Roses

3 Tips for Planning Rustic Weddings

0 · Apr 12, 2016 ·

I originally wrote this post a couple months ago as part of my monthly guest feature over on Simply Blue Weddings. It was titled “3 Mistakes Couples Make When Planning Rustic Weddings”. But after it when live, I felt bad. I had just posted something really negative and it bothered me.

So today, I’m sharing it here on my personal blog, but I’ve reworked it a bit, shedding a more positive light on the subject. Here are some things you should do to make sure that you’re rustic celebration is just as fabulous as you always dreamed it would be.

Quicksand Rose | Rustic Wedding Planning Tips | The Day's Design | Ashley Slater Photography

Photography: Ashley Slater Photography | Styling & Floral Design: The Day’s Design | Calligraphy: Wondrous Whimsy

Properly Define Rustic

What does rustic mean to you? In the wedding industry, it seems any celebration that doesn’t take place in a formal ballroom (and even some that do) can easily be defined as rustic. However, these seem to be three different type of “rustic” bride that I most normally come across.

There’s shabby, vintage and sometimes even a little dirty “rustic”. This bride includes décor choices that you might generally associate with a barn wedding. Perhaps horse saddles, wooden crates, vintage table numbers and burlap accents.

Then there’s outdoorsy rustic. Think almost woodland wedding or even more nautical style. Birch bark, tree stumps and mossy touches might be mixed in. You could also incorporate antlers, sand or outdoor activities that the couple enjoy together. This is where natural lovers rejoice.

Finally, there’s the girl who describes her day as rustic elegance. She dreams of a touch of sophistication paired with wide open spaces. Think gold flatware against a raw wooden table. Everything stays sleek and refined while complimenting a slightly more relaxed mood.

And of course there’s a hybrid of any of the above which makes every day extremely unique.

Choose the Right Venue

Michigan is home to a countless number of barns, wineries and other outdoor spaces that lend themselves so well towards this style of gathering. With such a plethora of earthy spaces, I think that’s why we tend to assume that everyone getting married with a loose bouquet of wildflowers is search of that casual vibe. However, we mustn’t forget that there are many hotel ballrooms, elegant restaurants and rental halls that also can host amazing events. And not all of them pair well with burlap, wooden crates or nautical rope décor. Make sure that your venue provides the right backdrop and sets the perfect tone for you wedding day.

Don’t Assume that Planning will be Simple

I hear it all the time, I want a simple wedding day. Don’t we all? Does anyone want their day to be an overly complicated nightmare?? The fact of the matter is, regardless of the style or theme of your wedding day, you’re still inviting guests, they still need invitations, chairs, tables, linens, food, centerpieces, transportation and about a 100 other details that go into the planning of a successful event. Oh and you thought it would cost less because it’s a rustic wedding? While there might be a few details that become more casual and you could possibly skip out on the draping or extremely tall formal centerpieces, but that greenery garland and beautiful compote centerpiece is still cost money. And the price tag on your flank steak is the same whether you serve it in a fancy ballroom or on a tented hillside.

I love working in casual elegance as well as grander ballrooms. I think that’s one of the reasons that I love what I do so much, I get to meet a variety of people, working in different atmosphere and am never limited on my creativity. Each wedding as is individual as the couple planning it.

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Looking for more wedding planning tips? Read my guest feature over on Simply Blue Weddings the second Thursday of each month.

The Rose

0 · Feb 5, 2015 ·

We’ve downplayed the romance of roses. I had yet another bride tell me that she isn’t a fan of roses. While it’s not uncommon for me to hear, it is somewhat disheartening. I can’t use ANY roses in your arrangements? I think we’re sick of seeing tightly wound bunches sadly wrapped in cellophane, thrown together with a couple sprigs of baby’s breath and being advertised as something we should love. However, when I think of all the beautiful blooms that you’re excluding, it’s somewhat heartbreaking. There are so many great varieties beyond the typical South American blooms we associate with the word “rose” leaving so many flowers behind that we’re simply not appreciating.

I love creating with roses. I love pulling the center petals from the little spray roses to reveal the cute little stamens hiding inside. The way a garden rose can transform from a tight, round bud to a glorious bloom layered with ruffles and frills is really exciting. And I want to share this with you.

Picture: Heather Cisler Photography

The yellow rose – a symbol of friendship. I could stay friends with these lovelies all day long. What you see here is an American grown, buttery yellow California bloom paired with a yellow Finesse rose – which is a standard variety but they have a softer, almost ruffly texture on their outer edges making just a touch more fancy. The butter tones accentuate those found in the ivory spray roses on the left and who can resist adding a couple of tulips and ranunculus to the mix!?

Picture: Kelly Sweet Photography

I created this bouquet for a bride who had her heart set on peonies. There’s no doubt that peonies are one of my all time favorites and I’m hopeful for the day that they’re available year around… or maybe it’s the fact that they’re not that makes them so special. Either way, I wasn’t able to accommodate my October bride’s wishes. However, I don’t think either of us were too disappointed by the results.

