Bouquet of the Week: Irish Lace and Lily of the Valley

This week's feature bouquet is from the Ireland Meets Italy Wedding in May. Terry Way took this stunning photo of the bride holding her bouquet of sweet pea, lisianthus, beautiful swan garden roses, bells of Ireland, and lily of the valley. Every flower had a special meaning to Catherine and even the pearl bracelet in the photo has a story behind it.

The bride had taken a necklace, that used to belong to her dear grandmother, to a jeweler who broke her heart by saying that it was not worth the time to repair or remake. Catherine's friend, who also made all the necklaces for the bridal party, was able to restring the sentimental pearls and give her a special bracelet for her wedding day!

I just love a good wedding story!
The photos below are of the bride and groom before they saw each other for the first time on their wedding day. Daniel also had a sentimental boutonniere that held a silver claddaugh in the front of lily of the valley to match the bride's bouquet.

Posted in: on Sunday, August 16, 2009 at at 8:51 AM 0 comments  

Ireland Meets Italy Wedding


Failte!

The photos from the Ireland Meets Italy wedding are now on the Haute Horticulture website! Being Irish myself, I get a little misty eyed thinking about the bagpiper as he played in front of Catherine down the wedding aisle and then played the couple out of St. Mary's together. Then the entire crowd of 150 guests followed the piper through Los Gatos to a cozy park for pre-cocktail refreshments! This wedding had it all: perfect weather, a happy couple, beautiful scenery, great food and spirits at Testarossa Winery, and (one of my favorite things) a candy buffet. It was non-stop photo ops for everyone involved!

Thank you to Catherine and Dan for allowing me to share these photos with the world. Thank you also to Terry Way for capturing the emotion of every moment. www.terryway.com

To view the entire slidewhow click here:

Posted in: on Wednesday, August 12, 2009 at at 9:29 AM 0 comments  

Red Roses Renewed


I know it isn't Valentine's Day just yet, but I had some leftover roses from a client sample this week and made an arrangement in the name of modern love. With only maidenhair fern, lily grass, and red local roses this crimson and clover gem sits pretty in its silver vase.

Posted in: on Sunday, August 9, 2009 at at 8:35 PM 0 comments  

Sneak Peek: August 1st Wedding Part 2


Here's another sneak peek at the wedding collaboration with Monica Kau this past weekend.
The Queen Wilhelmina Tulip Garden is a hidden gem at Golden Gate Park that is filled with beautiful flowers and plants even during the off Tulip season. See for yourself!

Posted in: on Thursday, August 6, 2009 at at 9:56 AM 0 comments  

Sneak Peek: August 1st Wedding


I still don't know exactly what I will title the wedding from this past weekend. It was a beautiful blend of a garden wedding with Asian elements and Chinese banquet reception. The colors were hues of purple, blue, copper, and orange. Often the night before the big day I will send the coordinator, in this case Liz Guthrie of San Jose Wedding Consultants, an iphone photo of all the flowers sitting pretty in the cooler. I do this for few reasons:

1. It's a sneak peek at what is to come for the next day
2. It assures her I am ready to go for the wedding
3. It's fun to see all the flowers waiting for their big debut.

Above is an example of one of the photos I sent her in the middle of the night. I'm just too excited to keep them to myself!

Posted in: on at at 9:18 AM 0 comments  

Lemon Drop Dahlias

It's no secret that I love candy. Perhaps that is why I use it in floral designs and inspiration boards all the time. Love, like candy and flowers, is sweet! I think candy buffets, soda stations, chocolate tasting tables, and all the like are fabulous additions to any wedding or reception. I noticed at a recent wedding that the candy buffet we set up was most appreciated at the end of the night. It kept dancing guests energized and gave them something to snack on after the food was no longer available. Of course, nothing is better that well made wedding cake, but these additional sweets will only enhance any celebration!


That said, I offer a sweet centerpiece that is a bit unique. As a designer I am constantly trying new shapes, sizes, and mediums. The dahlias and rose petals look a bit lamp-like with a candy lemon drop filled acrylic post. This would be funky for a cocktail area especially if I decided to light them from within. Enjoy!

Posted in: on Wednesday, August 5, 2009 at at 8:11 AM 0 comments  

Bouquet of the Week: Dahlias


Our bi-weekly feature is also a flower that is truly at it's peak this month. Dahlias as small as daisies and as large as dinner plates (literally!) are all over the market in their seemingly endless variety of bold and beautiful hues. The only colors unavailable are blue and black and the maroon dahlias can be very close to black when they want to.
Today's feature bouquet is a yellow that is so bright it borders on florescent. It is paired with some viburnum berries and grosgrain ribbon. The flower heads are so large that nothing else is necessary to make this 7 flower bunch large and in charge!

Enjoy-
Karin
PS: Seven is usually the number of choice for the amount of flowers, like roses and dahlias, needed to create that perfect round bouquet shape.

Posted in: , on Monday, August 3, 2009 at at 9:23 PM 0 comments  

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