Bloomington Flowers

Coming Soon!

2010-08-09T13:22:00.000-07:00

I have so much to update!!

Coming soon - 7 or 8 new portfolio posts!

Portfolio: Sunshine Day

2010-05-05T20:35:00.000-07:00

Congratulations Julie and Jordan!!

Loved putting this little piece of sunshine together for you!

Julie's inspiration pics:

She wanted her bouquet etc. to be unique,

made with wild flowers, grasses,

and lots of texture!

Here's what she got:

Thanks to Christopher Paxman

for capturing my work so beautifully!!

paxmanphotography.com

Recipe (Texture Overload!!):

Solidago Lotus Pods

"Kermit" Button MumsDahlias

Billy Balls Pin Cushion (Protea)

And my new favorite:"Trick" Dianthus

(ps. It's a carnation!)

Portfolio: Perfectly Pink!

2010-03-18T00:33:00.000-07:00

Happy Anniversary Elledges!

She simply wanted perfect pink peonies.

Love the contrast of the pink against his black suit. Lovely flowers for a positively lovely bride!

A couple notes about Peonies:

I've discovered that the peak Season for these beauties is very short. Tears and insomnia have been involved! Technically you can get them early spring through the summer (and some red varieties in the winter), but unless your wedding is in May or June your Peonies will not likely resemble those giant, ruffly blooms you see in the magazines. You'll still pay a lot...for smaller blooms. Keep this in mind if you're set on Peonies. You'll need to plan for more in order to get a nice sized bouquet. A great substitute for Peonies is Ranunculas, though their blooms are also smaller. The hybrid variety is well worth the extra expense as the blooms will be larger with a higher petal count to better resemble a Peony.

Because Peonies are so popular there are some great silk renditions! Though most brides are looking for fresh flowers on their wedding day, if that great big bloom is what you're looking for I wouldn't hesitate to make the suggestion to go silk...and that's a rare thing for me! A great, realistic silk peony will not be much less expensive then a fresh one, but just think- no worrying about wilting on your wedding day and a bouquet that lasts a lifetime. Look for a waxed or textured petal- you'll have people wondering if they are real or not.

Portfolio: Vibrant and Fun-Just Like Her!

2010-03-18T00:24:00.000-07:00

These flowers were perfect for this couple! The bright, fun, vibrant colors matched their personalities perfectly! A great example of 'making it their own'.

A great way to compliment Gerber Daisies is to use button mums! His Boutonniere looking like a miniature version of the bridesmaids bouquets (as you can see on the side bar.)

What a cute idea to use this massive tiered cupcake holder! I simply places a round arrangment of Gerbs on top. I wish we could see it up closer!

Portfolio: Island Mist

2009-05-21T00:14:00.000-07:00

I adore this bridal bouquet!

My bride's colors were light blue and chocolate brown. She decided to incorporate pink and green into her flowers and I think the combination turned out beautifully! The bright pop of color against the light blue and the orchids really gave it a tropical touch.

Groom's Bouttonniere:

Corsages:

Bridesmaids and Maid of Honor:

(that's my cute niece on the left...stay tuned for her wedding flowers in June!)

Insights #2 : Flowers don't mix with heat!

2009-04-15T14:43:00.000-07:00

A common concern, especially in Arizona, is the heat. Some flowers are certainly hardier than others, but caution and AC are good ideas regardless of which kinds of flowers you choose. Little to no flower can survive for very long in +100 degree weather. If you're getting married in Arizona (or any other hot place) between the months of March and October you'll need to plan ahead. Here are some tips on keeping your bouquet happy until your special day and evening are through.

AC is best. If there is access to an air conditioned area keep the flowers there. Wait times for the different activities throughout the day can sometimes run longer then expected, have someone bring the flowers inside until everyone is ready.

Keep your bouquet in water as long as possible. One tip is to Start with slightly longer stems. This will allow you to give your bouquet a fresh cut (1/2-to 1 inch cut) 1-2 times throughout the day allowing the blooms to get their needed drink. Place a couple vases around your reception so that when the bouquets are not being used they can be safely drinking.

Plan ahead. If you know there will be a significant time where you won't have access to a vase or AC then bring some soaked paper towels, bunch them around the bottom of them stems, and secure them with a rubber band.

While outside during pictures or other activities, keep your bouquet in the shade as much as possible. In a car or outside, if you are hot, so are your flowers.

ALWAYS transport with AC! If you transport your bouquet in a car without the AC you may as well stick your bouquet in a 120 degree oven for 15 min and see what happens.

If you have a long transportation with your flowers put them in a vase in a cooler. Don't dump the ice out into the bottom of the cooler. The idea is not to have the vase sitting in icy water, but just to have cold air within the cooler. I use towels and hand towels to secure the vase to one place so that the bouquet doesn't get jostled around while driving.

Flowers that will hold up better in the heat are Calla Lilies, Roses, Orchids and most tropical varieties. Some flowers are particularly heat sensitive. Some examples are Hydrangea, Tulips, Peonies, and Gardenias.

As you are planning and discussing with your florist be sure to ask them how well the flowers you've chosen will hold up throughout the day. If you and your florist determine that your bouquet will be particularly sensitive, you may want to appoint a bridemaid to be the "flower girl" to be aware of the flowers throughout the day. That way, you can concentrate on more important things, like getting married!

Just For Fun

2009-02-26T14:40:00.000-08:00

Why throw rice?
http://ask.yahoo.com/20030626.html

And speaking of something blue:
http://ask.yahoo.com/20031027.html

Why Brides hold Bouquets?
http://ask.yahoo.com/20040525.html

Featured Flower: Delphinium- Something Blue!

2009-02-26T13:28:00.000-08:00

"There aren't necessarily a lot of choices when it comes to blue."

Actually there are. Problematically, blue varieties of many flowers are not highly cultivated for the cut flower industry, or may be cultivated for certain areas of the world but are not found everywhere, making blue flowers extremely difficult and expensive to get a hold of. Fortunately, there are a few varieties that are widely used and quite affordable. One of these varieties is Delphinium Belladonna. A closely related flower is Larkspur, in fact, sometimes the names are used synonymously.

Cool colors: Dark Blue, Electric Blue, Light Blue, Lilac, Lavender, Purple, and White
Symbolic of unity, trust, loyalty, and fidelity
Available year round but will be most beautiful and inexpensive in the spring and summer months, March-October.
Hybrid Varieties are the most impressive. (albeit the most expensive) Their Blossoms are large and vivid.
In a vase, well cared for, Delphinium may last up to 14 days.
Delphinium blossoms can be used in small pieces such as corsages and boutonnieres, bouquets and make excellent hair flowers. Additionally, because it grows on a tall stock it is also ideal in large, statement pieces such as alter sprays and banquet arrangements.

Something Old, Something New, Something
Borrowed, Something Blue.

Portfolio: Talk about a Happy New Year!

2009-01-28T23:14:00.000-08:00

Mr. and Mrs. Alexander got married on January 3rd, 2009. What better way to start the year!

Featured Flower: Filler Flowers

2009-01-14T23:38:00.000-08:00

Baby's Breath is beautiful in it's own right. But as far as fillers go there are lots of lovely choices! Here are just 5 of the dozens of filler flowers you can choose from:

Cute and flirty-Wax Flower

Comes in White, Light Pink, Pink, and Fuschia-Purple

A petite, berry-like bud before opening to a blossom.

Available all year round.

Vivid and Elegant- Bouvardia

Comes in Hot Pink, Pink, White, and Red

Available year round- Peak season is Summer

Wild and Bright- Solidago

Yellow

Because of the nature and color or the flower, it is a perfect choice in combination with Daisies, Gerber Daisies, Irises, and others in the "wild-flower" category.

Available year round.

Sweet and petite- Monte Casino

Mini Daisy Sprays.

Comes in White, yellow, Blue-Purple, Lavendar

Also a lovely accessory to wildflowers of all kinds.

Available year round.

A spray of color- Limonium "Misty"

Comes in White, Blue-Purple, Lavendar.

Available year round.

These are some of the most common fillers -Ask your florist for more options...there are plenty!

