Wall + Flowers at OSP

The other day I discovered that the beautiful blue wall of waves in the Olympic Sculpture Park’s Paccar Pavilion is no longer! (I know, where have I been?) Made me realize just how attached I’d gotten to that gorgeous backdrop by Sandra Cinto, for celebrations of all kinds. Of course, the geometric, richly hued piece that took its place is also very cool — but I thought I’d share this wedding from the wave days in honor of their passing.

Plus, the photos that Barbie Hull took from this wedding are AWESOME!!! Wow, did she ever capture all the vibrancy of summer — and all the textures that I so love to play with. Garden roses unfurling next to scritchy scabiosa pods. Maidenhair fern trailing gracefully from playful groupings of ball dahlias and zinnias. The coral, orange, soft yellow, white, and green color scheme that the bride and groom requested was the perfect counterpoint to the blue and grey tones of the venue. It’s a florist’s dream when colors come together like this.  Added bonus:  Holly-Kate and Company on hand to make sure everything went flawlessly.

(And if you missed the blue waves, you can at least see a fascinating video showing its installation here.)

Ivory spray roses and dahlias, green zinnias, and maidenhair fern for the bride.

A little waterfront canoodling

How cute are the bride and groom with their pre-wedding beers?

Scabiosa pod and hypericum berries for the groom

Pops of color for the bridesmaids

Here comes the bride…

Centerpieces do double-duty on the aisle

An escort card table arrangement

Centerpiece detail

Maidenhair!

Grand Homeyness at the Olympic Sculpture Park

Weddings are about balance, in so many ways. The balance of vision and budget, organization and surrender, intimacy and public witness. Maia and Kevin came to me with their own specific balancing act for their August wedding:  to make the modern, sophisticated Olympic Sculpture Park feel homey and welcoming for their down-to-earth families. This was a seriously stylish couple. They would have looked right at home in any high-falutin’ setting – but I appreciated that their first priority was making sure their own vision found harmony with their guests’ comfort level.

Color and texture were the keys to this assignment. A vibrant palette of hot pink, coral, yellow, green, and hints of orange would establish a summery, playful, celebratory feeling. We decided to incorporate lots of greenery – big sword ferns, trailing clematis vine, fruiting raspberry cane – so that the arrangements had a feeling of Northwest wildness about them. And of course the flowers themselves – dahlias, leggy sweet peas, zinnias, bee balm, garden roses – were flowers that many of the guests probably grew in their own gardens.

Looking at the photograph that Karen Obrist captured of all the guests in the PACCAR Pavilion, I have to say that people look very much at home. (And aren’t all her images just awesome?) The super-tall centerpieces float above their heads like cheerful beacons, directing this couple to a life of love and happiness amongst their friends and family.

The bridal bouquet, with sweet peas, raspberry, garden roses, dahlias… and more!

Romantic, dramatic arrangements for the altar

The sweetest little clematis vine

Closeup of a centerpiece

The bridal bouquet in action

Colorful arrangements lined the terraced stairs

One style of tall centerpiece…

….and another

There is no such thing as “too tall” in the OSP!

• Design and Coordination: Very Important Events
• Table linens: Creative Coverings
• Photography: Karen Obrist Photography
• Cocktail Band: $4 Shoe
• Reception Band: The Nines
• Flowers: us, of course! (Floressence)

The Wind Wins at Seattle Aquarium

Of all the elements that mother nature throws at me as a florist, the wind is definitely one of the most challenging. (Dare I say even more than the sun?) It can knock over chuppahs, send tall glass cylinders a-tumblin’, bust the petals right off a more delicate bloom. Let’s not even get into what it does to carefully coiffed wedding party hair, or a neatly twisted stack of cocktail napkins.

In July I gave up all my wind resistance at the Seattle Aquarium, for Cassidy and Ali’s beautiful ceremony on the pier. For the lampposts flanking the altar area, we ziptied lively floral swags around those posts as tight as Victorian corsets. Hanging from each was a passel of streaming ribbons in the wedding colors: hot pink, orange, gold. Paul Joseph Brown took my favorite wind-shots ever of these ribbons, blowing straight out to horizontal across Elliott Bay.

