Vibrant Lumen Ceremony and Reception

We recently found these images tucked away on our desktop from a wedding we did a couple of seasons ago.  Nicolle and Grant had a colorful ceremony and reception at Lumen Event Space.  Here are the bright colors of their day that never go out of style.  Images by LPhotographie.

Nicolle's bouquet was a bright mix of yellow billy balls (crespedia), orange ranunculus, hot pink spray roses, and buplerum greenery.

Nicolle's bouquet was very petite to match her features.

The guys sported bright pops of color, too!

 

The maids carried these clutches of mini green hydrangea, spray roses, and yellow solidago.

Nicolle is from Australia, which her girls represented nicely!

The ceremony took place upstairs at Lumen in front of this vibrant ribbon wall.

 

Downstairs for the reception, rustic touches were added to the food and guest tables.

Long guest tables with pops of green, orange, and hot pink.

It was a special treat to be a part of this wedding.  Best of luck, Nicolle and Grant!

Vintage Spring Wedding

Allison and Drew were just the cutest couple on their wedding day!  Their style had a very vintage feel and embraced the colors of spring since their wedding was in April.  Here are the amazing shots by Elaine Rohde Photography.

Allison wanted a very textured bouquet with pops of yellow and green.

To achieve that look we incorporated large, soft blooms like hydrangea and stock flower with yellow crespedia, buplerum, and silver dusty miller.

The bridemaids had a similar look for their flowers, just with less of the bright green.

The men wore clusters of yellow crespedia that really popped off of their grey vests.

We love little ones in a wedding party!

Allison added a charm to her bouquet to remember passed loved ones.

The decor at the reception was very fresh and clean, using the same blooms as the personal flowers to coordinate.

All our best to the bride and groom and their families!  It was a pleasure working with you!

Inspiration Pictures from Pinterest- The Price is in the Details

We say over and over at our studio that we really don't know how our clients select the type, color, and style of their wedding flowers.  There are so many flowers to choose from and so many more options than there was just a decade ago.  Many of our clients use Pinterest and the internet to give them ideas of what they like and don't like, but the options really are endless.  Once a client has settled on a picture or pictures that they are really drawn to, we do our best to pull off the same look and feel within the season and price range we are given.  Here is a picture of a bouquet that we recognize from some of our recent consultations:

This is a very beautiful example of the popular blush pink and ivory color scheme that a lot of our brides seem drawn to.  It is soft and lush and has just a hint of color.  The blooms you see are white peonies, blush pink astilbe, and white anemones with black centers.  These flowers work well together in this arrangement and are romantic and distinctive.  

If you are not a floral designer by trade, you wouldn't know that all the blooms pictured have select seasons of availability and are very popular, making them high-end choices for a garden bouquet.  Because this bouquet's background and base is all high-priced peonies, and the "detail" flowers that give the arrangement interest are medium to high priced,  this bouquet can easily be on the upper range or exceed many budgets.  Our rule at our studio is the bride should get what they want, regardless of price.  We can always make suggestions on cost savings elsewhere if the inspiration picture is exactly what the client wants.  However, if you are simply drawn to this photo or others like it, here are examples of other inspirations of a similar style that are more cost effective:

The first two photos are of the same bouquet.  In this design, peonies and anemones are still used, but the bouquet is backed with white hydrangeas to lessen the number of peonies needed.  It is still a very lush bouquet and the blush pink could be added with a filler flower or by changing the shade of the roses pictured.  The third image is a very similar bouquet but without anemones.  If they are not a deal-breaker for you, removing those blooms and adding hydrangea in the background can be a significant cost savings.  We just did a consultation with a bride that brought us the Pinterest picture with all the high-end elements.  Since she had a budget range that wouldn't quite cover the inspiration picture, we made similar suggestions to save her almost 30% on her bouquet.  Although flower prices fluctuate in different markets and different seasons, just a few substitutions for our bride meant that she could still have the look and feel that she wanted without breaking her bank.  In a lot of cases, the price of an arrangement really boils down to the flower details- bloom varieties, demand within a season, and the quantity needed to achieve a look.  Flexibility is key when working within a budget AND a great inspiration picture.

