This morning I came across (via WeddingChicks) the most darling spin on the ever so popular Alice in Wonderland photo shoots/theme weddings. The spin on this theme is the use of the stunning, vivid purple which takes this theme to a level of certain of romance. The bride wore a very romantic gown by Rivini and her bouquet composed of all Orchids is simply exquisite!
To read more about this theme and for more information on the vendors, visit WeddingChicks.
Well, what do you think of this theme? What do you think about the colors that were used? I would love to hear your thoughts.
Hoping to inspire you,
Violaine Diogene
About a week ago, we started the conversation on How Well Do You Know Your Flowers and this today, we’re just continuing that conversation.
On Brides.com there’s this amazing Flower Finder and it’s a great place to get all the flower facts your little heart can handle. I’m thinking in the next few weeks, I’ll feature 10 flowers per week for us to get to know.
You know the deal, let me know your thoughts on this post and if you find it useful.
Happy flower learning,
Violaine Diogene
Gerbera Daisies
One of the world’s most popular cut flowers, and available in virtually every color imaginable, it looks fresh and casual when gathered in a simple vase.
Style
- bohemian, beach casual, modern, classic
Color
- pink, orange, red, white, yellow
Season
- summer, spring
Size of Bloom
- medium, large
Cost
- $ = inexpensive
Chamomile
You’ll find fields of this diminutive wildflower in late summer; include it in wreaths, centerpieces, and bouquets for a shot of charm. (It wilts easily-avoid using it in boutonnieres.)
Style
- bohemian, beach casual
season
- summer
Size of Bloom
- small
color
- white, yellow
Cost
- $ = inexpensive
Parrot Tulips
The basic tulip goes for baroque; this parrot variety, available most of the year, entices with its ruffled edges and stripes. A big bouquet is stunning, and the price is right.
Style
- bohemian, glamorous, romantic
color
- apricot, pink, purple, orange, red, white, yellow
season
- fall through early summer
Size of Bloom
- large
Cost
- $$$ = expensive
Foxgloves
These long stems (known as digitalis in the medical world) that feature a dozen or more bell-like blooms are excellent for creating arrangements with both elegance and height.
Style
- bohemian, glamorous, beach casual, classic
season
- spring
color
- purple, white, yellow
Size of Bloom
- large
Cost
- $$ = medium price
Craspedias
Also known as “billy buttons,” these tidy buds are available year-round. Dot bouquets and small arrangements with them for hits of color (watch out for pollen).
Style
- bohemian, beach casual, modern
season
- summer
Size of Bloom
- small
color
- orange, white, yellow
Cost
- $$ = medium price
Bouvardias
These diminutive, tube-shaped flowers cluster on stalks like miniature bouquets, and are available year-round. Kept saturated in water, they add feminine flourish to arrangements.
Style
- bohemian, modern, romantic
color
- pink, red, white, yellow
season
- year round
Size of Bloom
- large
Cost
- $$ = medium price
Nerines
This mini lily (the flowers are only two inches long) is available almost year-round, so you can add its delicacy to bouquets in any season. Consider massing stems together for a round nosegay.
season
- year round
Style
- beach casual, romantic, classic
Size of Bloom
- small
color
- pink, orange, red, white
Cost
- $$ = medium price
Andromedas
Bitty bell-like blossoms appear on evergreen shrubs in late spring and early summer; use generous clusters of them to decorate linen napkins and the table runners, and as texture in your bouquet.
Style
- bohemian, modern, romantic
season
- spring
Size of Bloom
- small
color
- white
Astrantias
As eye-catching as any hothouse hybrid, this summer field flower makes magic in mixed arrangements or when going solo, simply placed in a row of bud vases.
season
- summer
Style
- beach casual, modern
Size of Bloom
- small
color
- pink, purple, green, gold, red, white, yellow
Cost
- $ = inexpensive
Gloriosa Lillies
This wavy-petaled flower, typically sold as individual blooms, lends a Far East air to arrangements. With a stiff stem and the ability to hold its form out of water, it’s ideal for bouquets.
season
- year round
Style
- glamorous, modern
Size of Bloom
- large
color
- orange, red, yellow
Cost
- $$$ = expensive
Ok, this is almost kind of embarrassing to admit only because I’m a wedding planner and all, but I’m not exactly, no scratch that, I’m not a flower expert at the very least! There, I said it and yes, I’m breathing in sight. Now, don’t misunderstand me, I LOVE flowers and I absolutely love picking out a few flowers to make an arrangement but I couldn’t tell you about their names, meaning and all that, and that’s fine because I leave figuring out what’s in season and what’s what to my favorite floral vendors.
Because I don’t know much about flowers, I’m thinking it’s a great idea to for us to educate ourselves about these wonderful, simple pleasures of life. On Brides.com there’s this amazing Flower Finder and it’s a great place to get all the flower facts your little heart can handle. I’m thinking in the next few weeks, I’ll feature 10 flowers per week for us to get to know.
You know the deal, let me know your thoughts on this post and if you find it useful.
Happy flower learning,
Violaine Diogene
Muscari
These delicate, tightly clustered flowers, also called grape hyacinth, burst from bulbs in spring; small-headed, with supple stems, they’re easily wired into head wreaths for flower girls.
Color
purple, blue
Style
beach casual, classic, romantic
Cost
$$ = medium price
Season
spring
Size of Bloom
small
Hyacinths
This winter-to-late-spring bloom has a strong scent and a fresh-from-the-garden appeal; use the stems in small centerpieces or planters, or pluck a couple of individual flowers for a boutonniere.