If you can’t beat ’em, join ’em. “‘Em” being the breezes in this case. And really, shouldn’t a ceremony be vibrant and full of life forces?

And yes, thankfully, the reception was indoors.

The bridal bouquet with special accents of gloriosa lilies and craspedia

Soft yellow dresses as a backdrop to intense pinks and oranges

Poppies, peonies, and nerine lilies — it doesn’t get much better than that!

Ribbons comin’ at ya

The resplendent bride and groom

Simple but sweet cocktail table arrangements

Height and drama for the reception…

….balanced by submerged trios

P.S. Those super cool light boxes under the tall centerpieces were provided by Good Times DJ Services, and were custom programable.

“Sublime” Romance at the Olympic Sculpture Park

When it comes to flowers, is there really such a thing as too romantic? Methinks no way. It is  no secret that my taste for floral design runs towards the gardeny, the spilling, the lovely. Any color palette will do — it’s that romantic feeling and lushness that speaks to me. Local wedding and event designer Shannon Lassen of Sublime had me pegged — and to my great delight and honor, asked me to design such arrangements for her wedding reception at the Olympic Sculpture Park last September.

Shannon was a master at creating layer upon layer of texture at her reception. Three different styles of table linens brought an elegant eclecticism to the clean, cool modernism of the Paccar Pavilion. To go along with that, I used three different styles of vases: vintage ivory ceramic, classic silver, and understated glass. Although each centerpiece was a little different from the next, the overall palette was a unified blend of ivory, peach, pink, coral, green, and silver. Cafe au Lait dahlias made their show-stopping appearance, as did garden roses, ranunculus, fully blown spray roses, and other seasonal treats.

The intimate ceremony at Parsons Gardens got special treatment with an ombré aisle design, and a couple of sweet little arrangements hanging from shepherds hooks at the start of the aisle. My friend and colleague Jean Louise of Juniper Flowers designed all the personal flowers, and you can bet they were stunning. But all this would just be talk without the amazing photographic record by Eliza Truitt Photography.

Happy Anniversary, Shannon and Tom! And thank you so much for inviting Floressence to be part of your day!

An ombré aisle

Sweet little somethings for the start of the aisle

To answer the question, “What happens to all those petals after the bride walks down the aisle?”

Airborne ombré

The Paccar Pavilion at OSP

Spring Beauty at 415 Westlake

Florists are kind of like parents. We hate to choose favorites, but Ky and Tina’s wedding reception this past May at 415 Westlake just might be my favorite. At least from 2013. Well, at least from May of 2013.

First off, it was the color palette:  coral, peach, melon, ivory, white, green. And it just so happened to be the season for some of my favorite flowers:  peonies, ranunculus, viburnum, anemones. (I use the word “favorite” in this context with full abandon.)  Second, it was the vision:  lots of texture, lots of variety, lots of beauty to fill up the big square tables in that gorgeous blank-slate urban space. Aleah and Nick of Valley & Co. did an amazing job of helping to corral all the possibilities and turn them into something real and realizable.

We alternated big, juicy florals in footed silver bowls with soft clouds of baby’s breath – also in silver bowls – as the central centerpieces. Around those went little arrangements in assorted julep cup and vintage glassware. And around that went loose blossoms scattered on the table. And amongst that went mercury glass votives. And around those went some very happy guests. 

It’s hard to let your favorites leave the studio, to go off in the world, never to be seen again. You wish them well, and hope they find love and appreciation. And on top of all that, you’re very grateful to the uber-talented photographers who record them with such care — many thank yous to you, Chantal Andrea!

The elusive and stunning black-eyed anemone, for Tina.

There must be a direct relationship between socks and fun

The bride and her maids

Love the aerial shot!

Square tables are a unique and dramatic approach

So darn cute!

