Bling Is The Thing: Part 2 | Designer Silk Wedding Flowers

Heather had done quite a bit of research in deciding what she wanted her wedding flowers to look like.  But unlike most brides, she also put a lot of thought into the boutonnieres and corsages.  She sent me pictures of some amazing details she wanted to incorporate and then she put me up to the task of tailoring them to her flowers, colors and needs.

The groom's boutonniere: Lavender Sweet Pea, white Freesia, feathers, greens, green decorative wire:

Her brother's boutonniere:

The dad's boutonnieres:

The mom's and grandma's wristlet corsages on pearl beaded bracelets: Hydrangea, Freesia, ribbon, rhinestones:

Attendant's corsage: Freesia, Hydrangea, rhinestones:

Heather did a great job of choosing designs that were thoughtful, beautiful, and carried the theme throughout the arrangements.  Her love of bling was used tastefully and uniquely--two very important things in wedding flowers.  Thanks Heather for trusting me to bring your vision to life and I wish you all the best!

Bling Is The Thing: Part 1 | Designer Silk Wedding Flowers

I knew when Heather and I met that I was going to really enjoy working with her.  We had the same ideas about a lot of things and I loved that she wanted her bouquet to be unique and multidimensional.  We were trying to really nail down the shape of the bouquet when Heather said it best, "I want it to be like a fountain, kind of pouring out over my hands."  What a visual!

Her lavender and white color scheme was fun to work with as we incorporated some flowers that held special meaning for her and that she loved the shape of.  Peonies and Freesia in white, and Wisteria, Hydrangea, and Sweet Pea in varying shades of Lavender.

The Wisteria were perfect for achieving the fountain look spraying out of the bouquet and we added in some feathers for softness and as a continuation of the shape.  But where Heather's bouquet really stood out from the pack was in the embellishments.  See if you get where I'm going with this.

Come a little closer....

You're getting there...

Yes, stick your face right HERE!

Heather's vision for the details was amazing.  We wrapped the handle in lavender satin ribbon with a lace overlay, criss-crossed sheer lavender ribbon over and pearl pins at the intersection and then finished it off with bands of rhinestones at the top and bottom.  Stunning!

So if you think this bouquet is something, check back tomorrow to see the awesome ideas Heather came up with for her boutonnieres and corsages!

Magenta and Malibu | Silk Wedding Flowers: Part 2

Okay, so I got a little crazy about that last bit, but can you blame me?  So today we have all the fun little arrangements that get worn or carried.

Flower girl baskets with a single large Magenta Peony and Malibu ribbon accent.

Mother's corsages with bling and Malibu ribbon:

Grandma is going to wear the orchids, buds, and matching ribbon:

The man of the hour has a white Orchid and accent magenta Orchids:

The best man's bout is a little more simplified, 2 magenta Orchids:

The ring bearer's bout is a small white Orchid, Malibu ribbon and magnet so he doesn't poke his precious 3-year-old fingers:

I might have needed a moment alone to say good bye to these beauties when Becca came to pick them.  Ok not really, well maybe.  Thanks Becca for choosing Love is Blooming for your custom silk wedding flowers!

Magenta and Malibu | Silk Wedding Flowers: Part 1

There are some silk wedding arrangements that I get to do that feel like a gift--they are just that fun, that beautiful, and that show-off worthy!  These are a few of those types of arrangements.

Becca and her mom met with me a few months back and we worked as a team to design these beautiful August wedding flowers.  Her colors are striking, the flowers positively amazing, and the designs just feel romantic and lovely.  Peonies and Orchids are one of my favorite combos so making these felt like unwrapping a present as I saw everything coming together.

Toss bouquet:

Bridesmaid Bouquet:

Bridal Bouquet:

Gorgeous Wedding Bouquet:

Sometimes people think I'm weird because I rush them to my studio to show them some of my recent creations.  I'd say this bouquet met a bunch of my friends and made an appearance on Skype session. It's practically famous!

