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Hi Nancy,

I’m planning my wedding and trying to keep within budget. What is your take on DIY? You have such great suggestions, but I secretly want to know can I do my own flowers? Feel free to be honest, I need to know if I can handle this.

-C.K.

Dear C.K. and other Soon-to-be-Brides,

I’m very hesitant to answer this question, which actually came to me a while back. At first, I wanted to reply that anyone can do simple flowers. It’s true -you could go to any craft, outdoor garden resource and online floral wholesaler to purchase your flowers. However, I don’t think that’s really the point. Anyone - if they put their heart and soul into something- could do anything they want. The point is, will it be worthwhile? Anyone that considers doing their own flowers might want to look within themselves and ask…

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From A to Z, this month’s flowers are anything but typical. In the third installment of flowers of the month, I can’t wait to unveil some of July’s wonderful blooms.

As always, some of the flowers bloom longer than others because of weather issues. These are just a few of the many flowers that you will see during July and possibly beyond. Here are just a few that might interest you:

Astilbe - This is one of those flowers that feels more like a foliage. It’s mainly a late spring and summer flower but when you see it, it feels wintery and that’s why I seldom use them in my arrangements during the summer though I love them. They are pyramid shaped with feathery plumes. Very slender and spikey like amaranthus but more fragile and shorter (and a bit more moderate in price). It is often a line or filler flower rarely a focal, although I want to change that. I like putting them in a simple bud vase by themselves. I think they are very interesting. Not very many vendors carry these. In San Fran, I’d check with Torchio Nursery (pictured top left).

Calendula - One of those modest flowers that people just forget. I like them in centerpiece, bouquets, and in dainty pieces. They’re not great in Oasis and are very daisy like. You will see them through the summer. Like marigolds, only available in bright orange and golden yellow. Calendula are very affordable, and great with rustic arrangements. Mr. Repettos in Half Moon Bays carries them (pictured top middle).
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Could that really be a striped vase? Of course not. Sometimes, when you can’t find the right colored vase to match your decor, you’ve got to create it on your own.

Today, I want to show you my trick to creating sweet and simple containers out of ribbons. For this vase you will need a very straight and simple votive glass that’s no taller than 3 inches. The key to this trick is to use a very straight glass. This won’t work if the glass is slightly tapered.

You will need:

• 1 3-inch votive glass
• 3-inch wide ribbon
• 1-inch wide ribbon
• Double-sided tape
• Ribbon scissors

Make sure your glass is clean. Cut a 3 inch wide ribbon to fit exactly around the votive with a 1/4 inch hang. Using double sided tape, adhere the 3-inch wide ribbon to the votive. Then cut a 1-inch wide ribbon and adhere to glass using double-sided tape. Voila, you’ve just created your own vase.

Insider’s tip: The trick to making this vase pretty is to use non-wired ribbon. Also, I find that an inexpensive acetate works well too, just cut the ends very straight. Using a high quality ribbon scissor is the best. Also, when I make an arrangement in these tiny votive cups, I put a little piece of Oasis inside so that way no water spills over and ruins the ribbon.

Good luck!

This is part 2 of the post “What’s Important, What’s Not” from the Real Groom series. Once again, I give you our groom, the amazingly generous and kind, Danny Lai.

Photography by Kevin Chin

Obligatory face time - Do not feel obligated to obey all of the age-old formalities and wedding traditions. Grumpy relatives don’t have to be seated at your table if all they’ll do is complain and ask about when you’ll have kids. It is your wedding, and you should make sure you get to see the people you’ve been looking forward to seeing.

One of my biggest regrets was not keeping track of the people I wanted to see, and not realizing that they had already left until the end of the evening. Continuously make the rounds, and don’t spend too much time talking to people you see all the time. This is the one time when everyone in your life is within ear shot, and when everyone wants to see and talk to you. Take advantage of this opportunity, and connect with the people you rarely get to see.

