Friday Flowers

Friday Flowers :: Jessica’s Early Spring Bouquet

0 · Apr 6, 2018 ·

Jessica has freelanced with me for a couple years now and is a flower lover herself. I’ve been somewhat desperate for someone plan a late winter, early spring wedding because of the stunning variety of blooms available this time of year. So when Jessica became a client AND she planned a mid-March wedding, it made it nearly impossible to contain myself. I wanted to buy all the flowers. And I wanted her bouquet to be absolutely perfect.

Each angle of this bouquet was completely different, the variety was beyond my normal creative scope and its hard to remember what all this bouquet even entailed. But the star was for sure the ranunculus. I often have brides come to me not knowing what flowers they love, not knowing their names or just knowing a variety or two that has captured their attention. One of those often found on the list is the coveted Cloni Hanoi Ranunculus, which is only available during these late winter months. Ranunculus can be found throughout the year in various shades, but these are nearly the size of a peony and have the ever so slightest kiss of blush – they’re perfection.

I could have built the entire bouquet out of these beauties. They’re Italian and dance in a bouquet like a ballerina’s ruffly tutu.

Burgundy fritillaria twirled around the edges, lilacs gracefully extended there blooms and delicate sweet peas added their frangrance.

A few smilax vines added a small touch of green and dried goldenrod brought us back to the local winter season.

Photography: Katie Grace Photography | Floral Design: The Day’s Design

I’m excited to bring this Friday Flowers back and can’t wait to share more beautiful blooms with you. And if you want to see all of Ryan & Jessica’s beautiful equestrian wedding day, you can see it here.

Happy Friday!

Friday Flowers :: Shelby’s Autumn Bouquet

0 · Jan 27, 2017 ·

First off, I need you to take a look at this gorgeous scenery…

Mistry Farms Ann Arbor | The Day's Design | Ashley Slater Photography

These are the views that would surround Shelby and Paul’s guests, making them fall in love with this wedding day even more. And as a designer, I couldn’t imagine creating something that could complete with this natural beauty.

I knew this would be a day spent in the sun, with all of creation singing with glory. Cowboy boots, wheat grasses and cool fall tones inspired me. Autumn’s textures were abundant and I wanted Shelby’s bouquet to fit right in with this breathtaking backdrop.

Fall Bridal Bouquet | The Day's Design | Ashley Slater Photography

This bouquet was filled with lots of goodness. Roses are always a standby in my recipe making, I chose to us Vendela Roses for their slightly off-white and creamy appearance. I paired them with White cloud garden roses, which often have just a tiny kiss of pink or at least a warmer white hue. Shelby had specifically requested cotton, which I was happy to deliver and added in some tallow berries to accent the woodiness of the cotton stems. I always like to add at least one linear item to the design and chose tuberose for this bouquet. Again, it has a white appearance but the ends fold into a mauvy blush tone adding a little depth to the muted palette. We had talked a lot about using wheat throughout her wedding design, but wheat just didn’t have the right movement, so I opted for pampas grass which would give a similar color but swayed nicer in the wind. I then added a couple of grasses that I plucked from the side of the road which had a similar size and scale to the wheat. My bouquets always require a pinch of green, especially since I knew there would still be plenty in our stunning autumn background, so I added snow on the mountain, which would serve to act as a bridge we transitioned from the greens to white. Lastly, I added in one single hydrangea. It was trimmed from a plant that I had bought earlier in the season and it served a couple of purposes. One, it filled a whole that was daunting me during the design process. Two, it added a little more depth the pale color palette. And three, I knew there was an amazaing hydrangea bush on property with similar tones and I had high hopes that the bride would be photographed in front of it. She was.

Autumn Bridal Bouquet | The Day's Design | Ashley Slater Photography Fall Bridal Bouquet | The Day's Design | Ashley Slater Photography

Oh the places the bouquet traveled that day, it was such a dream.

