A Piece of Serenity Pie: A Green and White Apple Farm Wedding

I just got done prepping for my last event of the year...and a great year it has been!  I'll post photos from that event once I get them.  My schedule has caused me to neglect my poor blog (again!), but I hope you guys have been checking out The Daily Petal's Facebook page for quick updates and sample photos.  The good news is that I have lots of photos and entries I'll be able to share with you starting with this beautiful September wedding at Riley's Apple Farm in Oak Glen.  Nestled at the top of a winding trail, a peacefully beautiful ceremony site awaited my arrival.  With goats baaing in the background, I was totally in my element...I grew up on a farm! 

I am still dreaming about her bouquet.  The trailing Pierres Japonica adds such effortless beauty.  I only wish they were available year round.  I played with textures and tones to give an all white bouquet interest.  We used shepherds hooks and mason jars down the aisle.  The mason jar centerpieces were reused at their reception which was in a [drum roll, please]...barn!  This was truly heaven for me.  All in all, the surroundings played a huge part and I couldn't have asked for a more peaceful day designing in the country.  Next time I'll leave time for apple cider and pie.

Judgement Day

As promised, here is the round hand tied bouquet in order to compare and contrast the look of the cascade versus the nosegay. I used a similar mix of flowers, but felt that the nosegay bouquet needed the pink pom poms to offset the darker coloration, mostly for photo purposes (This is kind of the Art Director side of me kicking in). In real life, the bouquet would look fine with shades of burgundy and purple, but in photos, the details get a little lost with large clusters of darkness. You might ask, why wasn't this the case in the cascade? The use of a bouquet holder allowed the flowers to be placed with some separation, so even in photos, each bloom can be appreciated. This separation is relative since you can see that the flowers still look beautiful in the hand tied bouquet.

Due to the spacial relationship of the flowers, even though the cascade was larger in size, more flowers were used in the construction of the nosegay. On the flip side, more time was logged in the designing and flower prep of the cascade.

One last thing to consider with the nosegay is the finishing of the handle. The handle is often overlooked because it is usually covered at least partially by the hand that is holding it. However, similar to wearing a killer pair of shoes under your long wedding gown, it finishes the look and it's those moments when someone catches a glimpse of it that makes it worth finishing off the look. For this garden inspired bouquet, I chose to do a twine wrap.


There's a million other options depending on the look and style of your bouquet. Use rhinestones, leaves, contrasting ribbon, vintage handkerchief...whatever best suits you on your wedding day. So, what's the verdict? Cascade or nosegay?

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.