Lisianthus Bouquets
Published May 15, 2012 | 
Do you love the color purple? I sure do. It is one of my favorite colors. Sometime ago, I did a wedding where the featured flower for both the centerpieces and the bridal flowers was Lisianthus.
Lisianthus have great looking buds that add a fabulous texture to any bouquet or arrangement. The purple lisianthus is one of the best purple flowers available, in my opinion and was perfect for this wedding pictured below as the bride’s chosen colors were purple and green.
In this picture, you can see that the bride’s bouquet contains white lisianthus with the purple edges as does the bridesmaid bouquet that you can see in the lower left corner of the picture. The buds give a fabulous texture to both bouquets. In the picture to the right you can see the bridesmaid bouquets up close.
These centerpieces also had the purple lisianthus in them. The color scheme was “colorful” using reds, oranges, yellows, purples and blues. And with rich jewel tone colors being one of the biggest trends this year, the deep rich purple Lisianthus is the perfect choice for your wedding arrangements.
Light and Breezy
Published April 27, 2012 | 
Are you planning to have candles on your reception tables? A gentle breeze can sometimes whip up quite a mess at a moment’s notice. Check out any local craft store for inexpensive hurricane covers to shield your candles from gusts of wind. Also make sure that the flowers you chose will stand up well. Mums for example are excellent for outdoor receptions.
Consider an assortment of paper fans colorfully arranged for your guests to pick up as they head into the reception in your wedding is towards the end of Spring when temperatures can spike up without warning. If you are planning to set up event tents no matter what the weather, think about portable heaters or fans as well to keep everybody comfortable.
Always make sure to check out the location you’ve picked for the outdoor portion of your spring wedding on a windy day. It is possible that what looks to be the perfect place to exchange your vows or celebrate your wedding on a calm sunny day is the worst place possible if the wind picks up. If that gorgeous country setting you and your fiancée fell in love with is surrounded by dirt roads, a kick up in the wind could create a mess.
Something Borrowed, Something Blue
Published April 13, 2012 | 
So you are planning the perfect vintage style wedding. In my last blog post I talked about considering the fragrant and dainty Sweet Pea when planning the flowers for your vintage wedding. Let’s not forget another flower perfect for any vintage style wedding, the Cornflower.
Generally known as “bachelor’s button,” this lovely flower is a great choice for bouquets and boutonnieres. Although just as lovely as it’s more fragile counterparts, the Cornflower is sturdy and holds up well to pinning, moving and all the other goings on that occur during the wedding and reception. This lovely flower, which is also available in pick and white is perfect as a bridal or bridesmaid hair ornament. Cut cornflowers can be woven into a head band or attached to ribbon hair floaters. These long lasting flowers also are perfect for the groom and groomsmen boutonnieres. It also works well as a corsage, either at the wrist or pinned to a dress so also consider this as a choice for flowers for the mothers of the bride and groom.
These long lasting flowers are also edible, believe it or not, so they are a perfect choice if you are planning to have flowers strewn on the tables at your receptions or even floating in your punchbowl.
Something Old, Something New
Published April 10, 2012 | One of the biggest trends in weddings for the second year in a row is the return to something old. Victorian themes and romance just go so well together and this year, Victorian and Edwardian touches are everywhere. Lace and tulle are not only making appearences on the bridal dress but in the reception soft furnishings as well. Even the flowers are turning back the clock, bouquets of old fashioned soft roses as as the Osiana or Polo, pansies, orange blossoms and even magnolias are making an appearence.
One of the most popular flowers for weddings and receptions of the Edwardian era was the fragrant sweet pea. This beautiful and sweet smelling flower was a staple for arrangements back then and if you are planning to re-capture the romance with a vintage style wedding, you’ll want to make sure that this lovely flower makes an appearence.
Sweet peas are available in a variety of colors, white, lavender, blue, pink and even red. These tiny blooms and their long winding stems are perfect to intertwine through centerpieces as a finishing touch. Their fragrance will create the perfect atmosphere for any reception.
And if you are planning to dry the flowers from your reception as a keepsake, the sweet pea will retain it’s fragrance and create a wonderful potpourri that will give you a lasting reminder of your beautiful day.
Lavender and Lace
Published April 6, 2012 | 
Looking for a touch of purple? Lilacs, Hyacinth or Iris are a perfect choice. Purple Lilacs with their heavenly fragrance and dainty little blossoms range from light lavender to purple and even some have hints of blue. Hyacinths are also multi blossom and are available in a darker purple. Irises come in several different colors as well, including white, yellow, lavender and purple/blue. If you were into your backyard for help with irises, you will open another door to awesome colors such as peach, burgundy and brown.
Looking to add touches of other colors? Consider green Bells of Ireland; white Casa Blanca Lily; pink Boronia or white or blue Delphinium. Stock, Calla Lily,Narcissus and Primrose come in multiple colors and are always excellent choices for everything from the bride’s bouquet to the reception centerpieces.
And of course, let’s not forget the timeless wedding classics. Roses and tulips come in almost any color you could imagine, from the iciest whites to the deepest reds and purples and just about every color in
between that you could imagine.
Brighten Your Wedding With The Fresh Colors Of Spring
Published April 3, 2012 | 
Spring is here, with an incredible burst of color and if you are one of the thousands of spring brides to be, you have so many wonderful flowers to choose from. Spring brings with it an incredible burst of colors from the daintiest pastels to the richest jewel tones that will compliment any color scheme you could possible dream of.
For splashes of yellow consider using daffodils, gerbera daisies, ranunculus, anemone, roses and lilies in your bouquets and centerpieces. Flowering forsythia branches make for a perfect addition to centerpieces or standing arrangements around the church or reception area.
Pink Peonies are a bridal favorite and start blooming naturally in the United States in late May and are perfect for bouquets. Their dense blooms hold up well and give a wonderful shape to any arrangement. If pink is in your color scheme, you might also consider Stargazer lilies, Sweet peas or even Hyacinth. Orchids are extremely popular this year and their delicate blossoms will add a touch of elegance to any floral display for your special day.
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.
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.
It’s All In The Numbers
Published February 14, 2012 | 
And here we are, February 14th and I want to wish a Happy Valentine’s Day to everybody! And if you are lucky enough to be a Valentine’s Bride, I hope that your special day is everything you could possibly wish for. But for all of you out there who are brides to be or are hoping for a proposal on the most romantic day of the year, here’s some great little tidbits about roses.
Valentine’s Day is the biggest day for Roses. If you’ve read along in my series on flower meanings, you’ve already got your special roses picked out for your sweetheart. But did you know that you can also convey a message along by just the number of roses you give? That’s right, so if you weren’t able to get that deep red rose, you can still let the pedals do the talking for you.
A single rose is still one of the most powerful messages you can send. It tells the recipient that you fell in love with them at first sight. And if your sweetheart presents you with two roses intertwined together, guess what, you’re about to become a bride to be because this symbolized an engagement.
Looking for away to tell somebody you have a crush on them? Nothing says it better than a half dozen roses. While we all know that a perfect dozen signifies be mine, nine roses mean we’ll be together forever and thirteen lets you tell somebody that you will be their friend forever.
Need to apologize for something? Fifteen roses can say it for you. Twenty one roses will let your sweetheart know that you are totally dedicated to them. Two dozen roses shouts I’m yours to your sweetheart. Telling somebody congratulations couldn’t be said better than with 25 perfect roses. And if you are lucky enough to get three dozen 
roses this Valentines, you can definitely believe that they are head over heels in love with you.
Whatever number of roses you get, here is hoping that you have a fabulous Valentines Day!
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