See the rare blue calla lily featured in the design for this beautiful wedding.
Ombre Silk Bridal Bouquet
The Ombre trend has been around long enough to work it's way into many a bride's hearts. There are many ways to use it in your wedding decor, not just in your hair as it's most commonly seen. So I thought it would be fitting for my first Love Is Blooming Etsy Shop feature to showcase the arrangement you saw in my last blog post that announced my new shop.
This ombre bouquet features a top to bottom fade of warm reds, oranges, and yellows in a variety of designer silk flowers. The very center consists of a deep red Hydrangea, circled by flame colored Tulips and Orchids, which blends into softer orange Roses, and lastly fading into delicious butter yellow Roses.
This bouquet and boutonniere set is the perfect accent for your spring, summer or fall wedding. The rich colors, playful Ombre fade, and elegant finishing touches will look great for any style of wedding. Available for purchase and fast shipping for your wedding, vow renewal, anniversary event, or destination wedding. Interested in matching bridal party arrangements? Contact us to find out more about the custom design process.
Check back later for another featured item from Love Is Blooming Designer Silk Wedding Flowers Etsy Shop.
Finishing off this bouquet is a delicate sheer ribbon in pale yellow which complements the silk flowers as well as completes the Ombre fade with a perfect match.
Lastly is the matching Groom's boutonniere with a pale yellow Rose bud, vibrant flame-colored Orchid, and sheer red ribbon for the masculine version of the Ombre fade. Each arrangement has it's own look, but together they are a fiery fit.
Buy Silk Wedding Flowers Online at the Love Is Blooming Etsy Shop Now Open!
Ombre Silk Bridal Bouquet in yellow and orange Roses, orange orchids and Tulips, and red Hydrangea.
Buy Silk Wedding Flowers on Etsy
I'm pretty excited to be offering a completely new service for brides near and far, my very own Etsy shop! This is a great option for brides (or anyone) who is looking for that one-of-a-kind silk wedding flowers bouquet or accent for an upcoming event.
There are various sizes, styles, and designs available in the shop ready to ship. Whether it's for a destination wedding, vow renewal, or a smaller intimate ceremony, these high end silk bridal bouquets and matching groom's boutonnieres are unique, high quality, and beautiful! I'll be doing some features on what I've got in the shop over the next few weeks.
Looking for something a little different, fill out the bride's checklist with your specifics and get a quote for your event. Also, if you are interested in matching items for your designer bridal bouquet and groom's boutonniere, contact me to find out what's available.
Bling Accessories for Wedding Flowers
Add a beaded garland for a cascading accent.
Each season new trends show up on the wedding scene, but there is one trend that's hung around for a while now. Bridal bouquet bling has the universal appeal of added elegance and can bring your wedding flowers to the next level.
However, as have all the trends, even bling has taken on new looks:
There are the commonly thought of sparkly rhinestones, pearls, and gems you can add in any number of ways to the handle or flowers of your bouquets and corsages. But new materials are making an appearance on wedding flowers in interesting new ways. Pheasant and peacock feathers can add a bit of whimsy and dramatic colors to any bouquet, corsage or boutonniere. The more recently popular rustic or shabby chic style has opened up even more options.
Burlap has climbed the charts of style as a way brides can customize their wedding flowers for a more organic appeal. Wrapping the handle of your bouquets with burlap or lace covered burlap is a beautiful option since it is a material that looks great in most settings, especially barn, garden, outdoor, or casual weddings.
Concerned about burlap being too bulky on boutonnieres? Opt for twine or a raffia wrap for a matching look that's suitable for the more masculine arrangements in your wedding.
Including a framed picture of a loved one somewhere on your bouquet is a meaningful way to honor someone important in your life. Available in a variety of styles and finishes, these small frames can fit in between blooms or can be tied on the handle with a matching ribbon.
Broaches are another item that bring some class and shine and can even add sentimental value. Whether as a focal point of the bouquet or as a dazzling accent, you get high impact with minimal effort:
When designing your custom silk wedding flowers, embellishments can add that unexpected element to your bridal bouquet, bridesmaid bouquets, boutonnieres, and corsages that complete any look. Have an idea you didn't see here or have a Pinterest board full of ideas? Send us the link through the Free Bride's Checklist and we'll get in touch with you to start on your designs.
Get creative with what materials you include in your silk wedding flower bouquet: pheasant feathers, satin ribbon, and twine with metal keys.
Peacock Feathers in Corsages
Making the ladies feel special is job #1 when creating corsages. We also needed them to match their male counterparts, but look feminine and pretty.
Grandmothers' Corsage: ivory Hydrangea cluster, Peacock feather, Royal Blue satin ribbon and bow
Mothers' Corsages: We wanted to kick things up a notch for the mamas. Meghan chose wrist corsages with a pretty and delicate clear beaded bracelet so they would have a keepsake from the wedding. I surrounded a single green Orchid with a bunch of ivory Hydrangea and tucked a Peacock feather and some rhinestones into the arrangement. I love how they turned out. Matchy matchy, but still beautiful!
This wrist corsage was for one of the hostesses and matched with the always elegant white roses and black satin ribbon. You can't get much more classic than that!
Whether you are considering adding Peacock feathers or any unusually shaped embellishment into your wedding flowers, don't think "it won't look right." Just give me a call or fill out my bridal checklist and I'll tell you exactly how it can be done!
Thanks again to Meghan for working with me on such beautiful flowers!
Peacock Feathers in Boutonnieres
The guys needed to get in on the peacock feather action, but we didn't want to hear any complaints of said guys having to wear a frou-frou feather.
Groom's Boutonniere: ivory Calla Lily, peacock feathers, black satin ribbon
Groomsmen Bouts: purple Calla Lily, Peacock feather, satin ribbon
Fathers' Bouts: green Orchid, Peacock feather, satin ribbon
Grandfathers' Bouts: ivory Hydrangea cluster, Peacock feather, satin ribbon
Meghan had a couple hosts/hostesses that she wanted to have a flower but not necessarily match the bridal party. We went with classic white Roses and they fit in perfectly with everything else.
Last but not least, we've got corsages and making them work with feathers. Check back for more!
Peacock Feathers in Wedding Bouquets
More and more I'm seeing unique elements making their appearance in wedding flowers. Whether it's feathers, jewels, pearls, paper flowers, buttons, fabric, twigs, wire, fruit, jewelry, or whatever, it can make a bouquet visually interesting and one-of-a-kind. One of the most popular embellishments making the rounds in the wedding world, are peacock feathers. The vibrant colors, whimsical shape, and soft edges make a great addition to any themed wedding.
In Meghan's case, the feathers fit in perfectly with her color scheme: green, purple, and blue. Not only that but a family member's close friend raised peacocks and gave Meghan a whole pile of feathers to use. (Did you know you have to wash them first? Something to consider if you were planning on hunting down a peacock farmer to beg feathers from.)
At our initial consultation I was able to show her some beautiful Hydrangeas in green and purple, Cornflowers in blue, and Orchids in green. They were all perfect matches but we still had a few pieces missing from the puzzle. She liked the look of the eggplant callas so I went to work tracking down the perfect stems and it was a great fit for the overall look and feel of the bouquets. We wrapped the bridesmaids' bouquets in a beautiful blue satin ribbon and called it finished. So pretty!
Meghan's bouquet was a little bit more elaborate--more feathers, more flowers, more glamor! We added in some ivory callas to bring that bridal touch to the arrangement as well as a rhinestone wrap on the stem to make it really stand out.
The cutesy little toss bouquet was small enough that I decided to use some of the more linear shaped feathers so they didn't overwhelm it in all its adorableness.
Feathers aren't always easy to work with, but the final look is amazing! Check back to see how we incorporated the peacock feathers in the boutonnieres in a manly, yet cohesive way.
Fall Silk Wedding Flowers | Jewel Tones
Spring Planning for Fall Flowers
Ok, so Spring has officially sprung. But, maybe you just got engaged and are looking into planning your wedding for fall. If so, then this post is for you!
Ellie worked with me to design her fall silk wedding flowers just a week and half before their laid back, up North nuptials. She wasn't picky, liked a vintage vibe, and really hoped to incorporate her favorite flower, the Magnolia. Oh, and her other big request was that she really wanted twigs. Like really, really wanted twigs.
Take a look at what we came up with for her bouquet:
Bridal Bouquet: orange Dahlias, purple Roses, cream Magnolia, green Hydrangea, burgundy mini Zinnias, fall leaves, and twigs.
Bridesmaid Bouquet: orange Dahlias, purple Roses, green Hydrangea, burgundy mini Zinnias, fall leaves, and twigs.
These boutonnieres were some of my favorites. We incorporated rustic looking Succulents with the mini Zinnias, and a fall leaf instead of the traditional greenery. I also added a Magnolia bud into the groom's boutonniere.
The mothers' corsages had a purple Rose, a bit of green Hydrangea, a burgundy mini Zinnia, and fall leaves. All the arrangements were finished off with twine on the stems, a detail that fit into the rustic and organic feel they were going for. Thanks again to Justin and Ellie for letting me be a part of your big day!
