Theme Thoughts
Published March 9, 2012 | 
What’s your favorite color? What about your fiance? Picking a color is an important aspect of your wedding planning. Whatever color or colors you choose will lend themselves towards the flower choices, linen choices, dress and tux choices, invitations, favors, possibly even a signature drink choice. More and more we are seeing wedding themes coming a personal statement of the couple who’s special day we are all celebrating.
Keep in mind that the bridal stores are typically one season ahead of the current time. So if it is March, Spring time when you are planning your wedding, you may be looking at Fall/Winter colors at the dress stores. There is an assumption in this business that you will be planning at least six months in advance.
Do you have a theme? Themes can be picked on colors, hobbies, sports, favorite pastimes, ethnic backgrounds, the schools you went to, etc., etc. Samples themes include golf, wine/winery, Seasons such as Spring, Summer, Fall or Winter, travel, a specific Country, gardening, fishing, baseball, football, music, hearts…..let your imagination soar and make sure you are both on the same page!
Arrangement Balancing Act
Published March 6, 2012 | Creating that perfect arrangements for your reception is not only about the mix of flowers visually, but also the mix of flower scents. If all the flowers in your arrangements are heavily fragranced, it could definitely ruin the effect you were hoping for. And if some of your attendants or guests have allergies, it could make for a miserable time for them. So it is very important to keep in mind not only the flower combination of your arrangements and bouquets but also their fragrances. Even some foliage used in flower arrangements has a scent of their own that needs to be taken into consideration when planning your arrangement and bouquets.
Some of the different types of scent categories flowers and foliage are judged by are Aromatic, Heavy, Citrus, Spicy, Sweet
The Aromatic category includes a lot of foliage and herbs. Dill, Eucalyptus, and Lavender are all part of the Aromatic category. So are most of the greenery used during the Christmas Holiday Season.
The Heavy Fragrance category includes Gardinas, Oriental Lilies, Stephanotis and Tuberose.
The Citrus Category covers Waxflowers and eucharis. Both of these have a light lemony scent
The Spicy or Peppery Category includes Mums, Stock, and Florist Bloom. The prevailing scent in this group is a clove scent with some blooms having a stronger scent than others.
The Sweet Category is the one that always comes to mind when you think of flowers. Hyacinth, Lilac, Carnations, Freesia, Sweet Peas, Lily of the Valley and of course, last but not least, Roses make up this category.
The Dainty White Stephanotis
Published March 3, 2012 | 
Stephanotis, also knows as the “Hawaiian Wedding Flower” is a bridal favorite flower, normally reserved for the bridal party bouquets and boutonnieres. It’s the small bright white flower with a tremendous tropical scent. The are the perfect choice for boutonnieres and corsages. Because stephanotis don’t have stems, you have to give them an artificial stem to be able to use them in designs. You can buy “stephanotis stems” …..which have a cotton tube that is inserted into the flower to give the flower moisture attached to a wire. You have to soak the cotton tube end in water before inserting into the flower. You also have to tear off the tiny green stem of the stephanotis, which then gives you a small hole to push the cotton tube into. The cotton tube fills the center of the flower.
Stephanotis is available year round, but is most abundant from late spring to early autumn. I once had a stephanotis plant in my yard. When I bought it at the nursery I bought a Madagascar Jamine plant. I was so surprised when it bloomed and I had stephanotis!
When you buy stephanotis, look for blooms that are bright white, waxy and firm. When they are old they will start turning yellow, get wilty, sometimes have mold on them or bruising.
Normally, you will find stephanotis sold by the box, with 25 flowers inside. These flowers do not have stems, per se, and once they are harvested they cannot absorb water through the tiny stem. That is why they are sold in air tight boxes with damp shredded tissue or other dampened material on the bottom of the box…to give the flowers moisture. Once in a while, you can buy stephanotis still on the vine, but that would be only at a professional flower market.
Stephanotis needs to be hydrating when you get in home…so float the flowers in room temperature water for 20-30 minutes then put in the 
refrigerator, still soaking, for two hours.
After soaking, shake the water off the florets and place them back into an airtight container in the refrigerator until ready to use them.
