Bowls, Magnets, and Barongs!

     I hate hot June days when delicate flowers are involved. I do. I admit it. I take it personally when the flowers succumb to the heat and lack of moisture (desert area of Utah). Camille smiled sweetly at her bouquet for her formal session a month before her wedding and said it was just fine. We had talked and emailed and finally narrowed things down to everyone's satisfaction. Her wedding flowers in July were truly going to shine and be something to get excited over, but a formal photo session where the focus was the dress?...flowers weren't so budget worthy. We ended up agreeing to a simple clutch of hydrangea, but spray painted in a dark purple to bring in some of her color choices. Hydrangea. Such a great option, but trouble. Hydrangea is truly temperamental even on their own, but to add paint and heat? It was admittedly not my best work, though I did the best I could with what we had. She still looks beautiful, doesn't she?

     Flash forward a month to the day before the wedding in July, and imagine the happy grin on my face when I walked out of my wholesaler with indestructible orchids, ripping roses, lovely lilies and some happy healthy hydrangea...no pain this time. Both the bride and the groom being part Filipino, wanted to bring in vibrant colors and tropical sensibilities to their flowers...deep maroon purple and acid green being the most prominent choices.

     Their entire event was one of fun and family. After the initial ceremony where the men were in suits and ties, the reception toned things down and all the boys came out in traditional Filipino barongs...a light, cotton and silk shirt embroidered with a little shimmer. 

     The trouble with a thin regular shirt that has no lapel like a suit jacket? Where do you put the boutonniere? How do you pin it to the shirt?

Can you see a pin?

     Nope! No pins! One of my favorite new things for cases such as this are magnetic boutonniere inserts. They work when there are young children in the wedding party who don't want to get poked and for ladies with pretty dresses too, keeping pin holes out of your gowns.

     Such lovely easy placement too! You don't have to be good with the pin worrying that you're going to pop off a rose head, snap out the stems, or make the groom bleed. Place it and let the magnet pull itself into place. Good stuff.

     The rest of the event was just as beautiful with floating dendrobium orchids over striking damask table cloths, a gorgeous cake that needed very little floral embellishment, and pretty though simple bouquets for the bridesmaids and for the tossing portion of the evening.

     It came together so beautifully! I'm so honored that Camille wasn't worried when her first bouquet didn't live up to its potential....we'd worked together and she knew the wedding day would be worth the wait!

And it was!

 Thanks so much again, Andrew and Camille for all the amazing fun of your gorgeous day!!!

For more flower fun visit my Florilista website!

Midway Madness

Nearly a year ago, I found myself two days away from the due date of my second child in the midst of the largest wedding of my career to that point! Liz had exquisite taste and I was thrilled to get to work with her...despite the timing! With my large belly, I delivered the flowers for bride, groom, and their attendants to the ceremony site at the Mormon Temple in Salt Lake City, and then lead a caravan of cars up to the lovely Inn on the Creek in Midway, Utah.

My fantastic husband hefted boxes of supplies and bucket after bucket of flowers. He then ushered our three year old daughter around the property and snapped photos of my work for my portfolio while my amazing assistant, Melissa and I put together the 9 table arrangements, laid out the boutonnieres and corsages for the parents, and organized the flowers for the cake. The stellar staff of the Inn helped us coordinate decorating when the other vendors finished their work, and then we had such a tasty break for lunch at Granny's before a lovely drive home through the bright summer day.

It was a very long July 31st...but I think everything turned out so well! I was able to breathe a sigh of resignation when I experienced some contractions during lunch, but then our sweet Olivia waited until Monday during a planned inducement to arrive. (Thanks, sweetheart!) Liz was such a dream to work with and she had such faith in my promises that I would be able to deliver the vision she had for her gorgeous deep purple and sage green wedding. I learned so much about preparations for a wedding on location, organized timeframes, and planning communication with my staff. Add such beautiful supplies and flowers, and I was so honored to be able to create this work. I hope you enjoy them as much as I did!



For more flower fun visit my Florilista website!