An elegant garden of May

A few years ago I had the honor of designing a friends wedding that was so sweet with so little request. She said she was using Tiffany blue for the bridesmaids dresses, she loved all garden flowers in the spring, and she wanted it to be very low key. The reception took place in a friends beautiful home on the river with a fabulous tent on the front lawn where the band played well into the night. The cake was set on what would normally be considered a tacky plastic stand. Yet, you would have never know the stand was plastic because of the beautiful layers of fresh smilax and close to a hundred orchids covering all mechanics. Below the stand was layers of wheatgrass and ivy over a sheer organdy cloth of ivory tulips.

The brides grandmother was one of the most elegant ladies of her time and always in style. She carried a nosegay of ranculus in many colors with sweet pea, peonies and daffodiles.

For outside centerpieces at the rehearsal dinner, later used at the reception the next day, I potted roses and more potted roses, then watertubed larger heads of roses and thistle while the foxtail fern was potted with the mini roses. These type centerpieces live sooooo long and make great gifts for special friends.

The bridesmaids bouquets were a wonderful spring mix of hyanthins, vibernum, muscari, peonies and reiger begonias and ranuclus! They were later placed in silver vases at the entrance of the house on display for a warm welcome.

The reception centerpieces around the dance floor were a colorful array of spring blooms yet more casual from the bridesmaids using tulips, gerberas, stock, lilies roses, lemon leaf along with the glorious vibernum and ranculus. The votives were all placed in assorted mint julip cups throughout the reception.

Rehearsal dinner centerpieces were also used as extra centerpieces at the wedding the next day yet the containers were different each night to show a different perspective of the flowers for the guest.

7 foot tall cake with fresh flowers

A few years back for a spring wedding, I had a ball! designing a cake for almost 700 people in the center of a ballroom as tall as possible over a tablecloth with the last name of the couple! Nightingale birds covered the fabric which are now very much in style again this year in 2010. Don't over do the bird thing for your wedding! This wedding was so fabulous each centerpiece was designed in a unique silver heirloom container such as bread baskets, punch bowls, wine coolers and bowls. All the flowers including the cake were in tones of blue and white, and they were truly the best of the best! The blue flowers were all amazing: muscari, hyanthins, scabilosas, delphinium, tweedia, cornflowers, bachlor buttons, and hydrangea. The whites were also spectacular with lilac, lilly of valley, stephanotis, tulips, roses, hydrangea, stars of bethlehem, queen anns lace, astilbe, gardenia, amarillis, orchids, callas, mini callas and stock.

Welcome baby Violet!

My sweet friend Hillary had her second baby girl this valentines weekend named Violet. Isn't that a great name? I am already planning her wedding filled with wild violets and african violets and big branches of lilac. Maybe she will marry one of my boys in 30 years. (I only say that because Hillary introduced my husband and I to each other 6 years ago) Here is a boutonniere made from an african violet bloom, ivy and bud of lemon tree blossom tied with velvet wine and green stain ribbon topped off with a vintage button.

something old something new!

Happy Mardi Gras; here is a New Orleans inspired look: funky swamp flowers (aka) cobra Lillie's with my grandmothers gown. My cousin wore this beautiful gown of our grandmothers as she got ready for her wedding in the French Quarter. My Aunt's friends through this amazing beautiful party for her at her home which is next door to Nicolas Cage's house in New Orleans. While just girls stopped by to see the Bride, wish her well and have a glass of champagne, they enjoyed beautifully presented light treats such as pastry, crab cakes and other local flavor. When it came time to go, the bride changed into her wedding dress after wearing the memories of her grandmother close to her.

An indoor bamboo garden for a cake!

In early spring of 2004, I had a blast gluing, sewing, cutting and attaching 1200 FRESH GALAX LEAFS TO A TABLE CLOTH! It was a fabulous attire for a burlap underlay tablecloth which graced the wedding cake for 500. The structure over the cake was made by my father and myself along with a friend from boy scouts who was a professional at lashing rope to make the bamboo work! These poles are 6 inches wide and 15 feet tall. I hung fresh garlands of orchids and fresh smilax. Behind the far bar I used hot pink lights to give the formal ballroom an outside garden feel along with dozens of trees, orchids, fountains and candles.

The soft dancing lavender ball!

When one of my dear friends asked me to decorate her wedding in her favorite color purple, we had a ball! A lavender ball in one room, a dark purple and chocolate ball in another and a white and purple and lavender cocktail lounge in the other. Candles are not allowed at The Cummer Museum and Gallery, so the candelabras we both loved so much were dressed in lavender dahlias. He linens in this room were satin lavender underlays with organdy white printed veils much like her glamours days of ballet! On the ceiling, I hung a variety of chandliers all with gemstones, sheer organza ribbons, purple hudrangeas and freshia and delphinium. Much like ballerinas from the sky.

Yeah! Its daffodil season!

If you love daffodils, you are in luck. They are here! They are an inexpensive easily accessible flower available at your local grocery. Hurry before they are all sold for the holidays! Cut them from the pots and carefully handle them with stems of freesia, begonias, star of Bethlehem and orchids! wow now that is a posy!