Blog for Monday Morning Flowers

Winter White Wedding at Cherry Valley Country Club

2/17/2018

January 6th ~ a high of 20 degrees had us posting notes on the bouquets for bride Amy and her girls - don't freeze your flowers but what a magical day it was. With snow on the ground and a gorgeous setting at Cherry Valley Country Club - Amy and Alex had the perfect setting for a romantic winter wedding. Amy's bouquet consisted of creamy Sahara roses, white hydrangeas, ever greens and eucalyptus foliage.

A foliage lined garland welcomed guests to the wedding and a petal and candle lined aisle set the stage for the ceremony. Our ivory sheer backdrop was draped with a soft winter garland and evergreen and eucalytpus swags were hung from the first few chairs so denote where family were to sit. The mother of the groom provide the table centerpieces and an amazing night was had by all!!

Warm Autumn Weddings

10/9/2017

What a strange fall season it's been. Temperatures over 70 degrees, falling leaves with high humidity. Welcome to the weather in New Jersey. Weather aside, we've had some really gorgeous weddings being created at the shop in an array of beautiful colors. Almost none of our weddings have been traditional fall colors with many having us create in color palates such as sangria, dusty rose and even shades of blue and purple. Which one is your favorite?

Tropical Cascade Bouquet

7/1/2017

When bride Angela came looking for us to create a "Tropical Themed" Bridal bouquet for her July 1st wedding we were perplexed but excited. Perplexed because we rarely get asked to do weddings with an Island feel - let's face it, we are in New Jersey but once she explained that this was just the ceremony for her NJ friend, family and fellow church members because her "real" wedding was taking place in the Bahamas, it all made sense. Rarely do we get to create cascade bouquets and working with tropical foliage and flowers is especially rare. What do you think of the finish bouquet? Pretty striking, don't you think?

We especially love the colors combination along with the flowers mixture. Dendrobium orchids, bird of paradise, orange mini calla lilies, spiral eucalyptus and elegant pink hybrid lilies. This bouquet delivers on the wow factor with a tropical flair!

Current Bridal Bouquet Trends

6/24/2017

What has been the trend so far for 2017? Big, bold, loose, airy, organic and tons and tons of eucalyptus! Gone are the tight compact bouquets with little or no greenery. Our brides are going crazy for flowers that look wild and fresh picked. Take the bouquet below which included 3 different types of eucalyptus (parvifoliage, silver dollar and seeded), garden and spray roses, lisianthus, thistle and dusty miller. The stems where left exposed (which has been the trend for many years) and wrapped in pretty white lace. Although still a trend for showers and anniversary parties, we've noticed that bride no longer seem to want their bouquets wrapped in burlap and twine this year. As for color pink, blue and peach are the go to colors. As for flower vessels silver metallic containers making a comeback (it was gold for a while) and many brides are loving mercury glass and ceramic footed compote bowls. More traditional shaped vases such as hurricanes and fish bowls have over taken cubes and cylinders. Even low profile dishes spilling across the table with flowers have made a come back and are very cost effective providing a wide centerpiece that looks very full and lush. Lastly, floating candles in clear glass are back in a big way providing romantic light at a very affordable cost. Are you planning your wedding? What textures, colors and flowers will you be choosing for your special day?

Carnations ~ Love or Hate

6/8/2017

Ugh, I strongly dislike the word hate but no flower has been more often quoted with the sentence starting at "I Hate..." more than poor carnations. I confess I actually like them. No, the truth is I love them. For me, carnations remind me of happy times when I was little getting flowers.

Ceremony Flowers - to have or not to have

3/11/2017

Bouquets, flowers for the men, flowers for the maid, table centerpieces; low & behold, you remember the ceremony location. So much to pay for & think about!

If you've met with me, you know I tend to be on the frugal side. I don't like spending money on details that won't get noticed or be remembered. Ceremony location flowers - should you spend money on them or no? Here's my thought; many of the ceremony locations we see are either grand churches or wide open outdoor spaces. Talk about trying to compete with the size of the room - Yikes!!