Pictures taken with everyone - There will be lots and lots of cameras at your wedding, and hardly a single detail will be missed. Your friends will send you the pictures that they took, you’ll have your wedding photographer’s photos, and between the thousands of pictures you sort through, you will have photographic evidence of everyone who attended your wedding. Why waste precious time during the cocktail hour or reception rounding everyone up so that you can get a posed photo of everyone? A much more meaningful memento would be a photo collage showing candids of everyone at your wedding. After the wedding, when time is less of the essence, you can take your time printing the photos and assembling your collage.

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In the next post of the Real Grooms Series, I asked our resident “groom”, Danny Lai, to give his advice on what really matters most during those hectic yet important planning stages of the wedding. Danny tells me that the best advice you can get (regarding what matters most during the planning and the actual wedding) are from people who planned their own wedding. Of course, we all know that each experience is unique and different but it sure is refreshing to hear a male’s perspective. Don’t you agree? Here’s Danny answering the question - What’s important during the planning stage of a wedding?”

Advice will vary, depending on who is giving it, especially depending whether it’s a bride or groom. As a newlywed groom, I learned some important lessons while helping to plan my own wedding, and thought it would be useful to share. These are my opinions only, my simple thoughts on what was actually important to us.

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You may remember that a few weeks ago my husband, KC, went to Paris to do a wedding photo shoot for our mutual client, Nanie and Clifton. I can’t wait to share with you a few of their images but first, I have to show you this inspiring window of the famous store, Laduree.

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Flowers by Nancy Liu Chin Designs, Image from Kevin Chin Photography

When it comes to wedding flowers, it is possible for the majority of your budget to be spent on centerpieces. So brides need choices.

I thought I would share a few of my favorite centerpiece ideas. Many of them are quite simple yet very stylish.  Some of my truly favorite pieces have unique containers that you can collect and personalize such as tin cans! The honest truth is that centerpieces come in all shapes and forms but the truly great ones all have a complete look where linens, place cards, napkins, containers, flowers work in harmony - together! You don’t need fancy flowers to have an impact.

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Do you love expensive blooms like garden roses or peonies? And you want to create a centerpiece that’s not your typical arrangement but have a limited budget?

No matter what your budget, you can use expensive blooms. Don’t let the price of expensive blooms persuade you not to use them. You don’t have to pack the blooms in; instead you can make a statement with simplicity.

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Dear Nancy,

Thanks again for your posts. Recently you posted that your all-time favorite wedding was that colorful red and turquoise wedding. It was lovely and inspiring - wish I could change my colors. Do you have a particular design that you are especially proud of? Or a favorite bridal bouquet? Thanks and keep up the posts.

-Doctor in Love

Dear DIL,

Thanks for the great question. I have a lot of designs that I’m especially proud of. Every week it seems like I fall in love with a new bouquet.

Here’s a snippet of my “Hall of Fame” bouquets. Each is special because of different reasons. Many of them are due to the women who carried them. It still makes me tear up when I think about all the brides I’ve handed a bouquet to.

Just this weekend, four brides carried one of our signature bouquets down the aisle. Every single time, I’m reminded of why I do what I do -there’s nothing as special as giving a bride her bouquet and seeing her eyes mist! Truly - nothing compares!

Which one is your favorite?

Favorite blush and pink bouquets:

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I’m knee deep in weddings right now. Oh my! Still, I’m excited that I’m going to be writing a few posts for the betsywhite blog, Flights of Fancy (above is one of the beautiful color inspiration boards). I couldn’t pass it up! I harbor a secret longing to be an invitation designer (I also long to be Samantha Brown, a romance/suspense writer and a wedding magazine editor-in-chief).

My decade-long love affair with all things paper started when my BFF, Jen K (now Jen Chuang) opened her own Papyrus in Pasadena. Jen no longer has her store in Old Town, but I’m completely sold when it comes to all things paper and all those who make it looks so incredible delicate, beautiful, and timeless. It looks easy and it’s so not.

Gia Graham, betsywhite stationery boutique’s founder, has been so kind to give me this chance to reach out to her faithful readers.  I’m a big fan of all people who are driven, self starters, and attracted to beauty. What makes BW so special is that you can order an entire suite -save the dates, response cards, thank you cards, programs, menus, place cards and logo- on the site. As a floral and event designer, I love it when all the pieces work together. It is so needed and appreciated!