Portfolio: Black Beauty

2008-11-04T21:53:00.000-08:00

This couple fused a classic black and white theme with rich, dark red for their October wedding. Roses and Schwarzwilder Callas were perfect for a clean, modern, fancy feel. I'm hoping I'll get some better pictures of this one, but for now the snap shots will have to do.

Portfolio: Whimsical White

2008-10-15T19:56:00.000-07:00

The colors for this wedding were chocolate brown and a dark sage green. My bride chose to have classic, elegant, white flowers, Roses and Calla Lilies. She wanted to incorporate some brown and add a little personality so she requested I include Fiddle-Head Fern. The Fiddle-Heads, aka Monkey Tails, added the perfect whimsical accent for this fall wedding.

Bridal Bouquet: Bridesmaids' Bouquets:Flower Girl Baskets:

Head Table Arrangement:

Toss Bouquet:

Portfolio: Las Vegas II

2008-09-23T23:08:00.001-07:00

At The Reception:

Some of Amy's closest friends were not technically part of her wedding party but she wanted them to be honored, so she gave them matching tops and a wrapped Rose.

Large, fresh alter srays were placed on each side of the arch where Rex and Amy received their guests. I incorporated red Birch branches to add to the winter theme and used them throughout all of the Reception decor.

Portfolio: Destination Wedding-Las Vegas

2008-09-22T23:50:00.000-07:00

One of my larger weddings actually took place in Las Vegas in December of 2007. This was my first experience doing a destination wedding! I designed all of these in a freezing cold garage. It was worth it though, no cooler needed for this one, just a heavy jacket!

Rex And Amy Got married just after Christmas so Amy didn't want it to be too Christmas-ish, but still wanted to have a very rich, winter theme. She chose a beautiful, deep red to be the signature color for their celebration.

Amy's bouquet was made up of lovely dark red Roses (Literally lovely-this variety of Rose is named "LOVE"), burgandy Calla Lilies, burgandy Hypericum Berries, red Spray Roses and accented with white and peach Roses, dark pink Sweet Peas and Seeded Eucalyptus. Love the berries and seeds! Here are some other views. The bouquet was wrapped in a textured, matte satin ribbon.

Amy wasn't sure if she wanted Rex to wear a typical Red Rose Boutonniere so she opted to use the berries and seeds to tie in with her bouquet.

Featured Flower: Stephanotis

2008-09-11T15:21:00.000-07:00

Symbolizes "Marital Harmony", or "Marital Happiness"
Also known as "madagasgar jasmine" and "hawaiian wedding flower"

Color: White

The center of the flower is often embellished with pearl or rhinstone accents, but can be left without anything.

Available year round but the cost may go down during the spring and summer as this is it's peak season.

Has a 3-5 day shelf life.

Has a faint, sweet scent

They are sensitive to touch and extreme temperature. They bruise/brown easily.

Botanical name: Stephanotis Floribunda

Portfolio: Scottish Inspired

2008-09-07T20:00:00.000-07:00

I discovered this fabulous photographer, Nikaela Curtis, and was pleased to provide a bouquet and Boutonniere for a shoot she did in Sedona.
Check out her blog to see more pictures of this photo shoot she did with our mutual friends Mary and Merrill Jordan.
http://nikaelacurtis.typepad.com/

The inspiration for this bouquet came from Merrill's kilt of all things! And is reminiscent of Scottish highlands, although I stretched

that a bit, in that I don't think Gerbera Daisies are native to scotland.

Insights #1: Budgeting and price ranges.

2008-09-05T17:15:00.001-07:00

If you know little about flowers and their costs, you may have a hard time determining a realistic budget. Wedding flowers can cost anywhere from $150 to $10,000 or more. To help you get an idea of where your budget should lie, consider the following and decide which best describes your preferences.

