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 & 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 pallette 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 mock up 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.

Designer Silk Wedding Flowers | Deb Part 1 | Modified Cascade

If you've ever tried to reinvent the wheel, then you'll probably know where I'm coming from on this wedding bouquet. Deb came to me with a glamorous vision for her May wedding. One of the ideas she had was for a new take on the tried and true cascade bouquet. She passed along a picture of what I've come to call a "modified cascade" bouquet and got excited about working on this design with her.

Deb wanted cohesiveness between her silk wedding bouquet and her bridesmaid bouquets, but she wanted the glam factor to be kicked up a notch for what she was going to carry down the aisle. After several meetings, we had chosen the exact flowers going into the bouquet and then worked on this beauty until it was just perfect. Take a look at Deb's modified cascade in purple, white, and silver:

A closeup of lower details:

Fresh touch Roses, Callas & Gardenia in white. Hydrangea, Violets, Orchids, and Lilac in varying shades of purple.

The curly silver wire gave this bouquet an element that you wouldn't otherwise expect in a bridal bouquet while the rhinestones in the bouquet and on the handle gave it the sparkle and shine Deb really wanted.

If you are looking for a unique take on more traditional wedding flower designs, silk wedding flowers are the way to go. Not only did Deb get to choose every flower that would go into her arrangements, but seeing them ahead of time reassured her that the colors and flowers would be exactly what she had envisioned for her very unique bouquet.

Check back tomorrow for another feature on this amazing wedding!

Peonies in Action!

I was in love with Briana's silk wedding flowers--anyone that came over while I was working on these beauties had to put up with my gushing for a few minutes as I showed them off. They photograph beautifully, they stand out in any setting, and they are my favorite flower--trifecta!

This tantalizing eye candy is brought to you by the ever-so-talented Agape Moments Photography out of Oak Grove, Minnesota. Be sure and browse their site to see more!

I love the vintage look of this shot--seems pretty timeless!

Don't they look perfect even with the snow?! Who woulda thought?

Thank you so much for your wonderful work! They were absolutely perfect and we received lots of compliments on them! I couldn't be happier:)

Sincerely,
Briana

Thanks again to Briana for trusting me with her silk wedding flowers and to Agape Moments Photography for such beautiful work.

Want to see examples of other weddings that incorporated peonies? Take a look here, here, and here.

Peonies in Wedding Boutonnieres & Corsages

Briana and I worked together to find simply designed boutonnieres and corsages that were cohesive with the rest of her silk wedding flowers. Ranunculus were the perfect choice! The fullness of the flower, the round shape, and the fluffy appearance made them look as if they might be mini Peonies.

Groom's Boutonniere

Groomsmen Boutonniere

Father's Boutonniere

While we figured the men in the bridal party might not appreciate pink in their boutonnieres, we thought the moms would. I was able to use one of the Peony buds along with an open Ranunculus and a bud to give their corsages a punch of color and a touch of femininity.

Mother's Corsage

And now the best part of this whole series...coming up next, the professional pictures of Briana's wedding flowers. Wait til you see these gorgeous wedding arrangements against a wintry backdrop--amazing!

Peonies in...Winter?

One of the great things about silk wedding flowers is that you don't have wait until a type of flower is in season and you don't have to fork over a big chunk of change to get out of season flowers.

Briana contacted me and wanted the big fluffy pink Peonies that you see in all the bridal magazines. Her girls were wearing Peacock colored dresses, an up and coming color trend for 2012. She wanted flowers that were really going to stand out against their dresses and she didn't care one bit that her flower of choice is usually a spring/summer flower. I breathed a sigh of relief knowing I could get exactly what she wanted. And I gotta say, I love a bride that marches to her own beat! I thought these bouquets were absolutely gorgeous and I loved that she didn't go with a typical winter theme for her January 21st wedding.

Bridal Bouquet

We took an "opposite" approach to the bridesmaid bouquets. The Bridal bouquet had mostly pink, so the bridesmaids carried mostly white. We also changed up the ribbon color and wrap length to give it a slightly different style.

Bridesmaid Bouquet

As you might notice, peonies are pretty large; too large for any of the personal flowers. Check back to see how we incorporated such a fluffy shape in the boutonnieres and corsages. And then after that, I have some B-E-A-Utiful pictures from Briana's gorgeous winter wedding. You won't want to miss it!