Colors that POP

Have you ever gone to a wedding, or seen a picture of one that just made you go WOW!!  That looks AMAZING!  Have you then, ever stopped to think about what it was that was so striking?
Careful consideration to color choice can make a huge difference in your wedding.  Careful and considerate choosing of the tones of colors can make the difference between run of the mill pretty and stop you in your feet remember it forever pretty. 
This brings me to this blog   I LOVE the scarlet and icy blue.  Against the white...it is STUNNING.  Can you picture using these colors in a summer wedding.  The scarlet gives it vibrance but the blue cools and gives balance. 
Other colors to consider.  Charcoal grey (or a lghter shade if you prefer) and yellow,  Hot pink and green.  Lavendar and sky blue,
And that is just a start!  More to come!

Happy Planning!

Flower Friday

So I want to highlight different flowers each week! Some that are familiar and others that may be less so.  Today I want to highlight one of my favorites!

I love lilies.  I love their shape, and the variety of colors.  I love the distinct look and feel that they lend to an arrangement. 

White Lilies and Mini Roses

 Lilies fall into 3 general categories; Asiatic, Oriental and Calla

Asiatic- these tend to be slightly smaller and come with 3-7 blooms per stem.  Their colors can range from white, to orange, pink, red, yellows, and a variety of variagated colors.  These work well in large arrangements as well as in bouquets and cake flowers. 

Pink and Yellow Asiatic lilies

Oriental Lilies- These have a similar shape to your asiatic, some say with even more striking blooms.  Also boasting a variety of colors, oriental lilies tend to be larger, and they come on stems with 5 or less blooms.  These are best used in large arrangements, and as focal pieces (think floating one in water, beautiful!)

Pink Lilies and mixed flowers

Calla Lilies- these beautiful lilies are known for their elegant and artful look as well as their simplicity.  They pair well with other flowers or look breathtaking on their own.  Callas also hold up very well.  These come in White, pink, eggplant, orange, red and yellow. 

Large white callas

mini callas with roses and hypericum berries

Callas can be effectively used in bouquets, boutonnieres, corsages, floral arrangements as well as on cakes, or alone as focal pieces.

This was just a brief overview of the beautiful lily!

Happy Planning!

Wordless Wednesday (almost)

Sorry, back from a slight sabatical.  Stay tuned!

Color Combinations

My kids are sick, so that means late nights for me.  That also means that my creativity suffers.  SOO we are going to continue on about color choices.  This is the fun stuff though!!  Lets talk about color combinations!

So you have a couple of choices to go with- (actually, in the world of flowers anything goes, but here are some suggestions!)

Monochromatic- This means ONE color.  However this does NOT mean boring!!!  Choosing one color is very soothing on the eyes and helps set a clear theme of what you are trying to portray. It is also suprisingly easy to create.   For example a pure white theme, with calla lilies and clean lines gives the impression of simplicity, purity and elegance. 

Simple white calla lilies

Where as by choosing a single bright color it can create drama and pizazz. 

Deep scarlet "Black Magic" roses

Another option within a monochromatic theme is to choose contrasting tomes within the same color, lavendar and deep purple, hot pink and baby pink, peach and tangerine.  This provides the simplicity of choosing one color, but allows for some dramatic contrasts.

Hot pink and baby pink make a feminine statement

Within a monochromatic scheme your possibilities are endless.
Pros: Simple, easy to create, easy to establish the overall mood of the occasion.
Cons- Not as vibrant.  Hard to highlight specifics.  Can be "boring".
Tip- Use varying shades and tones to create vibrancy

Analogous-This means to use 2 colors that are next to each other on the color wheel.  (Red and orange, orange and yellow, yellow and green, green and blue, blue and purple, purple and red).  This provides many of the pros of a monochromatic scheme but with more nuance.  By choosing one dominant tone of the two you can easily create a stunning look. 

Yellow and Orange make a vibrant statement

Pros- Easy to create, similar pros as monochromatic but with more vibrancy and nuance.
Cons- not as much contrast (drama) as complementary scheme.
Tips- Avoid using too many shades or tones of colors.

Complementary-This is when you choose 2 colors on opposite sides of the color wheel, for example, red and green, Blue and yellow, purple and orange.  This creates the maximum amount of drama and if balanced properly it can create a stunning effect.

 Blue and yellow spring flowers

Pros-Maximum contrast makes a bold statement
Cons- Very difficult to balance and make harmonious
Tips-Choose one dominant and one contrast.  Tone things down by using copious amounts of white.

Triadic- This means to choose three colors on opposing sides of the color wheel.  (Think red, yellow and blue, or purple, orange and green, or varying shades in between.) Once again, this provides maximum drama but it is more easily balanced than a complementary scheme.

Yellow and red are bright contrasts

Pros-Alot of drama but more easily balanced
Cons- Difficult to portray a cohesive mood or theme
Tips- Choose one primary color and use the other two as complements

So there are your "rules".  However, as I said, within the flower world there is alot of room for movement.  Remember if it is a wedding you are planning there will be alot of white to tone things down, and in floral arrangements there is usually greenery added to help things balance. 

Happy planning!

