Lilac Love

Heather & Josh were married at the Quail Botanical Gardens. Now her family has a fun tradition of creating all their own centerpieces and wedding decorations- but the bouquet was a special piece she wanted done with care. Of course, lilac blooms being perfectly in season, we couldn't be happier to oblige :) Thank you to Sweet Monday Photography for the captured image.

In further news, Heather from Amorology has posted many additional pics from Yia & Sal's wedding, courtesy of and in addition to a slideshow of their wedding available at Paloma Images...

Darling Darlington

Yia & Sal celebrated in the sweetest of locations, surrounded by beautiful rose bushes and blue tile mosaics, family and friends..

Fantastic color meld of peach-y apricot-y papaya-y hues with soft mocha browns in a base of creamy whites, greens, and anything naturally blending with the overall scheme.
You know I love the color freedom!

The composite table centerpiece with these adorable kraft paper numbers on a grapevine leaf, mercury glass votives, dinner menus, and florals.

Soft green dusty miller and creamy china mums, lipstick ranunculus, antique garden roses, and white/green parrot tulips.

Mini mocha cymbidium orchids, more green vibernum, and fragrant white freesia- gathered into one of three various size mason jars tied with a little twine bow.

Can't forget the stunner of a cake- Golden james storey orchids scattered amid the mercury glass votives, three luscious tiers of ranunculus, parrot tulips, mocha, lime green, and orange cymbidium orchids.

Love the teamwork :)
Square swiss-dot cake by Sweet Cheeks Baking Co.
Flowers by Rae Florae
Coordination by Amorology Weddings

Yellow Yellow Everywhere!

One weekend at a time, folks.
We've been having so much fun around here that I am already backlogged on photo posting! Starting at the beginning of spring let's take a gander at Jamie & George's spring nature fest.

I swear I felt like breaking into "the hills are alive..." like Julie Andrews as I was taking these pics of such fresh yellow and white ranunculus on the bluffs of La Jolla, surrounded by shady Torrey Pine Trees....

Sweet flower girl basket of white rose petals with kermit mums on the handle.

Cocktails in terracotta- cool dusty miller for that smooth gray-green, yellow ranuncs, white roses and statice.

Hanging baskets along the aisle full of locally grown goodness- ranuncs (because they're in season and beauteous!), wax flower & eucalyptus- giant dogwood branches along the shepherd hooks made the effect complete!

More ranuncs, chamomile -aka feverfew- blossoms, hydrangea, and dusty miller for the tables.

And sweets for my sweets! yummy cupcakes from Sweet Cheeks Baking Co. adorned with feverfew blossoms, kermit mums, and fatty yellow ranunculus; dogwood branches meandering through the goodies.

Celebrate Earth and Oxygen! (& get a free book :))

You knew I had to post for Earth Day and Arbor Day! Two wonderful reasons to put on your thinking cap, gardening bonnet, close your eyes and give thanks for the awesome splendor of our world.
In honor of April 22nd-Earth Day and today, April 24-Arbor Day, I want to do several things..

1) To REDUCE/REUSE/RECYCLE I would like to open my library of floral design books to the public. I have so many wonderful books on flowers and floral design and I will gladly give...

***10 people a book of their choice from my library!***

There's Vera Wang Weddings, books by designers Jane Packer and Paula Pryke from England, the list goes on...
2) To ENCOURAGE MORE NATIVE PLANT APPRECIATION for Southern California's wealth of beautiful flowers and trees, I want to provide links for 3 of the best places you can go for information, pictures, and purchasing of the right kind of native plants for you. There are SO Many beautiful, flowering native plants for this region that there is just no need to plant another pansy or petunia!
Check out your options & look at the pretty pictures-

Tree of Life Nursery, San Juan Capistrano
www.californianativeplants.com
Recon Native Plant Nursery, Otay Mesa
www.reconnativeplants.com
Las Pilitas Nursery, Escondido
www.laspilitas.com

Now go breathe deep and hug a tree!

Sweet Peas at the Prado

What a lovely setting for our monthly Weddings of Distinction meeting! Thank you to everyone at the Prado, notably Andrea Pena, for coordinating a delicious lunch in the Loggia Room. Amy Wright of Theorie (one of our newest members:)) was on hand to snap the shots- Thank you for making the beautiful colors of our flowers really shine!

Purple sweet peas and fun papaya-peachy-buttery ranunculus in a glass vases set upon a palm leaf and surrounded by river pepples in a mahogany wood tray.

Oh yeah, how pretty is the Loggia Room! Those colors just popped in the soft setting of gold and sea green! And the wall of windows overlooking the courtyard... so nice.

Now we've got the addition of fresh lavender and leucadendron all wrapped in horsetail (equisetum) and an orange satin ribbon. BEST PART.... IT'S ALL LOCALLY GROWN RIGHT HERE IN SAN DIEGO!! Check out the potential for fun and beauty!!

Yours truly on the left, with the awesome Kristie Emmons from Continental Catering and the always fabuloso Elaine Ardizzone from Sweet Cheeks (a familiar name around here :))

Orange Fun

I hope this makes Wendy's day :) She doesn't even know I took this photo, but as we were setting her centerpieces upstairs, I leaned over the balcony of the La Jolla Shores Hotel just in time to catch her walking to the aisle with her dad- such a sweet moment. Her vibrant bouquet of orange calla lilies, ranunculus, and tulips with curled green ti leaves stood out vibrantly against her ivory lace gown and the smooth age of terracotta tiles...

Love the sparkly headband, too!

Now how about them sweets.. we could smell the fresh sugar emanating from these cuties!

Sweet Cheeks delivers again!

Go Green Goodness

You asked and you shall receive!! All the Rae Florae flower detail shots from the Premier Green Event at the New Children's Museum (thinkplaycreate.org).

Our tablescape centerpiece of locally salvaged birch bark, moss branches, and wildweed- colorfully accented by pink ranunculus blooms from Carlsbad, Ca.

Peachy pin-cushion proteas from Valley Center, Ca adorned with a spring-time appropriate hummingbird :)

Table settings of locally nurtured, mini-pink kalanchoe plants in ceramic bowls on bamboo plates. Each personally hand drawn label highlights a way we incorporated green goodness to our table- local flowers, recycled paper, low water use, salvaged goods, natural fibers, etc.

Can't leave out the sweet chairs! Single proteas and pink alstroemeria from Bonsall, Ca tied with lime green mesh and sheer white ribbon for a little raw edge :)
Thanks to Concepts Party Rentals for the chivari chairs, avocado satin linen, and bubblegum pink napkins!

DJ Jerry Beck got decked out! Surrounding his sleek sound system under the crazy cool wooden latice sculpture/structure with locally nurtured plants- papyrus reeds, horsetail equisetum, camellia, bromeliads, and maidenhair fern- all from Leucadia, Ca or right here in Ocean Beach, Ca.

More pin-cushions and flutterbirds for your fancy- this time in electric yellow with pink tips, set upon a natural raffia placemat for the belly bars in a glow of green uplights.
Gotta Go Green!