Archive for the ‘Brides’ Category

Your personal wedding bouquet style

Wednesday, January 19th, 2011

Each bride has her own bouquet style based on the types of flowers she’s drawn to, the overall style of the wedding, the look of her dress and her “vision” of a perfect bridal bouquet.  Some of you may have no idea what your vision is, and to this all I can say is–you’ll know it when you see it! 

Whether you’ve been keeping a magazine clipping of the bouquet that you stumbled upon 5 years ago (when someone forced you to look through that wedding magazine loooong before you were engaged!–don’t worry your secret is safe with me!) or you feel like you may never figure out what you want, if your florist “gets you” then you will likely get the right bouquet.  

Today I have 8 different wedding bouquet styles for all seasons.

A spring bouquet with country elegance shot by Daria Bishop Photographers

A garden-inspired bouquet in soft pastels has a romantic feeling. 

Classic white bouquets are always in season and never go out of style.

For a bride who is not afraid of a little color this bright, bold bouquet adds a fun pop.

This orange & pink bouquet has a clean, modern shape.

This has a modern-vintage feeling.  {P.S. I thought this couple had fab-u-lous style!}

A seasonal fall bouquet that’s both a little bit country and bridal.

Winter weddings in Vermont make me think of classic whites with textured greens.

What’s your wedding style?  How much is it influenced by the season?

It’s your wedding, you can do what you want to

Friday, December 17th, 2010

Every year I meet with a bride who tells me that she absolutely loves hydrangea (just for example), but her best friend just had/is going to have hydrangea at her wedding so she doesn’t want to “copy”.

While I understand and respect this sentiment–I have a younger sister so copying/borrowing style was a sore subject in our pre-teen years until she decided she had zero interest in “my style”!–but, I think when it comes to your wedding the only thing that matters is that you get what you want.  Just because your BFF is getting married a few months before you doesn’t mean that your wedding will be an imitation.  Side-note:  copying your friend’s wedding style on purpose is extremely lame, however.

If you truly love a particular flower or venue or band or photographer who cares if your friend has it, too.  If it suits your style, budget, season, etc. you should go for it.  It’s your wedding, you can do what you want to.

Above:  Two shades of purple hydrangea with thistle in a ball jar.  Simple.

Wedding Planning Tips for Brides & Grooms

Wednesday, September 22nd, 2010

It is “Wedding Wednesday” on the web so it’s a good time to revisit a few helpful planning tips from my blog for brides and grooms with upcoming 2011 Vermont weddings.

Do you need some advice on planning your Vermont wedding?  Let me know by entering a comment below or shoot me an e-mail.  If I don’t have an answer for you I will find a local wedding pro who does!

Vermont Bridal Bouquets by Floral Artistry

Monday, September 13th, 2010

It is September in Vermont and that means we are starting to design fall wedding flowers!  I know, it’s hard for some of us to believe that fall is here, but as I sit in a fleece while writing this post it feels all too real!  We did our first autumnal inspired wedding palette on Saturday, but before we jump into a big ‘ol pile of fallen leaves I thought it would be fun to revisit some of our summery wedding flowers.

Here is a collection of some of the spring and summer bridal bouquets I made this season…

Whether you lean toward a classic white bouquet or like to add some bright colors to the mix there are endless possibilities for summer wedding flowers.  This season we saw more purples than ever before–whether they were accent blooms in bridal bouquets or large purple hydrangea centerpieces or aubergine bridesmaids dresses, purple was it in 2010!

Are you getting  married in 2011?  What colors are you thinking of using in your wedding?

Wedding Head Pieces posted by Style Me Pretty

Friday, July 30th, 2010

Check out these drop dead gorgeous head pieces from Twigs & Honey featured the other day on Style Me Pretty.  Stunning.  ‘Nuff said.

I see my brides shying away from the traditional veil and opting for intricate up-do’s or floral accents for their hair, dazzling barretts and bird cage veils.  If you want to ditch the veil the only tough decision will be which one of these head pieces to choose!  I want about twenty!

Silk flower & leaf headband by Twigs & Honey (click image to see more headbands)

Essential Wedding Planning Tip–Brides Rule!

Monday, July 12th, 2010

When I was planning our wedding 7 years ago my dressmaker introduced me to Brides Rule!, which I consider an essential wedding planning tool.  Brides Rule! is a simple, yet effective phrase that can be used to end quarrels, discussions, tiffs or nagging that may occur when planning your big day.  In other words, it’s a tactful way to say back off

Here’s how it works:  If family or friends become too involved in your plans it may be time to exercise Brides Rule! (a “talk to the hand” gesture may accompany it).  Once it has been invoked there are to be no further discussions about the issue at hand and all involved must respect the bride’s decision.  Please use it responsibly, but do use it because it works!

Note:  Brides Rule! is not intended to be used to overrule all of your partner’s ideas or to increase the overall wedding budget!!