Check back later this week to see how we used Becca's flowers to make matching boutonnieres, corsages, and flower girl baskets. *swoon*

Silk Wedding Flowers Custom Design Process- Part 3

Bling was the name of the game and we wanted to incorporate it with several elements in both the bouquet and the boutonniere.  You already saw the rhinestones added into the bouquet from yesterday's post, so today's all about how we took it a step further.

With the addition of black satin ribbon and a band of rhinestone detail, we glammed this bouquet up!

We didn't want to leave out the boutonniere, so we mimicked the detailing but on a smaller scale.

Once everything was done, Jennifer had these pictures waiting for her in her inbox and in return I got a happy reply in mine.  From our initial phone call to the day the flowers left for Kansas City, it only took a few weeks.

So there you have it!  A stress free process where you are in the know every step of the way.  If you want to be part of the design process instead of choosing a package out of a catalog, get in touch to set up a consultation with me or send in the Bridal Checklist today for a free quote.

Thanks again to Jennifer for all the feedback, creative freedom and the opportunity to design something unique!  Best wishes in your new marriage!

Silk Wedding Flowers Custom Design Process: Part 2

Jennifer's silk wedding flowers were becoming a beautiful design of striking colors and textures.  We ultimately decided on white Roses, white Anemones, white Cabbage Roses, two shades of purple Anemones, and purple Dahlias. We also needed a matching boutonniere for her groom, so we chose a simple white Rose and a purple Anemone bud.  Paired with some green leaves, it was classy and cohesive.  After I put this guy together I sent her pictures for approval of the design.

Next came her wedding bouquet.  I constructed it in the shape she had chosen and sent her a picture before I added any embellishments.  This is an important step in the process because those embellishments are a finishing touch and I don't want jump ahead of what my brides want.

Jennifer was thrilled with the shape and flower distribution so I went ahead and added in the rhinestones she requested.  This bouquet just kept getting prettier and prettier.

With all of the initial design and construction steps completed and approved it was time to really make these babies shine.  Tomorrow is the exciting conclusion and you won't want to miss the big reveal of Jennifer's custom wedding flowers!

Silk Wedding Flower Custom Design Process: Part 1

I wanted to take the time to explain how my custom silk wedding bouquets design process works--which is much different than how many wedding florists do it.  There's probably some of you out there who are nervous about what it all entails since you've never done this sort of thing before.  If that's you, take a quick read over on my recommendations page and then come back here for a real time example of the custom design process.

There's a few ways you might start working with me: you might fill out my Bridal Checklist , you might give me a call, or you might email me to set up a consultation. As was the case for bride Jennifer, she found my website and blog and gave me a call.  We chatted about her vision for her bouquet, she told me about her favorite flowers, and she sent me pictures showing her color scheme and style choices.  With the ball squarely in my court, I got to work finding the perfect flowers, taking pictures and emailing them to her for feedback.

Here's an example of the white flower options I found for her.  If you set up a consultation with me, you'll get to see your sample stems in person.

Her colors were white, purple and black and she wanted to incorporate all three in her bouquet.  I suggested she used these Anemones for the purples and black and choose a few of the white flowers to mix in.

I also sent her a few other options (daisy and hydrangeas) that she wasn't crazy about so we moved on.

To give her an idea of where I was going with all this I tossed them all together to give her a rough draft of some of the options.

At this point, she had a better idea of what she liked and what she didn't care for.  I took those flowers out of the picture (literally!) and gave her a more accurate look at where the design was going.  This is usually the point where brides start using words like, "love," "beautiful," and "happy."

With her flowers chosen and the general design figured out, we move on to step 2, finalizing and constructing.  Check back tomorrow to see more!

Bridal Arm Silk Wedding Bouquet with Yellow Calla Lillies: Choosing a Unique Design

There is a certain thrill of having a deadline and I especially work well under pressure.  But how about when that deadline is a mere 2 weeks away and you are starting from scratch.  As they say in Cool Runnings,"No problem, mahn!"

Serina called me on a Thursday evening and wanted to get together to talk about flowers.  I did my usual, "How many bridesmaids?  What are your colors? Yadda, yadda, yadda."  I was already starting to get a few ideas when I threw out the all important, "And what's your wedding date?"  Good thing she couldn't see my jaw hit my desktop when she told me it was July 14th.  As in, 16 days away.

