Teaching the Appreciation of Flowers

 I loved having the opportunity to share flower arranging skills with a set of Japanese exchange students. 

Barn Beauties

 

I love the before - everything all tucked in buckets.

and the in-between where blooms are prepared but are not in the right setting.

and then the pay-off with everything set up looking just great.

A special part of this beautiful wedding was the farm cat who took the best seat in the house.

Desert Greens

 

This Palm Springs wedding tied together green splashy palms with creamy whites and gold accents.  

The olive leaf and lisanthus flower crowns for the flower girls were perfectly sweet.

Sweeping boughs of palm, eucalyptus, pepper berry and miniature white roses (in tubes) were draped across the long tables.  Round tables were adorned with layered greenery. 

 

The custom seating assignment.

The Bride's bouquet sprang to life with a dance of eucalyptus and palms surrounding white roses, fluffy mums and highlight of pink protea. 

Behind the Scenes

During a heat wave the work is moved indoors and the AC is cranked up!

Careful packing makes all the difference in a successful delivery.

Couldn't do it without my Dream Team, the Burkeys!

Dressed Up Purple in Newport

Sonia and Scott had a magical event with flower designs created with beautiful shades of purple and blush pink.  April is a fantastic time to shop at the flower market for any florist's dream choice of blooms including peonies, hydrangeas, ranunculus and, always, roses.  

This Bride's Bouquet was a showstopper with the bright pink Peonies anchoring the vibrant mix of Rose Varieties, Ranunculus, Lisianthus, Pink Wax Flower, Eucalyptus leaves, Alstroemeria, and Mums.

The seven bridesmaids carried bouquets with lighter colors using more white and blush pink to complement their dresses.  With eye catching Anoemes, light and dark Roses, Wax Flowers, Lisanthus, Snapdragons, white stock. We found the perfect satin ribbon to match their dress color, "Love's First Blush" by Alfred Angelo. 

Newport Beach Marriott Hotel and Spa - Sea View Terrace

The Groom, Scott, wearing his spray rose bout with greenery and silver ribbon accent.

 The vivid colors of the Roses and Aneomes really stand out against the simple white frosted cake design. Petals and tea light candles completed the setting for this delightful dessert.

The Ballroom was all dressed up with silver and purple lighting featuring centerpieces of Hydrangea, Roses, Snapdragon, Stock, Lisianthus and greenery in square textured vases. 

Sonia dances with her dad wearing his large sweet rose bout, as the toss bouquet waits for it's time to fly. 

Gorgeous photography courtesy of @linandjirsa

Wedding Party Photographs took place before the ceremony in the Rose Garden.

Winter Love Shines

A few rain drops on a January day set the scene for a traditional church wedding with a festive tented backyard reception at home. John and Monica are warm and friendly and enjoy hosting their friends and family for a good time. With the drinks flowing, the steel drum band and kids on the dance floor bringing the energy, and an honest exchange of toasts and musical performances, the love and celebration of family warmed the night. 

The bride's bouquet came together very well with an interesting variety of roses, lisianthus, white stock, mums, and variegated pittosporum for greenery. The bride wanted to include a natural element akin to cotton pods, but I couldn't find any (and my how I looked in some obscure places), so when I found these dried lotus pods, I knew I had found a perfect substitute. The arrangement had a nice easy blend of the creamy whites and bright pops of rich red, a nice compliment to the lace bridal gown.

Monica designed and created her own unique centerpiece vases using lace, burlap and craft flowers, an easy way to transform and personalize the classic mason jar. 

John and Monica and their families are avid USC fans so I knew I struck gold (and cardinal red) with the greenery.  The 8 centerpieces were designed using fresh white and yellow red roses, gerber daisy, rich red spray roses, white mums and stock, with seedy eucalyptus, fern, and of course the two toned greenery.  

Merry Happy Lovely

These three are a perfect match. Alex and Rich celebrated their wedding on a perfect day at Kirigan winery in the hills of Gilroy. The bright color florals we used stood out beautifully against the green property and rustic club house venue. The sweet pup, Kona, was a special surprise coordinated by the groom. She was wearing a new blue collar to match the bridal party, adorned with red roses, white lisianthus and greenery.

The bride and bridesmaids carried fun bouquets of fluffy dahlias, romantic roses, expressive snapdragons and a few of my other favorites like lisianthus, green hydrangea and pink alstroemeria. 

 The brides bouquet was enhanced with four amazing peonies, rich red tulips, dainty ranunculus and red hypercium berries. 

Mother of the Bride is wearing delicate corsage of creamy pink lisianthius with a hint of dark pink wax flower, wrapped up in a bright festive ribbon.

Bright and eccentric centerpieces  - All set and ready to go.