Autumn Bouquet Recipe | The Day's Design | Ashley Slater Photography

Photography: Ashley Slater Photography | Venue: Misty Farms in Ann Arbor, Michigan | Floral Design: The Day’s Design

Friday Flowers :: Airemiss’s Flower Crown

0 · May 14, 2016 ·

Photography: Kelly Sweet Photography

Yes, I am a day late in this post. However, we can pretend it’s still Friday, I only got 2 hours of sleep last night so it feels like one continuous day and we’re going to stretch the rules of this Friday Flowers post. It’s wedding season, it all blurs together anyway.

I’m pulling this one out of the archives because even though it’s nearly 2 years old, it’s still one of my favorite weddings. There were nine people who celebrated in the misty rain, in the middle of the woods. It was pretty romantic location as far as wedding ceremonies go.

I designed a really awesome tabletop and some beautiful florals throughout the decor, but one of my favorite pieces was Airemiss’s flower crown. It was so simple and yet it’s still one of my favorite crowns that I’ve ever made.

Her favorite flower is a white rose. That is what she requested her bouquet be made of but she wanted it assembled in a way that made it feel like it could have been just gathered and tied together right there in the woods. White roses don’t exactly grow wild in Michigan’s woodland settings, but I think we managed to capture that essence quite well.

When it comes to creating a flower crown, I think about 4 main things.

The environment which it will be worn in. Should it be clean and chic like a city setting or contain tidbits from the surrounding fields?
The outfit it will be worn with. Obviously I don’t want colors to clash and then again should it be polished and chic or more boho and carefree? Romantic, whimsical – what’s the overall feel of the attire?
The hairstyle it will be worn with. Will it partially be tucked into a bun? Should it be worn to one side? Long hair? Short hair? Do we want the blooms or the hair to show more?
Other flowers in the scene. This would mostly pertain to a bouquet or other fashion accessory but could also think about the environment, if you’re in an apple orchard, I’m probably going to try to include a few of those dainty pink blossoms. But even more importantly I do strive to make sure it looks amazing paired with your bridal bouquet. The two definitely need to pair well together.

So taking those 4 points into consideration, this halo of flowers was born. It was to be worn in the woods, so a little wild would be alright. It would be worn with a white Vera Wang wedding dress, which had white roses trailing up the front. Those parts were pretty straight forward. Next I had to consider the bride’s sweet little pixie cut. I couldn’t place an enormous flower on her head that would completely take over. I felt like she needed more of a headband of blooms, bold and stylish but not overwhelming. Finally, it had to match her white rose bouquet.

The main ingredient I chose was white majolica spray roses. These sprays are one of my go-to’s that I use time and time again. They’re like a safety net for me. But I love them. They have the tiniest tinge of pink and they open so beautifully to reveal their centers. I feel a little bit like a traitor loving South American roses this much, but I’ll get over it. They’re just so ruffly for being “standard” and were the perfect size for this crown.

Myrtle is a symbol of love and a Hebrew symbol for marriage. It was significant to be Aphrodite and Demeter in Roman mythology. It was very important to Airemiss that it be included in her flower arrangements and I couldn’t think of a better place to include the green than around her head.

Just a couple springs of agonis were added in to add a little extra color and depth. It’s actually a type of willow myrtle, so I felt like it was a very appropriate compliment to the crown.

The final ingredient was fresh lavender. I love including lavender whenever possible. At our old house, I planted some lavender in my tiny garden and it produced blooms all summer long, I wish I still had this plant. The lavender for their wedding came from my garden. It’s fragrant, earthy and sweet, adding just a touch of color in a very subtle way.

If you’d like to see the entire wedding day again, you can see it here. Have a great weekend!

Friday Flowers :: Spring Seaside Bouquet

0 · Apr 15, 2016 ·

Spring Beach Bouquet | The Day's Design | Ashley Slater Photography

As it so often happens, last spring I was eager to make something pretty. I wanted to stretch my wings and create. I needed to dust off my flowering skills. Editorial styled shoots are one of my favorite ways to quench this yearning.

