The Flower Blog

Nature's Wedding Colors

As I was driving to the flower shop today, I noticed a gorgeous sunrise on the horizon. It’s not often in the hustle and bustle of life that we get to enjoy one of life’s simplest joys: nature. I observed the natural hues of oranges, reds, yellows and even plum colors as they faded into the early morning blue sky dotted with puffy white clouds.

As I contemplated the beautiful palate of colors before me, I thought about how often people “force” color combinations together to make a statement or appease all parties in the decision making process. For example, my favorite color is purple and my husband’s favorite color is orange. When planning our wedding, we each wanted to incorporate our personalities into the color theme (without looking like a stereotypical Halloween party!). Taking color combination cues from nature helped us to develop a color scheme that suited both of our tastes. My husband and I chose a more plum shade of purple with accents of peach, sage and cream, which reminded us of a sunset fading over a grove of trees. With only slight alteration to our personal favorites, we chose colors that blended together nicely by envisioning an element of nature.

What other color combinations can “Mother” nature bring us? Imagine ocean waves breaking on a sandy beach (tan, pale blue, white). Or what about the Grand Canyon, showcasing its natural hues of reds, rusts, tans and browns? Don’t forget the night sky, with the moon and stars (cream, charcoal, grey). When developing color schemes for the special events in your life, consider letting nature, with all its wisdom, guide you.

 

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Cascade Comeback!

I have met with five different brides in the last three days and just finished writing up
estimates for each of them today. I noticed an interesting trend that I have not seen in
quite a while. Three of the five brides have asked for a cascade style design instead of the very popular hand-tied, clutch style design. I’ve got to say, as someone who has carried a cascade bouquet at her own wedding, I am thrilled to see the cascade style making a comeback!

What is a Cascade?

What is the difference between the cascade and hand-tied clutch styles? Well, many differences, actually! From a design standpoint, the cascade style bouquets require more skill and time to put together. The designer will use more supplies and generally design in a holder for better shape and flower placement. Hand-tied bouquets are made just like they sound… hand-tied! Not to say that this is an easy task, by any means! The flowers are gathered and placed carefully in a bundle to balance color and variety (care must be taken not to shatter the flowers against each other). Once the desired shape and color balance is achieved, the bouquet is bound with floral tape. The floral tape is topped off with an attractive ribbon to cover the mechanics of the binding.

Another difference between cascade and hand-tied styles are the basic shape of the bouquet. Cascade style bouquets tend to be “teardrop” shaped (round and full at the top, then tapering down towards the floor). The bride holds the bouquet handle on the holder that the designer uses to build the arrangement. Hand-tied style bouquets are generally round and full, with the natural stems of the flowers left long where the bride places her hands to carry the bouquet.

Another difference can be price, depending on your flower choices of course! Cascade style bouquets take more time to design, thus increasing the labor cost. Often, more stems and blooms of flowers are used in the design of a cascade bouquet, especially if cascading greenery AND flowers are used.

The bottom line is personal preference. I chose a traditional cascade for my traditional wedding. Your wedding should reflect your personal style and taste too!

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  This video shows our flowers enhancing a beautiful outdoor wedding ceremony, outdoor cocktail area and indoor reception area. The bride and groom decorated in the colors sunshine yellow and creamy white with tiffany blue accents.

The bridal features a braided wrap treatment that has become quite popular with our brides. The two textures of ribbon create an elegant look, trimmed with pearls along the wrap at the cross segments of ribbon.

The toss bouquet features long streaming ribbons to create a memorable photograph while sailing through the air to eagerly waiting single female guests!

The cake features simple daisy bloom accents and greenery. Amazing how such small groupings of floral accents make such a big impact visually!

Centerpieces grace the indoor and outdoor tables for guests to enjoy during the reception festivities. Notice the variance of height, style and color designed to make the room unified, yet unique.

The aisle bouquets feature white dendrobium orchids tied into the chair sashes- the
perfect tribute to the lovely bride as she glides down the aisle to meet her groom.

Let us decorate your venue! Call our contact our wedding specialist today!

 

 

Did you know?

Did you know people use our design tables and cooler? This is a world of DIY and we love to help! Our customers can save anywhere from 20 – 50% off the designed price on flowers when they buy them “Take Out”.

