Spring is in the Air: Greystone Hall Open House

Despite the fact that the weather forecast includes snow and wintery temperatures for the next few days, I am still in the springtime spirit! Spring is (officially) here and I am eagerly awaiting budding branches, flowering bulbs, and the greening of the grass. Until real spring temperatures arrive, I am content to work with the lovely flowers in season at this time of year.

This past Sunday, I was asked to participate in the Greystone Hall Open House. It was a beautiful sunny day and I really enjoyed meeting many prospective brides and their families. Greystone Hall is such a magical place for a wedding and it is a favorite venue of mine.

To celebrate the season, I created three key looks featuring three different color palettes and a magnificent variety of flowers. Many are available year-round, but a few precious ones, such as the anemones and muscari, are only available for a few weeks, and it was fun to incorporate them into my designs.

I hope you enjoy these images and keep remembering that spring is almost here - almost!

Flowers pictured include: camellia, cherry-o roses, white cherry blossom, heather, fringed tulips, viburnum, bells of Ireland, light blue and dark blue delphinium, stock, casablanca lilies, orange ranunculus, orange chincherinchee, thistle, blue hyacinth, ilsa sweetheart roses, green and white hydrangea, calla lilies, majorca sweetheart roses, trick dianthus, amaranth, cymbidium orchids, vendela roses, anemone, and muscari.

My Funny Valentine

Oh, Valentine's Day - I think as the calendar nears the 14th of February, most of us treat it with an attitude of approach/avoidance.  I think this is a direct result of the over-commercialization and somewhat trite, tired nature of the day itself: one exchanges the usual gifts accompanied by the usual card. Ho-hum.

But why be ho-hum - love certainly isn't - and given what I do for a living, you probably aren't surprised to learn that I am a true romantic. That is why I have so loved to hear all of the 'how we met' stories of my brides for so many years - love springs anew at every turn!

So with an eye toward what is fresh, new, and bright (like love), I had so much fun creating these little jewels of centerpieces for a Valentine's Day dinner as well as a heart-shaped wreath of all flowers. Roses (hot lady, malibu, sweet unique, charlotte, majolika), gerbera daisies, bells of Ireland, pink snapdragon, white hydrangea, ginestra, and flowering branches of quince. As a favor for the ladies, I had cookies made with Robert Indiana's LOVE statue iced on top, which I tied off with bright white grosgrain ribbon.

Don't let love down on this day of all days by rushing to the finish line with the same old gifts and sentiments - be bold, be fresh, be inspired - and never, ever, give into the ho-hum!

I hope you all had a wonderful Valentine's Day!

Turning up the Heat

As we settle into deep midwinter and the temperature continues to drop, we crave warmth - withering heat in the midst of numbing cold. This juxtaposition of temperature is what inspired my work yesterday. My client hosted a dinner for twenty-four guests and wanted the look to be all reds:  rich, abundant, and sultry. The challenge was how to do this without making it look like Valentine's Day or gaudy.  And, given the time of year, I had to select available materials that looked wintery but not holiday.

I love the way these turned out - I used multiple shades and varieties of red flowers ranging from deep blackish burgundy to bright, almost orangey, red. All were arranged in silvery stone urns and julep cups I placed among the sterling silver candelabras which ran the length of the silk dupioni skirted table. As a finishing touch, I added the texture and shape of kangaroo paw, phontinia, miniature seeded eucalyptus, and lots of the herb, sage. Using the herb was both an aesthetic decision (I wanted to use silvery greens to offset the darkness of the flowers) as well as a nod to the dinner - a winter feast of hearty seasonal courses and wine pairings.

So on one of the coldest nights of the year, the guests enjoyed a night of repose from the frigid world in a lovely setting of glowing warmth. What a wonderful way to celebrate the midwinter!

Other material includes - roses: Gospel, Black Bacarra, Black Magic, Red Charlotte. Burgundy Aranal calla lilies, pussy willow, gerbera daisies, phontinia, kangaroo paw, sage, miniature seeded eucalyptus, burgundy snapdragons.

Dining Room -

Front Hall - for this, I added dried pods (I painted pewter) at the base and pussy willow shooting out of the top -

Great Room -

Powder Room -

Hello, New Year

It may be eighteen days into the New Year, but to me, it still feels new! With the fresh year comes the promise of spring - the sun shines longer in the sky, the stores are filled with citrus fruit, and tulips are in season (in overseas flower markets, clearly not on the east coast).  Hello, New Year, with your endless possibilities.

To usher in the new year, we must say goodbye to the old year with a bang. This December 31, I had a New Year's wedding and a large party. I've done a lot of New Year's weddings over the years, and it is a wonderful way to begin anew.  I only have some shots of the bridesmaids' bouquets - simple nosegays of vendela cream roses and juniper western berry. I really love the look of juniper.

For the party, I was asked to use blue and silver - fairly traditional New Year's colors - and I added a pop of coral orange for interest and warmth. I used a random assortment of silver and blue vases, enormous silver flutes, and icy blue hydrangea, electric blue delphinium, eskimo white roses, vivienne white spray roses, donna coral roses, marlisse coral roses, and lots of seeded eucalyptus, slivery glittery branches, and silver-dipped Italian ruscus. We used a host of different silver cloths - jacquards, sheers, and even sequins! It was a lot of fun to create.

I look back on 2010 and thank all of my wonderful brides who asked me to do their flowers - I loved working with you!

2011 brides, I can't wait for the adventures ahead!

Happy New Year, everyone!

Bridesmaid's bouquet -