Featured Photographer: Laurel McConnell

There is so much fabulous talent in this town! When the Seattle Bride Magazine “Best of 2013” awards were announced, I was not a bit surprised to see Azzura Photography,Barbie Hull Photography, and Laurel McConnell Photography on the finalist list. All three of these businesses are led by dynamic, lovely people with huge talent. Whatever the results of tonight’s award ceremony are, I raise my glass to them all!

Azzura’s work has been featured on this blog, and Barbie’s is soon-to-come, so today I’m posting just five images of one bridal bouquet that Laurel shot last summer. This was a special wedding for a close friend of Laurel. I was honored to design her bridal bouquet — and totally inspired by her color palette and direction to just use my instincts.

The end result was a coral, peach, and melon-infused bouquet with poppies, ranunculus, peonies, garden and spray roses, succulents, and little tufts of lambs ear peeking out. Narrow chevron ribbon paired with a wider silver for textural fun. This remains one of my favorite bouquets — and thanks to Laurel and her awesome talents, I can look back and remember why.

Congratulations, Tania+Ken, Barbie, and Laurel — and thank you for being so darn good at what you do!

(Oh and by the way, Laurel made yours truly relaxed in front of the camera for an official portrait — back in the days before I lost those glasses at the beach. Oops! Time for another session, Laurel?)

A Salish Lodge Fairy Tale

Admittedly, the notion of a “fairy tale wedding” is a cliché. But at a recent Salish Lodge ceremony and reception, those were the only words going through my head.

Ryan and Lele were romantics through and through. The ceremony took place on a small lawn overlooking the waterfall, like one of those fabled hidden clearings. We draped the altar arch in white silk, then garlands of pink and white roses, lilies, and hydrangea. We lined the aisle with petals, and hung posies from the ends of the three sweet rows. All the while — I kid you not — birds chirped, occasional mist found our faces, and the harpist and fiddlers went about their tunings and strummings. Fairy tale!! I really felt like I’d see Snow White caper through the drapery every time I turned around.

For the reception, Lele requested cascading phalaenopsis orchids from tall centerpieces. The room was intimate, gorgeous, and a perfect continuation of the romantic vibe on the lawn. Small weddings are so lovely. And why not go all out when you’re honoring your nearest and dearest?

Once upon a time…

A walk to the altar

Lele’s bouquet of all ivory calla lilies

Vintage buttons adorn the stem wrap

Happily ever after!

A sweet halo of flowers for the flowergirl

Calla lily with hypericum and galax for the groom

Hydrangea posies for the aisle do double-duty as accent pieces on the reception tables

Tall centerpieces with cascading phalaenopsis orchids

Azzura Photography worked their magic in capturing these scenes. Rev. Mary Calhoun lent her sweet charm to the officiation. Choice Linens provided the beautiful linens and chair covers.

A Nordstrom Breakfast Club

When I was in 6th grade, my friend Nancy had a Breakfast Club themed birthday party. I was assigned the Basketcase character. Superscore. Filled my hair with hairspray so that I could shake the flakes out over my meal. Scowled through the party. It was pretty much totally unlike me — and It was the best!

Last week I had a similar superscore, when my friend Kate Rielly asked me to help her create six bridal bouquets for a Nordstrom web video.  The purpose of the video:  to show the role of accessories in transforming a bridal look. One bride, one dress, six looks. As Art Director at World Famous, Kate’s job was to help imagine who these six characters might be — and then to populate the shoot with all the right stuff. Flowers included, of course!

In the partial words of Anthony Michael Hall:

You see us as you want to see us… In the simplest terms, in the most convenient definitions. But what we found out is that each one of us is a trustafarian boho bride…and a type-A professional  …and a Southern belle…a swingin’ 60s Twiggy… a Hollywood starlet…and an ethereal Aquarian.

Who do you want to be today — and what will your flowers say about you?

A demure peek-a-boo from the Southern Belle

The Southern Belle prefers a more decorous version of “gardeny”

Red “Piano” garden roses for the Hollywood Starlet

Red roses stand out, even in the backdrop

Sea-inspired textures for the Ethereal Bride (and yes, mixing elements is totally okay!)

