Weddingbee PRO

A couple months ago, one of my favorite photographers, Jasmine Star, asked me if I'd like to create a unique, over the top bouquet for a special day after shoot she'll be photographing. She basically gave me free reign with this, and told me to create a work of art. Her one rule — must not be a perfect “roundy moundy” (as my old floral instructor called it) of flowers tied with a ribbon. Of course, I'm up for it! But, no rules? No predetermined color palette? No list of flower likes and dislikes to work from? Challenging, but sooo fun.

While reading my daily dose of wedding, style, and home decorating blogs, I came upon these images by Jacqueline Veissid via All Things Bright and Beautiful that just took my breath away.

The beautiful red, black and mustard florals against the thick white satin. The red-stained lips, and the golden bird perched on her finger. So beautiful!

I just adore that blood red color.

My word that is stunning! I love the big satin rosettes adorning her gown.

So, I had my jumping off point for a dramatic, pretty, quirky and whimsical bouquet in white, black, blood red, and mustard. The colors somehow seemed exotic and a bit oriental. In addition to white “canvas” flowers like tibet roses, some funkier flowers that immediately came to mind were:

fuzzy white mink protea perhaps with a blood red rose emerging from the center…

black callas…

feathery red cockscomb (different variety than the “fuzzy brain flower” as many brides call it)…

and craspedia…

Not sure how to work this in, but I also saw branches of pomegranates at the flower mart that were slightly cracked open to expose the ruby red seeds. BUT I can imagine the damage these could do to a white wedding gown, so I think I'll go without …

I wanted to wire black satin rosettes into the bouquet, and I want the stems wrapped with pleated black satin, dressed up with a locket like this on I found on Etsy by t8designs:

Now that I had the ideas swirling around, all I needed to do was narrow the flower choices down (I can't include EVERYTHING I love), and make it happen!

Jasmine would be capturing Natalie and Bill's day after images and wanted the flowers to be dramatic and sexy! While I was running around the flower mart at 3:00 am (that's right, folks!) on a mission to find fun, exotic flowers, I decided to nix the mustard yellow flowers, feeling like yellow and red might look a little McDonald's-esque. I quickly grabbed bunches of red and black dahlias, red thistle, black callas, fluffy white lisianthus, fringed tulips and feathery red celosia to use as a collar around the bouquet. I also stopped by Target to grab a few chunky charm necklaces that I could take apart and rework into the bouquet wrap.

The result? A two-ton blinged out mass of textural blooms.

Natalie and Bill are such a gorgeous couple- they were fresh from their honeymoon and just glowing. And Jasmine's photos are out of this world!

I'll leave you with my favorite image: