The 2012 Portland Bridal Show

We had a great time at the 2012 Portland Bridal Show this weekend!  It's always fun to meet and talk with all of the brides-to-be, and it's also a great opportunity to connect with other wedding professionals.  Not to mention a chance to try out some new designs in wedding flowers!  Here's a few pictures from the show:

Our booth display at the 2012 Portland Bridal Show

Wedding bouquets and arrangements

More wedding bouquets and arrangements

And now for a closer look at some of those bridal bouquets, centerpieces, and boutonnieres:

We always like to do a tall centerpiece such as this for the shows, as they always grab people's attention.  While these centerpieces can be quite expensive, if you are on a budget you don't necessarily need to have them on every table.  Having just a few of these, mixed with other smaller centerpieces on other tables, still gives you that wow factor.  In this arrangement:  bells of Ireland, white lilies, green fuji mums, white snapdragons, peach roses, and assorted greenery.

If you're looking for something a little less extravagant, these cylinders are a nice option for simple wedding centerpieces.  These cylinders are filled with blue glass marbles, vanda orchids, and white floating candles, but they could be done in any color with nearly any flower inside.

This hand-tied bouquet would be perfect for a beach themed wedding.  Blues and lavenders are an excellent color palette for a seaside wedding.  In this bouquet:  blue hydrangea, lavender freesia, blue thistle, white roses, lavender lisianthus, muscari (grape hyacinth), blue delphinium, seeded eucalyptus, and sea urchins with sparkly rhinestones in the centers.

Coordinating boutonniere of thistle, lisianthus buds, and seeded eucalyptus, wrapped with periwinkle ribbon and accented with a rhinestone pin.

Keeping with the beach theme is this lantern arrangement.  Inside the lantern is a battery operated pillar candle surrounded by sand, shells, and sea glass.  A spray of flowers adorns the top of the lantern.  Wouldn't this be lovely on a guest book table?  

For a black and white wedding theme, you can do one of two things:  add an accent color for the flowers to give a nice pop of contrast, or incorporate non-floral elements to create an all black and white bouquet.  Either way you go, black and white is definitely a striking wedding palette.  In this bouquet:  white mini calla lilies, white ranunculus, white freesia, white anemones, stephanotis with black pearl centers, viburnum berries, black feathers, and some fun black and silver ting ting around the edge.

A coordinating boutonniere of stephanotis with black pearl centers, viburnum berries, and black feathers, all tucked neatly into a cone made of black and silver ribbon.

Here's a fun table centerpiece for a black and white wedding theme!  A black square vase is filled with white gerber daisies, black feathers, viburnum berries, and babies breath.  For added pizazz, black and silver ribbon is wrapped around the bottom of the vase, and black and silver ting ting is sprouting up from the center to give it some height.

Speaking of fun, it doesn't get much more fun than this bouquet!  From the vibrant colors to the spunky style, this hand-tied bouquet won't go unnoticed.  In this bouquet:  orange mini gerbers, orange and hot pink spray roses, and orange freesia, with gloriosa lilies and variegated lily grass around the edge and pink nerine lilies in the center.  Little orange flower jewels scattered throughout the bouquet give it some sparkle.

A coordinating boutonniere of an orange spray rose and pink nerine blossoms, wrapped with variegated lily grass.

The loose gardeny bouquet was a popular look in 2011, and we expect the trend to continue in 2012.  In this bouquet:  green hydrangea, deep pink peonies, purple lisianthus, pink roses, white veronica, white and pink ranunculus, and lavender freesia.

Another interesting look that is gaining popularity is grouping.  A grouped bouquet has clusters of flowers that are grouped together rather than intersperced throughout the bouquet.  In this bouquet:  yellow cymbidium orchids, red spray roses, yellow hypericum berries, burgundy mini carnations, yellow roses, green hydrangea, scabiosa pods, seeded eucalyptus, and viburnum berries.

If you're having an autumn wedding but don't want to go with the typical fall colors of red, orange, and yellow, here's a color scheme that's a bit different from the ordinary.  In this bouquet:  green cymbidium orchids, red and orange roses, fern curls, green fuji mums, scabiosa pods, and magnolia leaves.

And lastly, let's take a closer look at the columns.  The columns were topped with a boston fern, draped with white fabric, and adorned with a cluster of greenery and flowers on the side.

The clusters included a variety of greens, purple ornamental kale, pink cymbidium orchids, and heather.  After I made these, we looked at them and thought they would actually make a beautiful bridal bouquet too.

Wedding Flowers: Five Unique Looks From a Recent Bridal Show

Creating flowers for bridal shows gives us the chance to showcase some of our most interesting and eye-catching wedding bouquets, boutonnieres, and arrangements.  We always set out to create bouquets in several different styles and color schemes, so that the future brides passing through can see the quality and variety of the work we do.  We did a bridal show a couple weeks ago, and thought we'd share some of the bouquets and boutonnieres that were created for the show here.

