and styles for brides and grooms to check out. The biggest hits were my new fall bouquet, a gorgeous bouquet of fresh touch Calla Lilies, and a very elegant and chic Blushing Bridal Bouquet. Check back next week for some up close and personal introductions of those three styles. Boutonnieres and corsages were also featured, as well as this cake display you may remember from before.

Now, for those of you who took a moment to sign up for GenerationMe giveaway, the winner will be announced on Tuesday, February 15. Be sure to check back for the announcement as well as more fun posts full of gorgeous flowers.

Thanks again to Carlson Craft, The Knot, and the Minnesota Timberwolves for a great event!

Wolves & Weddings Expo is around the corner!

po 
T-minus 3 days until the fabulous Wolves and Weddings Event sponsored by The Minnesota Timberwolves, The Knot, and Carlson Craft. 


Admission includes tickets to the Timberwolves game -- this event is sure to be one you can easily convince your fiance' to attend with you. 


Check out my last post to get all the details then come see some of my creations and talk with me about all the possibilities for your wedding flowers. I look forward to meeting with you!

February 5: Wolves & Weddings Expo in Minneapolis.

February 5, 2011
5:30 p.m.
Tickets: $10 pre-registered, $15 at the door

This exciting event is a combination NBA game and wedding expo, and I'll be there! It's a genius way to get your groom-to-be on the wedding planning train while enjoying a fun night out together. When you order your tickets online, you not only get access to the many vendor booths, but you get a ticket to the Timberwolves vs. the Denver Nuggets game at 7:30 p.m.

Located at the Target Center in downtown Minneapolis, you'll be able to meet with and sample some of what the Twin Cities best wedding vendors have to offer.

Stop by my Love Is Blooming booth to see all we can do to make your dream flowers into a reality.

To help you get the ball rolling, check out this link to start ordering tickets for you, your fiance', and even your bridal party--it's a great excuse to start celebrating your wedding together.


From the official promotional material:

Wolves and Weddings is a one-of-a-kind opportunity, blending the energy of a basketball game with the excitement of a wedding!

On February 5th, while the Timberwolves go head-to-head with the Denver Nuggets, wedding couples and their friends will have until the end of half-time to stop by their favorite booths for face-to-face visits and personal consultations with elite wedding professionals from the Twin Cities.

Tickets are only $10 each and include both a ticket to the bridal show and the game! Bring the entire wedding party and spend the night out in the Twin Cities afterward! The show will begin at 5:30 and game time is at 7:30 p.m.

To purchase your tickets visit http://timberwolves.com/wolvesandweddings
Your special offer code is: Weddings

Arm Bouquets For Today

http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/28857025

Arm bouquets might bring to mind over-accessorized beauty queens waving and sobbing to a jealously adoring crowd, but don't let a visual like that keep you from considering this impressive design. There are many modern and classy ways to update this look for your gorgeous gals.

Amabelle, a California bride, e-mailed me this picture to show the style she wanted her girls to carry. She liked the main idea of the design but wanted to make it her own.

She had a maid-of-honor, a junior maid-of-honor, and 3 bridesmaids, so we needed to come up with a few ways to style and differentiate their bouquets. We decided to vary the bouquet size and include different amounts of flowers and embellishments for each of the 3 categories. Color was also important to these bouquets. Because all of the flowers are white, I found ribbon to match her save-the-date card she e-mailed to me. For an added touch, I found some matching beads to add a bit of sparkle. A little ribbon on the stem with pearl head pins and we ended up with some beautiful bouquets.

Maid of Honor Bouquet:

Thanks Amabelle, for choosing Love is Blooming for your wedding flowers, and thanks for the challenge of reinventing the arm bouquet!

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.