Coral Wedding Flowers for Dominique and Javier

Normally I will do a close-up of the Bridal Bouquet as a first picture, but I want to explain this particular bridal bouquet before I show it- so the first picture for this wedding post is a picture of the Toss Bouquet.
Dominique and Javier first dropped by my studio (at my home in Cary) in February, and both were exuberant as they shared  ideas for their late May wedding. Lots of personal touches would be included, and the colors would be bold- bright corals and deep navy and cobalt blue.
My part was to provide flowers for the bridesmaids, Gerber daisies for the wine bottle centerpieces, and some floral accents for the gift table.
And since it was a May wedding, I wanted to introduce them both to some garden flowers that could play a support role to the Gerber daisies and coral spray roses.
So the week after our initial meeting in February, I started seeds for zinnias in bright corals and salmon.
A few weeks before the wedding, Javier and Dominique came by to drop off the cobalt blue wine bottles for the centerpieces. While they were here, we stepped out to the garden, and I was able to show them the bed of zinnias. Dominique also liked the double flowered form of feverfew that blooms this time of year, so some of them were included in the bouquets too.
And speaking of wine bottle centerpieces....
They were perfect for the reception at Cafe Luna in Raleigh. Another personal touch was cloth napkins in bright corals and navy. Dominique's Mom, Debi, stitched up each one!
And  Dominique's Dad, Dominick, put his wine making skills to work in providing small gift bottles of wine for all the guests!
And finally... Remember the Bridal Bouquet? Well I'm not the one who created it... This bouquet was created by Dominique's Mom- a beautiful bouquet designed with silk florals and brooches!

They dropped by several days before the wedding, and I was able to get a few pictures of Dominique holding her wedding bouquet- Just stunning!

What a beautiful and loving keepsake... 

Everything came together beautifully last Saturday. 

Dominique and Javier, I am so happy for you both! Praying God's blessing on your new marriage!!!

Pink Gerber Daisies for Susan and David

May has been such a pleasant month for weddings! I know we've had some extra warm days here and there and some very rainy days, but overall, this skies have been blue, the air has been refreshing and everything stills looks so fresh- almost glowing.
So I can see why couples choose this time of year for weddings. And today was the DAY that David and Susan chose for their Wedding Day!
Susan loves pink- bright, hot pink with touches of soft pink. Some of her favorite flowers are Gerber Daisies, but she's fond of lots of others too!
So of course the color palette was full of hot pinks- cerise, fuchsia, raspberry and soft apple blosssom pink. Other flowers included stock, carnations and daisy mums,  and I think she agreed with me that soft pink Majolica spray roses would look lovely too.
For the men- the boutonnieres were designed with white roses and and a sprig of freesia for David.
All the flowers looked perfect when I picked them up from the wholesaler, and it was great to have gatherings from the garden too- such as pink hydrangeas, creamy foxglove, pink larkspur and yarrow, and dainty white feverfew.
So glad I was able to see Susan briefly and know that she was delighted with her flowers.
And so begins the new chapter of husband and wife- Praying God's blessing for Susan and David as they start their married life!!!

Yellow Poppies and Blue Nigella for Katie's Bridal Shower

In just three weeks, Katie will be getting married. It's hard to believe!

Another little girl that I have had the privilege of watching grow up into a beautiful young woman. And I am so happy for her as she gets ready for her special day.
so yesterday was her bridal shower...
And the perfect opportunity to put together this springtime centerpiece from the garden. While the color palette for her wedding will have bolder shades, I thought these softer hues would be lovely for her shower- silvery Lamb's Ear and Dusty Miller, Green Spice Heuchera, blue Love-in-a-Mist (Nigella), pale yellow poppies, yarrow, and ivory Foxglove.

And in a few more weeks it will be time to do the wedding flowers!

Poppies- Springtime Wedding Flowers in Pastel Shades

The garden is starting to churn out flowers. Not as quickly as I would like, but they are starting up.
A new flower in the lineup is Iceland Poppy "Meadow Pastels". I have talked to several people who have grown poppies before and they all seem to think they are fairly easy to grow. This is my first year to grow this variety which is a good cut flower variety.
I ordered seeds from Johnny Selected Seeds, and started them in February. What a beautiful, delicate bloom, and I love the pastel shades of peach, salmon, pale yellow and even bright orange.
The bouquet above features Iceland Poppies, Foxglove, Fairy Rose, Feverfew, Love-in-a-Mist (Nigella), and Larkspur.
The next picture is of the same bouquet with the Foxgloves removed. I think that I like this more rounded version better.
Iceland Poppies have a short vase life- about four to five days which is just fine for wedding work. I re-cut the stems in water when I bring them in from the garden and place them in hot water to condition.
One more note about poppies there are several varieties out there and not all do well as cut flowers. Be sure to look for "Papaver nudicaule". And I am considering sowing some seeds outdoors in the fall. These plants do not seem to like the heat. I hope to plant them earlier and have them blooming by April- maybe in time for Katey's wedding!

Wedding Flowers in Cream and White for Jenna & Todd

May is one of the most beautiful months for weddings. There's such a richness in all of nature this time of year. I guess that is one of the reasons that Jenna and Todd chose May 5th for their wedding day.
I first met with Jenna and Todd in January- they were so sweet together and very excited as they looked forward to their May wedding.
For her wedding flowers, Jenna wanted a soft blended palette of ivories, creams and whites with touches of green. Flower choices included creamy Vendela roses, Majolica Spray roses, white freesia and lisianthus.


Green hydrangeas gave a nice contrast to the Maid of Honor and Flower Girl bouquets.

White Lisianthus blooms and petite Majolica roses were used for the boutonnieres

And Mother's corsages were created with white Lisianthus, Majolica spray roses, Dusty Miller and fresh greenery from the garden.
Jenna and Todd exchanged their vows at St. Thomas More Catholic Church in Chapel Hill, and enjoyed a picturesque reception at the Aquaduct Conference Center just outside of Chapel Hill. Thankfully the rain held off for most of the festivities.

I am so happy for you two! Praying God's blessings for you as you begin your lives as husband and wife!!!

Garden Delights- Peonies and Foxglove

The month of May has made a steamy arrival! Not the best weather for flowering plants that want it just a little bit cooler- especially the peonies. I think they are going to be a memory in about a week.
So enjoy them NOW! Cut the flowers in the morning before the heat arrives- ideally before the blooms are fully opened. They will reward you with their beauty and fragrance for about 4 to 5 days.A wonderful foxglove (Digitalis purpurea) called "Camelot" has been showing up in garden centers for the past couple of years. Long spires of speckled bells in ivory, raspberry pink and lavender light up the landscape and look STUNNING in floral designs as the one above. Other flowers in this design include Love-in-a-Mist (Nigella), Larkspur, and Fairy roses.
Foxglove can be grown from seed in the late summer. Johnny's Selected Seeds
( http://www.johnnyseeds.com/ ) offers this selection as pelleted seed which makes sowing them much easier. I will try to put up a " how to" post in August.