Garden Wedding

A garden wedding. This one took place in a family "backyard", 3 or so acres, more resembling a park, beautiful, lush, green, private. The bride asked for flowers with a garden-y feel. As though they could have been cut from that garden. A palette that spoke to summer colors. There was one bridesmaid was the step-daughter-to-be. The only specific bride request was about her bouquet. Something a bit cascading. With a few calla lilies. And vine. The Reception: poolside. The lanterns were moved from the ceremony to tables. They made for a graceful transition from afternoon ceremony to evening reception, with toasts and dancing. All on a perfect August day. 

Lovely when the look of the wedding, flowers, decor, linens, all take their cue from the wedding site. 

Ceremony Arches

Wedding arches are never going out of favor. Never. A beautiful arch is the classic solution to creating the ambiance for the ceremony. It draws the eye to the couple and almost draws a circle around them. Hey, right here, it almost says. Reels in the viewer even in the most amazing setting.

Creating the perfectly-coifed arch reflecting the couple's artistic vision is the challenge at at hand. There is an oh-so sparsely flowered approach, letting the arch itself shine. And the vine and greened arch, covered in a way that suggests its been growing there for years. The ones that make us wedding florists drool, the  ones smothered in roses and vines, like something out of The Secret Garden. Arches have been fashioned out of downed birch trees, random branches, driftwood, wrought iron, a wooden garden trellis, an existing pergola or gazebo, and even copper tubing like the one below. Arches can be personalized even more by draping. What's to say you can't use a vibrant color instead of the usual white drape? With a chandelier dropped behind? Check out these fabulous arches. Yep, It's grown up fairy tale stuff. 

 Amazing Ceremony Structures viaBrides.com Haley Sheffield

Arch with rustic treatment,  rough cut timbers , lushly adorned with vines and flowers. The lantern at the base anchor the posts that could appear bare.  Via www.noflowersnolife.xom

Beautiful  flowered arch in graduated tones pale to burgundy. via www.weddingapp.com Eric Ronald Photography

A  simple construction allowing the flowers and foliage to do all the talking.. www.mywedding.com photo by Anushe Low

Nothing says the arch, or chuppah, in this case, has to be white. This one is a muted pink, which has found its way into flower palettes in a big way this wedding season. via brides.com, photo Gary Ashley of The Wedding Collective,

Rustic and twiggish arch with a Bohemian touch.   via greenweddingshoes.com Fall's Flowers.

Using Succulents in Wedding Florals

Succulents are no longer just for terrariums. They are appearing more and more in floral design. I'm seeing them in bridal bouquets, table decor, boutonnieres and even on wedding cakes. I'm excited to be creating a beautiful bride's bouquet this July featuring Tillandsia, an air plant, and succulents as the stars of the show. There's something delightful about seeing this unusual "flower" subjecting the garden roses to the back seat! 

Here's some beautiful samples. Notice the combination of textures combined that really make the succulents sing! Combining different sizes and hues make it even more interesting. On a side note, the succulents can be removed from bouquets as a keepsake. They are simple to root. This memorabilia from your wedding bouquet could live on for years as a plant!  Same for the air plants. Find a little perch or pedestal and it's a great coffee table accent.

Succulent bridal bouquet by JL Designs photo byAaron Young via weddings.com

Pops of pink succulent bouttonierre via Style Me Pretty

Design by Eucca Floral Studio. via Wedding Chicks

Elegant compote centerpiece featuring succulents, dahlias, blackberries and even donkey tails! from Casar Casar 

Cake decor  and dessert table decor by JL Designs photo Aaron Young via weddings.com

Escort card table design by JL Studio  photo by Aaron Young via weddings.ocm

I want a bouquet with a lot of greenery...

Bouquets featuring greenery are a growing trend in wedding florals. Actually, not just in bouquets but for the entire look. Perhaps it surfaced because green is the new Pantone 2017 color of the year. Sometimes it's touted as a budget friendly way to provide the maximum floral-ness to the day. It is a beautiful look. But it does require a skillful hand and sometimes a lot of greenery to pull it off with class, which challenges the premise that it is budget friendly.

Here are some beautiful examples of this trend. This style of bouquet can be described as a natural "just picked" look, gathered and a little wild. What makes them so striking is the variety of greenery used. The different textures give them interest. In the bouquets below, there are several textures and varieties of eucalyptus. The blossoms are quite secondary. As for the arch dressed with hops, the scale and generous use of this distinctive foliage makes it a standout!

Bella Bloom Floral,  Arch with Hops., Photo by Emily G Photography

From Bridalmusings.com,  article: Foliage is the New Flower

Greenery bouquet with lots of textures www.kootenaywedding.com

a just-picked style of bouquet, mostly greenery. www.bohemiancreature.wordpress.com