Our appointment was really a great way to nail down exact details of what she wanted.  Her 7 bridesmaids will carry yellow and white callas with sheer yellow ribbon.  And the groomsmen boutonnieres will be a yellow calla with yellow ribbon.  Very classy and chic.

Silk Callas Wedding Bouquet

Silk Wedding Bouquet

When we got to the design of her bouquet, Serina emphasized that she was looking for something unique.  At this point she had been leaning towards a cascade bouquet so I started to introduce the idea of a modified cascade bouquet.  I like to reinvent the wheel, remember? 

What we came up with is a hybrid bouquet that has the fluid draping elements of the cascade bouquet combined with the long stemmed look of the arm bouquet.  And of course we really upped the ante by doing a rhinestone wrap along the entire length of the handle.

Bridal Arm Bouquet

Bridal Arm Bouquet. Phalenopsis Orchids, Yellow Callas, Ivory Callas

The groom's boutonniere was a good match with its own rhinestone band.

When I finished these beautifies I felt a little bit like hitting that little clock thingy at a chess match and yelling, "Checkmate!"  There's something fun about a challenge and this certainly was one.  Thanks Serina for keeping me on my toes!

Sumer Cooldown | Winter Silk Wedding Flowers for January

So right now it's hotter than heck here in the great white north – has been cooking for a few days and will be for a while longer. I was desperate to remind myself of cooler times, so I took a look back at some photos that Rachel sent me and wanted to share them with you all.

Rachel got married in January here in the cities.  Her beautiful ice blue and white color scheme is perfect for a Minnesota winter wedding.  And notice the twinkly lights in the pine trees-love it!   You might remember Rachel's flowers from this post. Her beautiful cascade bouquet really fit the season and the style of Rachel's big day.

You can see from this shot with her 'maids and her man that we used a little touch of blue in their silk wedding bouquets to tie in the rest of her color scheme.  It was a nice little pop against the girls' black dresses.  We used Gardenia, Stephanotis and the blue Hydrangea for their round, hand-tied designs.

It's days like today that I wish for the beauty of winter...maybe I'll go crank the AC and see if I can get it to snow in here.  A big thanks to Rachel for the opportunity to add to the beauty of a winter day.

Jewel Tones in Silk Wedding Flowers

For the past few years, jewel tones have been super popular for wedding, color schemes, dress, silk wedding flowers, and decor.  They are vibrant and saturated and so beautiful any time of the year which makes them perfect for incorporating into your wedding theme.  But, what's even more fun is adding actual jewels to your jewel toned arrangements!

Local bride Mara's arrangements will be perfect whether her September 1st wedding day is still warm and summery or cool and fall-like.  Her original design was magenta Peonies, orange Ranunculus and olive Hydrangea and used two different shades of gold ribbon to tie off the bouquets.  Mara was feeling a little unsure of whether she was getting the impact she wanted with the ribbon so she was able to stop over and see the flowers in person.  (One of the perks of silk wedding flowers if I do say so myself!)

When she stopped over she also brought over some snazzy little Swarovski jewels in teal that she wanted added into her flowers.  Her flowers were beautiful before, but man did they really shine after I added them in!

Take a look! 

Ribbon wrap detail

Wristlet

Mara wanted all the flowers represented in her bouts without making them too over the top.  I used the Ranunculus for the main flower, took a tiny bit of the Hydrangea and a portion of a Peony petal and put them into one classy bout.  Voila!

Thanks again to Mara for requesting such a fun and vibrant design for me to bring to life!

Color Trend--Purple! | Silk Wedding Flowers

I really wrote this post because I wanted to share this picture with you of these gorgeous silk wedding flowers.  I've been working on flowers for Heather who I met with back in March to start designing a bouquet, boutonnieres, and corsages for her intimate July garden wedding.  Her palette of white and lavender is romantic and soft but so perfect for an outdoor wedding.  Heather loves Wisteria and chose that to be a major part of the bouquet.  She chose a unique shape for her bouquet - not quite round, not quite cascade, but some features of both styles.  She described to me how she wanted what looked like a "fountain" of flowers pouring out over her hands.  Even though this bouquet isn't quite finished yet, it's really starting to take shape.  We have plans for feathers and bling too--so check back in a few weeks to see the finished product.