She will drift to the altar

Craspedia and football mums convey 1960s bold, bright design

That’s me on the lower left

Our trustafarian boho bride (check the video for a shot of the bouquet!)

Sleek calla lilies for this hard-working and elegant career woman

Kate took these photos on set; we can’t wait to see the video!

Update, 6/25/13:  The video is up and available for viewing here!

Thinking Pink

Something happened last summer. All those somber chocolate, mysterious eggplant, and renegade taupe tones got shouldered aside by…. PINK. Seemed like every bride who came through the studio decided it was okay to embrace, in some way, her inner girly-ness.

We loved it! Pink can do so much more than it’s often given credit for: whisper, flirt, shout, lounge, allure. This August wedding at Salish Lodge embraced pink’s full range of expression. The sweet bride, Jennifer, was a true flower lover. She wanted the rich textures of garden roses and Cafe au Lait dahlias, the delicacy of bleeding hearts, the fuzzy weirdness of amaranthus. My kind of bride!

Jennifer had a vision for embracing NW-inspired design elements without sacrificing sophistication or femininity. We created a wild arch of curly willow for the balcony ceremony, but tamed it with soft, trailing flowers. Lichen branches in the head table centerpiece might have been scavenged from the forest floor, but the little clusters of flowers in their crooks were soft, delicate, and intentional.

Katy Griffiths of Vows did an amazing job of pulling together the vision through lush table linens, a sexy soft-seating lounge area, and countless other details. Kristen Honeycutt is the artist responsible for the gorgeous images below.

¡Viva la rosa!

Garden roses and Cafe au Lait dahlias: a favorite combination!

Lush pinks and whites preside over the guest book table

A curly willow arch adorns the balcony at Salish Lodge

The stunning balcony at Salish Lodge

Bleeding hearts reach gracefully over a lushly textured pink table linen

Silver and pink linens were an elegant foundation for the lush florals

Little floral clusters perch on lichen branches

The head table features a dramatic centerpiece in pinks and whites

Four Hundred and Sixty-three

463 weddings. Sounds like a lot. Imagine 463 brides walking down one long aisle, and roughly 1,852 bridesmaids standing with them at the altar. Is it really possible that in the last ten years this studio has created around 2,300 bouquets, most of them hand-tied, each wedding different from the other?

Lots of weddings means lots of ribbon.

Not only is it possible, it is almost certain. At this 10-year anniversary of owning Floressence, I find myself thinking a lot about all the beauty, labor, and learning that I’ve experienced in the studio. And so I just had to count.

There is no single image to convey all that time and all those flowers. If there was, it would be a sure sign I’ve been on the wrong track. So for this inaugural post, I’ll just share a few from one of my favorite weddings.

Wedding #349: June 28, 2010

A predictably chilly day in Seattle, but so enlivened by the colors and textures of these exuberant flowers. Sweet pea vines creeping out from the bridal bouquet, curling around peonies, garden roses, spray roses, poppy pods, and ranunculus. Lady’s mantle fizzing up from the bridesmaid bouquets. Sweet spray rose boutonnieres. Fruiting raspberry cane pretty much dripping from the altar arrangements. The bride and her maids arriving dramatically by (choppy) water to the sweet lakefront park.

Oh, you June brides in Seattle! You always forget that our Junes can be so cold and  wet – and yet how is it that the sun usually breaks for the ceremony after all?

Thanks to Clare Barboza for color photographs of the wedding, and Jimmy Clarke for the black-and-whites. The ever-talented Laurel McConnell documented our overflowing ribbon rack.

A lush June bouquet, with cascading tendrils of sweet pea vine.

A blush bridal gown is the perfect backdrop for these romantic hues

The father of the bride waits anxiously as the bride and her attendants arrive by raft.

A bridesmaid disembarks.

Safe arrival. Let the ceremony begin!

Flowergirls serve lemonade from our vintage Italian florist cart for waiting guests.

Unique seasonal cuts for the altar.

Sweet spray rose boutonniere

Hot pink spray roses accent the Maid of Honor bouquet

Lady’s mantle and scented geranium provide texture and color contrast.