Purple Peacock

When you get married at the Capitol Rotunda there is no need for decorating!  So my task was simple, just two bouquets and boutonnieres.  But the bride requested a peacock feather handle. No easy task!  Any tips on gluing feathers around a handle are welcome!!! But it was a labor of love and in the end, it turned out to be pretty cool. Our beloved piano teacher, Meghan, was the sister of the bride, so I was willing to bend over backwards to make it work. Like in June, I was unable to get to the ranunculus flowers Rachel wanted but the locally grown lisianthus substitute was stunning.  And despite a car show blocking traffic and an unwelcome cold, Rachel had a perfect wedding day!
Check out these amazing pics from Sten at New Chapters Photography. The bouquets with matching tattoos is my fav!

Walkin' On Sunshine

Angela truly was walking on sunshine. She was such a relaxed bride SO happy!  I loved working with yellow. It's a favorite of mine but not often used in weddings.  BUT it's an "up and coming color". Especially paired with gray, which is exactly how it was used for this September wedding.  I love the bold yellow callas against those adorable gray dresses. I am not normally a huge fan of calla lilies, but man, those yellow callas were rockin'! And as you can see, they didn't need anything else. Just a twist and pin ribbon handle to finish them off.  Angela's bouquet was so fun to make.  She chose the design out of a book and then we tweaked it a bit to fit her style. I loved the soft yellow roses with the sleek callas.  The contrast of the fuzzy veronica made it so interesting. 

100 Degrees but Still Beautiful

 Although I nearly melted doing the delivery, these July blooms made a cool pop against the bright green dresses.  Tina wanted to work with me because she had heard that I enjoyed making unique bouquets. So when I suggested yellow and blue against her grass green bridesmaid dresses, she loved it!  We used blue globe thistle (who would think in a wedding bouquet???) but they were so interesting and fun.  The centerpieces were simple and classy but the grass loops gave them a cute touch.  I loved Tina's idea of using layered scrapbooking paper under the vase for more color and interest.  Tina also requested the handcrafted bangle bracelet corsages for the mothers of the bride and groom.  Again...what a pop! (Thanks to Jeff Benzon Photography for these amazing pics!)

 

Bangle Bracelet Corsage

Pretty in Pink

One of the most flattering feedback comments came from this bride:
...i still dream about how beautiful they (the flowers) were and wish i could have frozen them to keep them forever! I absolutely LOVED them and would recommend your name all over the place:):) Thank you again soooo much for everything!
Not only was Melanie a dreamboat bride but the flowers we used were like out of a dream.  And believe it or not, these were not her first choice. The ranunculus she wanted to use were out of season by the time June rolled around. So I substituted with a variety of pink roses and we used hundreds of peonies.  And if you ask me, it doesn't get any better than a peony!
(Jessica Ames Photography)

This One Should Be in a Magazine

The minute you walked into The Carlisle Ribbon Mill, you felt like you walked onto a magazine page. From the bistro lights to the burlap table runners there was no detail unattended.  And it's hard to believe that the bouquets, centerpieces and wreaths were created using all locally grown materials.  Being a laid-back, fun-loving bride, Cami gave me creative rights to all of these floral pieces.  She gave me general guidelines like (I like a lot of color.  I want it to look natural. I would love them to be all local.)  I can do that!  I am finding that my best product comes with brides who give me some creative "wiggle room".  Thanks Cami!!! Oh and my favorite detail...the lace from Cami's mother's wedding dress on the burlap handle. I cut out the pretty parts and pinned them with pearl pins. 

 

 

Jewel Tones in September

Bride's Bouquet

Amethyst, plum, magenta, sangria....where's the party and who's pouring? These jewel tones were so fun to work with and the best part... they were all grown in Cumberland County, PA.  Didn't know we had such a gem mine right? When Jess (the bride) contacted me from Texas and put all her faith in me to design her wedding day flowers without ever meeting face to face, it was the ultimate compliment! What fun to do the choosing on my own based simply on her guidelines of "jewel tones". Roots Flower Farm in Newville, PA provided me with these amazing colors and unique blooms: lisianthus, cockscomb, dahlias, gomphrena, plume celosia and snapdragons. And my own garden provided the mint and oregano. Even the ferns were harvested from a local source.

Groomsmen's Boutonnieres





Centerpieces at The Carlisle Vault

Welcome

Follow while I gather bouquets of peonies and handfuls of hydrangeas.




Follow my blog with Bloglovin