Weddings- CeCe and Lee

Flowers... So many colors, so many choices! It's one of the things that I love about floral designs. Each bride has a particular style and each bride is drawn to different flowers and colors. And I love helping each one as she seeks to find the flowers that will best express her personality. CeCe knew that she wanted to use bright pinks and yellows with doses of soft pink and green. She also knew that she wanted flowers that had that "picked from the garden" look.
It was such a treat to bring all the elements that she wanted together- golden yellow ranunculus and button mums and even a few yellow and pink tulips from the garden along with soft pink stock with shots of hot pink stock as well, camellia leaves and rosemary from the garden, and green buds of larkspur all woven together into beautiful bouquets for the bridesmaids.
CeCe's Maid of Honor was her sister, Lori, so she wanted to add some rich pink anemones to set her bouquet apart. The yellow tulip from the garden sets off the pinks just beautifully.
CeCe's bouquet was designed with the hot pink anemones, white ranunculus and pink lisianthus and the cutest yellow flowers called Billy Buttons or craspedia. This was one flower that she really wanted to use and I didn't think that I would be able to get it this time of year- thankfully I was wrong- it made the bouquet truly stand out. I have some seedlings of craspedia that I am growing for my summer weddings.

One of the sweetest touches was the wrap for CeCe's bouquet- it was taken from her mother, Cile's, wedding gown... What a special way to add something "old" to your wedding day!
It was a joy to be able to work with CeCe and her Mom and sister and design the flowers for her wedding day!

Flowers from the Garden for CeCe and Lee's wedding

I love being able to pick flowers from the garden and put them to good use! Last weekend I had the perfect opportunity with CeCe and Lee's wedding. Flowering branches of bridal wreath spirea, cherry blossoms and kerria japonica, and plump tulip blossoms found their way into some of the designs.
Sometimes garden gatherings are the little touches- but they can add so much to the total impact. The cube vases above hold one of my new fun favorites- ornithogalum balancae- I say this tongue in cheek because the green stems are from a flowering bulb that is pretty invasive. I am happy that I have found a great use for these green tufts in spring time designs.
This is the chartreuse green foliage from another one of my spireas. It was a great substitute for a flower that I was not able to get from my supplier and added a bright wispy element to the bride's and bridesmaids' bouquets.
The picture above is a close up of Kerria japonica. I love these golden yellow frilly flowers. They pop out on long wand like branches and light up designs with their brightness.
Aren't these tulips gorgeous! They are an early double flower form called Foxtrot, and while CeCe wasn't sure that she would use tulips- I wanted to have them on hand just in case... They worked beautifully in the bridesmaids bouquets and some were an impromptu addition to the reception tables.
Tomorrow I plan to put up some shots of the bouquets. I wish I had had more time to take pictures of some of the other designs, but it just didn't happen- hey I am not a photographer. So I'm really looking forward to seeing the great pictures of the wedding that were taken by Nancy of Nancy Ray Photography.

Spring Wedding Flowers- Bridal Crown Narcissi and Bridal Wreath Spirea

I'm loving this new (to me) narcissus! It's called Bridal Crown and it has the sweetest little flowers! The bouquet above is just a simple gathering of Bridal Crown Narcissi stems. The flowers are creamy white with with saffron yellow cup stamens and a light sweet fragrance.
Here's another bouquet with Bridal Crown, white hydrangeas and white lisianthus with a swirl of Bridal Wreath Spirea encircling the lower stems.
These are a couple of pictures from the garden of Bridal Wreath spirea (above) and the Bridal Crown narcissi (below). Their bloom season is from mid to late March.
The bridal wreath spirea will be worked into some of the ceremony designs for CeCe's wedding this weekend, and the narcissus might find its way into some of the designs for the cocktails tables at the reception.
Here's another shot of the second bouquet. I wrapped the stems with silver aluminum wire after I swirled the spirea around and on itself.
This charming bouquet has a vase life of about five days. It is perfect for brides who like all things gardeny and it so wonderfully conveys springtime here in Cary, NC!

Wedding Flowers- Blue Hyacinth, Pussy Willow and Hellebore

I have been waiting and waiting and it is finally here- SPRING! Well, it's been showing up slowly over the last few weeks, but the gardens are really start to fill up with blooms. I wanted to post this picture I took a couple of weeks ago of a bouquet of blue hyacinths and hellebore from the garden. In reference to my "Get Ready for Spring" post on February 27th, yes, I did pick the blue hyacinths. I also picked some of the lovely hellebore flowers too and even some pussy willow. They were fashioned into a beautiful bouquet with green button mums, lisianthus and green hydrangea.

I am so blessed to live in an area where spring begins in February!

Close-up of the hellebore.

