Sweet Detail Shots
March 28, 2009I love working with Jasmine Star for so many reasons. Besides her energy and spunky personality, she takes FABULOUS floral detail shots and always spoils me with the images. It’s only been a month since Naomi and Steve’s 2.28.09 wedding, and yesterday morning I received a disc with all my favorite flower images. Score!
The bridesmaids carried fluffy hydrangea, phaleonopsis orchids, lavender scabiosa, and more.
What a precious shot!
Wild curly willow, swags of crystals, and lots of draping florals made for a totally romantic arch.
We alternated between 3 different centerpieces. This one was a dark stained box packed with flowers and hurricane candles.
This centerpiece featured cymbidiums, phaleonopsis, and roses wired onto curly willow.
Red, Wine, and Blue!
March 23, 2009My meeting with Nichole and Kerrie Underhill was one of the most fun consults ever. We laughed, we gushed, we brainstormed… and the vision for this energetic wedding emerged. Nichole wanted her florals to be voluptuous, dramatic and modern, with lots of sparkle. I loved how Nichole was willing to take risks with her florals and color palette.
Special thanks to Kerrie and her sweet assistants. Setting up all the intricate details for this wedding was not an easy task, and the Platinum Weddings gals were so eager to help us out along the way. You rock!
Extra special thanks to my amazing TPetal helpers (Shana, Deb, and my lovely sis) who, with superhuman strength, hoisted 70 pound arrangements onto the tables, snapped the heads off of over 1000 roses, poured enough blue water to fill a swimming pool, and came back at midnight to clean it all up. I adore you guys!
I am so excited to share Nichole and Mike’s wedding with you. When I saw Amy Squire’s blog post this morning, my jaw dropped. They captured this wedding so fabulously. Check out their blog post for the full scoop!
Meet the beautiful couple! I love how Amy Squires found so many cool backdrops at the Huntington Beach Hyatt.
Wowsers, check out Nichole's shoes! You can see her red and black bouquet in the background. She wanted "tasteful bling" on her bouquet wrap- these precious teal rhinestone buttons did the trick!
This was an incredible scene: Two huge vases full of blue water supported an arch of tangled curly willow, accented with striking red flowers and dangling aqua crystals. The swirly aisle went from dark red (black baccara roses), to medium red (black magic roses), to bright red (freedom roses).
I love their joyful expressions!
Too much fabulousness!
The bride crafted that cake stand herself! And that cake was almost too beautiful to eat.
So many amazing details.
Kathy and Gregg’s Mossy Green Wedding
March 21, 2009Kathy and Gregg saw a funky pattern on their photographer’s shootsac and instantly fell in love with the playful green, black and white color scheme. This became the inspiration for the wedding. We wanted to use those very modern colors in a more natural, rustic way to complement their venue, The French Estate- a beautiful old house surrounded by trees in Orange, my hometown.
Here’s a little peak at their fresh and modern wedding captured by the insanely talented Gabriel Ryan. It was so great to finally meet Gabriel and Carlie- I’ve been a long time admirer of their work, and they couldn’t have been more chill, sweet, and gracious that day. Check out their blog for the full post!
Thank you to Kerrie Underhill for being so fabulous throughout the planning and execution of Kathy and Gregg’s wedding. Kerrie is so sharp! Not a detail is overlooked when Kerrie is in charge, and I love that!
The bride carried hydrangea, ranunculus, peonies, orchids, black dahlias, and more. the bridesmaids carried nosegays of chartreuse spider mums. Classic!
Her delicate dress and funky shoes were to die for!
Too cute!
Haha! This picture is awesome in so many ways.
Moss covered initials greeted guests.
There's those black dahlias I keep talking about!
I can’t wait to share more details from this charming and intimate wedding!
“Black” Flowers
March 13, 2009I have a few weddings coming up that will feature black florals, either in mass amounts or as striking accents against other colors. When I say “black” florals, I really mean dark dark burgundy, purple or brown. There are, to my knowledge, no truly black flowers. But here are some that give the impression of black and look so amazing and mysterious in arrangments:
My favorite, black dahlias:
Here I am putting the finishing touches on one of last weekend's casual and funky centerpieces featuring black dahlias. I did purposefully wear a green, black and white dress to match the wedding color palette. I look WAY too intense in this pic.
Scabiosa (photo via Apartment Therapy):
Most brides are disgusted by the name SCABiosa. The flower does look very scab-like! But it looks awesome grouped together in bouquets.
Black callas (photos via Jessica Claire):
A couture bouquet I crafted for Trista Lerit awhile back.