The story was inspired by the sea. The tablescape was to appear as if it had just been washed ashore. I easily sourced driftwood and nautical touches but we all know that the flowers sometimes make the greatest impact in the overall design. You may remember the entire feature with Ashley Slater Photography here.

I remember putting the flower order together. When it’s been months since you’ve seen and touched real live blossoms, you can start to feel overwhelmed with the whole order process. I wanted it all. And I always make it a point to order something new, especially with styled shoots – that’s the perfect opportunity to try something new.

Poppies. That was my new source of inspiration. I placed an order for lots of Matilija poppies to be the star of my bouquet. There’s something about them that remind me of sea anemones. Their petals are dainty and paper thin. And in my imagination, sometimes I see them living under the sea.

The day before my flowers arrived, I was informed that my precious poppies were not available. A quick change of plans and I substituted Bowl of Cream Peonies and other gorgeous variety with a cheery yellow center – both flown in from California.

Eucalyptus is another favorite of mine to use by the beach. The blue green tinge compliments the water in the background so nicely. I’m always cautious of using too harsh of a green tone against a blue backdrop.

California grown Caramel Antike Roses (the beigey, gold garden roses seen above) are some of my go-to;s. You’ll see them in my work time and time again. The perfect neutral.

But the piece that really pulled this whole bouquet together was the blooming branches foraged from my own neighborhood. I stopped early morning to trim a few flowers and as soon as I started working with them, I realized I needed more and more. I sent my husband down the road with hedge trimmers and told him to grab as much as he possibly could. He returned a short while later with a massive pile of branches. I thought there was no way I would ever use that much, he argued that I had told him to get ask much as he could. Very true. I think I ended up using all but one small branch. They were amazing. I’m sad I don’t have a wedding the first week of May this year – although I’m not longer living in that neighborhood either.

I added gold ribbons that complimented the stamens in my peonies, as well as the touches of glimmer in my other decor, and blue ribbons to match Lake Michigan in the background. Silk ribbons are your best friends in the breeze. I can’t get over how they glide in the wind.

Shelby signature

Friday Flowers

0 · Apr 8, 2016 ·

I put a ton of emphasis into selecting the right flowers for each and every event. I give my brides a few visuals and ideas of what varieties I plan on using, but in the end, plans change. Sometimes I get inspired by something else. Sometimes the color, size or movement is just off in the bloom that I choose. And sometimes I kill flowers. Yes, it happens.

I love to take the time to focus on each and every bloom that passes through my hand. But when it’s wedding crunch time, I have to admit that often the focus is more on just getting it done rather than making it perfect. It’s for that reason that I make the most visual pieces first. And I do like to save the pieces that I’m most excited for until the end, this way I ensure I will stay excited throughout the entire creation process rather than becoming too weary of flowers. However, I’m very cautious about this approach.

I think it would be really neat to be able to tell the bride the story behind each and every blossom. Yet anyone who’s been a part of a wedding knows that this is completely unrealistic, the bride clearly has other things on her mind that day – even if I do not.

So I quickly hand off the bouquet, finish my delivery and then start plotting out my next event.

But I had an idea. I could share the stories here. I could tell where the flowers traveled from, how certain varieties came to be in my hands and some of the thought process that went into the selection. It would be an open and honest discussion of my flower journey. You’d know of my ordering mishaps and maybe even a couple wasteful tales. But I think in the end it would be fun to reflect back and maybe even I would grasp a deeper understanding of myself and how I work through the creative process.

Peony & Pinecone floral recipe | The Day's Design | Katie Grace Photography

Photography: Katie Grace Photography & Videography

As much as I love local flowers and talk about a lot the advantages of American grown blooms, it’s pretty amazing to think that some of your flowers have traveled half way across the world. A single bouquet could easily represent a number on continents and I’d like to start tracking that. It’s like philosophy, geography and flowers (I think they call that horticulture?) all in one little post.

And because most Fridays I either have flowers in my hands or wish that I did, this will be my version of Friday Flowers. More next Friday 😉

Shelby signature

Friday Flowers

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