This Season's Hot Color: Sangria

Bride Danielle contacted me requesting flowers that worked with her main color - Sangria. At this point in the wedding season, this was the third wedding I had done based on this exact color. It's a fun challenge for me to come up with new designs incorporating the same color.

One of the flowers Danielle mentioned were Calla Lilies, a wedding flower staple. It was a little more challenging to find a coordinating variety, but I found a beautiful Calla that faded from Cream to Sangria. We combined it with some ivory callas in a smaller size to fill in the bouquet and wrapped it with Sangria satin ribbon. Here's what we created:

The bridesmaids carried 7 of the cream/sangria Callas with silver ribbon.

The toss bouquet was a smaller arrangement of 3 callas with Sangria ribbon.

Danielle gave me a lot of freedom in suggesting flowers and shapes because what was important to her was finding flowers that matched such a unique color. I felt these classic designs were the best route to go - incorporating such a rich and fantastic color without overdoing it or going over the top in the design process. Check back to see how we worked these same flowers into the bouts and corsages.

Tropical Sensation--Personal Flowers

We wanted Carly's personal flowers to reflect the atmosphere, the colors, and the feel of her beach wedding. I was able to incorporate various flowers in the different boutonnieres and corsages to come up with some unique and fitting designs.

Groom's Bout: Mini Calla lily, Orchid, Leucondendron leaves

Father's Bouts: Calla lily, Leucondendron leaves

Groomsmen Bouts: Calla lily, Sweet Pea, Leucondendron bud

Mothers' Corsages: Crystal Wristlet, Calla lily, Sweet Pea, Hydrangea

Grandmother's Corsage: Pearl Wristlet, Calla lily, Hydrangea, Sweet Pea

A big thanks to Carly for allowing me such freedom in designing these gorgeous flowers!

Tropical Sensation--Bouquets

I love doing destination weddings! They usually involve bright, tropical flowers, and super excited brides with great tans. Such was the case with local bride Carly. But the story actually goes way back to last January when I did the Maple Grove Bridal expo (remember this?).

At the time of our initial consultation, she wasn't sure what style she liked or what types of flowers she wanted, it was more of wanting to hear more about what I could do. After a few months, she e-mailed me wondering if silks were still an option. Her wedding was about a month away, so we had to meet and chat and decide...in that order.

What we came up with has to be one of my favorite bridal bouquets yet. The deep magentas and the bright fuchsias played off each other so well. Her monochromatic bouquet included lots of different types of flowers, letting each texture and shape speak for itself.

Bridal Bouquet: Banana Flowers, Hydrangea, Mini Calla Lilies, Sweet Pea, Orchids, Orchids, and more Orchids! Ivory satin ribbon for the finishing touch.

Carly wanted the bridesmaids bouquets to be the opposite contrast from the her bouquet. She also wanted their teal dresses to keep that fun, beachy feel by featuring white bouquets. We did bring in some of the magenta with a little bit of satin ribbon on the stem.

Bridesmaid Bouquets: White lilies and Callas.

Can't you just see these on the beach of Cabo? Check back later to see how we tropical-ified the bouts and corsages.

Real silk wedding flower story: Kelsey (Part 3)

When Kelsey and I met, she told me about the centerpieces she had envisioned for her reception venue. She wanted full, colorful arrangements on tall vases with twigs inside. We met several times and after catching me a couple times on Google chat, we talked through the possibility of a mockup for her centerpieces. She was having a hard time imagining what they would look like. So I went shopping and found all sorts of possibilities of flowers that would work.

After coming to a consensus of what to include and what shape she wanted, I got to work making the first of her 17 centerpieces. I e-mailed her with a picture of our experiment and, aside from one flower sticking up a little too high, she loved it. That's just one of the great things about silk flowers, Kelsey's feedback was invaluable and she was really happy knowing what she would be getting.

So after lots of trimming, arranging, hot glue burns, and wishing I had a pet beaver to chop all the sticks, we had finished products. Kelsey also hired me to deliver and set up the centerpieces so I got to see the finished arrangements in their happy home, the Town and Country Club in St. Paul, Minnesota.

So before you get too bored of reading, here's the beautiful end result:

Thanks again to Kelsey for a wonderful and exciting experience!

Real silk wedding flower story: Kelsey (Part 2)

Kelsey's flowers all worked really well for the boutonnieres and corsages she needed. We even found some adorable mini daisies to work into the arrangements.

Corsage with a Fresh touch Calla in Orange/Gold and a mini daisy in burnt orange.

A bit of sheer ribbon in her matching red added a little hint of femininity to this classy piece.

Boutonniere with a fresh touch Calla in Orange/Gold and red sheer ribbon.

A very clean, sophisticated look for the guys.

Corsage with 2 mini Gerbera daisies in burnt orange and burnt orange ribbon.

This fun design was a punch of color with a softer look.

Boutonniere using 2 mini Callas, one Gold and one Orange/Gold.

This visually interesting piece separated this boutonniere from some of the other styles while maintaining the flow and theme of the overall designs.

Check back soon for Kelsey's centerpieces - a team effort!

Real silk Wedding flower story: Kelsey (Part 1)

Kelsey and I started meeting to talk about flowers last spring which gave us plenty of time to hash out the details of her November 2010 wedding. Her color swatch of the girls' dresses was a rich red, but wasn't too deep, more of a cheery fall red. She definitely wanted the Autumn look with matching red, gold and burnt orange flowers. She liked the style of the bouquet you see in my header picture, so I started looking for Gerbera Daisies in her color scheme. Knowing she liked callas as well, I found red and orange ones that worked perfectly. We tied off her bouquet with red satin ribbon and the girls all carried smaller versions of her bouquet with orange ribbon.

Tune in later this week, to see all the personal flowers and her gorgeous rustic centerpieces.

Fashionable Feathers

Georgia Bride Sommona had one specific request when we started designing her wedding flowers--she wanted peacock feathers as a main feature. I decided to take her ideas along a not-so-traditional route. Instead of matching the colors in the feathers with flowers, I found a way to make them stand out. By using lighter colored flowers for her September wedding, the rich tones of the feathers became more than just a subtle accent.

Her bridesmaids were going to be wearing midnight blue and Oasis blue, so the scheme still needed to coordinate, but in a funky vibrant sort of way. We settled on a nice green and white color scheme to complement the dresses and Sommona's style. She liked orchids and hydrangea and wanted a hint of purple in her bouquet. From those details, we constructed the look that was perfect for her.



Bridal Bouquet: White roses, white hydrangea, green hydrangea, green cymbidium orchids, orchid hydrangea, peacock feathers.
Toss Bouquet: White roses, orchid colored hydrangea

Both bouquets incorporated her bridesmaid dress colors with midnight blue satin ribbon with oasis colored ribbon ballerina wrapped and finished off with pearl-head pins.

Sommona's 6 bridesmaids carried a contemporary design with green and white hydrangea and an off center placement of 3 peacock feathers. These bouquets were also finished off with a ballerina wrap and pearl-head pins but in the opposite colors as the Bridal and Toss Bouquets.

Thanks to Sommona and her happy new husband for working with me on such modern and fun flowers. Blessings in your new marriage!

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!