Can you also spot the scabiosa in there?
Black baccara roses (photo by The Image is Found):
Dramatic pops of black baccaras amid vivid pink and lime florals.
Black iris:
Totally rare and totally pricey. But gorgeous nonetheless!
Landini lilies:
It's really difficult to track down asiatic lilies that are this dark. It's much easier to find "blackout" lilies, which are a bit more on the burgundy side. I bought buckets and buckets of blackout lilies for this weekend's wedding!
I’m a not a morbid person in the least, but black flowers really float my boat! What’s your opinion on them?
Feeling Domestic!
March 11, 2009After reading my friend Trista’s blog post on her gorgeous home decor inspirations, I wanted to gab about mine, too! It was a bit of a struggle figuring out my home decor style. From week to week I find myself delving into so many completely different styles. My first wedding of ‘09 was soft, romantic, and traditional. Last week- black and white graphics and lime green florals. This week- sultry, over the top glam. Next week – cutesy grapefruit pink and mercury glass. And I can honestly say I get overly excited about each and every wedding I do! In that moment when I’m seeing it all come together, I feel like it IS my style. I really get into it, you know?
But my home is completely mine. I don’t have to worry if it suits anyone else’s style. I just want it to be absolutely, positively ME. (and Joe of course 
After browsing through endless design blogs and mags, Joe and I decided we want our home decor to be:
Cozy. Eclectic. Welcoming. International. Detailed. Slightly worn. Antique. Exotic. Affordable. Nothing too trendy. Nothing that I’ll need to overhaul in a few years. I’m trying to buy most of my furniture and tchotchkes off of craigslist, ebay, and flea markets.
Although deep, Tuscan red is typically not my favorite color (I’m more of a pink girl) I just love how warm it makes a home feel. And for Joe a pink house was not an option. So we started with ruby red and other jewel tones against the preexisting yellow-beige walls and neutral travertine floors.
I found a few inspiration pics that seemed to call out to me right away via Desire To Inspire:
I adore everything about this living room. I especially love the tall ladder and bookshelves. Joe is trying to build a library in a loft area of our bedroom, complete with a tall ladder. That would be a dream come true!
The following are via Habitually Chic:
This last one is via The Inspired Room:
First Wedding of ‘09!
March 6, 2009When I met Naomi and Steve for our initial consultation, Naomi literally squealed with joy at the floral vision we were brainstorming. Our goal was to bring out the natural beauty of Rancho Las Lomas, which is nestled in Silverado Canyon, a place where I spent much of my childhood hiking the trails and splashing in the creek (back then it was safe, but I might grow some extra limbs if I tried that now!) Naomi’s excitement was infectious- I couldn’t help but be excited for this gorgeous lavender, cream and sage wedding. Naomi wanted classic florals with unexpected elements of sparkle. Lots of candlelight, fluffy florals and pretty scents (lavender, hyacinth, gardenias, etc.) Also rustic, garden elements like moss, fresh herbs, wooden planters and curly willow branches. My last few weddings of 2008 were fabulously funky and modern, so it was nice to do start the year off with a soft, traditional, feminine wedding.
The dream team of vendors included Angel Swanson and Jasmine Star, who I adore working with. Those girls have so much energy and talent. Check out Jasmine’s blog for the full story on this precious couple, and the rest of the stunning imagery. Since I’m sure Angel will soon be sharing on the Love and Splendor blog about all the sweet details from the wedding, I’ll focus on the florals and how they all came together.
Doesn’t Naomi look pretty? She carried tibet roses, mini callas, ranunculus, gardenias and hyacinth. Steve wore a single calla accented with twigs and hyacinth blossoms.
Playful balls of flowers hung from wrought iron hooks along the aisle, accented with a single dangling crystal.
The curly willow arch was dripping in florals and draping swags of crystals (you can kinda see it in the background.) Uber romantic!
The flower girl carried a curly willow basket accented by hyacinth blossoms, and the ring bearer carried a pillow of moss. Angel designed the beautiful paper products.
Just a few of the reception details. I loved the dried lavender sprigs that Angel tucked into each napkin.
The hands-down cutest detail from the wedding, and I cannot take an ounce of credit! The party favors were terra cotta pots filled with herbs and Angel’s hand-written puns
Too cute!
Anyhoo, I’ve been hard at work creating florals for this weekend’s black, white and green wedding. I get to use my favorite flower in the world, the mysterious black dahlia!!! And I just recently noticed that they smell a little like chocolate. Pictures to come soon!
And I’m proud to mention that Zenadia Design featured some of my work and commentary on their beautiful blog. Check it out!