Meaning: constancy
Style
beach casual, classic, romantic, modern
Color
red, blue, yellow, pink, orange, white
Size of Bloom
large
Cost
$$ = medium price
Season
winter through spring
Alliums
Like fluffy lollipops perched on tall sticks, these perfect globes of tiny petals create eye-popping displays, but don’t put them directly on your buffet-they smell a bit like onions.
Meaning: unity, humility, patience
Color
purple, blue, white, lavender, violet
Size of Bloom
large
Season
summer
Cost
$$$ = expensive
Hydrangea
Gardens burst into life with these poufs in late summer and fall; in shades from pink to lavender to green, they look modern when massed in bouquets and large arrangements.
Meaning: devotion
Style
beach casual, glamorous, classic, romantic, modern
Season
year round
Size of Bloom
large, medium
Color
blue, pink, green, white
Cost
$$$ = expensive
Sweet Peas
Skinny stems mean you can gather these frilly favorites in a bouquet, and it will still be featherlight. More good news: While it looks delicate, this early spring bloomer is deceptively hardy.
Meaning: delicate pleasures
Color
purple, red, lavender, pink, white
Style
glamorous, classic, romantic
Season
fall through late summer
Size of Bloom
small
Cost
$$$ = expensive
Peonies
This voluptuous, ultrafragrant flower has a fleeting season—late spring to early summer. Bunches of these chubby, old-fashioned favorites are beautiful placed in pretty pitchers.
Meaning: bashful
Style
beach casual, glamorous, classic, romantic
Color
red, burgundy, pink, white
Size of Bloom
large, medium
Season
late spring
Cost
$$$ = expensive
Roses
These are the classic long-stemmed roses that you see in the florist’s shop every Valentine’s Day. A perennial wedding choice, their petals can be plucked to carpet the ceremony aisle.
Meaning: love and passion
Color
red, yellow, pink
Style
glamorous, classic, romantic
Season
year round
Size of Bloom
medium
Cost
$$ = medium price
Lenten Roses
When is a rose not a rose? When it’s this five-petaled flower—more accurately called helleborus—that blooms in the Lenten season; it adds a springy bounce to bouquets.
Color
purple, pink, green, white
Season
early winter through spring
Style
beach casual, glamorous, bohemian, romantic
Size of Bloom
small
Cost
$$$ = expensive
Gardenias
With a scent to swoon for, this stem less flower can be floated in water or wired into a bouquet; though edges turn brown when handled roughly, it’s a stunningly retro-glam hair ornament.
Meaning: joy
Style
glamorous, classic, romantic
Size of Bloom
large, medium
Season
spring, summer
Cost
$$$ = expensive
Color
white, ivory
Eremurus Foxtail Lillies
Each stalk of this long-stemmed spring flower can have hundreds of star like florets; it can last for up to three weeks in a vase, so it’s great for make-ahead arrangements.
Style
beach casual, glamorous, bohemian, modern
Size of Bloom
medium
Cost
$$ = medium price
Season
spring, summer
color
yellow, pink
By now, I trust that you know how much I love to make a statement. I love accessories that screams elegant, I love a dress that is classic and certainly I love flowers that are bold and colorful. Some of the most memorable events I’ve attended included the nicest centerpieces that will remain with me for the rest of my life. When going through my photo album of the weddings that I’ve been fortunate enough to plan, I went on the knot to see what else I can show you to bring your creative side out.
Below are some of the nicest arrangements I’ve ever seen and it is my hope that these arrangements will inspire you to think out of the box when it comes to picking your centerpieces.
Did you just ask if I’m going to tell you which ones are my favorites? Don’t be silly, off course I am! What kind of planner would I be if I didn’t tell you which one truly had me at first sight? The first two are most definitely my personal favorites. Wow for the first centerpiece for being one of the most creative centerpiece ideas I have seen in a long time! Heffernan Morgan Designs designed this masterpiece by using classic lampshades and glass vases filled with water and small strands of white orchids. In each lamp was a pink light bulb which provided the soft glow. To finish them off, each centerpiece was lit from the bottom up using a mirrored light box. A fairly involved set-up, but very scene-setting!
My second favorite was achieved by using three cylinder vases were filled with sea glass and LED light cubes which provided that stunning but soft glow. Your eyes can’t help but stare at blush cymbidium orchids, cream peonies, white hydrangeas, lisianthus, and roses.
Well, what do you think of these centerpieces? How will you use these to inspire your décor? Did you choose your centerpieces already? I would love nothing more than for you to share your pictures and your thoughts with me.
Hoping to inspire you,
Violaine
| Send this post to a friend
| 2 Comments
One of the nicest elements of weddings is the bouquet the bride’s maids will walk down the aisle with as anticipation builds up to the bride’s grand entrance. Regardless of wedding size, intimate or grand, the bouquet is trademark of décor which will reflect the style of the couple about to exchange their vows. When designing a bouquet, brides always assume they have to stick to a particular color to match their bridesmaid’s dresses and that, my darling brides is the furthers from the truth.
When thinking about your flowers, it’s perfectly ok to go outside your girl’s dress colors. It’s ok to mix the colors up to reflect your style. One way to do this is to use the flowers as an “accent” color. One of my recent bride’s colors were black with “accent” colors of pink and silver. The bride wore her Ivory gown, the bridesmaids wore black dresses, and they carried solid bold fuchsia bouquets wrapped in silver and it was stunning! Looking through my albums I thought I would share with you some of my favorite bouquets and I hope you’ll find some inspiration in them.
As always, I would love your feedback and thoughts on these bouquets. What are your colors? Are you mixing them up? How are you going about in designing your bouquet?
Inspired by you,
Violaine Diogene