Wedding Flowers in Fall Colors | Part II
As I promised in the first part of this series, I wanted to draw special attention to some of Jill's other fall colored arrangements. I just had to start off by showing you her beautiful altar arrangements.
These stone lanterns spoke to me as I searched for the perfect container for her outdoor wedding. And the best part is that I made the arrangements removable so that Jill can use the lanterns with a scented candle, fresh flower arrangement, or maybe even filled with fruit. The possibilities are (somewhat) endless! Can you tell I'm excited about these containers???
Ok, moving on. So yesterday I mentioned that I included another keepsake in the mother of the bride's corsage. Jill wanted to include a handkerchief into her mom's wrist corsage. When you are working with Callas in a corsage, there isn't much "foof" so I had to get creative in how I could add, disguise, and appropriately embellish this wrist corsage. I got down on my origami skills and... okay, I don't really have any origami skills, but I did have to fold, refold, and fold again until I found a way to make it pretty without being cumbersome. Additionally, the hanky had some embroidery detail that I didn't want to completely lose. I made sure to leave that visible and at the same time cover the stems - double duty!
We had it all on a pretty rhinestone bracelet and it looked stunning. Thanks again to Jill for coming to me with such treasures!
Wedding Flowers in Fall Colors | Part I
I wanted to bring some color into today because I'm needing a break from the white outside. We just got several more inches of snow dumped on us because it's still winter here in Minnesota and who knows when it will ever end!
Anyways, here are local bride Jill's beautiful fall bouquets using some more vibrant colors instead of the typical gold, burgundy, and sage. Here we used Tiger Lilies, red Gerbera daisies, lime Button Mums, orange/yellow Calla Lilies, and Hypericum berries.
One unique touch for the bridal bouquet was that Jill wanted to include a family handkerchief that had special meaning to her and her family. She didn't want to make it a focal point, so we tucked it in the back where she could feel it as she walked down the aisle.
Jill really liked the look of the Callas on their own, however when we put them together, they needed a little something. We added a bit of greenery and voila, they looked complete!
The hanky in the bridal bouquet wasn't the only sentimental touch in this wedding, check back tomorrow to see how we included a hanky in a corsage. A corsage! (I promise it will be worth the read.)
Anniversary Bouquet Recreation | Testimonial
Bob was kind enough to write a little bit about his experience working with me on the Anniversary bouquet I recreated as a surprise for his wife:
From Bob:
Let me start by saying `Erin made me look great as a husband!'
When my wife and I were married, we decided that, going forward, we would exchange “traditional" anniversary gifts. This choice has proven to be fairly easy some years and VERY difficult on others. This past anniversary was a difficult one as it was our twelfth, in which the traditional gift is silk. I decided that I wanted to have my wife's wedding bouquet re-created in silk, if I could find someone to do such a thing. After finding Erin's silk wedding flower website and having a short phone conversation with her, I was confident that I was putting this task in the right hands.
Like I usually do, I had procrastinated in planning my gift but Erin had no problem getting it done for me in a short time frame, even though I knew that she had other jobs that she had to get done. Erin texted me that the bouquet was done. I was thrilled at the result when I went to pick it up! I could not believe the attention to detail and how it looked exactly like the original, live wedding bouquet.
What's even more amazing is that she did all this with only a few wedding photos to refer to! In addition, I was very pleased and surprised at how reasonable her rates are. I had set aside quite a bit more money than it actually cost me.
If anyone has an upcoming occasion where silk flowers could be used, I would very highly recommend Erin. They will not be disappointed! She is very reasonable, timely, and most of all her quality and attention to detail is top notch!
Bob W. | Minnesota
Thanks again to Bob for giving me the opportunity to be a part of their inspiring story. Because as much as I love weddings, I'm more about the marriage and that's what this whole thing was about. Many more happy years to you Bob & Sue!
Anniversary Bouquet | Recreated in Silk Flowers
One of the greatest benefits of silk wedding flowers is that you get to keep them for the rest of your life! But if you chose a fresh flower bouquet to carry down the aisle, take comfort in the fact that you could someday have your bouquet recreated in silk to treasure forever.
As I mentioned yesterday, I received a phone call a few months ago from Bob, a local guy who was trying to pull off a wonderful anniversary surprise for his wife. Bob and I met so he could show me pictures of the bouquet his wife carried at their wedding. He wanted to give a traditional gift and when he looked up what it would be for a 12th anniversary he found that it was silk. He got the brilliant idea to have her bouquet recreated in silk flowers. Genius right?!
