Current Obsession: Herb Boutonnieres

Let me introduce you to my current obsession. Reader, I would like you to meet Mr. Herb Boutonniere. Organically interesting, delectably fragrant, and simply chic, this little guy has it all! I have to say, he is the chameleon of all boutonnieres, perfect for almost any type of wedding--garden, spring, modern, organic, or traditional. He is also a great choice for the groom who refuses to wear a flower since he (the boutonniere, not the groom!) treads a fine line between masculine and feminine.

He is the perfect soul mate for almost any lapel, EXCEPT for maybe those that are sensitive to aromatics. Let's not forget the women. Mr. Herb Boutonniere can also moonlight as a corsage.

It was a pleasure introducing the two of you and I hope that soon he will also become your obsession!

Spring Garden Bliss

I have been sick since Tuesday...actually, I think I've been sick since last Saturday, but my body and mind wouldn't accept it knowing I had a Monday wedding to prepare for. It's funny how the mind works! In order to lift my spirits as I get over the lingering cough, I decided to post a cheerful spring garden bouquet and its matching centerpiece that I had in my portfolio. I find this color combination rather soothing (and a great seg way into the topic of color selection!).

Most brides focus on one or two main colors and repeat them throughout their entire wedding, which is fine. However, many times a color scheme can be enhanced by adding one accent or "bridging" color, as I like to call it.

Let's first explore cases when you probably shouldn't add in another color:

1. You are going after a monochromatic color scheme.
2. Your color palette already has 3 or more colors.
3. You already love your colors the way they are!

So, in what cases do I think another color might be a good idea?

1. You feel like the two colors you have are bland and just blend together. For example, the light pink and lavender in the bouquet above may feel too similar in coloration. By adding the green, the pink and the lavender now have a contrasting color to stand out against.
2. Your current color palette has extreme contrast and you don't like that. For many people, red and white work as a great pair. If you don't personally like this type of contrast, try adding in pink as a "bridging" color. This allows you to visually move up the spectrum from light to medium to dark.
3. You want your color scheme to have more depth. If your wedding color is medium pink, try adding flowers one shade lighter and one shade darker to the bouquet to make it more dynamic.
4. The colors you chose don't exist in flowers. I have seen this alot in a blue color scheme. Very few flowers naturally occur in blue, so what do some florists suggest to their clients? They suggest spray painting them blue! (I might address spray painting flowers on another blog entry, but for now let's leave it at, run the other way if you hear this as the first option!). Greens, purples and whites are excellent options as accent colors for blue.

I was an Art Director of fashion and trends and one of my duties was color prediction. Even with my experience, if one of my brides asks me for my opinion, I still end the conversation with, "Ultimately it's up to you." I can give you options for days, but you have to love it for "your day." The most recent success story I have in terms of color pairing was the Monday wedding I just did (right before I got sick). Geline and Jod were probably the most open-minded couple I've had in terms of color selection. They really wanted magenta and purple to be in their color scheme, but they wanted the flowers to pop against the purple bridesmaids' dresses. So, what did I suggest? Add red. You will see how successful this marriage of colors was (if I can get some photos from their photographer...keep your fingers crossed). Let's just say, it already lifts my spirits reminiscing about it!

What Goes Around...Comes Back Around

Within the last decade, cascading bouquets have had a shaky past full of ups and downs. They were once the norm, then went almost obsolete, and have now been starting to make their way back fighting their reputation as being the antithesis to modern design. The blame lies on the shoulder of none other than Martha Stewart who popularized the round, hand-tied nosegay bouquet. As a result, the cascade became known as "your mother's bouquet," and only the most traditional brides carried them down the aisle.

In my past life at the magazine, we dedicated editorial space to promote the comeback of the cascade and our attempts have had a fairly positive effect. I must admit, I am still biased towards the hand-tied bouquet, but I have a great appreciation of cascades and in particular, the smaller tear drop bouquet. To me, tear drop bouquets are the modern cascade. They are shorter in length, skinnier in width, and as its name states, shaped like a tear drop. With vivid images of French countrysides (from watching the Tour de France with my husband) and Irish green pastures (from forcing my husband to watch the chick flick P.S. I love You with me), I was inspired to make a tear drop garden style bouquet. I also made a nosegay version, which I will post on my next blog entry, so you can see the two styles side by side.



Advantages of a Cascading Bouquet:

1. Inherent in the style is the feeling of romance and movement.
2. If designed in a bouquet holder, the flowers can be placed so they have room to breathe and do not appear crushed.
3. If designed in a bouquet holder, delicate flowers can survive longer since it will have a water source.
4. Due to mere size, the bouquet becomes an instant focal point.

When considering a cascading bouquet for your wedding, make sure the bouquet will be made proportionate to your body size. I can't begin to tell you how many times I've seen a small framed bride being overwhelmed by a humongous blob disguised as a bouquet. These extra flowers also unnecessarily adds weight that you will have to bear throughout your entire event. Cascades also take more time to prep in order to ensure the flowers do not fall out. I don't think all florists take time to do this step and I always find it sad seeing a bride picking up parts of her bouquet off the ground as she walks.


I hope that cascades do come full circle because they add another dimension to floral design. In essence, cascading bouquets are almost analogous to letterpressing in invitation design. They are both classic forms that have found a place in modern day application.

Organically Inspired

Have you ever been called a nerd or an overachiever and, despite the negative connotation, you secretly enjoyed the label because it meant you were really good at something? I think my Type A personality takes over from time to time (my husband would probably say, "all the time!") and today was no exception. After a long day of designing, I decided to challenge myself, "Iron Chef" style. I took only my shears, floral tape and some wire out to my garden with the goal of creating extraordinary boutonnieres (subjective, of course) out of ordinary things in 10 minutes...let me repeat, 10 minutes! I ended up using pods with mint, chiles with a persimmon leaf, and baby Roma tomatoes with geranium leaves. Organically, interesting?

I think my Lab pup made this task harder than it had to be. Since we adopted her in December, she's single-handedly cleared my garden. Who would have thought dogs love eggplants and tomatoes? At least I know the chile plants will always be safe!