I like to address the overall scale of the space. Is it huge? If so, that means the flowers needs need to be big in order to look correct. I often use an analogy; it's like putting a tiny couch in a huge living room. It's the same idea - a tiny floral display on a huge altar looks silly. The next thing to consider is the color & brightness of the space. Is it dark in the space? Then the flowers need to be light & bright so they can be seen. Is the room mostly white? Then white flowers won't show up. Is it outdoors with lots of green grass & trees? Then certainly you need to pop it out with more color & less foliage.

Lastly, moving on to cost & is it worth it. I think it's nice to decorate the ceremony space with flowers either on the altar or down the aisle but it's not necessary. Are you feeling stressed over your overall wedding costs? Then skip the flowers. Can't imagine your wedding ceremony not including flowers? Then make room in your overall wedding budget for them. The truth is that you don't have to have them but it can be nice. Do what feels right to you and enjoy your special day!

Avoiding Over Done Wedding Trends

1/4/2017

Wedding trends, like all fads, come and go. What's in one year will seem old and tired just a few years later. Even the hotest trends for 2017 may look strange come 2022. Will you choose floral design styles that are timeless, classic and beautiful or super trendy? Here are a few designs we created over the years that we think have and will continue to stand the test of time.

Our Favorite Past Winter Weddings

12/1/2016

Winter wedding flowers don't have to be boring - nor just white. Here's a few of our favorites from the last few years!

Dare to Be Different

10/21/2016

I was listening to the radio coming in to work today and heard a great comment that inspired this blog. "There are multiple right answers". It didn't really apply to the flower business specifically but after seeing this bridal bouquet being created today, it made me think how often folks think that there is a right or wrong answer when choosing flowers. Whether it's a wedding or other event, there are many choices and multiple right choices.

Take this bouquet for example. The bride is truly a free spirit and allowed her friend (our designer Alanna) to create her bouquet. Kate loves everything natural (she's a Vegan who runs a rescue farm for animals) and is wearing a Chakra Crown to her wedding. Imagine her delight when she sees that Alanna has added healing stone and crystals to her bouquet? Is this right for everyone? Would Kate love this bouquet if it did not have the stones? I think we know the answer but how awesome is that she trusts her friend to create the perfect bouquet, knowing that Alanna would dare to create a bouquet as unique as the bride.

This leads me to the "Dare to Be Different". Are you dictating every element of your wedding? Are you allowing the professionals you hire to help you create a unique wedding or just a copy of something you saw on Pinterest. Ah, food for thought perhaps but why not think let the creativity out of the bag. Why not set the trend instead of following it. Why not work elements into you wedding that are not only timeless but also personal to you? It doesn't apply to everything in life, but flowers are certainly one decision that does not have "One Right Answer". Happy Wedding Planning!

A Warm Day in September

9/10/2016

A little warm weather didn't seem to both bride Kristin and her new husband today! What a glorious setting at the Chauncey Conference Center. This quick shot was taken by our Designer Jeneen who was on site setting up the reception centerpieces so I can only imagine what the professional photos will look like.

Kristin was perhaps one of the most organized bride's I have ever had the pleasure of working with. She came with story boards in hand with detailed notes, descriptions and photos. All I had to do was make it happen!

Working with our team of designers we created over 70 feet of fresh foliage garland accented with touches of Juliet Garden Roses, Baby's Breath, Spray Roses and more. These garlands and wreaths decorated the tables. The bride carried a loose and airy bouquet of garden, tea and spray roses, seeded eucalyptus, dahlia's, stock, ranunculus and green foxtail millet. Each bride's maid carried three Juliet Garden roses tied with foxtail, seeded eucalyptus and bright green lemon leaves. The groomsmen's boutonnieres were created using 3 types of foliage with open stems.

No area was left un-decorated from the fireplace mantle altar to the vintage chests overflowing with fresh flowers. I think it's safe to say this will be one of most favorite weddings from 2016. What is your favorite design in this wedding?