Color Me Married
Published February 28, 2012 | 
Last year it was all about hot pink and lime green, vivid blues, bright yellows and tangerine oranges. This year, be prepared to see a return to a more neutral pallet with brilliant vivid colors stepping out of the spotlight and back into a supporting role. Taupes and greys with either one bold color or a combination of two contrasting color is one trend already starting to take the lead in wedding planning for this year.
Pantone, the standard in color definition has announced that a shade called Honeysuckle which is a variation of dark pink as being a big contender in choosing wedding colors. Pairing this with greens, browns or a lovely neutral champagne is another front runner in wedding colors. Another color combination that is shaping up to be popular this year are purple and silver.
Using varying shades of the same color is still a strong contender in creating your perfect wedding. By spinning that monochromatic color wheel across several different textures between your flowers, dresses and the decor for your reception in a great dramatic effect.
Another trend making an appearance this year is brides choosing to use up to 4 different colors when creating the right look for their wedding and reception.
How Big is Too Big?
Published February 21, 2012 | How do I know how big to make my bouquet?
That answer varies from bride to bride. The easy answer is this, make the bouquet as big or little as is pleasing to you. However, I can give you some guidelines that will help if you really don’t know what is pleasing to you. I rarely make a bouquet that is smaller than a six inch diameter. That means, if you were to take a ruler or tape measure out and placed it directly across the center of the bouquet from one end to the other you would measure six inches on the ruler. I think an eight inch bouquet is the smallest I recommend for a bride. If you are on an extreme budget, I would recommend an eight inch diameter bouquet for you and six inch diameter bouquets for your bridesmaids. Beyond that, I look at your size and decide what would look best for you to carry, keeping in mind that you don’t want to HIDE behind your flowers. YOU are the focus of attention and your flowers are there to enhance how YOU look walking down the aisle. I have had brides who wanted a six inch diameter bouquet for themselves and gave single flowers to the bridesmaids to carry.
One of the things you want to keep in mind here is that your bouquet should ALWAYS be the biggest and nicest of the wedding party bouquets. You don’t want your bridesmaids to carry bouquets bigger than yours! If you wanted to carry a cascade bouquet, I always ask how tall you are and then when I am making the cascade I hold it up to someone who is the same height to be sure it hits near the knee and not the floor. I have had pregnant brides who needed larger bouquets because it was their desire to cover up their tummies with their bouquet. So, there is always going to be a reason to customize YOUR bouquet to your taste and your situation.
Tell her she is the Pot of Gold at the end of your rainbow
Published February 17, 2012 | 
As we come to the end of this wonderfully romantic week, I have something new and fantastic to share with you. How magically could it be to present the love of your life with the most unique bouquet of rainbow colored roses, making sure she knows you believe she is the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow as far as you are concerned. Guess what, that dream is now a reality!
I had a local television appearance last Friday, 2/10/12 and the subject was “Bye Bye Boring Valentine’s Day Roses”. This company, www.fiestaroses.com sent me 5 different rose bouquets for the show…rainbow roses, blue roses, purple roses, lime green roses and half red and half white roses. Their sister company, www.theultimaterose.com sent me 3 foot long red roses as well. I can’t say enough great things about these companies and the product they sent to me for the FOX 40 episode.
Please check them out if you are looking for unique roses…they ship overnight anywhere in the U.S.”
And as my special gift to all of you who have taken the time to read my blogs, participate in our community and for flower lovers everywhere, here is my full length FREE video talking about Rainbow Roses.
He loves me, He loves me not
Published February 7, 2012 | Remember this fun little children’s game played with the pedals of daisies? Whether it’s the carefully pulled bouquet out of your garden presented to you by your child, roots and dirt still attached, to your first corsage to your bridal bouquet, flowers and love are completely intertwined. With Valentine’s day a week away, everybody’s thoughts turn to flowers and what to get or create for that special person in your life.
The last couple of blogs have talked about the two floral mainstays of Valentine’s Day, Roses and Carnations and their meanings. If you are looking for something a little more unique to create with, I’d like to share with you some other fabulous flowers you could use and what their meanings are.