This first one is a really fun bouquet that we nick-named "The Orbit".  If you love bright colors, it doesn't get much more vibrant than this!  The contrast between the hot pink and orange spray roses, yellow freesia, and lime green lady's mantle really makes this wedding bouquet pop.  While the colors in and of themselves are fun, the bouquet is made even more so by the yellow balls of craspedia orbiting around it on lime green wire.  What fun!

Simple details like the orbiting craspedia can be incorporated into the boutonnieres as well, giving the wedding a consistent look.

If woodland chic is more your style, then you will love this wedding bouquet.  The natural elements such as the dried lotus pods, magnolia leaves and ferns give this bouquet a woodsy feel, while the burgundy calla lilies and green cymbidium orchids keep it elegant.  The uluhe fiddlehead ferns add a lot of style to the bouquet, and contrast nicely with the texture of the brasilia berries.  The stems are wrapped in a natural burlap ribbon with an accent of chocolate brown wire swirled to mimic the fiddleheads.  This woodsy bouquet would be beautiful against a chocolate brown or deep wine dress.

The woodland chic style is carried out through this boutonniere.  I love how the coppery brown color and velvety texture of the magnolia leaf contrasts with the deep brown color and smooth texture of the uluhe fiddlehead fern.  Little details like the brasilia berries tucked in and wrapping the stems with a piece of lily grass complete the look.

For a softer look, blues and lavenders are a very pretty option.  This loose hand-tied bouquet has almost a gardeny feel to it, but with the softer color pallet, it also feels very romantic.  The blue thistle provides a bit of structure, allowing the other flowers to gather softly between the stems.  Light blue delphinium and lavender stock give it some height, while the lavender spray roses and purple asters fill it in.  Seeded eucalyptus around the edge gives the bouquet an airy feel.

And here's the coordinating boutonniere of light blue delphinium, blue thistle, seeded eucalyptus, and limonium.  All of the different textures in this wedding boutonniere make it much more interesting than a run-of-the-mill rose.

A simple orange nosegay of gerber daisies and spray roses is taken from ordinary to extraordinary by adding a collar of artificial monarch wings.  Unexpected elements like this can make for a really eye-catching bouquet.

I love to make boutonnieres that will get noticed, and where it isn't always obvious what they are.  In this boutonniere, I knew that I wanted to do something with the monarch wings to tie in with the bouquet.  An orange gerber daisy looked great with them, but was too large for a boutonniere, so I opted to remove the petals and just use the center of the flower, and accented with a couple of orange spray rose buds.  The end result is a very intriguing boutonniere that people will look at and wonder what exactly it is.

Orchid bouquets are always stunning.  There is just something about orchids that is so graceful and beautiful.  In this bridal bouquet, I wanted to keep the focus on the purple vanda orchids, in order to truly highlight their beauty.  Simple loops of variegated lily grass and aspidistra leaves make a nice accent for the orchids, and give the bouquet it's overall shape and style, while the lime green button chrysanthemums give a vibrant contrast in color.  Green hydrangea is also tucked in behind the purple orchids to fill the bouquet in.  The above photo doesn't really do these orchids justice, as the light was reflecting off of them, so I wanted to be sure to share the photo below, which is much more accurate to their true appearance:

I hope that you have enjoyed viewing these wedding bouquets and boutonnieres!

Flowers for Halloween? Yes indeed!

Though you may not think of Halloween as being a holiday you would typically order flowers for, there are lots of fun and festive arrangements for the occasion.  Whether you're a fan of spooky or silly, frightful or fun, fresh flowers can add an unexpected element to your Halloween decor.  Attending a costume party?  A floral arrangement makes an excellent gift for the host, and will be sure to bring a cackle or two.  Designing arrangements for Halloween is lots of fun, as it gives us a chance to really get creative and experiment with flowers and materials.  Here's a few ideas for Halloween flowers that we've been working on:

Pumpkin on a Stick is one of my favorite things to use for Halloween arrangements.  With it's deep dark stems and vibrant orange "pumpkins" (they are actually a type of ornamental eggplant), it's just so perfectly Halloween.  To highlight the Pumpkin on a Stick, I kept the arrangement simple with the rest of the flowers low.  That fuzzy green stuff is a variety of Dianthus, commonly called "Green Trick", and I love the bright green color and mossy texture that it provides.  The rich chocolate brown center of the de-petaled sunflower adds a nice contrast and brings out the color of the stems.

Here's a fun Halloween arrangement that makes a statement.  These vases are specially designed to be filled with anything from candy corn, to sea shells, to dollar bills...how fun is that?  To go along with the colors of the candy corn, we've used orange gerber daisies and bright yellow sunflowers, filled in with thistile, bronze button mums, and green hypericum berries, and accented with black curly willow, Japanese lanterns, and a couple of long winding stems of plumosa fern.  

