Kendell & Bjurn // Sweet backyard wedding

This is Kendell and Bjurn.  They were married in a sweet little backyard ceremony in Marietta.  Kendell is a grad student at UCLA and we arranged all the details of her wedding flowers via email.  She sent family members to pick up her flowers so the first time I ever saw her was in the official wedding photos!  While that is certainly not typical, it proves that email and photos are a viable means to select and plan your wedding flowers if face-to-face consultations are not possible.

Kendell's bouquet was an all pink collection of hydrangeas, ranunculus, and tulips.  

Her bridesmaids carried bouquets of tulips in pink and soft blush.  

Kendell had a 'man of honor' and his boutonniere was a pink ranunculus bloom with pink kalanchoe accents.

Kendell constructed an origami canopy for her wedding day celebration.  Here's a great shot of the entire wedding party in the backyard.

I wish all the best to Kendell and Bjurn in their new life together!

Rochelle - Anemones and Pea Hen Feathers

My bride this past weekend was the lovely Rochelle. She envisioned a black and white theme with a touch of christmas for her big day. She had wanted white anemones with the black center for her bridal bouquet. I told her that anemones are a difficult flower to plan for - and that proved to be very true.
First - the flowers usually come from the west coast. However, because it's been so wet this past season, the white anemones were behind schedule and wouldn't be available until late December, early January. So, my wholesaler ordered them from Holland. The shipment arrived in the US early in the week, however it was confiscated by the U.S. Dept. of Agriculture because they found a bug. I had to reorder a completely new shipment and they arrived Friday morning. I was happy to see they did have black centers (there's no guarantee on that). However, they were tight as a drum. They really needed about 3 or 4 days to open up. Unfortunatley, I did not have that much time since the wedding was Saturday. So, I was able to include a few in Rochelle's bouquet that had opened, but not as many as she wanted. I've had difficulty with anemones in the past and this little episode pretty much seals the deal that I will not work with that flower ever again.

Now Rochelle also wanted guinea feathers (or pea hen feathers) used throughout her floral decor and she ordered them herself off of ebay. She was quite surprised when they arrived as sort of a "pelt". I was the lucky one who would 'pluck' the feathers from the skin. I will tell you that it was not a pleasant experience to touch the crackly, yet oily skin. The accompanying smell was not enjoyable either! Ah, the glories of floral design!


Feathers with skin.

Feathery side.

Groom's boutonniere - white ranunculus, pea hen feathers, tiny pinecone.

Ushers.

Grandmother's corsage.

Groomsman.

Grandfather.

Groom's closeup.

Bridal bouquet - white hydrangea, fiddlehead fern, privet berries, white ranunculus.

Bouquets were wrapped with black and white satin ribbon.

You can see one tiny anemone here. When they first arrive, the anemone is closed up tight and is actually a slightly green color. As it opens, it lightens up and becomes more white.

Mother's posies.

Rochelle was married at the Lutheran Church of the Redeemer with a reception at The Solarium. Reception flowers were lots of snowball white hydrangeas with iced branches and pussy willow atop a tall ornament-filled cylinder. Low centerpieces held white hydrangeas and white amaryllis with ornament and berry accents. Fresh noble fir wreaths were hung in the windows with fabulous black and white velvet bows that Rochelle tied herself.

A truly elegant and classy affair. Once again, I can't wait to see the professional shots! More wonderful details to come...

Lindsay and Ben - more!

Reception held at the Trolley Barn.

A creative guest.

Lindsay handmade all the wedding favors.

Photo booth - ha ha.

Her gown was a stunning Vera Wang.

Rosemary: Friendship, fidelity and remembrance. Their signature drink. Rosemary was also utilized in the all the bouquets and centerpieces.

Wrought iron lanterns for the patio tables.

Vases were wrapped in burlap and moss ribbon. Bells of ireland, rosemary, kangaroo paw, astilbe, nerines, snapdragons, dahlias, and poppies for centerpieces.

Whimiscal candle trees were wrapped in tree fern, sprinkled with blooms and nestled in a bed of sheet moss and more candelight.

Patio centerpieces were sword fern, montbretia, snapdragons, sweet pea, kangaroo paw, ranunculus and bells of ireland.

Carolina jessamine vine - wrapped lanterns.

Lindsay made the floating candle vases for some of the outside patio tables.

And this is my favorite photo of the day - Lindsay's mom surprised her with a butterfly release when she and Ben arrived at the reception. Here's a real live detail enjoying herself on the rim of the signature drink. You can see the blurred image of Lindsay and Ben in the background.

What a cool photo. (All photography courtesy of Christine Gallager.)

Erin and Blake, part 2

Now, for all the hot pink....

I love this image of all the ladies fixing Erin's dress so she can have a perfect portrait on the steps of the Decatur Courthouse. She's a light of calm in a fury of blue.

Bridesmaids bouquets were hot pink roses, hot pink hydrangea, pink ranunculus, pink hypericum berries and gardenia leaves. These were also wrapped with ti leaves and hot pink pins.

Table centerpieces were all hot pink with a ti leaf wrapped around the outside of the vase.

Smaller table centerpieces were round bubble bowls with a ti leaf wrapped on the inside and hot pink flowers on top.

Here you can see all the shades of pink - hydrangeas, berries, roses, carnations, spray roses, etc.

Sweet guest book arrangement.

Two very tall cylinder vase arrangements flanked the vow site. Erin and Blake rented the cylinder vases from me and at the end of the night, they removed the top part and took that home with them. (Well, the wedding coordinator did that actually...)

Rose petals covered the palladian window ledges.

The center window ledge had a shorter version of the cylinder vases. The hot pink flowers really added a pop of color to the all white marble courtroom.

Stay tuned...lots more!

Finally! Erin and Blake

Oh, I've been waiting so long for these! Erin and Blake were married in May at The Old Courthouse on the Square in Decatur. I've dubbed them the "sweetest couple ever" because they are just that! They are both devoted to dancing and you can see some of Blake's moves here. There are so many photos from this day that I want to share! Photography by Aregrayline Photography.

Part 1:

Here's how it all started. Blake proposed to Erin on the square in Decatur by "writing" words on magnolia leaves. I was quite impressed by this gesture and since using magnolia flowers in bridal bouquets doesn't work that well (because they don't hold up), I suggested that instead we write on the leaves included in Erin's bouquet.

Blake then took it one step further. He "wrote a continuous poem with the thought that each line could be a leaf and that it would still convey meaning whatever order you read it in". He provided me the poem and I wrote each line on a leaf.

As much as I want to, I'm not going to show any more of the leaves except this one. I typed up the little poem and tucked it inside a tiny envelope and attached it to Erin's bouquet.

Her bouquet consisted of white peonies, pink calla lilies, green and white hydrangeas, pink ranunculus and gardenia leaves. The stems were wrapped with ti leaves, no ribbon.

I love this shot of the bouquet at the base of the tree.

Now, here's Blake doing what he does best...

He's definitely got some moves.

And of course, the lovely Erin...

That's all for today. I've got some orders to work on as well as three proposals! I'm glad it is a rainy day. Now, if it was only cold enough for a fire.....it'd be perfect!