The dainty daisy represents gentleness, innocence and loyal love.
Red Chrysanthemum means I love you. In fact, the red shade of most flowers designates love so don’t worry if you can’t get those brilliant red roses you had your heart sent on sending.
Orchids represent magnificence, love and beauty. I love working with orchids. Our sister site has a large number of videos on creating arrangements with orchids.
Have a crush on somebody? Consider sending them Gardenias which represent a secret love.
Conversational Carnations
Published February 3, 2012 | Carnations like roses, have a wide range of ‘voices’ and are another excellent choice for telling that special someone how you feel about them on Valentine’s Day. This versatile flower is second only to roses in popularity. It’s gentle fragrance and hardy long lasting blossom make it a perfect choice for any arrangement style.
As with roses, the dark red carnation signifies deep love and affection.
White carnations are said to represent purity and pure love, as well as thank you and good luck. This makes them a great choice for wedding arrangements as well as a special bouquet for somebody going on a trip or perhaps moving away. They’re also a great choice to use if you want to create an arrangement to say thank you to somebody.
Pink Carnations are traditionally given on Mother’s Day as they symbolize a mother’s or sister’s love.
Purple carnations are not as readily available as their red and white counterparts and symbolize a sense of whimsy or capriciousness.
Yellow carnations, unlike their rose counterparts that mean friendship, are actually a flower that means rejection or disdain. And like the purple carnation, are not as easy to find.
Let Your Pedals Do The Talking
Published January 31, 2012 | Picking just the right flowers to create your bridal party flowers and your reception centerpieces is one of the most important parts of planning your special day. But apart from selecting your favorite colors, you can also let the flowers you chose send a very special message. This time of year, romance is everywhere and there are not only a lot of brides planning their weddings, but a lot of brides to be that will be surprised on Valentine’s Day with a proposal. I can’t think of a better reason to talk about the language of flowers than that! And I’m going to start off our little series on the language of flowers with the ultimate symbol of love. The Rose.
Red Roses–We all know that those gorgeous red roses signify deep love and romance. They’ve been identified with these feelings for centuries and are the most recognized symbol of love world wide. These days, roses are available in a wide variety of colors and with it, a wide variety of meanings in the language of flowers.
Pink Roses–The pink rose has been around maybe even longer than the red rose. Pink was and still is the dominate color for wild roses so naturally it appeared first as roses began to be cultivated. Pink Roses have a couple of different meanings. Love of course, but giving somebody pink roses can also mean gratitude and appreciation.
Yellow Roses–These lovely beauties have not been around as long as their red and pink counterparts and owe a great deal to cross breeding which gave this lovely rose it’s fabulous scent. Yellow roses are most popularly associated with Friendship, but they also mean Joy and are the perfect flower to send to somebody when you want to express Get Well wishes.
White Roses–What better flower to represent Purity and Innocence than the white rose. White roses are also known as the bridal rose and is classified as a traditional wedding flower because they also mean Unity, Virtue and the bond of New Love.
Orange Roses–This vibrantly colored rose is fast becoming a big contender against the Red Rose for Valentine’s Day. Orange Roses represent Desire, Enthusiasm and Passion, making them an excellent choice to give your sweetheart. They range in color from the palest peach to the deepest coral.
Lavender Roses–This rare bloom has a long history dating back to the Old Garden Roses. Modern hybridization has created additional varieties of lavender roses with the long stemmed rose being the one most used in arrangements. Lavender roses represent enchantment, Majesty and Love at First Sight.
Let’s Get Creative–Finding unique places to have your wedding
Published January 27, 2012 | Last week I discovered this wonderful blog entry and I knew I just had to share it with all my readers. With compliments of Beverly Harris, here is her very creative list of internet search ideas to find the perfect venue for your special day.
10 Creative Wedding Sites–Beverly Harris of Beverly Harris Wedding and Events
When discussing wedding sites with your fiance’, consider the approximate number of guests, activities (dancing, eating–buffet, finger food or sit-down meal?), budget limitations and proximity to your home. Below are 10 creative wedding sites that you may not have thought about.
Yacht or Yacht Club
Art Studio or Gallery
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