spring flowers

Mauve & Yellow Flowers for the Month of March

0 · Apr 1, 2020 ·

Yes, it’s techically April 1st and I’m just finishing up my March flower series. But since we’re all at home in quarentine, who really knows what day it is anymore anyway??? Plus these flowers will spill beautifully into the month of April as well.

My orginal plan was to create this arrangment (using my 5 flowers from the month of March – linked here in case you missed them), and then create an Easter inspired tablescape. But it was as I was finalizing these plans that the world outside got a little chaotic – schools closed, sickness showed up in our state and we were all ordered to stay home. This order extends well past Easter and so all of our traditional Easter day activities (church, Easter dresses, egg hunts, a fancy brunch, etc) have all sort of been put on hold. Onto Plan B….

I made a little video. I thought we could inspired eachother with putting together flowers that still exist, even if sourcing them is a little more challenging right now. Easter is all about the season of hope, which is what these flowers are giving me. Hope that this is part of a greater plan, afterall He’s got the whole world in His hands and if there was ever a reminder to let go and reliquish control, it’s this. None of us can truly control what’s going on in the outside world. Instead we can focus on what beauty can be found in the situation.

A quick little video of me putting this together (along with some dog barking and high speed curious facial expressions 🙂 Realtime, it took me approximately 29 minutes to put this centerpiece together, but I edited it down to just 14 for your viewing pleasure.

And then when I was all finished, I really couldn’t resist the idea of seeing what this might look like next to a placesetting. So I grabbed some mustard napkins and simple stoneware plates and played… complete with candles and gold flateware. I really should have just put together an entire tabletop because this little snippet by itself was so good!

We finally have some spring weather here in the forcast in Michigan and the last of our snow piles have just about melted. Hope the weather is doing a happy dance whereever you are as well!

5 Flowers for the Month of March

1 · Mar 24, 2020 ·

Coming here to write has been a little bit of a struggle. With all the things happening in the world, chatting about flowers seems a little frivilous. I mean, they’re just flowers…

At the end of last week I watched videos of some of the California wholesalers having to dump product because their doors are closing. They weren’t throwing out just a couple of bunches of blooms, but hundreds of thousands of flowers (and dollars). Flowers that were grown by farmers across the country and across the world. This is people’s careers and livelyhood. Tears welled in my eyes and I still get a rock in my gut just thinking about it.

On top of that, flowers bring joy. Right now, we all could use a little joy. It was like seeing buckets of joy being thrown away. We might be forced to stay in our homes, but that doesn’t mean that we need to suffer in ugly silence. We can still seek out the joy in each day. For me, much joy is found in flowers so I’ve decided to continue sharing it the only way I’m able to right now, here in this space.

I know I’ve said it several times in the past few months, but at the risk of sounding like a broken record, I’m going to say it again – there are amazing flowers available in the winter and early spring months. The colors and textures are like those not found at other times of the year. Here are 5 that I’m especially loving right now.

Daffodils

I’m sure I’ll talk a little more about these once Michigan bring us more, but for the moment let’s just soak in the happy, sunshine hues and their coral counterparts. There are 2 different varieties here because I was indecisive and couldn’t choose just one (and the ones that I had actually ordered were sold out). Sometimes that indesiveness is perfect though, as I find new flower varieties to love. Daffodils are cheery, cost effective and great as either an accent flower or even the star of the show.

Clematis

Another springtime favorite, I dream of having beautiful climbing clematis vines around my property… I just haven’t quite figured out where exactly I’d plant them. So in the meantime, I’ll buy them to use in your arrangments. I love their spidery star shapes, the touch of yellow in the middle and the long graceful lines of their foliage.

Poppies

When I first started working in the floral industry, I was told that poppies make a poor choice for cut flowers. They have a short vase life and wouldn’t last in an arrangement. I’m so glad I haven’t found this to be true. I absoultely love these flowers during these dreery months (and again when Michigan will bring us her’s in the summer). These are the Icelantic variety, and each bunch is a farmer’s choice mix of bloom colors. They’re shipped still in their budded stage, which means opening each bloom is like a Puppy Surprise, you never know what you’ll find inside! This particular bunch was almost all white with yellow middles, except for 2 coral blooms.

