Showing posts with label Brides Tip. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Brides Tip. Show all posts

Monday, September 28, 2009

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

Monday, February 9, 2009

Stationery Showcase- All about personalization!

With planning season seriously underway, many brides are feeling they're making progress signing on with vendors and venues (yay!) and now the fun part of picking stationery patterns and styles come to the forefront. On a personal level, I am a stationery junkie. I buy cute cards, one of a kind notes, letter and envelope sets, sticker seals, and pens like they are the last luxury on Earth, and I even make my own hand-illustrated and photo cards when I have free time (which is a rarity, I know, but think back to the years before I had Rae Florae..)
So, in honor of the dedicated bride who wants a personalized paper product, I am showcasing the invites and thank-you's that stood out in my mind for 2008. I can't wait to see 2009's!

Points for clarity, color, and whimsical style! Now you'll remember Laura and Zach are the wonders who shared with us about Google Pages for everyone to share their wedding image boards.. that post is here.

Jayanti & Zach (I know, what a coincidence both grooms are Zach's!) went all out, having their SUITE of LETTERPRESS stationery custom designed to be an image of their favorite flower, the Stargazer lily, and ink color to match the predominant tone of their wedding. Double points for custom, botanical style, and clean color. Plus, their envelopes were a yummy sage green and natural brown to balance the pink-ness.

Triple Point winner of the year.. custom, creative, and home-made..
Jenny & Ben! Jenny was so amazingly crafty for her wedding, yet when this Thank You card came in the mail it still impressed me and made me smile! The personal photo of their pups all dressed up and fashioned into a two-sided card, staying with their wedding colors and allowing just enough room for a sweet note. The pleasure was all mine :)

Sunday, September 14, 2008

MAJOR Bride Tip!!

Laura & Zach want fun citrus colors with fruit-in-the-vase style centerpieces.
Now, this is sounds lovely, but believe it or not, a little vague. Envisioning an entire wedding color scheme and design theme requires so much more information!
Let's dissect the elements...

Citrus Colors - are we talking orange and yellow, yellow and green, any hot pink in there?
Fruit-in-the-Vase - tangerines, lemons, limes, kumquats, key limes? sliced or unsliced or both?
Lucky for me, Laura turned out to be one smart cookie of a bride, intuitively knowing that if she wanted to be specific, visual aids were the key to wedding day happiness :) So, she created a web page all her own and filled it with a smattering of all the photos she found and liked, then added explanatory notes. See her handiwork for yourself, and then make one for yourself!
What Laura had to say about the process...
"I spent a long time searching for pictures of bouquets and other wedding details online and was looking for a way to display all of my favorite photos together in one place. I decided to try out Google Sites (go to Google.com and select "Sites" on the "More" drop down menu). Google Sites is a free service that allowed me to post pictures of bouquets I like alongside photos of confirmed wedding details (the invitation, groomsmen attire, and bridesmaid dress). By creating a montage of photos and captions, I was able to give Paula a sense of the overall look and feel I want for the wedding."

What I say... "Genius!"

ps. photo by BCR