I emailed this picture to Heather for feedback this morning.  Did you know I do that with all my brides?  It's important to me that you are an active part of the design process, plus you get to see exactly how the flowers are coming together.  Which means no surprises on your wedding day--the right flowers, colors, and styles are guaranteed for your big day. I don't know about you, but that's one of my favorite features of designer silk wedding flowers.  If you need a few more convincing reasons, I've got a whole list of them on my homepage;)

Are you looking for ideas for purple wedding bouquets?  Here are some flowers I'm currently working with in varying shades of purple or lavender:

Hydrangea

Sweet Pea

Wisteria

Dahlias

Anemones

Purple is a hot color right now, as are lots of the jewel tones.  So keep your eyes peeled for ideas on how to incorporate this rich color into your wedding flowers.

Summer Vow Renewal: Peach & Ivory Silk Wedding Flowers

My friend Teri, got in touch with me a few weeks ago to put together a boutonniere and corsage for her son and his prom date.  They were going to prom at each of their schools, and not wanting double the expenses, Teri hired me as way to get extra mileage out of their prom purchases.

Prom came and went, and now it was Teri's turn to enjoy some beautiful flowers.  She hired me again to create some beautiful arrangements for her summer vow renewal.  *Sigh*-- how romantic!  Her one request was that she wanted to incorporate one of her original wedding colors, peach.  And she was so impressed with the quality of the fresh touch Calla Lilies in the prom arrangements, she chose them for her own wedding flowers.

I started hunting down the perfect flowers and came across these peach roses with a more vibrant edging.  Paired with the ivory callas, it was a perfect fit for what Teri had been hoping for.

Teri's Bouquet:



Her gals will carry smaller versions of her silk wedding bouquet:

 

Ivory ribbon for the finishing touch.

Her lucky husband and their 3 sons will wear an ivory calla accented with peach Freesia tied off with sheer silver ribbon to match their silver vests.

Thanks again to Teri who put her faith in custom silk wedding flowers for her summer vow renewal.  Congratulations on your many wonderful years of marriage--truly an accomplishment!

Fresh Touch Flowers Feature: Calla Lilies

As a designer silk florist, I work really hard to change people's perceptions about using silk flowers for their weddings.  Sometimes they think I'm using bargain bin craft store flowers.  Other times, they can't get it out of their head what their Aunt Milly whipped together with dusty ivy and fraying daisies for her own wedding.

All I have to do is introduce them to one of these fresh touch Calla Lilies and they tend to agree, right along with me, that these are the best silk wedding flowers in the world, the best in the universe, the best in the stratosphere!  Can you tell I love these babies?!
This, folks, is why designer silk wedding flowers are worth your time...

Botanically accurate feel and appearance.

Seamless stems.

What a gorgeous wedding bouquet--and for a fraction of what you would pay for fresh callas!  These amazing flowers will look great months before, moments before, and years after your wedding.  Fill out a bridal checklist today to find out how I can incorporate these picture perfect, fresh touch Calla Lilies in your wedding flowers.

Forgetful Friday - Southern Charm | Silk Wedding Flowers

You know that nagging feeling you get when you know you've neglected to take care of something? Have you ever had that happen and realize you were only...say, 3 1/2 years late in taking care of said responsibility?! Welcome to my world!

The other afternoon I had a bouquet come to mind and I knew it was one of my favorites and that I had some beautiful portraits from Diana Daley somewhere on my computer. The more I searched, the less I could remember what had happened to the pictures. So I did what any good sleuth blogger would do and backtracked through all of my blog posts and found some evidence waaaay back in 2008. You can see my original blog post about Alana's flowers but what I really want to show you are these:

I absolutely love the gorgeous and vibrant colors of the bridesmaid bouquets contrasted against Alana's blush pink, white, and green bouquet. All the girls carried Hydrangeas, Ranunculus, and Orchids, and Alana's bouquet also included Gardenia.

