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While chatting over tapas at Lola Gaspar, Trista Lerit handed me a cd of images from the vibrant winery wedding we did together months back. Even though this wedding took place as spring was blooming, the jewel tones are so PERFECT for Fall, and I couldn’t resist revisiting this wedding. Especially since the weather is feeling more brisk and autumnal and I’m starting to drink hot tea instead of iced. That definitely means Fall is near. I welcome it!
A few weeks ago, I received a question regarding good substitutes for peonies and ranunculus when they are out of season. For peonies, other great alternatives include
English Garden Roses - some have that cabbage style opening
Fancy Carnations - some carnations look like the center of peonies
Telopia - this flower has that same head size and a large bloom
Water Lilies - they’re very unique and also have a wonderful grand showiness
Large Dahlia Heads - some like the cafe au lait are so large in size that they remind me of peonies
‘Polo’ roses - these large headed roses can sometimes open with a cabbage like center
English Roses (left), Carnations (right)
My big sis Jenny-lyn married James in Hemet, CA last month. James is a pastor in Hemet, a little town near Temecula, in the middle of the desert. In August, temps reach over 100 degrees easily, and it’s dry as a bone. You can imagine that this influenced my flower choices greatly.
The task before me: to create fun, funky, flirty arrangements that would hold up in the desert, for a wedding of over 350 people, on a very modest budget. Also, I was to be the matron of honor, and deliver a witty toast, at that!
Picture this - It’s August in California and it’s 100 degrees. You’re transporting flowers to a big hotel, and the loading area is in a boiler room of all places. You pray that your flowers survive the moist, sticky heat as you wait for the teeny tiny elevator to arrive so you can bring your flowers to the reception… two centerpieces at a time. This happened to a colleague of mine who is an amazing photographer and graphic designer, but who also dabbles in the floral arts occasionally. This experience left her traumatized.
I’ve been there, too! A few weeks ago, my assistants set up an outdoor wedding in 103 degree weather. The bride’s favorite flowers are orchids (yay! sturdy!) and dahlias (uh-ohhh). My sharp assistants followed my instructions carefully and added the dahlias to the arrangements at the last minute. Except the ceremony started an hour late , and by then the blazing sunshine had taken its toll! Of course, my girls brought extra flowers along and fixed the arrangements just in time. Everything looked beyond gorgeous, but you can imagine the stress levels!
Any couple getting married in the summer months in California is ultimately taking a risk, not only with flowers, but with melting cakes, running makeup, flattened curls. I got married in August, so I totally understand! But I owe it to my clients (and my own sanity) to take the following precautions to minimize the effect of heat on delicate flowers. I can’t do miracles, but I do all that I can do to make sure that even if I look like a sweaty mess by the end of the day, my flowers still look fabulous.
1. Choose Wisely: I create my floral recipes and place my orders about 2 weeks before the wedding. When I do that, I check the weather forecasts. If it looks like it’s going to be sunny and/or hot, I try to choose sturdier flowers for outdoor arrangements. If a bride LOVES delicate flowers like dahlias, tulips, or gardenias, I’ll try to reserve those flowers for indoor arrangements or handheld bouquets that can stay in vases indoors until the last possible second.
bromeliads, orchids, and china berries- virtually sunproof
Photo by The Image is Found
Jessica from Jessica’s Country Flowers gives brides some great advice when choosing the right florist for their big day! Check out some of her work below or visit her site to see more inspiration.
I always ask my brides which flowers they love, and which flowers they absolutely don’t love. Roses are almost always mentioned. Most brides see their lovable qualities- their gorgeous spiraled petals, the insane variety of colors, shapes, and sizes, their sturdiness in all kinds of weather, and their relative affordability (I can’t think of a more bang-for-your-buck flower out there.). But there are some brides who consider roses to be a little “same-old”,”traditional”, or “bleh”. Perhaps they just want to explore the hundreds of other more unique flower possibilities before they settle on the old stand-by. I totally get it.
These are the roses that excite me every time I pick them up from the mart. These are the varieties that have reignited my love for roses and have converted my most anti-rose brides into rose lovers.
1. Polo:
A creamy white rose. Love their cup-like shape and ruffly texture.
(Photo by Tony Florez Photography)
One new thing that I am doing that you will see in my shop after the Silver Bella paper arts event in November is big, fat, felt peony-shaped flowers with long stems.
Megan contacted me about a year ago to make her bridal bouquet for her October wedding. Working with her was a special honor because she mailed me pounds and pounds of her grandma’s vintage buttons to use in her bouquet.
Studio Choo completely inspires me. Every time a new photo of a gorgeous arrangement is posted on their flickr I get so excited. Their bouquets are sweetly composed and have a perfect homemade, I-just-picked-these-in-a-field feeling, which I love. They often use vintage vessels for their arrangements such as mason jars and milk bottles. Flowers that are often seen in their arrangements and bouquets include ranunculus, poppies, peonies, cosmos, zinnias, dahlias, and Queen Anne’s lace. Swoon!
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