Japanese Meadowsweet Spirea

This is an ingredient I don’t get to use nearly enough. It’s so delicate, lacey and screams springtime! I love the mix of woody, dancing branches with teenie little flowers all clustered together. It adds amazing texture and height to an arrangment. I would highly recommend using this for both your base when creating the overall arrangment shape, as well as some last minute accent/textural pieces.

Japanese Sweet Peas

I don’t descriminate amoungst sweet peas. I love them all. I bought way too many just for myself at the farmer’s market last summer and plan to do the same again this year. However, when the Japanese ones come into season, they bring extra long stems and the most unique color variety. These are technically brown, but like many other flowrs that fall into that brown category, I see other colors shining through. In each single bloom, I see vains of mauve, purples and even bits of amber. My only regret with these? I didn’t order more!

As in months past, I have put together an arrangment using all of these ingredients together which I will share soon. A little teaser to make sure you come back… this is one of my favorite pieces I’ve ever made (that is, until I make my next favorite!)

Stay safe and healthy flower friends!

How to Carry a Bridal Bouquet

2 · Jul 18, 2018 ·

So many of my posts here are born out of a rant. Things that drive me crazy with weddings, décor or the world. This one is no exception. Because there is something graceful and romantic about the way flowers should linger in a bride’s arms. They should be held gingerly and with love. They are an accessory to the overall attire of a bride and a focal point in one’s bridal portraits. When I am presented with inspiration photos or a stunning bouquet captures my attention online, the flowers definitely do a lot of speaking but it’s not only that, it’s the way it’s held, photographed and treasured. So when I see my flowers (which are my art – my heart and soul has gone into designing each and every piece) captured in an unfavorable manor I am immediately hit with a wave of sadness, wishing I could be the stylist on each and every wedding day making sure every detail is perfect.

Since that’s not a realistic option and most people aren’t quite as dramatic about their blooms as I tend to be, I’m simply going to share my word of advice here, lending some guidance. I always want the flowers to look incredible in person, but when your wedding day is over, the memories will eventually fade and your pictures are what you have left to reminisce upon. So let’s make sure that they’re every bit as amazing as your real life memories.

Stems Tucked in Towards the Body

First things first, make sure stems are tucked in towards the body and the faces of the flowers are facing out.

In the above picture, the bouquet is being held vertically, so the stems are parallel to the body. While this doesn’t make the photo “ugly”, it could be so much better because this isn’t the angle that the bouquet was designed to face.

Above our model simply tipped the bouquet forward bringing to flowers to the of attention. The stems are tucked in closer to her body. My bouquets are intensionally created with very short stems, making this much easier to accomplish.

Make Sure the Ribbon is Over You Hands

Long trailing silk ribbons are really popular right now. I love some of the hand-dyed options, like this one from Silk and Willow. However, I’m saddened when the beauty of these ribbons is hidden behind the bride’s fingers. Most times, I’m fairly certain that it’s unintentional, however I want to point it out just the same.

See how our model’s hands are crinkling the bow and blocking the ribbons? Below I’ll share a few ways that we still photographed the bride’s ring, but also capture the ribbons and flowers in a more favorable position.

Let the ribbon loosly flow over your fingers, showing off is delicate nature.

Play with Different Positions to Hold it In

I know I contradict myself often when I talk about flowers. I have been known to mention taking really good care of your bouquet, making sure it’s handled gently and given lots of water throughout the wedding day. I think this puts people in a panic, like they can’t set it down and touch any part of it besides the stems. Flowers are delicate and parishable, but they can handle being used a little. So don’t be afraid to really “hold onto” your bouquet. And here are some of my favorite ways to do so.

I love this one because the bouquet is slightly tipped to the side, with the stems still hidden. It gives a a different vantage point and elongates the lines of the bouquet.