It's always fun for me to see my designs in their intended setting and it's even more fun to dig up some lost treasures like Alana's! It's a little late in coming, but here's what Alana had to say about working with me:

Erin:

I don't know how to thank you again for the wonderful work you did for me. I have and will continue to recommend you to anyone and everyone I know. The flowers were the one part of the planning process that went perfectly.

Thank you for giving me the flowers of my dreams!
-Alana

If you like what you see, be sure to check out Diana's beautiful work.

Silk Wedding Flowers In Her Words

The flowers Erin did for our wedding were perfect. She has such a natural eye for piecing together bouquets and I was completely comfortable with letting her take the lead on which flowers would go in each bouquet and how all of the flowers would come together cohesively. At first, I was worried that I was getting carried away by adding such a variety of different flowers to our bouquets but everything came together just like I imagined due to Erin's talent for arranging. Erin's number one goal was that the flowers would turn out exactly how we wanted, and she took great care to send pictures while she was making each set of flowers to make sure that would happen. We received so many compliments on our flowers; they were definitely the most realistic silk flowers I've ever seen. They photographed so well and stand out as one of the most beautiful parts of our black, white and pink wedding. Not having to worry about unopened or wilting flowers (especially at an outdoor wedding on one of the hottest days of the summer) gave us all peace of mind! I would recommend Erin in a heartbeat.

-Emily R., Minnesota

Thanks again to Emily and Steve for including me in so many aspects of your beautiful wedding! And another huge thank you to Brianna Colleen for sharing these lovely images.

Emily and Steve - Summer Silk Wedding Flowers Part 3

Emily and Steve's big wedding day was held at the beautiful and historic Cedarhurst Mansion in Cottage Grove, Minnesota. Now a July wedding in Minnesota could mean any number of things, but for this happy couple it meant it was going to be HOT!

Sure enough, July 9th was one of the hottest days of summer. It felt like we were somewhere in the south with the big veranda and large open windows of the Mansion's ball room. What's that you say? No, "open windows" was not a typo. If you've put two and two together yet you've come to realize that Cedarhurst is not air conditioned.

This could spell disaster for a traditional florist.

So here's where I came into play.

Emily's flowers took a beating between being carried behind the barn, set down for pictures, squashed between hugs, and the boiling hot air. And I'm proud to say that they looked exactly the same when the clock struck midnight as they did for pictures in the early afternoon.

 Take a looky look at photographer Brianna Colleen's beautiful work.

Emily's honorary arrangement doubled as ceremony and reception decor. We also used the silk wedding bouquets as reception decor for the head table-just add vases!

Emily's beautiful silk wedding bouquet.

Like what you see? Check out Brianna's blog post about Emily and Steve's wedding--she did an amazing job capturing the beauty and spirit of the day.

Remember I said Emily had a few things to say about working with me? You can check back tomorrow to hear it in her own words.

Emily & Steve- Summer Silk Wedding Flowers Part 2

Emily had some elements in her wedding that were fairly traditional and needed some floral touches. Of course, there was the fun and flirty toss bouquet--who's sole purpose in life is to go hurtling towards all her single friends. We decided to use the pale pink fresh touch Callas, Lily of the Valley and a little greenery to create a cute and aerodynamic bouquet. Ok, not really about that last part but it did look pretty great flying through the air.

The happy couple also had some treasured family members who weren't around to celebrate such an important day with them. They wanted to honor their lives and their impact on their families with a small family arrangement they had placed at the ceremony. We used the Peonies, Callas, and Lily of the Valley for this sentimental and sweet arrangement. Placed in a 7" silver Julep cup, it was the perfect piece for their ceremony.

Of course there were boutonnieres for the guys--Steve let us get away with one small pink peony bud;)

The groomsmen matched the Bridesmaids with their pink Calla and Lily of the Valley sprig.

Everyone looked so sharp and since I had the privilege of attending the wedding as guest and Day of Coordinator, I can personally attest to it. But (said in Reading Rainbow voice), you don't have to take my word for it!

