Thanksgiving: Celebrating the Harvest

Happy Thanksgiving!

Just a quick peek at the flowers I created for a private home today. Entertaining over forty people for Thanksgiving can be daunting, but a lovely space and flowers in the colors of the season help create the perfect setting to celebrate and give thanks. What guest wouldn't love to sit down to a beautifully set table?

More on what flowers and materials I used tomorrow - for now, whether you are just getting ready to serve a crowd or you are just finishing up, I wish you a very Happy Thanksgiving!

Cinnamon

I will often talk about working with 'clear' colors and working with 'off' colors: clear colors being those on the basic color wheel: true blue, red, yellow, purple, etc.; and off colors being those which divert and seem to have added grey, brown - a little off, e.g., the difference between a grass green and a celadon green, the difference between a grape purple and ashes of roses lavender.

For this fall wedding, I worked with what I would describe as an off peach - or a cinnamon. What a perfect color for fall. These roses are amazing and just get bigger and more perfect as they open. The overall look was pretty simple, but the two rose colors made it unique and memorable.

Flowers pictured include: hydrangea, hypericum berry, versilia peach roses, cinnamon roses, salal.

Abundance of Color

Fall, like spring, is an explosion of color.

Trees, flowers, and plants respond to the changing light and temperatures - the trees are ablaze, the flowers eek out their last burst of color, the plants grow leggier and insistent as they stretch for the last bit of light.

Decorating with fall colors can be a bit staid with the eternal combination of orange, brown, and yellow. I like to change it up - add some purple, some neon-like oranges, some velvety oxblood reds, even some unexpected pink - and fall looks fresh again.

This wedding was pretty spectacular, I have to say. I really loved the contrast of the antique hydrangea with the pigment-drenched oranges, rusts, and reds. To me, these designs exemplify the look of fall: the mix of colors and textures, the mix of textures, and the lush abundance of a fall garden.

(Check out the cake flowers - what a treat to decorate!)

Flowers pictured include: antique hydrangea, pink snapdragon, hypericum berry, orange lilies, blackout lilies, kangaroo paw, freedom red roses, donna orange roses, orange unique roses, ruscus, salal, green hydrangea, white vendela roses.

Playing with Color: Purple and Orange

The end of 2011 was very busy for me and I'm just getting to write about my work - thank you for your patience!

Here's a look at a wedding where I was really able to play with color. We all remember the color wheel from art class and the lesson in complementary colors - the concept that the colors opposite from each other on the wheel, when placed together, make each color appear brighter and more vibrant.

For this wedding, I didn't follow the color wheel exactly, but sort of riffed on it - the deep purples were countered with the burnished oranges, the cool lavenders answered the warm yellowish greens, and all the flowers were designed either atop clear, cool, controlled glass or around warm, gnarled, wild branches. Candlelight completed the looks with either tall pillar candles or hanging votives.

The bridesmaid's bouquets were especially fun to work on as my bride wanted a look very popular in the U.K.: single grasses looped in and out of the bouquet to create a sort of 'caged' look. It's very effective and I think rather playful. I like how they complement the unique shapes of the orchids and the calla lilies, giving movement to flowers that can look very rigid.

Always take a chance and play with color - you won't be disappointed!

Flowers pictured include: cymbidium orchids, mango calla lilies, schwartzwalder calla lilies, cool water roses, stephanotis, vendela roses, gardenias, blackout lilies, orange unique roses, purple stock, antique hydrangea, curly willow, israeli ruscus and seeded eucalyptus.