Flourish - Wedding Flowers & Floral Design, Florist

Fun to toss

As a fun alternative to the traditional white woven basket filled with loose rose petals give your flower girl something new to carry and toss:

Scented Spring: Organza drawstring bag filled with lavender buds and crushed rosemary for her to scatter.

Brightest of Summers: Galvanized metal bucket decorated with colorful trailing ribbon filled with wildflower petals of blue delphinium blossoms, orange zinnia petals, yellow sunflower petals and purple hydrangea florets for her to herald the bride.

Fall Fun: Gathering basket decorated with moss and acorns and filled with colorful maple and oak leaves for her to sprinkle down the path.

Winsome Winter: Crushed velvet cone filled with small, white tissue paper snowflakes to lazily drift down the aisle.

Image by Andrea's Images

Labels: Andrea's Images, Sacramento florist, Sacramento wedding flowers

Candle Bargins at Michael's

If you know me well you know I love to shop. I love the thrill of the hunt. I have even been known to call my brides from the store (yes- brides o' mine I have your numbers saved in my phone) when I see a decor item on clearance that would be perfect for their wedding.

Today I was at Michael's. They are clearing out their spring and summer items.

Awesome deals on pillar candles! .99 for the three inch pillar and 1.99 for a six inch pillar. All their cute spring/summer colors are the on markdown.

The picture above is from a wedding I did last spring. The bride's mother received one of my famous in-store calls. They dressed the candle up with a twist of ribbon and a pretty pin and viola (!) they had a gorgeous centerpiece.

Have Fun!!!

Image by Andrea's Images

Labels: Andrea's Images, Bargins, candles, Sacramento, Sacramento wedding flowers, Sacramento weddings

Cutie Pie!

Don't You just love this little one? She was on of the flower girls in a wedding I designed last year.

Image by Andrea's Images

Labels: Andrea's Images, Wilson Vineyards

Should you DIY your wedding flowers?

A big trend in wedding planning is "do-it-yourself". From invitations to floral design, more and more couples are looking to DIY as a way to save money on wedding expenses.

Deciding to design your own wedding flowers is an admirable but often overwhelming prospect. Before you make the decision to undertake such a monumental task consider everything you will need to plan and orchestrate. I have compiled a list of steps that need to be taken when you are designing your own wedding flowers.

Select Your Flowers

Many different elements factor into your choice of flowers. Here are some items to consider when making your selections:

-the season in which your event is taking place

-the locale of your wedding and reception

-budget

-availability of the flower

-the hardiness of the flower

-the level of difficulty of working with the flower (some flowers are better left to the professionals)

Recruit A Lot of Willing Helpers

Flowers are perishable and many are very delicate so they will need to be prepared and arranged the last couple of days leading up to your wedding. The more floral designs you need the more help you will need to recruit.

Make A Design Recipe

Prepare a recipe for your arrangement. Here is a sample:

1- vase

pebbles for the bottom of the vase

3 stems of greenery

12 roses

3 gerbera daisies

3 tulips

Now multiply your recipe times the number of designs you are making.

Gather All of Your Tools and Supplies

Gather all of your tools in a central location. If you have 3 friends helping, be sure you have 3 sets of tools. To get you started here are some of the supplies and tools you will need:

Clippers, scissors, rose stripper, floral knife, floral tape, floral preservative, floral foam, corsage and boutonniere pins, ribbon, tall buckets (for flower storage), Ziploc bags (for boutonnieres and corsages storage), garbage bags, large trashcan, broom and dust pan.

Dedicate A Work and Storage Area

When you design your flowers you will need an area to work. The spot you choose should be equipped with ample table space, all your tools and flowers, have easy access to a water source, and should be covered to minimize dirt and stains. Also consider the issue of storing your finished designs. The designs will need to be kept in a cool and draft free area. If you are storing the finished corsages and boutonnieres in a refrigerator make sure they are well misted and sealed in Ziploc bags. Also confirm that the refrigerator is set at 40 degrees so there is no chance of freezing your flowers.

Trial Run

Plan to do at least one (preferably two) trial run. Purchase your flowers and design one sample centerpiece and a sample bouquet. Track how long it take you to design your samples, then multiply by how many you'll need to make for your event. This will give you an idea of how much time you'll need to dedicate to designing your flowers.

Day of the Event Set-Up

Assign two or more people to help with the delivery and set-up of your wedding flowers on the big day. They will need to deliver and distribute (include pinning of the boutonnieres and corsages) to the bridal party in time for the photography. The ceremony decor and reception decor will need to be set-up as well. Make sure there is a time-line so everyone knows where to be and when.

When the Party's Over

Ask some helpers to gather any items you want to keep at the end of the ceremony and reception. Be sure you provide bins, boxes, or bags and wrapping materials along with instructions on what to save and what to throw away.

Image by: Andrea's Images

Labels: Andrea's Images, diy wedding flowers

Jenny and Chris are married!

Jenny and Chris had an amazing wedding this past weekend at Wilson Vineyards.

I was thrilled to work with some fabulous wedding professionals, and my friends, Andrea with Andrea's Images, Monty with All Seasons All Reasons and Sandy with Wilson Vineyards.

Jenny and her mother Pam were a dream to work with. They booked us a year in advance, almost to the day, of the wedding. Andrea and Pam put their hearts into every aspect of the wedding. From the personalized chair sashes for the bride and groom to the handmade table tents and the personalized wine glasses for the guests to take home all the details were attended to with loving care.

Check out the fabulous slide show by Andrea with Andrea's Images.

Congratulations to the happy couple!

Labels: All Seasons All Reasons, Andrea's Images, Wilson Vineyards