Clean + White Serenity

Devra & Jeff celebrated their wedding with a peaceful palette of whites, fresh green, and pewter grey- resulting in a classic affair that defies generations or trends, it was simultaneously elegant and contemporary.

Bridal Bouquet of draping white freesia buds surrounding tufts of white peonies in full bloom, mini calla lilies, and bells of ireland peeping through for another touch of green.

Bridesmaid bouquets of white dahlias, green hydrangea, and green miniature cymbidium orchids.

Just an awesome peony :) I love the way they blow out and just seem to overflow with petals...

Traditional chuppah topped in the four corners with simple posies of white roses and hanging green amaranthus so as to not detract from the gorgeous stained glass in the Beth Am Congregation of Del Mar.

Trio of vases for the Escort Card Table..

Cocktail tables to provide plenty of candles t0 light the evening well beyond sunset.

1 of 3 Table Designs - Classic "love" calla lilies in a glass trumpet vase.

Silver floating candles in a tall glass bottomed by white river stones.

Green spider mums and frosted votives covered the front of the Sweetheart Table.

2 of 3 Table Design - Oversize glass squares cut low to the table with floating candles and cymbidium orchid blooms, surrounded by a lush layer of white rose petals --
The definition of understated luxury.

3 of 3 Table Designs - Cylinder wrapped in a submerged ti leaf and filled with white china mums, silvery dusty miller foliage, and grand stars of bethlehem.

Congratulations Devra & Jeff!
Thank you Staci at Bliss Events for coordinating a flawless day..
..and to Michele at Captured Forever for the lovely photos!!!

Rusty and Right for Fall

Alicia & Derek went for a tonal palette of deep to light oranges, rusty ruddy oranges and reds, with tons of texture. I know it looks a bit redundant, but I couldn't get enough of Eddie B's bouquet shots- so I'm posting them all! Thanks for making my art look even more artistic!! Eddie's angles and framing are unbeatable!

Macro view of red flame callas, mini roses, orange mokara orchids, echinacea coneflowers, red hypericum coffee berry, and orange dahlias.

Such a sweet repose... feels like such a feminine shot of the bride and her bouquet.

& then this killer! So strong in comparison! love the variety.

Bridesmaids': miniature spray roses, hypericum berry, and brick red safari sunset.

happy faces, happy flowers :)

Blue skies and a breezy day on Coronado Island were perfect for setting off the bamboo poles and ribbon streamers marking their ceremony space in an arc around the wedding party.

Centerpieces of glass square vases filled with seasonal orange marigolds, the mini roses, magenta coxcomb and celosia for that vibrant pop, hypericum berries, tiger lilies for a touch of exotica, and local eucalyptus for a graceful bit of foliage.

Ah, the cake- lots of lilies! and custom swirls courtesy of Sweet Cheeks.

Tiger lilies and gloriosa lilies combine for a POW! of color.

Erica & Mark

This past week we celebrated a whopping anniversary for Brant Bender Photography (yay! more to come on this, I'm sure:)) So, on the heels of this excitement I want to showcase the beautiful photos Brant captured of Erica & Mark's wedding at the Hyatt Mission Bay...

Erica's beautiful bouquet of white peonies and a touch of freesia.

Corsages for the proud moms & grandmas...

Bridesmaid bouquets of hot pink peonies, white stock, and creamy roses.

Fluffy white china mums with pink and white roses, hydrangea, cymbidium orchids and mercury glass votives in a bed of winding rocks..

The cute cake & cupcake display.. ;)

Also the lovely handiwork of Jessica Beltran of Moira Events.

Doing your homework..

It's planning time.. as summer madness dies down, there is a refocusing of attention on all the new engagements and couples starting to dig in to their wedding checklists. For the benefit of all the happy, giddy, nervous, overwhelmed, and overjoyed new fiances and fiancees, I want to offer a bit of "Flower Homework" that will help frame your discussions of flowers between the two of you, you and your mom, friend, bridesmaid, maid of honor, bloggers, etc.. This is an article I wrote for Weddings of Distinction- you're welcome to read it online at their beautiful website, or scroll down here for a read..

Hope this helps and post comments if you have additional insights! I'd love to hear your wedding wisdom!

