Casting the Right Bloom (at Cast Iron Studios)

What a difference one single flower can make. That’s what I think about every time I look at the images from this juicy, winey wedding we did at Cast Iron Studios last September. As any florist can tell you, purple weddings are tough. There just aren’t a ton of purple flowers to choose from, and the ones we do have at our disposal can be finicky:  hydrangea runs an unpredictable gamut from pale pinkish-lavender to plum speckled with green, lisianthus suffers the dreaded botrytis all too often, delphinium is so darn gangly, and some of the best plum-purples, like ranunculus, just aren’t available all year round. It’s a tough life, I tell ya.

But purples were the order of the day for this early fall celebration – which happened to take place on the MOST blustery, stormy day I have seen in a long time. (We’re talking about heavy iron doors blowing open and sending things tumbling down the stairs. Ack!) I rounded up my best purple soldiers and sent them marching into elegant silver vases and sweet hand-tied bouquets. But something was missing….

It was the gorgeous, vibrant, unique plum cascading phalaenopsis orchid, found by accident and purchased by the armload immediately! This deeply saturated blossom gave everything the punch and wow that I was looking for, and elevated the arrangements from sweetly gardeny to sexy and sophisticated. Behold, the power of a flower!

The delectable purple phalaenopsis!

These centerpieces did double-duty on both the tables…

… and the stairs during a candlelit ceremony.

A little purple uplighting to add to the ambience

The guest book table

Dahlias, scabiosa, callas, and more!

No botrytis on that lisianthus!

An eggplant mini-calla for the groom

Beautiful images courtesy of Carolyn Kipper Photography. Thank you, Carolyn!

Spring on the Seattle Waterfront

Lauren and Aaron, who just got married on a beautiful May day, were one of the sweetest couples I’ve ever met. Back in the fall, I invited them to attend Get Hitched Give Hope — where Aaron pulled out all the stops by bidding on and winning a special gift for his bride-to-be. (They also bid on and won personal flowers for their wedding from yours truly.) The excitement in his face — and hers, when she knew something sneaky was underfoot — stayed with me through the months of thinking about and then designing their wedding flowers. I wanted to give them that same feeling of joy and excitement on their wedding day!

Their vision for décor came in part from an article on sea-life inspired floral design in Seattle Bride magazine. I had created a centerpiece and some boutonnieres for that shoot, and the talented Alexa Johnson of Fiore Blossoms had designed a gorgeous bridal bouquet. Lauren loved the sea fan and the fully blown spray roses of that bouquet, but wanted lavender tones in her scheme, which we pulled in through freesia and sweet peas.

The table centerpieces balanced their wish for full floral abundance with a quirkier, more beachy look. Half the tables were beachscapes on matte ceramic trays, with driftwood, air plants, succulents, sea fan, beach glass, and simple arrangements in glass bottles and jars. The other half were big lovelies with all our favorite spring flowers (ranunculus, hyacinth, freesia, to name a few).

When I brought Lauren her bouquet that May day, she smile was just as sparkly and contagious as it had been at the prospect of Aaron’s secret surprise. I wish them both a lifetime of that joy!

Deep teal dresses were lovely on the waterfront

Sea fan adds a unique element to the bridal bouquet

The reception was held at Seattle Marriott Waterfront, and Jenny GG made great use of the surroundings in her fabulous photographs of the day!

Lovely Lilacs at Ray’s Boathouse

There is a perfect time of year for purple, and it has everything to do with lilacs. When those gorgeous blossoms start appearing on the streets and in the market, I start looking for any  excuse to design with them. (Any excuse to smell them, really.)

This spring, I didn’t need more of an excuse than Kara and Bruce’s purple-hued ceremony at Ray’s Boathouse. Lilacs found their way into the playful pomanders hanging from the altar area, as did spray roses, ranunculus, boronia, and dianthus. The way the light bounced off the water and onto the pomanders was primo — nature as the ultimate lighting tech.

The folks at Ray’s do such a great job of creating a warm, welcoming environment for their guests, and I was so happy that Affinity Photography was on the scene to capture the details.

Oh lilacs, until we meet again next year!

Pomanders create a lovely backdrop at the altar

They do!

They still do….