You only wish to have a bouquet, a boutonniere for your groom, and maybe some corsages for your mothers. In this case, a $100-$200 budget will likely suffice.
You have a small wedding party. Just 2 Bridesmaids, 2 groomsmen, and a flower girl. You'd also like some boutonnieres and corsages for your fathers and mothers. You will not need any flowers for your ceremony or reception. Plan for a budget of at least $200.
Your wedding party is larger. You have 5 bridesmaids! You'll need flowers for your bridesmaids, groomsmen, flowers girls and for your parents, and grandparents. You should plan for at least $300.
You need flowers for your wedding party, and parents and some for your reception. Your wedding party is a moderate size. You'd like flowers on your cake, a toss bouquet, and an arrangement for the buffet table. Plan for at least $400.
You'll need flowers for your wedding party and parents. You'd like small floral centerpeices, cake flowers and some other peices to compliment the reception. Your budget should be no less than $700.
Your wedding party, parents, grandparents, ushers, and officiant will all need flowers. You want flowers at your ceremony and flowers at your reception including alter sprays for the ceremony, centerpeices at the reception, cake flowers, and flowers on your book table. Plan for no less than $1000.
You need flowers for your wedding party, parents, and grandparents. You'd like alter sprays, and aisle decor for your ceremony. Centerpieces, buffet table arrangements, book table and cake flowers and lots of rose petals will be needed at the reception. Plan on a budget of at least $1500.
You have a large wedding party. You'll need flowers for your wedding party and parents. You want your ceremony to be decked out in flowers including large alter sprays, an arch decorated in greenery and flowers and a lot of aisle decor. At you reception you want large, statement-making centerpeices, large arrangements and garlands for your buffet table, an arrangement for the bar and another for the book table. You also plan on having your cake practically covered in fresh flowers! Plan on a budget starting at $5000.

Bare in mind that these are only rough, general starting points from which to plan on your budget. There are a lot of variables that play into the cost of your flowers. The flowers you decide to use, the size of bouquets and arrangments, the delivery and set-up all play into your overall cost. This could mean your flowers turn out to be less than you planned, and in that case, horray for an extra couple 100 dollars you saved! Or this could mean that your flowers turn out to be more then you thought, in which case you may need to make some revisions to your order. Make the revisions if they are needed. You'll be happier on your wedding day (and in the weeks following) knowing that you stayed as close to your budget as possible.

Know that If you use flowers such as Peonies, Hydrangeas, Calla Lilies, Orchids, Gardenias, and most tropicals your flowers will be on the more expensive side. Also, if your flowers are labor-intensive, such as flower girl hair wreaths, garlands, etc. they will also be more expensive.

It is always a good idea to have a range for your budget (ie. $200-$300 or $700-$1000). This way you have a little leeway as all of those variables come into play. It is important to set your limit, and remain firm in that limit. If at first your order far surpasses your limit, work with your florist to revise it in a way that will fit into your budget. Revise it as many times as you need to. Your florist is there to help you with everything you need, and staying within your budget is part of that.

Portfolio: April Showers Bring May Flowers...

2008-08-30T01:34:00.001-07:00

...and May weddings to go with those flowers!

It's always a pleasure designing for close friends. In this case, practically family!

Jenna wanted a pink, green, and brown garden theme. Her bouquet was made up of big, beautiful gerber daisies, pink lisianthus and green viburnam (an extremely frustrating flower to work with by the way...) But isn't it lovely?

Eric and Jenna chose to use Mickey and Minnie on their cake to tribute their rather "youthful" personalities and in anticipation for their Disney honeymoon.

Portfolio: Winter Fantasy

2008-08-27T21:42:00.001-07:00

Because Krysta's Bridesmaids carried muffs she wanted her flowers to resemble a powdery white snow puff! She had it wrapped in the same "peacock" fabric that her Bridesmaids wore.

Krysta also had snow white beads and crystal snowflake embellishments adorning her bouquet.

The Groom and Groomsmens' Boutonnieres were also wrapped to match.

Portfolio: Summer Color Splash!

2008-08-27T20:46:00.000-07:00

Bright and Bold are the magic words this summer.

Amanda chose Gerber Daisies to be showcased among other striking, summer colored flowers. She got married at The Wright House Garden in Mesa and wanted to carry some of the garden with her down the aisle!

The primary focal point of the reception was a stunning cake, made of 7 round cakes and enveloped in an array of brightly colored garden flowers and greenery.

Features: Gerber Daisies, Matsumoto Asters, Stock, Roses, Delphinium, "Kermit" Spray Mums, Salal, Italian Ruscus.