These are the pictures he sneakily scanned and gave to me to use to recreate the lovely arrangement:
And here's what I created:
This was such a fun project! Bob could only chat with me by text so that his work-from-home wife wouldn't accidentally see his email. I was able to text him pictures for approval and set up the pick up for a few days before he gave her this thoughtful and romantic gift. Bob was kind enough to text me after he had given her the bouquet and said she, "loved the flowers!" and, "she couldn't believe how much they actually looked like her bridal bouquet." He also said, "You scored me some huge points for that one, which is really hard to do as a guy!!!" Awesome, right? Glad to help, Bob!
If you are looking for an anniversary gift, this is the perfect option. Contact me to find out what it might take to have a bouquet recreated.
Tomorrow I've got a testimonial from Bob about his experience working with me. Thanks again to Bob and his wonderful bride for letting me share their touching and inspiring anniversary story.
Sneak Peak | Personalized Bouquet
A few months ago I received a very interesting phone call that resulted in what you see here. Check back tomorrow to hear the whole romantic story!
Destination Wedding Flowers | Stargazer & Tropical Wedding Flowers Part 2
Sometimes coming up with coordinating boutonnieres and corsages can be a little tricky when your theme flower is just too dang big. Such was the case for some of Kali's flowers. But that didn't mean no one could wear a boutonniere or corsage. We simply took a look at the bouquets and choose smaller flowers that were equally as tropical and equally as beautiful.
Groom's Boutonniere: white Orchid, small pink Orchids:
Groomsmen Boutonnieres: green Orchid, single pink Orchid:
Fathers' Boutonnieres: single green Orchid:
Kali's teal accent color was based off a Starfish pin she had bought for each of the mothers and grandmothers. She wanted to incorporate them in their wrist corsages as a keepsake from the wedding. Sweet, right?
Grandmothers' Corsages: green Orchids, pink Orchids.
Mothers' Corsages: green Orchid, pink Orchid, purple Orchid
They were just lovely and thoughtful to boot. Thanks again Kali for trusting me to create the perfect beach wedding flowers from my studio here in Minnesota.
Destination Wedding Flowers | Stargazer & Tropical Wedding Flowers Part 1
As more brides are braving the idea of a destination wedding, they are also beginning to think more outside the box on some of those "all inclusive" packages of destination wedding flowers. One of the most common concerns of my destination clients is that they weren't given much choice, if any, when it came to their wedding flowers. If you are anything like me, then perhaps you too would want to know exactly what you are paying for.
That's where I come in! I met with Kali to talk about her destination wedding and her vision for her flowers. She definitely wanted a mix of bright colors and flowers that had a tropical vibe. Her number one request was that the bouquets included a Stargazer Lily, her favorite flower. So with a feel for her style and a whole list of possibilities I set out to design the perfect flowers for Kali.
Bridesmaid Bouquets: Stargazer Lily, Rose buds, Orchids (green and purple), Mums:
Cascading Bridal Bouquet: Stargazer Lilies, Orchids (green, white and purple), Rose buds, Mums:
Does that baby make you want a frosty beverage and a beach chair in the sand or what?! Check back to see how we did the boutonnieres and corsages, including a cute starfish detail.
Peonies & Orchids Bridal Bouquet: Bouquet Replica
While we are on the Peony and Orchid train, let's take a look at this sweet little duo I put together for local bride, April.
April got in touch with me last spring about doing a bridal bouquet and boutonniere for her May 2013 wedding. She had a picture she sent me and knew exactly what she wanted. I was able to replicate her vision and this is what we came up with!
The bridal bouquet consisted of white/blush pink peonies, magenta peonies, and white and softer pink orchids. I tied it off with the ever classy white satin ribbon and used the same ribbon on the groom's boutonniere which was a single orchid.
Like the look of peonies and orchids together? Check out Peonies and Orchids Bouquet and this other Orchids Wedding Bouquet to see another take on this vibrant combination.
Thanks April for choosing me to make your dream design come to life!
Ice Blue Winter Wedding | Bouquet Embellishments
Like I mentioned in the last post, winter weddings are magical! There are lots of directions you can take it, red and green, silver and white, red and gold, etc. But this wedding was white, ice blue, and shiny! We found a few other ways to make this wedding stand out in a non-snow flaky, evergreen, ornament kind of way. And the moms were on board too. In fact they were not a fan of the traditional mother's corsages so we did small clutch bouquets and wrapped the handles in rhinestones for a wow factor. They even chose different flowers (Calla Lilies) from what was included in the bridal party arrangements. I loved it and so did they!
