mary and jason - lake arrowhead

mary and jason's wedding took place last october in lake arrowhead, california...it was actually such a small wedding, me and brian installed it by ourselves! we took a leisurely drive up the mountain, enjoying the first signs of fall in southern california...every tree we passed that had actually changed colors, i squealed with glee...here in orange county, we don't get the luxury of green leaves morphing into ambers, rusts and golds...so i have to take what i can get people! :)

the celebration took place at the lake arrowhead resort and spa, with a color scheme of eggplant, plum, lavender and chocolate brown...we went with a bit of a rustic feel by bringing in some wood boxes and twigs...but overall the vibe was tailored, rich and just plain pretty...

the bridal bouquet consisted of plum dahlias, eggplant mini calas, lavender ranunculas and purple tulips...

the bridesmaids bouquets were similar to the bridal bouquet but we removed the lavender ranunculas and added chocolate brown cymbidium orchids for a darker, richer look...

traditional lawn games were set up overlooking the lake...

the cocktail tables each held a little brown wood box packed full of plum dahlias, purple tulips, eggplant mini calas and mini purple allium balls...

the placecards were set in a low dark brown wood tray filled with coffee beans and petite clusters of eggplant and plum theme flowers, along with some chocolate brown cymbidium orchids and baby purple artichokes...

the centerpieces were made up of a trio of custom made brown wood boxes, ranging in height from 4"-8"...each box held dark cotilla leaves, plum dahlias, baby purple artichokes, mini purple allium balls, eggplant mini calas, chocolate brown cymbidium orchids, purple tulips and a few brown twigs to add a bit of a rustic feel...

the dessert station had everything from chocolate covered pretzels, to brownies, to jelly beans, to coconut cake!

the light outside made for some gorgeous shots of the couple!

this event was so much fun because of the following ladies - i love when it feels like i am hanging out with friends rather than working!

amanda auer from in the now weddings who coordinated the day

marianne lozano who took all the lovely photos

thanks girls for making it such a successful event! xoxo

design challenge for bride and bloom magazine

a couple months ago, i was asked to participate in the "design challenge" for bride and bloom magazine...the concept is to take a real couple who is in the beginning of their wedding planning process and allow 3 floral designers to create a bouquet, boutonniere and 2 different tablescapes based off of the couple's color scheme, venue and design style.

here was the mood board the client created to give us an idea of what she liked:

the couple's wedding venue is "craftsteak" inside of the mgm in las vegas. so the photo shoot took place at one of the sister restaurants, "craft" in los angeles...the vibes were pretty similar - masculine and modern with warm tones...so even though the client liked a vintage, feminine feel, we also had to stay somewhat true to the venue as well...

overall, here is what we came up with!

bridal bouquet of eggplant mini cala lilies, lavender parrot tulips, dark purple tulips and plum hyacinth...

stems were wrapped in eggplant satin, pum lace and a band of aubergine velvet...3 mini purple rhinestone brooches finished the "vintage modern" look...

eggplant mini cala boutonniere wrapped in black satin, a band of aubergine velvet and black rhinestone trim...

for the tall centerpiece option, we created monobotanical arrangements of eggplant dahlias, dark purple mini cala lilies, green vibernum and green dutch hydrangea...tall glass candlesticks from crate and barrel, purple vases and short glass candlesticks from z gallerie...

the couple was going to be using all the existing furniture inside of craftsteak, including the chairs and rectangular tables...but we were encouraged to bring in our own runners and napkins, so i decided on the green "russian linen" from wildflower linens...

for the low centerpiece option, fabric wrapped boxes were packed full of dutch green hydrangea, eggplant dahlias, lavender parrot tulips, dark purple mini cala lilies and plum toned tulips and hyacinth...

the couple threw out the idea of lace, so i utilized a plum lace trim around each of the boxes, layered with an aubergine velvet for added texture...

to see the full spread and what the other designers came up with, check out the latest issue of bride and bloom, on newstands now! thanks so much to carol poon and leila khalil for involving me! and to lauren hillary for her awesome images!