Holiday Wedding

The time between the end of November and January 1 is pretty crazy - but it's also a great time to get married! Everyone is in the mood to celebrate, and what better reason than to gather for a wedding.

This early December wedding kept the color palette simple - white with deep wine velvety cloths for the reception - and on a very cold and windy early winter day, it was perfect.

Especially lovely was the Washington Memorial Chapel in Valley Forge National Historical Park - gorgeous!

Flowers pictured include: hydrangea, snapdragon, wax flower, stock, calla lilies, monidal roses, gardenias,  ranunculus, Israeli ruscus, salal.

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!

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.

Barnes Reds

Reds and greens aren't just for Christmas.

The look of vibrant, electric reds and fuschias next to acid greens is always fresh, clean, and good for any time of the year. For this corporate event, I contrasted the chocolate, coppery clothes with these bright colors.

As I have said before, a lot of different looks can work in this space, but my favorite is one that picks up on the dual, contrasting elements of hard/linear (as seen in the granite water feature, iron gate, straight lines of stone) and soft/curvy (as seen in the fabric walls, wooden floors, light stone). The glass cube (hard) with the burst of nature and color (soft) works perfectly.

Flowers pictured include: freedom roses, hot lady roses, green hydrangea, cymbidium orchids, cockscomb, hypericum berry, salal.