The bridesmaid bouquets were a pared down version of the bridal bouquet--peonies and orchids, but no roses. I added in the ice blue rhinestones and we further dressed up the handles with the ice blue ribbon and a band of rhinestones at the top and bottom. Charming, right?
Another adorable touch to this wedding were the flower girl pomanders. These small ball of roses were the perfect size for the mini maids and we used the ice blue ribbon and rhinestones to have them match the bridal party. Adorable!
This wedding was nothing short of beautiful! Whether it was the moms willing to go out of the box, the bride's willingness to try something new for the flower girls, or using bling to get that touch of color, it came together in a wonderful winter way.
Thanks again Melissa for trusting me to work in those special touches of color and make your flowers unique and lovely!
Ice Blue Winter Wedding | Peonies & Orchids
Here in Minnesota, we got a beautiful snowy weekend. It was picture perfect and great for building snowmen! I thought it would be fitting to showcase a wedding of all white flowers, to match the beautiful snow outside my window!
Late this past summer I had a consultation with bride Melissa, her mother, and her mother-in-law. We came up with some lovely designs, despite the warm temps, for her December wedding. Her color was ice blue and she wanted to incorporate the color in her arrangements in some form or another. When you have a unique color that is not easily found in nature, then you have to get creative in trying to figure out how to include it in the arrangements. Once again, we turn to the ever dazzling, ever popular, and ever awesome bling!
I found some beautiful ice blue rhinestone clusters to spread throughout the bouquets and they were perfect for getting that hint of color without going overboard. The bridal bouquet was a beautiful white creation with peonies, roses, and orchids. We added on a family heirloom broach and encircled it with a soft ring of Dusty Miller. It was stunning! But you can see for yourself...
The toss bouquet: 3 peony buds and dusty miller:
Check back tomorrow to see more of how we dressed up this wedding to reflect this magical time of year!
Rustic Beauty- Succulents in Wedding Flowers
I've been itching to do a wedding with a significant amount of succulents and I finally got my wish. When local bride Katy contacted me, she told me that she really wanted to include succulents for her up north wedding. I was more than happy to oblige! We did a variety of succulents for the different boutonnieres and then really went all out for her teardrop cascading bridal bouquet.
Cascading Bridal Bouquet: Peonies, Succulents, Orchids, Seedum, Fern Curls, Millet, Dusty Miller. Chocolate satin ribbon with twine detail.
A big thank you to Katy for allowing me to create with abandon. And a huge hug to my big brother Jon of 3104 Studios who shot these artsy fartsy images for me. Gorgeous right?!
Lesson learned | Placing value on a florist with great customer service
Rebekah and I had an initial consultation last spring, and as is sometimes the case, she decided to go with a different florist for her wedding flowers. Her budget was tight and she was looking for ways to stretch her dollar even further. I totally get that – in this economy everyone's budget is tight. No hard feelings and no judgement from me!
So I was surprised to hear back from her just a few weeks before her wedding date. Things had not panned out and the florist she had chosen didn't turn out to be a good fit. Rebekah had specified that she wanted "a little greenery" and the bridal bouquet ended up being mostly greenery with literally only 5 flowers....5 FLOWERS! After talking through some things we came up with a plan B and I got to work to make it happen before it was her wedding day. Her colors were pink and blue with Stargazer Lilies, blue Roses, ivory Calla Lilies, and Stephanotis in her cascading bridal bouquet.
Toss Bouquet:
Bridesmaid Bouquet:
Jr. Bridesmaid Bouquet:
Bridal Bouquet:
We added a nice contrasting detail to the handles of all the bouquets and did a criss-cross wrap using ivory ribbon over either blue or green satin ribbon. The bridesmaids were alternating blue and green ribbon so the ivory criss-cross gave a cohesive look as all the girls stood together.
So here's your lesson for the day: not all silk flowers are equal. Here at Love Is Blooming I strive to bring the most beautiful, most realistic, and highest quality flowers to each bride's arrangements, no matter what her budget. One of the most advantageous reasons to choose silk is that I can show you exact examples of flowers that will be in your arrangements so you can touch and see exactly what you'll be ordering. If you find yourself in a budgetary pinch, opt for simpler corsages and boutonnieres in favor of getting the main bouquets that are as close to your vision as possible.
If someone promises you the world for a price that seems to good to be true, it probably is. And this goes for any vendor you are looking to hire for your wedding, look at their past work and see for yourself. Save yourself the time and disappointment and go for as custom as you can afford. Ok, off my soapbox I go and back to work.