Here the bouquet is completely vertical, almost making it appear as though it’s a cascading bouquet.

Resting the bouquet on your hip, either in front of you or behind you is a really comfortable way to hold the flowers during your portraits and gives the pictures interest making them seem artsy, but not unnatural.

I love the nonchalant feeling of the bouquet being tossed over the bride’s shoulder. It especially gorgeous here because it’s almost hard to see where her bouquet ends and her hairpiece starts.

No matter how you choose to hold your bouquet, my biggest take aways from this post are hide the stems – you’re paying for flowers! Show off your gorgeous ribbons and do what feels comfortable.

Featured :: If a Florist Wed on Trendy Bride

0 · Mar 13, 2018 ·

Imagine a quiet morning, the dew is still on the grass and the birds have just started to sing. There’s an anticipation in the air as guests will mingle and celebrate in the countryside, as one woman and one man will pledge their love eternally to one another.

But before the celebration comes the preparation. So in the dawn of the day, final arrangements are being made. She’s a florist, who’s been a part of hundreds of weddings days. She’s seen too many stressed brides and is committed to focusing only on the things that really matter.

An arbor of foraged greens is constructed in the woods as the backdrop for their vows. Local lilacs are inserted into her bridal bouquet. And a wide brimmed hat is worn to keep the sun off her face as she gathers her last minute blooms.

Potted plants lined the long table at which her closest friends and family will gather. Simple placecards and candles add to the no-fuss vibe. But she’s forever tempted to play the hostess, serving wine and cake to her guests and making the day just as unforgettable to them as it will be to her and her groom.

Last spring Kelly Sweet and I created with this imaginary vision with these thoughts in mind, and today you can see the entire feature on Trendy Bride.

Friday Flowers :: Lilacs

0 · Aug 19, 2016 ·

I don’t know if it was the change of scenery that brought about my whole new perspective on lilacs or perhaps I finally learned to open my eyes to the world around me – but either way, it seemed that the lilacs were unbelievable this year. It seemed like every time I turned around, I saw another bush, they were lining the highways, I was coveting someone’s yard and I stayed in complete awe of these breathtaking, purple blossoms.

Ashley Slater contacted me toward the end of May for one of her couples looking for a bouquet for an engagement shoot. Building a bouquet like this is one of my favorite tasks. With a small floral order, I am able to source flowers and approach the creative process in a much different way. I didn’t new mass quantity of flowers, just a handful of each bloom.

I instantly knew that lilacs would be my starting point. They were at their height of perfection and I couldn’t pass them by. The only problem was I don’t actually have a lilac bush, I just see everyone else’s as I’m driving down the road. And unfortunately I couldn’t find anyone selling them roadside or at the farmer’s market.

I did, however find what appeared to be vacant property on a low traffic area of road that had a glorious bush. I pulled over and helped myself. I don’t call this thievery, I consider this saving a flower from an underappreciated life. (And if this happened to be your property, I do apologize but know that your flowers lived to their fullest potential and made one bride-to-be very happy plus I’d be really happy to pay you for the blooms).

I let these Big Rapids lilacs steal the show, keeping the rest of the flower recipe pretty simple. I added a few Quicksand roses – which are one of my absolute favorite shades of blush and a few Little Silver spray roses. Both rose varieties are South American grown because sometimes you just need to represent the other half of the world with your floral compositions. A few California grown black Scabiosa were added in just a little extra depth to the bouquet. And finally, I purchased Jacob’s Ladder plant locally, which I trimmed a few pieces from for some added texture.

The icing on the cake, however, was when I got the pictures back and realized that the photo session took them to a lilac grove and there was a blooming fuchsia tree in the background which added the most perfect shades of pink to complement Mucki’s bouquet.

Photography: Ashley Slater Photography

I’ve said it once and I’ll say it again, don’t be afraid to add a bouquet into your engagement session. There’s no such thing as too many flowers. And nothing brings a smile to a girl’s face like a bouquet of beautiful blooms.