Saturday, February 21, 2009

Belle of the Ball Bridal Bouquets


We made a couple of bouquets for the Saturday trunk show at Belle of the Ball Bridal. The owners thought the brides trying on gowns might like to hold flowers. We thought it would be a great opportunity to try out some new ideas.

Our first bouquet contained golden yellow roses and hypericum berries surrounded by coordinating alstromeria. Yellow crystals and golden yellow pins were added to the flowers. We finished off the bouquet with a matching plaid ribbon wrap secured by golden yellow pins. .





For the second bouquet, we gathered three shades of orange Asian lilies together and sat them on a beaded, aluminum copper wire collar. We wrapped the stems in a gauzy copper ribbon. secured it with a line of orange pins, and let the ribbon streamers remain loose.

Sunday, February 15, 2009

From the Heart on Valentine's Day



Most of you know that the Montgomery County SPCA and the Food Pantry in Schwenksville are charities dear to our hearts. But during Valentine's Day, the patients of Parkhouse, formerly known as Montgomery County Geriatric Center, become our focus. During the year, we collect various containers and then fill them with flowers for Valentine's Day. We want the people who live at this center to know that they are remembered at times other than Christmas. This year we were fortunate to obtain a lot of lace trimmed acrylic hearts that our flower supplier no longer wanted. We added foam, greens, Baby's breath, roses, and a little pink heart and voila - we ended up with a van load of Valentine flower arrrangements that we hope brought pleasure to those that live at this center. Should you or an organization that you belong to, wish to donate your time or gifts for any occasion to Parkhouse, please contact Laura McAlevy, Director of Volunteers, at 610-792-2235. Thank you.

Sunday, February 8, 2009

Emily & John - Perfect Plumage for a 1920's style wedding.


The cold weather we were experiencing broke on Saturday so that the sun could smile upon Emily and John's wedding. It was a lovely day at Montrose Mansion in Villanova. Emily's colors of regal red and passionate purple transformed this site into a festive setting for a fabulous party - just what Emily wanted. We placed wonderful family pictures, tons of red and white candles, and lots of fun flower creations throughout the rooms creating a warm and loving atmosphere. Emily's beautiful teardrop bouquet was a "nod" to her 1920's wedding theme. I'm really anxious to see professional pictures of this wedding. I'm sure that Emily was a breathtaking bride. She even looked adorable in her veil and "sweats" when I dropped off her bouquet!




Flower girl wands.


My flash was just not working right so I can't show you just how bright the variety of arrangments we placed around the mansion were. We used feathers and beads and bubbles, everywhere. A large tropical flower arrangement graced the serving table in the Cuban room.










A vibrant mix of red and purple flowers in a silver trumpet vase sat on the placecard table. A smaller version sat on the baby grand in the livingroom.



Purple gathering vases were wrapped in red boas and contained a mix of purple and whtie flowers. Red gatherong vases were wrapped in purple boas and contained a mix of red and white flowers. Tall vases, pictured at the beginning of this entry, contained floating and standing dendrobium orchids. Red and purple ostrich plumes sprayed from the top along with gorgeous standard white calla lilies wrapped in textured gold wire. The newly re-done ballroom looked outstanding - just waiting for happy guests to arrive and get this party started!

Monday, February 2, 2009

Valentine's Day Flowers



Valentine's Day is coming up soon and the sale of flowers will skyrocket, in spite of the economy. Who wouldn't love getting a bouquet of gorgeous flowers as a gift? Flowers speak of romance and love. But if you're considering a wedding the week of - or even the week after - Valentine's Day, be prepared to pay a lot more for some flowers. The cost of most red, white, and pink flowers will increase. Pink or white roses will be 2 - 2.5 times the cost. And red roses will cost at least 3 times the normal price. Why? Supply and demand. Did you know that peonies are less expensive in December than they are in June - when so many brides want to use them? Growers pass on these increases to their customers (wholesalers and retailers) who pass the increases on to you. Red roses are in such high demand for Valentine's Day that many growers wipe out their supply, making it difficult for many florists to obtain perfect red roses for weeks afterwards. If a Valentine's week wedding is a must, working with colors other than red, white, or pink and eliminating the use of roses will help you to better contain your costs.