Up next are some beautiful photographs for Emily and Steve's big day, courtesy of Brianna Colleen Photography. AND you get to hear from Emily herself about her experience with silk wedding flowers on a hot July day.

Emily & Steve - Summer Silk Wedding Flowers Part 1

Local bride Emily and I have known each other for several years, so when she asked me to meet with her about silk wedding flowers, I was so excited! She had already done some work gathering pictures from magazines and online and had some great ideas for her flowers. We talked through her style, colors, and favorites flowers. I showed her the beautiful fresh touch Callas, Roses, Peonies, and Ranunculus that lots of my brides are raving about. She chose a soft pink and white color palette which was perfect for her July wedding.

The bouquets were done in a round, hand-tied bouquets style and had some fresh-from-the-garden elements that really added a lot. Emily wanted some wedding bouquet bling, but in a unique way that enhanced the romantic setting of her ceremony and reception. Take a look at what we came up with:

Callas, Roses, Peonies, Lily of the Valley, and Ranunculus

We added a clear beaded cascading element that hung down the front of her bouquet. It was tasteful and elegant but also a glamorous choice to add a little shine to her bouquet.

The Bridesmaids Bouquets

Ranunculus, Callas, and Lily of the Valley

The 'Maids were wearing black so we complimented their dresses with black satin ribbon on the stems. We also added some rhinestones into the bouquets to add a little sparkle.

Emily and Steve's wedding had some more inspiring arrangements that you can check out later this week.

Designer Silk Wedding Flowers | Deb Part 3 | Centerpiece Construction Process

Deb's centerpieces were a work of art that we worked on together! My half of the assignment was to design a silk wedding flower arrangement meant to feel fresh picked and loosely arranged. Deb's half was a DIY project that consisted of a hurricane vase and a crystal fringe wrapped around it.

Here's a mockup I did with Deb's flowers to give her an idea of what I was thinking. She loved it, so we moved on to the next step.

Deb had been painting wire grids she would be using to attach the crystals to. My arrangement was designed to rest on the grid and hang over the edge to hide it - it was quite a balancing act! Each centerpiece had Orchids, Lilacs, and Violets.

We didn't want that big gaping hole in the middle showing off Deb's fabulous paint job, so I made another wedding flower arrangement to sit in the center that was made up of purple and white Hydrangea.

One of the driving forces behind the way I chose to do these arrangements is that Deb had recruited friends and family to assemble all the decor in her hall in the short amount time it would be open to them. Their construction needed to be intuitive and sturdy. Because Deb chose silk flower centerpieces for her wedding, she was able to work directly with me on this design. She had the money-saving option of friends and family for set up so I kept that in mind.

Overall, the arrangements we designed during our consultations were cohesive, beautiful, affordable, and exactly what Deb had been dreaming of.

Thanks again to Deb for choosing me to bring your vision to life!

Designer Silk Wedding Flowers | Deb Part 2 | Bouquets

As I mentioned in my last post, Deb really wanted her bridesmaid bouquets to be just a fabulous as her own bouquet. Ok, well just a tad less fabulous because we can't have the maids upstaging the bride!

Just like the modifications we made on the cascade style for the bridal bouquet, we switched up the shape of the bridesmaids bouquets too. Instead of a traditional round hand tied wedding bouquet, Deb wanted that "just from the garden" look for the girls to carry. In this case, the Lilacs really helped achieve that look with their linear shape. Instead of tucking those beauties down in the bouquet, we featured their length by extending them out past the other flowers. Take a look!

And of course the ladies needed some bouquet bling too! We duplicated the rhinestones both in the wedding bouquet and along the handle of the bouquet for some shine.

Deb's Toss Bouquet was just a cute little thing that highlighted her purple flowers and was an appropriate size for a toss bouquet. Because her other bouquets were quite large we didn't want the toss bouquet to turn into a load bearing air craft when she tossed it to all her single friends. No one wants a black eye for pictures!

Deb's vision for sparkle and glamour isn't quite done! Check back tomorrow see the design process for her centerpieces.