Customer Testimony - Carly

Hey Erin!

I've been meaning to send you some pics, but life has been crazy it seems!

The wedding went perfectly and everyone was amazed that my flowers weren't real! (The ones I actually told!) They held up great on the journey to Mexico and even 6 months later, my bouquet looks as perfect as it did the day of the wedding! The colors were amazing, and everything I hoped for. You were so fun to work with, especially since I contacted you last minute! You definitely made the process less stressful! I also included a pic for your mother-in-law so she can see what I did with the calligraphy.

Thanks again!
~Carly

Geneoh Photography

SIlk flowers in Pardise: Part 2

Here are a few more pictures sent over by Carly. If you want to see even more of this wedding as well as check out her amazing photographer, head over to Geneoh Photography's blog post all about Carly and Jim's wedding.

Carly and her beautiful maids in vibrant hues and tropical flowers:

The dashing groomsmen with Calla boutonnieres:

So classy!

Carly hired my mother-in-law who owns Cakes For Your Occasions do to calligraphy for her escort cards. Her DIY project turned out super cute with the added sand dollars in the tray of sand.

Thanks again to Carly for bringing such a lovely vision for me to create. I wish you all the best!

Destination: Paradise

Getting pictures from brides is a lot like Christmas morning--I see the delivery in my inbox and squeal a little bit before tearing into the e-mail. Each picture is a gift that I cherish! After spending time with a bride, whether in person or via e-mail, I love to see their big event come to fruition. And the fact that I created the flowers for such an occasion is an honor.

So without further rambling on my part, I present Carly's destination wedding. Featuring the bride and groom and their gorgeous florals.

Tomorrow's post will feature the bridal party and another fun touch Carly added to complete their perfect paradise wedding.

All photos from Geneoh Photography

Sneak Peak: Carly's Reveal!

Just a little something to whet your appetite...check back later this week for the official reveal of Carly's destination wedding.

Photo courtesy of Geneoh Photography

Ruth & Michael- Honorary Arrangement

Many times couples have special people in their lives that they wish could be attending their wedding. Whether it's an unavailable relative, a cherished grandparent, or in this case -- both of their fathers, it's important to honor the absence or memory of people so dear. Ruth and Michael wanted to remember that they were missing some very important men on such a momentous day. We talked through some ideas before coming up with a beautiful honorary arrangement that they could place in their home long after they left the chapel.

Thanks again to Ruth and Michael for making me such a big part of their wedding day journey. The great part is that I got to be there to see the joy on their faces as they said "I do", and I get to continue celebrating through the years with them. Blessings to the Clantons!

Ruth & Michael- Boutonnieres & Corsages

The orchids worked perfectly for the boutonnieres and corsages. We found ways to make the bridal party members match each other and for all the other personal flowers to fit the feel.

Groom's Bout: White Orchid and magenta Orchid

Groomsmen: Purple Hydrangea and magenta Orchid

Ruth's dad passed away a few years ago and Ruth had chosen a dear friend to walk her down the aisle. His boutonniere had a magenta and a lavender Orchid.

Mothers' Wristlets: White orchid, magenta orchid, boxwood, Sangria ribbon, pearl wristlet

Officiant: White Orchid

Ruth chose to honor some very special people with flowers, many of whom I knew. It was a very sentimental moment to be creating these flowers with each person in mind.

Last up: Come back tomorrow to see how Ruth and Michael chose to honor their Dads.

Ruth & Michael- More Bouquets

Here's a look at how we used Ruth and Michael's color scheme and chosen flowers to set apart the other bouquets but still keep with the overall look and feel of their wedding.

Bridesmaid Bouquets: Deep purple Hydrangea, white Orchids, magenta Orchids

Toss Bouquet: Magenta Hydrangea and white Orchids

These hand tied bouquets were perfect for spring but still reflected the jewel-tones that Ruth and Michael had chosen.

Next up: Bouts and Corsages

Ruth & Michael--May 2011

Last year, my dear friend Ruth introduced me to her charming fiance' Michael and asked me to create some custom flowers for their May 2011 wedding. I was delighted and honored to be a part of their happy day and so we got to work searching for the perfect styles and designs.

