A Modern Lemon Yellow Wedding

Last month, I gave you a sneak preview of a contemporary, lemon yellow wedding I did back in September for a very charming couple, Regina and Rowel. I'm finally getting a chance to post the official photos even though Jordana from Hazelnut Photography was kind enough to immediately send them upon receiving my request.  Click on the link to check out more of her stunning photography and if my communications with her are even a small hint of how it is to work with her, you will be in for a delightful surprise. 

For the ultra-modern church, I designed two pieces to flank the front of the church using manzanita branches, orchid plants, China mums and aquabeads. 

 The Bride's bouquet was made of white cymbidium orchids and miniature calla lilies. 

 

We used yellow tulips and miniature calla lilies for the bridesmaids' bouquets, but added yellow roses, dark red spray roses and black miniature calla lilies to the maids of honor bouquets.

The reception was kept clean and simple with pave arrangements at different heights.  Each table had a different combination of yellow flowers.

Following this wedding, I was obsessed with designing in bright yellow for a while.  It's such a cheerful, clean and modern color to use.  Also, I didn't want to forget to mention their wonderful wedding coordinator Abby LaDuke who was awesome to work with, as well.  Congratulations, Regina and Rowel! 

A Little Piece of Aloha

My husband and I honeymooned in Hawaii. It was our first big trip together and, ever since, it has been our family's favorite destination and a bit of a tradition for us to go every September. The last couple of years, we haven't been, so I miss it.

How fitting that this bouquet reminds me of the LA version of a Hawaiian hand tied...sort of city meets tropical island. What's interesting is despite the heavy ratio of orchids, the bouquet does not scream "tropical flowers," or "summer bouquet." This is due in large part to the color combination. It's not out of the ordinary to pair orchids with roses, but the obvious choice of rose color would have been white, ivory, or a color that has the same degree of vibrancy as the magenta Bombay dendrobium orchids or the blush centers of the cymbidium orchids. Instead, I chose a muddied greenish taupe color that brings a little "city polish" to the mix.

For now, this will have to be my Hawaii [in LA]. Mahalo.

Arm Candy

My friends used to joke that I had monkey arms, which proved to be advantageous for my high school tennis career. But today I felt more like...ummmm...a T-Rex. I was excited to photograph a wrist corsage that I taught my floral class to make last night and, of course, I had to be both the model and the photographer at the same time! These were the results, minus the first 5 shots that completely missed the subject.

I am proud to say I eventually captured one good shot.


THEN, I had a more brilliant idea...



Aren't these Bombay Dendrobium Orchids gorgeous? I think wrist corsages, for the most part, should be kept simple and dainty. Anything too heavy will just be a nuisance to wear. Anything too busy will just detract from the dress instead of enhancing it. If you have extra time to waste and want a good kick, try google-ing (is that a word?) images of "wrist corsages" and you will see an array of out-dated, over the top versions that look like they belong in a creaky, upstairs, wooden-floored hallway in a black-and-white photo with straight-faced women all dressed in black. (That made me kind of giggle since the imagery is so vivid and kind of true).

Let me end this entry by saying that in most instances, I prefer pin-on corsages over wrist corsages, mainly because they are a little more contemporary. The only times I suggest wrist corsages are for more traditional brides, grandmothers, or women wearing lightweight fabrics. I don't have anything against wrist corsages and I'm actually kind of in love with this one. But if given a choice, I would prefer to wear the pin-on version. It really is just a personal choice.