BLUSH

Add caption

Adam and Jenni

A beautiful summer day, a happy couple and the Iowa State Fair Grounds.  All the ingredients for some wonderful pictures and great memories. Adam and Jenni are big fans of the Iowa State Fair so what better place to take their wedding pictures.  

Jenni wanted an all white bouquet.  When we met she had shared with me her two favorite flowers were Peonies and Tulips.  Jenni grew up in Pella, IA and so her love of tulips was a natural.  Jenni's wedding was in June and for Iowa that is a little late for Peonies.  I had a few white Peonies growing in my garden.  I had heard of a trick that you could do to slow the process down for the peonies so I decided to try it to see if I could get Jenni just a few Peonies for her bouquet.  And it worked.  So when I delivered Jenni's bouquet to her I was able to surprise her with both of her favorite flowers.  

Jenni's dress. So light and soft. Perfect for a summer day.

Sweet Couple

Jenni and her bridesmaids. 

Yellow Spray Roses, White Tulips, White Stock, Yellow Zemblas 

Boutonnieres 

Corsages

Going Nude...?

Yes, Nude.  Not nude like no clothing nude but the color nude for your wedding flowers.  This year I have seen gorgeous blues, grey, pewter and soft to barely there pinks like ballet and petal all blended with nude tones in flowers.  

You might think that nude or beige is not easy to come by in the flower world. 

Let's look at a few flowers that I love to use in that color palette. 

This is a bouquet from one of our June weddings.  All cream and nude except for the touch of blue added with the blue delphinium.  The cream and nude colors were carried out with the Cream Majolica spray rose, Sahara Roses and Patience Garden Roses.  A touch of bling  was added in the bouquet and on the bouquet handle.  

Quicksand or Sahara Roses are the perfect complimentary flower for this color pallete. 

Cafe Au Lait Dahlias (Swoon, they are amazing)

Hellebore are only available in the winter and early spring but for the bride that is getting married in that season they are perfect.

So there you have some of my favorite flowers for that nude color palette so if you are going to go nude...or rather have a nude to blush color palette these are some great options for you.  

Ashly and Josh Part 2

This is part two of Josh and Ashly's  amazing and wonderful wedding at The Kathedral in Des Moines. If you missed part 1 then click on previous post and see what you missed.  

So many beautiful details and 

In the bridal party the brides maids wore sweet black dresses.  Ashly bought all of the girls black cardigans since it was November and could be a little chilly.  And who needs a reason to buy a cute black cardigan any way. 

Ashly going down the stairs to the main level getting ready to meet her groom.  I love this picture of Ashly's bouquet.
Again in case you missed the first post Ashly carried a bouquet with Patience Garden Roses, Stephanotis, Cream Majolica Roses, Star of Bethlehem, Freesia, Babies Breath and Seeded Eucalyptus.

The Kathedral is in the process of being restored.  It is open and is holding services in the building.  This picture gives you an idea of what the inside of where they are at in the restoration process.  In this picture you can see where a part of the ceiling has been removed.  When the church was built in this spot was a stained glass dome.  There was a fire and that dome was removed.  The Kathedral will be putting the stained glass dome back.  It will be beautiful. 

Lining The Sides Of Your Aisle With Rose Petals

Rose petals lining the sides of your wedding aisle is a beautiful look.  Very romantic.  It is lovely for any wedding, inside or out.  

You have seen it on blogs, in magazines and on pinterest and you want that same look for your wedding.  Now the big question.  How many roses do I need to line the sides of my aisle?  Answering that is tricky.  Through the process of asking questions and using words like slight coverage, thin layer, medium coverage, thick, dense etc.  to get an idea of how the bride wants it to look

I have been asked that question and I have to admit that I always felt like I was taking a stab in the dark when I answered.  Not being certain of the formula to use to figure that out.  And most people are visual.  It is hard to imaging how something is going to look.                

 So I order the flowers, they arrive and the day of the wedding comes.  What if I really don't have enough to accomplish the look that I am going for.  

Well I have found a great visual for brides and I to look at together that will help us to answer that question. 

Alicia at Flirty Fluers has a wonderful blog that I look at and have used many times for reference on specific things and for a great floral pic me up.  She has put together a visual by simulating an the side of an aisle that she has made in sections that are 10x12 and showed us what 1 rose per foot looks like and then goes on by adding another rose and another rose until you can see what 8 roses per foot looks like.  

I found this to be so helpful and a great tool to use when working with brides that like this look.  Right away we have an idea of the look and the cost that will go into having this at her wedding.  

If this is a look you want go to Flirty Fleurs site to see which of the looks you like best and see approximately how many roses you will need for your wedding aisle.    

Flirty Fleurs: http://flirtyfleurs.com/measuring-aisle-petals/

Jason and Meghan

Peacock feathers and colors of turquoise, green and blue were a big hit last summer and seem to still be hanging in there for 2014.   Green is a wonderful color option for the colors of these dresses and bring out the shimmer of green in the peacock feathers.  Some flowers that come in this lime green tone are roses, kermit mums, green spider mums, alstromeria lilies, cymbidium orchids, dendrobium orchids, hypericum berries and gladiola blooms.  Gladiola blooms are a great way to get a full flower and not add a huge amount to your budget.
   

 

Brandon and Kayla

When two people are one in their inner most hearts, they shatter even the strength of iron or of bronze,

And when two people understant each other in their inner most hearts, their words are sweet and strong like an orchid.

Kayla was a beautiful bride with a heart warming smile.

Checking out how the bouquet blended with the shoes. Shoes are never far from a girls heart, even on her wedding day.

                                 All photos are by Jusing Salem Meyer Photography

White Speaks of Fresh Beginings





 I enjoyed meeting Yvonne and talking to her about her wedding.  Classic and vintage all wrapped up in one beautiful package describe Yvonne and her style.  We used some classic and full bloosomy blooms to bring those words to life and the combination was a success.  

Yvonne wanted white and cream flowers so we used Cremones, Majolica spray roses Lisianthus and white glad blooms. We added some grey and silver vintage jewlery to finish off the delicate white blooms.  

Congratulations on new and fresh beginings De'Angelo and Yyvonne

Photography by Justin Salem Meyer

The Classy Calla Lilly

Amazing, classy, cool, clean, elegant, versatile are all words that you could use to describe the calla lilly. For all of you planning an elegant and classy wedding perhaps these photos will be a source of inspiration. Calla lilies are a chic, dependable, attractive flower. You can easily use them in your bouquets and also your tall reception centerpieces.

You just have to choose one that will match the wedding that your planning. Calla lilies can be found in any season and usually at affordable prices depending on the type you are choosing.

Calla lilies are stunning alone or mixed with other flower types. Calla lilies come in an assortment of colors including mango, eggplant, yellow, lavender and the classic white.

Calla lilies are the perfect flower for both a classic and a modern wedding. From a traditional church wedding to a rustic outdoor ceremony you can see calla lilies are a very diverse flower.