Michael and Ruth's main colors were Jade and Sangria and she also wanted to incorporate a deep purple and also magenta. I really felt that orchids were the way to go with their saturated colors and beautiful shape. But the deep purple threw us for a loop. Ruth happened across some deep purple hydrangea at a local Michigan craft store that she thought would be perfect. So she picked up enough for the bridesmaids bouquets and to use in the bouts and corsages.

Ruth wanted a more traditional style, a cascading bouquet, without it looking old fashioned or over the top. We decided to forgo the hydrangea in her bouquet to give a sleek, modern look focusing on white, magenta, and lavender Orchids. Her bouquet turned out so beautifully!

Ruth also asked me to be her day-of coordinator, which was a blast! I loved being able to serve her and help their day go off without a hitch. As such, I was flattered to be invited to be photographed with the happy couple. (Feel free to ignore my newly pregnant pallor and hasn't-seen-much-sun complexion).

A huge thanks to Lindsay of Off the Wahl Photography for sending me these beautiful shots to use. You can check out her website or search for her on facebook if you are looking for a great photographer in Southwest Michigan.

Check back later for more up close pictures of Ruth and Michael's arrangements.

New Bride Welcome!

It's been a while since I've done a shout out to my newest brides. So I thought I'd take a minute and say welcome to Julie, Briana and Katie. All 3 gals are January 2012 brides with their own unique styles and color schemes.

• Julie's deep purple and ivory flowers will incorporate Roses, Hydrangea, Button Mums, and Stephanotis.
• Briana's choice is all about the Peonies in vibrant magenta and white and Ranuculus in crisp white for the bouts and corsages.
• Katie's deep red Roses will be accented with red Orchids and lush Boxwood.

I'm looking forward to bringing you sneak peeks of their gorgeous arrangements once they are all finished up -- but for now, I better get back to work!

Real Wedding: James & Clarissa

Local couple and our friends James and Clarissa contacted me about doing the flowers for their July 22nd ceremony and of course I said yes! Clarissa came ready with color swatches, a hand drawn sketch of her ideas for the ceremony site and pictures showing what she liked for the bouquets. Having all that in hand made my job so easy and the expectations so clear. In just a matter of a few weeks we had flowers chosen, designs picked out, and we were ready to roll.

Her color palette of turquoise, spring green, yellow, and white was such a vibrant and fun combination for a summer wedding. The flowers she wanted incorporated were daisies, roses, mums, hydrangea, and some greenery. Her two bridesmaids carried smaller versions of her bouquet and the guys wore white roses with smaller accent flowers that were also found in the bouquets. Check out what we came up with together:

James and Clarissa had me create aisle arrangements hung from matching turquoise ribbon, and altar arrangement using the same flowers and colors, and centerpieces for their intimate reception at

The Northland Inn

.

It was an honor to attend such a beautiful occasion with my hubs and also so fun to see the flowers outside "in the wild." And now I have these stunning photos from

Michelle Maida Photography

to remember the day by. If you are looking for a talented photographer, be sure and e-mail her at:

michelle@maidaphotography.

com

or give her a call at 763-389-0561.

Thanks to James and Clarissa for included me in your special day in such a big way! Blessings in your new adventures together!

Nautical Inspiration: Navy and White Wedding

I love when I'm challenged with incorporating a theme, a unique color scheme, or even interesting new materials into wedding flowers. So when local bride Cindy contacted me and kind of asked for all three, I was pretty excited!

 Her wedding is this weekend and is taking place in Door County, Wisconsin, a beautifully scenic area along the coast of Lake Michigan. She wanted that to be reflected in her color scheme and her wedding flowers.

Cindy wasn't picky about what types of flowers but with a color scheme that includes navy, the choices can be somewhat limited. I happened to have some deliciously dark blue Cornflowers on hand that I thought would be a great option as well as some beautifully summery daisies that brought in the white. Because both types of flowers have similar shapes and textures they were a great match--and more importantly, Cindy loved them! Using navy and white striped ribbon that Cindy mailed me with her contract, the finishing touches were really striking.

In one of our phone conversations, Cindy mentioned her desire to make things nautically themed because of her unique wedding location. She e-mailed me a few pictures and asked if I could work with the ideas using her choice of flowers. I was blown away by these unique takes on boutonnieres and corsages and immediately agreed to give it a go. I've never been a boy scout, so I had to learn some knot tying and had to track down just the right type of rope.

