Chelsea and Jason? Hot pink and Leopard

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.  

Jon and Agatha

Jon and Agatha are one of those couples that leaves a mark or a great impression on you when you meet them.  They are definatly in love with each other but their focus more on others than themselves.  Amazing to see in action as they shared their hope for the day that others would see Christ reflected in them and be drawn to that. Classic  pink rose bouquets were carried by Agatha and her bridesmaids

                   Agatha was a beautiful bride full of grace and kindness on her                                                       wedding day.  

Simple and elegant pink rose bouquet

Pink Roses, Dusty Miller, and Grey Brunia

Love these open back dresses.  Pretty coming in an pretty leaving. 

Unique Sola Wood Flower Bouquet

The day of Emily's wedding it had been raining at times seriously down pouring.  But one smile from Emily is all it took to drive that rain out just in time for her wedding. Seriously such a beautiful girl. Emily choose the very unique Sola Wood Flower bouquet to carry on her wedding day.  Her bridesmaids carried babies breath bouquets. The Sola Wood flowers perfectly complimented her dress. Textural and yet the colors were soft and romantic.  And the babies breath bouquets echoed that same feeling.  

I loved how Emily wanted that rustic look for her wedding but a little bling and pearls added to her bouquet which was carried through out her wedding in decor and jewelry. 

Babies Breath was used for the boutonnieres as well.

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. 

Ashely and Josh Pt. 1

Here are just a few of the amazing details from Josh and Ashly's November 2013 wedding.  Josh and Ashly were married at the historic Kathedral Church in Des Moines, IA.

The Kathedral is currently under renovation and Josh and Ashly felt that it was the perfect setting for their wedding and the start of their new life together. The church had stood the test of time and the currents of change and was still standing strong.  A reflection of Josh and Ashly's desire for their marriage. 

I will be doing another post with more pictures from Josh and Ashly's wedding but for now enjoy these wonderful pictures from Aly Carrol Photography.  

Ashly's beautiful wedding dress.  Cathedral length train and veil.  You will see more of  that in pictures that are coming up.

The historic Kathedral Church in Des Moines, IA
The church is still in the process of restoration.  This is one of the staircases in the church building

The west foyer in The Kathedral.  

Ashly's bouquet made with Juliet Garden Roses, Stephanotis, Cream Majolica Roses, Star of Bethlehem and Seeded Eucalyptus.
30 some years ago Ashly's mother and father were married and I did the flowers for their wedding.  When you are able to be a part of family history like this is is an honor.  Ashly's  mother carried a round bouquet that was made of Babies Breath, White Sweetheart Roses and Stephanotis so we took those flowers that her mom carried and added a few to update the look of the bouquet.  Ashly loved her flowers and her bouquet was probably one of my favorites from last year. 

Boutonniere's for the groomsman.  Textural with the Grey Brunia and greens.

The Grooms Boutonniere.  Rustic and textural with the Grey Brunia, Star of Bethlehem and the wonder fern curl fronds. 

Bridesmaids bouquets were round hand tied bouquets with Cream Majolica Spray Roses, and various textural elements. 

                                           All photos courtesy of Aly Carrol Photography

Everyone is Irish on St. Patrick's Day

Is green playing a part in your wedding colors?  Lucky(get it ) for you green is a great choice to use in your flowers.  Either as the main color or as an accent.  There are so many flowers that come in green.  I have listed several that are readily available for you to use and of course some pictures of some green weddings I have done.  

                                            Happy St. Patrick's Day Everyone.  

Pomander Ball for the Flower Girl with Green Poms and Pearls in the centers
Photo by Katie McDonald

Green Hydrangea, Green Roses, Green Hypericum Berries and Green Poms
Photo by Katie McDonald

Vendella Roses with Green Fuji's, Green Poms and
Hypericum Berries

Green Fuji, Green Poms, Green Alstromeria
and green Gladiola blooms

There are many, many flowers available in green.  Here is a short list of green flowers available for your wedding. 

I couldn't leave out this photo.  One of my favorite models

Amaranthus                             Green Roses
Anthurium                                Helleboros
Bells of Ireland                         Hydrangea
Berzellia                                   Hypericum Berries
Brunia                                      Kale
Bupleurum                               Leucadendrons    
Calla Lilly                                Lotus Pods
Carnations                               Parrot Tulips
Cymbidiums                            Vibunum
 Poms
Dendrobiums                        
 Ranunculus
Green Fuji                          
Gladiola
Green Ball Dianthus