A Variation on the Classic 50's Wedding Bouquet

Damien and Krista were such a pleasure to work with! She knew that she wanted soft, summery colors of pinks, creams, purples, and blues...blue being her primary color (check out the gorgeous navy blue sapphire wedding ring), but after that, she really didn't know what else to add. We settled on a classic 50's tea flower theme that she'd seen on my website, with roses, freesia, princess lilies (aspadistra) and the deep blue delphiniums that tied in her signature color. 

The twist to Krista's event was that she wanted to marry in lovely Missoula, Montana, the town where she grew up, and there really weren't any flower options for a destination wedding florist in the area. Road trip it is! We ordered the flowers in Utah and drove the 8 hours to the site in Montana, flowers cooling in the trunk.

The gorgeous Gibson Mansion was home to the event, and the owners could not have been more kind or accommodating. We were able to distribute flowers quickly and easily. They even ended up pinning several of the party members while exterior centerpieces were being placed. (expert pinning too!)

 The beautiful dining room made for easy layout of the bouquets, boutonnieres, and corsages so that everyone could see their names easily and grab what was theirs.

The entire event took place in the gardens at the Gibson, which added dappled shade, more garden flowers, and a summery atmosphere that lasted all afternoon and into the evening.

Buying the flowers in Utah and packing them in ice in the trunk of my car for the long drive up to Montana was quite the adventure! Building centerpieces and bouquets in the limited space of a Super 8 was worth a lot of laughs too! It was all worth it though when such wonderful people enjoy what I do and we are able to create loveliness together...no matter where we need to go! Having a beautiful wedding is possible when everyone is willing to work together and think outside the box. Thanks again, Damien and Krista for the amazing Montana fun!

Feel free to visit my Florilista website for more examples of my work.

Funeral Flowers With An Eye To The Future

I love flowers and the sentiment that they convey, so even when I'm asked to create an arrangement for a funeral instead of a wedding, I take a lot of thought and effort to make something that will be loved and useful and reusable. A recent request ended with this creation of soft spring colors in a sturdy basket. The Peonies in the back are also a potted plant that can be placed in the garden of those family members mourning the loss of a loved one. The rebirth of those flowers every year can then serve as a beautiful reminder of the loved one gone away. Deepest sympathies, and memories reborn.

CODE GREEN!!!

What a fun weekend! My husband had a wedding to photograph in Manti, Utah on Friday, and I was so pleased to get to go along for the ride. I thought it was going to be a work-free event for me, but as we were pulling out of the driveway, the bride, Betsy, called me with a flower emergency. Betsy and Garrett are from out of state, and had this first event in Manti on Friday and another event in Mapleton on Saturday. There had been some apparent miscommunications, and although the Mapleton event would have some lovely flowers ready to go through a local florist chosen by her mom, the Manti event had been forgotten! Betsy wanted flowers for her grand exit from the beautiful Manti Temple, and she wondered if I could help in any way. I grabbed a handful of fake flower bouquets that I have created over the last year for just such emergencies, but we also took a few minutes to stop at my wholesaler on the way out of town. I knew she wanted cream, pale pinks and sage greens, and I was able to find some roses, lilies, snap dragons, and freesia that fit the bill nicely. For the first hour of the drive, I arranged her bouquet. There were a handful of flowers left over though, so for the second hour I made a groom's boutonniere, two mother's corsages, and even a tossing bouquet.



Needless to say, she chose the fresh flowers over the stock bouquets I offered. Betsy and Garrett are also having a reception in Virginia, which we will be photographing in two weeks, and I smiled when Garrett's mother asked if I was going to be in town early enough to do those flowers as well. He he he. I'd love it!