Wordless Wednesday

Tuesday Tips

I think I have been on a color kick lately...

So here's your Tuesday Tip! 

One of the best places you can choose your colors is at the paint section of your local hardware store!  This is a FREE way to try out a variety of different colors and tones to find what will work best for you!! 

A Winter's Tale

Since we are quickly approaching winter here in Utah I wanted to talk a bit about Winter Weddings.   There are a couple of things to consider when planning a winter wedding.  But for this post we will focus on a few design considerations.  We will address this topic again letter to talk about things like site, unique decor options, refreshment ideas, and color choices.  This is just a brief overview to get you thinking.  There are a couple directions that you can take when planning your wedding; holiday themed, and winter themed.  

If getting married around Christmas time, you can easily use many elements of the Season as a springboard to design your wedding.  Evergreen trees and boughs, white lights, pinecones, deep red and gold sparkling against a white background.  Is there any wonder why the Holidays contain so much romance?   

Evergreens and candles

Used correctly these elements can create a warm and inviting feeling, and environment.  However, used incorrectly it can make your occasion seem exactly the opposite.  My suggestion, if you are wanting a wedding complete with the holiday magic, focus on the Holiday elements that are not connected to Santa Clause. 

The second direction to consider is to focus on making things more WINTERY than Christmassy.  Instead of focusing on the Holiday spirit of winter you focus on the other aspects that make winter wonderful.  The sparkling white of the world after it snows, the warmth of coming indoors.  You can portray that warm and cozy (not to mention romantic) feeling by designing your wedding around these elements. Once again you can use evergreens to highlight but just by using non traditional "holiday" colors you can creat a whole different feeling.  The thing to focus are winter elements rather than Christmas.

     

White pomanders take on the look of snowballs

The final thing to consider when planning a winter wedding is to remember to consider the outside elements in your planning.  If you are desperate for a spring wedding, I would wait until spring.  Part of creating a cohesive look and feel for your occasion is to remember what is happening outdoors.  I am not suggesting that a spring wedding cannot be had when it is winter outside, but it will be much more costly and difficult to create.

Happy Planning!

Choosing colors

One of the first decisions to make after engagement is choosing your colors.  The colors you choose can make a HUGE difference to the end result of your occasion. 
There are many things to consider including (but not limited to);
*Personality of the wedding party,
*Desired formality of the reception/wedding
*Time of year
*Site of Wedding/reception

Your colors set the tone for your wedding

*PERSONALITIES-The first thing to address is the specific personalities of the wedding party.  Specifically of the Bride and Groom.  Often I will ask brides to choose a couple of words that would describe their vision of their wedding.  For example, a bride who would describe herself as edgy, modern and fun I would choose bright, contrasting colors.  For example hot pink and lime green, maybe with some tangerine and black to add drama.  Or someone who would describe themselves as simple, elegant and traditional I might suggest scarlet and black.  Or maybe a deep plum and champagne color.  So when considering your colors think about what colors you prefer as well as the colors that will best portray your personality.

   

Bright colors for a summer wedding

*Desired Formality of Occasion-  The next thing you need to decide is how formal you are wanting your wedding/reception to be.  This can greatly influence the colors you choose.  A very formal affair calls for darker colors, as well as fewer colors.  This isn't to say that you couldn't choose lime green, or teal blue, or even hot pink or tangerine.  But these choices should be balanced with a black, slate grey, or brown.  Choose highlight colors in the metallic tones, for example champagne, silver, gold, copper etc.  For a less formal affair more colors, as well as brighter colors can be combined.   

A formal arrangement in white and champagne

*Time of Year-  Another thing to consider is the time of year that you are getting married.  A couple reasons for this is the availability of flowers as well as fabrics in certain colors are more available at some times than others.  Springtime is abundant in pastels, summers have the brights, fall your browns, oranges and reds and winter your greens, reds, blacks, icy blues and silvers.  This is not a hard and fast rule, but something to consider.

Bright and vibrant

the final thing to address now is

*Site of occasion- This is something often overlooked but your choice of reception.wedding site should have a big influence on the colors you choose.  Outdoor sites tend to be less formal, than their counterparts.  Also lighting is different.  Usually outdoor receptions will need brighter/deeper colors in order to provide a contrast against their backgrounds.  Indoor receptions can get a little dark so lighter colors, or greater contrasts in the colors can be used very effectively.  Take care to make note of where you will be having your pictures taken for these same reasons.

muted tones

I will address this topic again later but until then hopefully you have some ideas to get started with!!! Happy Planning!

Introduction

I have always loved weddings.  Ever since I was a little girl I loved seeing the brides, and the pretty dresses.  I was especially drawn to the beautiful flowers. 

After graduation, and a series of interesting events, I found myself doing floral arrangements all the time for friends and families, and so I decided to go into business!  I have been doing business for 11 years now.

I love doing all sorts of arrangements, as well as using a number of different flowers.  It is always an exciting experience to meet with the brides (and even grooms) and get to know their specific personalities so I can create an arrangement that expresses the unique personalities of the couple. 
Feel free to keep an eye on my blog!  I will be posting pics of some of the different work I have done, as well as some suggestions for preparing for your own special day!