New Year, New Brides

Congratulations to all Brides!   Last Saturday, we participated in an awesome wedding show.  Here's a picture of our booth, where we try to show all styles:  natural, elegant, classic, funky, dramatic, soft, and many more. . .

I met with over 300 brides, and gave each one a hand-tied bouquet of dried lavender.  Not only do I see lots of brides, but I enjoy catching up with vendors, too.

Favorite bouquets?  Well, definitely the bolls of cotton tucked into a hydrangea, the classic calla lilies, blue orchids and the "pink mink" protea bouquet were the hit of the day.  Because the overall wedding theme for the show was "Candy", I added a pink vanilla candy fountain, which was fun.

Want to see more pictures?  Go to our photo album here: flickr.com/dahliaonline

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Hyatt Wedding Show

      We had a wonderful time meeting lots of 2011, and even 2012, brides!!!    Go to our flickr album to see lots more pics.  

Your flowers and decor can really set the tone of your wedding.  My advice on how to choose what flowers are right for you?  Have a "Tear Out Session"!  This is where you go through all of those stacks and stacks of magazines you've been given, and have impulsively bought while standing in line at the grocery store, and rip out your favorite pics and your least favorite.  Create 4 piles: one of pictures that are about colors you LOVE, one of pictures that are about textures and the look you LOVE.  For the other two piles, do the same but with what you DON'T love.  

   If you're still confused, keep going!  Can't decide between 2 color themes?  Keep ripping those pics out, until you have more of one look, and it becomes obvious.

And, most importantly, have FUN with it!  Planning your wedding is a once in a lifetime process, so don't forget to take a step back, and remember what's really important:  You are marrying the man of your dreams!

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Subtle Elegance

     On first meeting with Anna to plan her wedding flowers, I saw her as cute, sweet and petite. After about fifteen minutes into our design session, I realized there's a lot more to Anna than being cute and cuddly.  Aside from planning a wedding, Anna works for a college where she's in charge of planning lots and lots of big events full of deadlines and high expectations. We always had to meet after hours, because she could barely take any time off work. And, we all know how planning a wedding could easily be a full time job. Yet, here she was always as cool as a cucumber when we'd meet, with that infectious smile that made me want to jump through hoops for her, and her super nice mom, Roxanne.

    It, also, helped that she chose a color palette I just adored: subtle shades of creams, ivories and blush, for everything except the bridesmaids' bouquets which were all about fall, with lots of deep reds and burnt oranges, for that seasonal touch. Anna gave me some pictures to be inspired by, and then, pretty much left it up to me!  

     I titled this blog Subtle Elegance, because everything about this wedding, including the flowers, the wedding vendors, and the wedding party, has a lot of quiet depth to it, which could be missed at first glance.

  I want to throw in a little event I witnessed at  just hours prior to the ceremony. Anna and her bridesmaids were all ready, and Lindsey, with Sposa Bella Photography, was taking lots of candid shots. The atmosphere was definitely heavy with anticipation, and you could see from the expression on Anna's face, that it hit her;  In just moments, she was about to walk down the aisle, and marry her true love. Her cute and cuddly smile turned to one of seriousness, and on the brink of tears. Lindsey saw this, and softly said, "hey, why don't all of you do something funny for me." That wasn't her exact words, I just remember, the mood in the room taking a 180 degree turn from somber to lots of giggling.  And, it was at that moment, that I realized how important it is to hire a sensitive photographer, that can read these moments and do the right thing!

Here's the sweet couple, Lindsey and Craig Mahaffey, that took all of these amazing pics!  Visit their website, Sposa Bella, HERE.

Back to the flowers. . . You can see that no greenery was used in these florals, because that would have introduced another color, which would've taken away from the subtle nuances of color.

Even the gorgeously statuesque cake was dark ivory and creme.

With the venue of Ryan Nicholas Inn, combined with these oppulent florals, it takes you back in time.

The bridesmaids' bouquets were amazing with the mango callas, safari sunset and tiny brown birch sticks.

My two favorite things about Anna's flowers were the Quicksand roses, and the grey seeded eucalyptus and berzillia berries.

I could go on and on, however, it's time to start working on this weekend's weddings, a holiday design demo, and Dahlia's upcoming Sugar and Champagne event. So, Bye, for now!

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Something Different

Bre's bouquet includes loops of curly willow for a rustic touch. The phaelenopsis orchids had to be glued in just before she walked down the aisle!

Bre carried the rustic, chocolate touches through out her table centerpieces using these awesome lanterns. You may notice that NO greenery, not a single leaf, was used in her ENTIRE wedding.

Here are Bre's lanterns lined up, still at Dahlia, ready to be the stars of the reception!

This Pennsylvania bride, Ashley, brought her very  own, favorite apples from a PA farm. We filled the bubble bowl vases, then tucked in lots of  "sprouty" materials

Sorry for the out-of-focus shot, but I think these are so fun, and really embrace the season!

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