Below:  I had these fans made up for a bridal show several years ago.  They were a huge hit!

Wedding Dresses Define Wedding Style

Wednesday, May 12th, 2010

Selecting your wedding dress can be a really huge decision.  Some brides have been dreaming of their ideal dress for years, while others may have no clue where to start, what style they like or what will look best on their body type.  No matter what you spend or what the label inside the dress says, your wedding dress oftentimes defines your wedding style and can help determine what the overall feeling of your wedding day will be.

A bride may feel that she wants a casual wedding, but after she selects a formal gown and sees her groom in a tuxedo those casual ideas might need to step it up a bit.  As a florist when I see a bride’s wedding dress it tell me a lot about her overall style and oftentimes helps direct my design recommendations–especially for her bouquet.  Elaborate dresses are complimented by less elaborate bouquets while simpler, slip dresses lend themselves to a variety of styles from classic, rounded bouquets to funky woodland-inspired blooms.

If you are just getting started on the dress hunt you should be armed with a few photos of dresses you like, a few (no more than 3!) trusted style advisers and you should have a desired budget in mind and you should do your very best to stick with it.  Style Me Pretty has a “Look Book” on their site where you can peruse gorgeous gowns and get a sense of some of the styles out there.  My personal guilty pleasure is Say Yes to the Dress…I never seem to tire of watching brides (and their families) search for the *perfect* dress.  When she tries on a wedding dress that actually brings tears to her eyes (or her parents’ eyes!!) I am soooo happy to hear the bride say YES to her dress you’d think I was getting a commission on the sale.

Don’t stress over your dress.  Try on as many as you need to find a style that looks great on your body.  Choose a wedding dress that feels like you.  Live happily ever after.  Simple!

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Beautiful Wedding Inspiration

Wednesday, April 28th, 2010

Thanks to inspirational wedding blogs like Style Me Pretty, The Wedding Chicks, The Bride’s CafeWedding Bee and Snippet & Ink (just to name a few!) brides have amazing access to fabulous wedding ideas!  As a floral designer I think it’s so much fun when a bride comes to me with an inspiration board (or ten!) filled with swatches, samples & images that express a certain charm or elegance she wants to capture on her wedding day.  Brides and wedding planners alike are fortunate to have a plethora of current & eclectic wedding bloggers who share vintage, rustic, modern and formal events to admire & inspire!

You never know when inspiration will strike!  I got inspired by these white ‘Patience’ roses & lavender sweetheart roses when I heard them calling my name in the cooler at my wholesaler yesterday.  Garden roses are a classic, romantic choice for bridal bouquets and wedding work in general!  Use them alone for a simple, clean look or add greenery, berries or tendrils for some flow.

Vera Wang Partners with David’s Bridal

Monday, April 26th, 2010
The woman to the far right is wearing a typica...
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In case you haven’t heard the news Vera Wang will be partnering with David’s Bridal to create a collection of affordable wedding gowns, which is great news for brides who’ll be shopping for gowns next Spring!  Read more about it here. 

I look forward to seeing what Vera will come up with!  You can bet they’ll be a far cry from the style of the 1920′s bride pictured here!  By the way, what do you think of that bouquet?

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Selecting Your Wedding Vendors

Wednesday, April 14th, 2010

I‘ve heard the term “faking it” used a lot recently and it got me thinking that when it comes to wedding planning there are times when vendors decide to fake it–especially when a business is still finding an authentic identity (ie. what they really do well).  My first few seasons were speckled with their fair share of faking it moments in an effort to never say “no” to anyone. 

Can you decorate my tent poles?  Absolutely!  Have you ever done x, y, z before?  No problemo.  Is it possible for you to rent/build/invent something?  You got it!  I can learn how to solder by next June, can’t I? 

While I can happily say that I have never promised something I couldn’t actually deliver (it’s not like I was just making things up as I went along after all!), I did fake it on occasion with the confidence that I could accomplish what was requested of me.

As my business has grown over the last 8 wedding seasons I have learned how not to fake it and experience has shown me the importance of being able to guide a bride in the right direction when design details become overwhelming, cost prohibitive, or out-of-line with the overall scope of the day.  Don’t get me wrong, I will still take on design elements that I haven’t done before–that’s half the fun of my job and part of what it means to create custom designs!–but I can approach them with an accurate understanding of the time considerations and costs required to complete them.  

Moral of the story?…An experienced wedding vendor won’t need to fake it and can help guide you in your planning process to create a day that reflects your wedding style.  Personal style (of both the vendor and you, the couple!), pricing variables and gut instincts will be your guides when selecting wedding vendors.  You should be comfortable and confident with your choices so you won’t feel compelled to micromanage the professionals you’ve hired.  You have to trust your vendors, otherwise you should question why you hired them in the first place!