Cute Backyard Ceremony

Heather and Steven were the sweetest clients!  They were married in Heather's parents' backyard.  There were so many personal details to this outdoor ceremony!  The beautiful landscape and sweet, romantic additions made it all so unique.  Here are some photos from Nicole Welch Photography.

All the sweet details were just perfect for the ceremony location.

All the flowers were kept loose and lush to mimic the flowers in the landscaping.

Hanging jars full of gardeny blooms lined the aisle.

We added flowers to the ceremony structure, which was made from old wooden posts and a ladder for a cross piece.  With the fabric, flowers, and ribbon chandelier, it was just as sweet as could be!

We loved the lanterns that were strung in the trees!  So much fun!

All our best to Heather and Steven and their families!  We had such fun being a part of your day!

Vintage Winter Wedding Photo Shoot

Have a look at some very pretty shots by Elizabeth Ngundue.  We worked with her on this stylized photo shoot and designed vintage-looking winter flowers with seasonal textures.

This bouquet featured peonies, hydrangea, brunea berries, pine cones, and seeded eucalyptus.  The softness of the blooms contrasted nicely with the winter textures of the berries and pine cones.

Some good inspiration for winter flowers, even though winter is (hopefully) long past us.  :)

Spring Wedding at Moulin

The spring-like weather has made us reminisce about our favorite spring weddings.  Here is one from last May.  Patti and John enjoyed their wedding and reception at Moulin surrounded by family and friends.  Not only is Patti a former wedding vendor that we have worked closely with, but she is also a friend of the Sisters team.  We were so honored to be a part of their day.  Here are some images by SJ Macky Photography.

Shades of purple were used in all of the flowers for Patti and John.  Loose and textured seasonal blooms including stock flower and tulips were mixed with silver dusty miller greenery.

First look!

The ceremony was held in the Chouteau Room at Moulin.  Fabric draping and tall flowers pieces framed Patti and John during their vows.

After the ceremony, the guests moved upstarts to the Centennial Ballroom for the reception.  The tables were decorated in all lavenders and purples.  Two different centerpieces were used to give varying heights and designs to the tables.

All our best to the bride and groom!!  It was a pleasure!

Inspiration Pictures from Pinterest-- Seasonal Blooming Branches

The power of Pinterest does have many advantages.  One advantage is that some recently popular flower types have become more readily available all year round to meet the growing demand of popular looks demonstrated on the site and others like it.  Examples of this include hydrangea, peonies, and dahlias.  In past years, these flower types had defined growing seasons and were only available certain months of the year.  Now, it is steadily becoming more commonplace for us to see them in all seasons of the year.  However, this trend is not as common for some blooms, especially blooming branches.  Though there are more individual farms that cultivate and grow blooming trees/shrubs, they are a commodity that still heavily relies on mother nature versus climate controlled greenhouses to reach blooming maturity.  Here is one of our more popular Pinterest inspirations that includes blooming branches:

As with most of the images on Pinterest, this centerpiece is stunning.  We love it and wish we could do this every month of the year!  However, (you knew it was coming) these blooming branches are really only available in the spring months.  The exact weeks/months will vary year to year due to weather factors.  For instance, if an early spring freeze occurs in one region, all the flower buds on the blooming branches at several farms may be wiped out.  The remaining branches at other farms will then be in high demand due to lack of supply.  Likewise, a warmer than normal spring can also be a challenge.  Though we all like a warm week in early spring, it can cause premature blooming in whole crops of branches.  If it warms up enough, trees will bud and bloom in a very truncated period of time, causing a shortened blooming branch season.  This would be bad news for someone hoping for blooming branches in mid-May for instance.

So, here are some thoughts about achieving this design without the blooming branches.  As we have mentioned in previous blogs, a good designer can find ways to mimic a look without the exact blooms.  Take a glance at the shot with several of the blooming branch pieces in one room: 

This image gives a very soft, ethereal-looking sense to the space.  A similar vessel and non-blooming branches could be used with the same base of hydrangea at the opening of the vase.  Then, tall, linear flowers could be incorporated into the branches to soften the whole arrangement and mimic the blooming branches.  The overall look and feel would be very similar and would have applications far beyond the spring months.  

As with any inspiration picture, flexibility is key to achieving the same general feeling.  Don't become discouraged if the blooms in your favorite photo are out of season for your wedding.  Just be willing to take suggestions about how to make the next best thing available your new favorite.