After this post I am headed out to the garden. It's time to plant foxgloves and Neon dianthus that were started from seed back in December. I am also going to keep my eyes on the tulips that are starting to bloom- we are going to get in the low 80's tomorrow and tulips will just fly open and kind of melt in those kind of temps. So I will start picking them and putting them in the cooler.
Next weekend is CeCe's wedding and some of the tulips I planted last fall were just for her!

Weddings- Courtney and Nick

March is such a splendid month for weddings! And last Saturday was a delightful day for Courtney and Nick's wedding. I met with Courtney and her Mom, Evelyn, last fall, and she definitely knew the look she wanted for her bouquet- classic white with calla lilies and roses and freesia and stock. It was a beautiful bouquet with a sweet delicate fragrance.
For her bridesmaids she wanted rich jewel colors that would compliment her all white bouquet and set off their watermelon pink dresses.

The bridesmaids' flowers included bright pink gerber daisies, yellow spray roses, purple stock and lavender carnations.

Little details add a lot to the wedding. Here is a row of pew markers, tied with moss green ribbon, waiting to be packed for the trip to the wedding site. The flowers included fuchsia stock, purple larkspur and yellow spray roses. Notice how the yellows make all the colors sparkle.
The ceremony arrangements were set upon metal planters and included all the colors found the bridesmaid bouquet. In addition, I added some Bells of Ireland which fit in well with the family's Irish heritage. The ceremony, though slated for outdoors, actually took place inside the reception hall at The Matthews House because the ground was too wet after last Thursday's afternoon rains.. But here's a shot of how the design would have looked if the grounds had permitted.
I am so happy for you, Courtney and Nick, and I wish you all the best as you begin that wonderful journey as husband and wife.
PS: I can't wait to see the wonderful pics that Michael of Michael's Memories captured of your special day!!!

Wedding Bouquets in Yellow and White

Ice Follies Daffodils or Narcissus are a staple in many spring gardens, and for years I have given them but a passing nod. But last fall I realized that these little work horses have some lovely qualities, and besides they have always been a favorite flower of my daughter, Judy. So late in December when I had such a longing for all things spring I knew I would pick them when they showed up in March and put them in a wedding bouquet. These pictures show the fruit of my labor.
When working with daffodils, it is important to remember that they must be cut and placed in a vase of water separately from other flowers for at least eight to twelve hours. They leak a slimy fluid that will pollute the water and spoil other flowers. When working them into designs after proper conditioning remember not to cut their stems again, (so cut them a little short the first time). Vase life should be around four to five days. Ice Follies start out with white back petals and lemon yellow cups that mature to a soft creamy white- I'm loving them this year!!!

Weddings- Emma and Bobby

Well here are some of the pictures that I was able to take of Emma and Bobby's wedding flowers. I absolutely loved the fresh white and green colors- they are perfect for early spring. The designs for the reception were clean and simple- Majolika roses, pussy willow, curly willow and ornithogalum grasses. They worked well with the venue that Emma and Bobby had chosen- the NC Museum of Natural Sciences!!! The Museum is in downtown Raleigh, NC and provided a wonderfully interesting atmosphere for the reception.
Emma's bouquet was designed in rich creams and whites- freesia, Akito roses, ranunculus and lisianthus, accented with green hydrangea heads. The bridesmaids bouquets included bright green Kermit mums, Majolika spray roses, lisianthus, ranunculus and green hydrangea heads.
Freesia is so wonderfully fragrant in a bouquet! And I love the delicate petals of the ranunculus!
Last year I was able to find some beautiful antique handkerchiefs. I bought them to give to my brides so they would have a practical keepsake. And they work great as "something old".
I met a wonderful photographer as I arrived at Jones Chapel to deliver the flowers. She is Amanda Olson of Amanda Olson Photography, and I loved watching her in action. She has an artist eye and I can't wait to see how she has captured Emma and Bobby's wedding.
I was also impressed by caterers from The Q Shack. I had a little sample provided by Markeem, who was one of the staff- it was GREAT!!!
I notice when folks seem to be going above and beyond what is expected. Amanda stayed beyond the end of the reception just to catch some more interesting images and I overheard one of the gentleman from the Q Shack offering a helping hand to the bride's family as they were taking items to the car. Little things that really speak volumes!
It was a great joy to meet with Emma and her family and to be a part of Emma and Bobby's wedding!

Weddings- Emma and Bobby

Tomorrow is Emma and Bobby's wedding day! And today has been a busy day in my studio. The little creamers above are holding posies for the flower girls. The colors that Emma has chosen tie so well with the beginning of spring. Creams, ivories and whites with rich doses of spring green make for beautiful bouquets and centerpieces.
Tomorrow I hope to be able to grab the camera and get some good preview shots. Today has been a time of work, reflecting and praying- I do that for my couples.
Tomorrow there will be a new husband and wife....