The boutonnieres: Mini daisy, leaves, knotted rope

The corsage: Mini daisy, cornflower, navy and white striped ribbon

Cindy and I had the chance to meet face to face when she picked up the flowers on Sunday and we just oohed and ahhed over what we came up with together. And that's what I love about this process--collaborating with brides, coming up with new and inspiring designs, and being a part of a project that makes people so happy and excited. Thanks Cindy for this fun opportunity and I wish you much happiness in your new marriage!

Real Wedding: Bekah (Part 2)

Bekah liked the idea of her personal flowers matching the bouquets. That's a pretty common way of signifying who's who in the bridal party. In this case, we went with a slight variation. The flowers we used for the bridesmaid bouquets were on the larger size, and we weren't sure that it was the best choice for the groomsmen bouts. Instead we used a different type of Calla Lily, but used the same ribbon that we wrapped the bouquets with.

For the groom's boutonniere we used the same Rose that appeared in Bekah's bridal bouquet. We matched the same color ribbon as one additional way of having her groom stand out.

Groom's Bout

Groomsmen Bout


For the corsages we also used the bright pink ribbon and we added Sweet Pea in bright pink for the Mother's corsages. Bekah wasn't picky about the type of accent flower, but it was important that the color matched the ribbon swatch she sent me.

Grandmothers Corsage

Mothers Corsage

Thanks Bekah for the opportunity to create these beautiful flowers. I wish you all the best in your new marriage!

Real Wedding: Bekah (Part 1)

My customer Bekah happened to be the sister of a good friend from my freshman year of college. I was honored to be asked to create Bekah's flowers!

Her early June wedding was a great opportunity to combine a traditional white bridal bouquet with a fun and bright accent color featured in the bridesmaid flowers. With the bridesmaids wearing blue dresses, Bekah really wanted their flowers to pop. Take a peek!

Bridal Bouquet: White roses, white Calla Lilies, white satin ribbon:

Bridesmaid Bouquets: Large magenta Calla Lilies with magenta satin ribbon.

Toss Bouquet: Mini white Calla Lilies, magenta satin ribbon.

Check back to see how we used these flowers for Bekah's boutonnieres and corsages.

Real Wedding: Sarah (Part 2)

Sarah's evening beach wedding needed to reflect the slightly more formal setting. Instead of doing tons of bright colors, her red and white scheme needed to still say "bridal" while also acknowledging they weren't standing in a church.

Bridal Bouquet

Bridesmaid Bouquet

Toss Bouquet

The clean designs and crisp black and white satin ribbon gave the flowers the formal feel, but the bright red combined with the white kept it appropriate for the coastal nuptials. Thanks to Sarah for letting me create these beautiful and unique flowers for a wedding in the tropics.

Real Wedding: Sarah (Part 1)

Local Bride Sarah came to me with a shorter time frame for her destination wedding. Her original inspiration was a solid red bouquet of Anemones. We explored a few options including poppies and roses, but what really caught her eye was something completely different! At our consultation I showed her the ever-popular fresh touch white Calla Lilies and some gorgeous fresh touch Orchids in a bright red. It threw her for a loop but she loved the combination. We started working with the flowers to come up with the perfect designs.

Check out the personal flowers!

Groom's Boutonniere: White Calla, red Orchids, ivory satin ribbon

Groomsmen Bouts: White Calla, red Orchid, black satin ribbon

Corsages: White Callas, red Orchids, black satin ribbon and bow.

Check back in the next few days to see her beautiful bouquets. An elegant combination of bridal white and south-of-the-border red.

Sangria (Part 2)

We wanted the same flowers and colors to blend through to the personal flowers for Danielle's wedding. We added a mini Calla Lilly in a darker shade of the Sangria to make the Groom's bout stand out. We used one of the Cream/Sangria callas for the Groomsmen bouts and for the ringbearer, we used a mini ivory calla. We used ivory callas for the rest of the bouts and corsages and even added some bling. Check out the pictures below to see exactly how the flowers were incorporated.

Groom's Boutonniere

Groomsmen Boutonnieres

Ringbearer Boutonniere

Father's Boutonniere

Mother's Corsage

Thanks to Danielle for giving me the chance to find another way to use this gorgeous jewel tone in a new and beautiful way.

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!