I had the roses shipped in from Oregon, which made them extra special. The large ivory ones (Helga Paiget) were especially my favorites as some blooms had just a touch of pink accenting their outer petals. And when they opened it was pure magic. Layer upon layer of delicate petals were revealed. They were placed next to the Romantic Antike roses (the coral-y pink ones). Those too are extraordinary in their own way. While closed, they are a beautifully round bud and opened, they flatten out with a swirling petal arrangement that leads to a golden center. Also shown are a few delicately sweet Champagne roses in blush tones and some PeeGee hydrangeas with peach stock.

Picture: Ashley Slater Photography

I’m not sure what what exactly inspired this combination of roses. The Caramel Antikes and the red garden roses (which the grower considered brown) were shipped to me from California (on a side note… I would love to source more roses from Michigan, anyone want to recommend a grower to me?) and the pale blush/beige one of the left in fact is a South American Quicksand rose. I just threw these in a vase together with some chocolate cosmos and grabbed a couple leaves off a bush in my backyard but I loved the results!

Still think roses are boring? If you still don’t like roses, I understand and will not force my preference upon you. But with so many varieties, colors, sizes and design options I really think we should reconsider.

“That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet.” – Shakespeare

The Best Laid Plans

0 · Jun 11, 2014 ·

Its peony season here in West Michigan. It’s also time for me to prepare for my small part in Bloom the Workshop. How lucky could I possibly be that fate would bring these two happy occasions together in the same week!?

I have one sad little peony bush in my back yard. She’s slow to bloom and doesn’t produce many buds. But each year she comes back and brings me so much joy. And each year I’m stuck with this dilemma, to pick the flowers and bring them inside to enjoy for a fleeting moment in time or leave them on the bush – where I’ll see them much less but their loveliness will live on a little longer.

This year I decided that they would have a special purpose. They would be enjoyed by others and I would bring them along with me to Bloom the Workshop. They would live long after they’re gone in the memories of all my new creative friends.

In addition, I’ve spent my week scouting out the best roadside/garden side/woodland greens and blossoms to add to the ones that will my arriving shortly at my doorstep from my wholesaler. I never order all of my flowers from a wholesaler – I need to touch, feel and explore to make my creations perfect. I had a plan, a picking spot and even a travel route all schemed out.

And then came the rain.

My poor little peonies are sadly smushed to the ground. And while I haven’t exactly explored my other flowers which I was sure to forage – I have a sinking feeling that all their sweet little petals might not be in tack. What’s a girl to do?

I sadly made my way to the farmer’s market this morning in hopes of finding some fresh cut loveliness like I found the week before, only to find the stalls empty. So now friends, I have a mission. And I don’t know yet how this story is going to end or where my travels today might take me. All I know is that sometimes the best laid plans fail but I will not. I promised to deliver some gorgeous arrangements to Bloom and I don’t break my promises.

Above is a little something I put together earlier this week — and I might have snagged the image from Bloom’s Instagram feed. Be sure to follow along with me @thedaysdesign or the workshop directly @bloomtheworkshop

Valentine’s Bouquet Inspiration

0 · Feb 14, 2014 ·

Back in the snow and gloom of January I had an idea. Valentine’s Day would quickly be approaching and it’s a day that always calls for some gorgeous blooms. However, sometimes these mounds of perfectly placed, symmetrical and classic roses need a little extra love – ferns and baby’s breath can only do so much. The careless air of a wildflower bouquet has always been more my style and frankly, sometimes these typical rose arrangements are a bit sophisticated and stuffy for my taste.

So I thought, why not make bouquets out of these readily available Valentine’s flowers that were my style? You don’t have to have extremely high end blooms to make a pretty bouquet, they just need to be artfully arranged and displayed. My goal was to gather some of these grocery store blooms and create something gorgeous and over the top romantic. These are all flowers that are readily available and can be glamorous if just arranged and displayed correctly. So if your man stops at Speedway on his way home from work tonight, don’t lose heart… you can still have some beautiful flowers!

Bouquet Recipe 1:

3 stems pink spray roses
6 cream roses
3 pale pink roses
3 medium (colored) pink roses
4 cherry roses
3 bakers ferns
1 tree fern
1 sprig cedar (salvaged from my back yard – because I promised everything would be easy to source!)

And don’t underestimate the impact a glamorous ribbon can make… the velvet one here is amazing!

Bouquet #2 has a few more components and is a little fancier. But it still has lots of Valentine favorites including tulips – just to tease you with the thought of spring!

Bouquet Recipe 2:

5 pink tulips
4 stems burgundy mums
2 pink snap dragons
3 medium (colored) pink roses
3 stems pink spray roses
2 cherry roses
2 cream roses
2 light pink roses
3 stems eucalyptus
1 bakers fern

And I couldn’t resist putting together a little floral hairpiece with some of the leftover blooms, which is a certain way to make any girl feel like a princess! Then we added some glitter and sweet treats and then convinced Heather Cisler Photography to come play with me in the middle of a snow storm!