Boo!  A friendly little ghost peeks out from behind a gravestone in this spooky arrangement.  The white ghost is accompanied by assorted fall mums, autumn leaves, and Japanese lanterns.  The arrangement is made in a black glass cube vase, which makes a great keepsake after Halloween is over.

This arrangement has it all:  a bat, and black cat with a witches hat, all in a ceramic pumpkin.  What more do you need for Halloween?  How about some beautiful orange roses, Japanese lanterns, and assorted fall poms.  Meow!

Looking for something that will carry through past Halloween?  In this simple arrangement, a large glass cylinder vase is filled with river rocks and orange glass marbles, and contains branches of Pumpkin on a Stick and curly willow.  A perfect mix of elegance and fun for Autumn!

I hope that these ideas have provided you with some inspiration for Halloween decor.  Happy Halloween!

Wedding Flowers: Katie and Andy's Purple and Green Ceremony and Reception

As August comes to a close and I'm looking back on the weddings of the summer, purple really stands out as one of the prominent color trends of the season.  From the deepest eggplants and violets, to the softer lavenders to lilacs, purple has been the color of choice for many brides this year.  If you're looking for a color to compliment purple, green is an excellent choice.  Green provides a nice contrast to all shades of purple, and keeps everything looking fresh and lively. 

Last weekend we had the pleasure of creating beautiful floral arrangements for Katie and Andy's wedding (congratulations, you two!) in the striking combination of deep purple and vibrant green. Here's some pictures from the ceremony and reception:

ceremony at St. John's in South Portland, ME

altar arrangement of green Hydrangea and Bells of Ireland, purple Larkspur and Lisianthus, and ivory Roses

pew bows with white silk hydrangea

paper cones for pews with silk hydrangeas

wedding reception at the Portland Country Club

Falmouth, ME

tall centerpiece of Bells of Ireland, purple and white lisianthus, and purple Larkspur

centerpiece of picasso calla lilies in a square glass vase

centerpiece of green hydrangeas

purple gladiolus blossoms on the wedding cake

June's Birth Flower

Did you know that in addition to each month having a birthstone, there is also a birth flower?  Each month's birth flower has it's own unique history and meaning. 

The birth flower for June is one of the most recognizable flowers, the rose.  Roses are not only one of the most commonly sold cut flowers, but also very popular garden shrubs.  The rose has long been beloved for its beauty and fragrance, and also has a long history of symbolism.  The ancient Greeks and Romans associated the rose with their goddesses of love, Aprhodite and Venus, and to this day, the red rose is still considered a symbol of love.  Also in Rome, a wild rose placed on the doorstep of a room was used as a signal that confidential matters were being discussed, warning others not to enter.  Derived from this ancient practice, the phrase 'sub rosa', or 'under the rose' means to keep a secret.

Today there are thousands of varieties of roses, each developed for their particular shape, size, fragrance and even for lack of thorns!  While the rose itself is a symbol of love and appreciation, each color also has its own meaning:

•Red: love
•Pink: grace, lesser feelings of love
•Dark Pink: gratitude
•Light Pink: admiration, sympathy
•White: innocence, purity, secrecy, friendship, reverence and humility
•Yellow: dying love or platonic love

•Yellow with red tips: friendship, falling in love

•Orange: passion
•Burgundy: beauty
•Blue: mystery
•Green: calm
•Purple: protection (paternal/maternal love)

Know someone with a June birthday?  Why not surprise them with a beautiful bouquet of their birth flower!  Shop for rose bouquets on our website, or stop in to see the varieties we currently have in the shop.

Hello June!

May is by far the most hectic month of the year for florists.  Between Mother's Day, Proms, Weddings, and Memorial Day, we certainly have plenty to keep us busy!  Now that June has arrived and the busyness of May is settling down (or at least returning to the normal level of busyness), we should have more time to devote to updating our blog again.  So stay tuned for more posts soon!

If your prom dress is black...

Consider yourself lucky!  Black is always in style, and is by far the easiest color to accessorize, as any color goes nicely with it.  Bright, bold colors really stand out against black.  Incorporating black ribbons, wires, or rhinestones is a great way to tie the corsage in with a black prom dress.

Using ribbons in a variety of colors, patterns, or textures really enhances the look of a corsage.  In this wrist corsage, we've used a hot pink and black polka dot grosgrain ribbon, black picot ribbon, and a black sheer ribbon to accompany a single hot pink mini gerber daisy with black wire swirl in the center.  Additional swirls of black wire are used as an accent.

Black and red is always a striking color combination.  Also using a variety of ribbons and black wire accents, this wrist corsage of deep red mini carnations on a black beaded bracelet would be perfect for the girl who prefers darker tones.  A similar look could also be created using red spray roses.

And of course there is always the classic black and white.  In this wrist corsage, the crisp white of the dendrobium orchids contrasts nicely with the sheer black ribbon and black snap bracelet, and the black rhinestones add a touch of sparkle.

These are just a small sampling of the many, many options for accessorizing your black prom dress.  The possibilities are only limited by your imagination.