How to do your Flower Homework :)

When preparing to meet with your florist it's easy to think they are going to have all the answers! But, if you are aware of your own preferences and needs in advance of your first appointment, the experience will go much smoother.
It's important to remember that it's your wedding and that your florist's job is to enhance your personal wedding style by translating it into the floral designs that become your bouquets, ceremony decorations, and reception centerpieces, among other details.
The more you know about yourselves and what you are hoping to see, the better your florist will be able to guide you and make recommendations that are perfectly suited to your tastes! It's true that couples often come in the door with partial ideas and leave with a much clearer vision for their wedding day, simply because the flowers tie everything together from the dresses to the favors- your wedding design develops through your conversations with your florist.
With this in mind the key things to do before appearing at your florist's door are to-

1) Know your colors.
Even if the shades change from dark to light or earthy to spring fresh, the general color scheme is a major force of guidance.

2) Know your budget.
Your florist can help you maximize the amount you prefer to spend if he/she knows from the start how much there is to work with.

3) Explore your options!
Look online at all the many, many blogs/magazines/websites (hello- look at the list on the right side of the page :)) with pictures of real weddings to help inspire you and show you the creativity available to personalize your day.

Article by Paula Rae ~ Reposted courtesy of

Exquisite Weddings Tabletop

The new Exquisite Weddings Magazine has hit the stands and the launch party is next week, so needless to say we are pumped and proud!! Many many thanks to Terri Rippee for the beautiful photographs of our 'Tableaux' as she so appropriately called it..
Tableaux being defined as 'a beautiful scene, dramatic moment, work of art, life captured in time'... that certainly was our goal :)

Rachel Welland of Bliss Event inspired a table setting of vivid orange and aqua blue reminiscent of a Mediterranean poolside affair, and we went for it!

Our complete tableaux :)
Detail shot down the line...
White china mums and local eucalyptus in chic orange crocodile (faux please) skin platters...
Pin cushion protea, white river rocks, aqua beach glass, sea salt & sea shells, succulents...
Cute little flower pockets custom created by our friends at Noon Design Shop just for us!
Name cards with a motif to match Rachel Welland's custom placemats...
Clearly we're all about the custom and Noon Design Shop was up to the challenge- Monogram plate wraps in the perfect color and matching motif..

Look at that color pop! Vivid orange callas for each guest place setting~

& our signature cocktail to boot! Blood orange margaritas, of course! and a coordinated drink flag, no less. Check the EW Magazine Article for our recipe!

Be inspired!

Isn't it wonderful to be inspired and equally wonderfully flattering to be inspiring!! Well, you may recall a wedding we designed for/with Yia & Sal, and their wonderful coordinator Heather Balliet of Amorology Weddings... the photos have been featured hither and yon, and we're so thrilled to see the web-world take note of our sweet designs! Take a peek at the posts...

Featured photo in an interview between wedding blog ladies Leila Khalil of www.inspiredbythis.com and Jen Campbell of www.greenweddingshoes.blogspot.com!

adorable captures by Paloma Images...

the bouquets...

combo of etsy finds and flowers- LOVE IT!!

I personally love these colors and the kraft numbers resting on a grape leaf are such an original touch.

Summer's Sweet Simplicity

Oh yellow white and green, how do I love thee, so fresh and so cleanclean, and yet soft like a field of dandelions... well, Jamie & George knew how to do it right- from ultra fun bridesmaid dresses and mexican fiesta beer on the patio, to Lady Dottie and the Diamonds for a live band reception.. their ecologically conscious wedding was a hoot. Thank you for the amazing photos Susan Yee for En Pointe Photography.

Sweet satisfaction- white lilac and ranunculus with chamomile, locally grown and perfectly in season.

Feel that fearless color surge!

Standing by the sea, surrounded by blooming dogwood branches and wildflowers in mossy cones...

Detail perspective of snaps and wax flower...

Oh happy day.

Centerpieces of yellow, gold, white and grey-

Varying combos of dusty miller and ranunculus, hydrangea, and feverfew chamomile.

& how about this as a "green" (and green) wedding favor- reusable cloth bags!

Where would we be without cupcakes?

don't answer that- Sweet Cheeks Baking Co. to the rescue.

A little bit a' soul and Sol to make memories that last forever..

Our happy couple..

Oh wait.. you meant this happy couple ;) Congratulations J & G!!