 

What is Take-Out?

Take out flowers are flowers customers pick out of our current stock from our 500 sq ft cooler. We wrap the flowers in cellophane and the customer takes the flowers home to vase.  But sometimes our customers are on their way to the hospital, special occasion or event and want to have the flowers vased before they get to their destination. They will bring their own vase and use one of our design tables to create their bouquet.

*Our designers are happy to give tips and tricks for your first DIY; however they cannot design the bouquet for you!*

 

I’m in Over My Head!

Sometimes we can have great ideas and want to "DIY" but things just aren't turning out the way we want them too. Don't worry; if your masterpiece is looking more like a master mess then you can still pay to have one of our designers to make something beautiful!  

 

DIY Weddings

Brides need to stretch their dollar a lot further these days and a great way to do that is to buy “Take Out” flowers and use our design space to create the wedding flowers. Usually because the bride is very busy the day of the wedding, she will come in with her bridesmaids and create her wedding flowers the day before the wedding and then store her flowers overnight in our cooler and send someone to pick them up. 

Some brides pay a small fee to have a designer spend a dedicated hour with them to teach them how to create her bridal bouquet, corsages and boutonnières!  Read more about our DIY Wedding flowers here!

Want to book your DIY Wedding flowers? Click below to contact our Wedding Specialist!

 

Should I use Purple or Lavender? 

Considering lavender or purple as the primary or accent color for your wedding?  This video shows many creative ways to incorporate these colors into flowers for your special day. 

Challenges

One challenge with shades of lavender/purple flowers is that nature doesn't provide us with the variety of choices as other colors.  Another challenge, particularly with lavender, is that there are different shades of lavenders.  A bluish shade of lavender will clash with a pinkish shade, so it is important to stay within the same color family when selecting the flower varieties for your wedding.  It is important to define the shade(s) of purple you are using throughout the wedding for the same reason.  Plum, Eggplant, Royal Purple, even fuschia are in the purple spectrum but could clash if care isn't taken to keep the color families separated. 

Lavenders & Purples are Beautiful

Often, lavender and purple shades are used together as the primary and accent color for weddings.  This creates a beautiful contrast throughout the wedding in the floral arrangements and other decor as well!

Let us be a part of your special day! Schedule an appointment to see our Wedding Specialist! Click Below!

Summer weddings often take place in non-traditional venues such as parks, patios, gardens, lakes or even a backyard! With the popularity of outdoor venues on the rise, in the floral industry we are seeing a trend towards more natural décor for these outdoor weddings.

Many couples choose to say their vows under an arbor or arch, which can be decorated with flowers, greenery, ribbons and more.

Brides are carrying more casual and non-traditional bouquets to fit with the outdoor theme of their wedding.
The use of Erygium (blue thistle), kale, hypericum berries and queen anne’s lace is more widely accepted than ever before. The addition of feathers,wheat, cattails and leaves into arrangements connects nature and texture throughout the
wedding décor.


Let’s not forget the groom- this summer, he’s wearing a blend of the bride’s bouquet on his lapel. The natural trim gives a sense of masculinity to the boutonniere that appeals to many of our grooms.



What about the reception? Is it possible to carry the casual yet elegant theme through the entire event?

Absolutely! This stunning set-up in a large tent carried the floral theme
from the ceremony to the reception seamlessly.


Even the head table was garnished end to end with garland and flowers!

Contact our Wedding Specialist for a Consultation or for more information!

Give it a Toss!

During my tenure at Gillespie Florists, I have worked with wedding themes that are
trendy or traditional, simple or grandeur, classic or unique. One topic of discussion during the planning stages of all the weddings that I am involved in is “Are you going to have a bouquet toss (ceremony)?”

Traditionally, the bride will “toss” her bouquet during the reception toward bridesmaids and other unmarried ladies. The person that catches the bouquet will customarily be the next to marry.

The brides of today are split on this tradition; some have opted for more contemporary versions of this idea, still others hold fast to the traditions set forth by their mothers and grandmothers.

For me, it’s a simple decision. A lovely bouquet of fragrant flowers with long, streaming ribbons, floating through the air above the joyous faces smiling below, is an image that will be treasured forever. 

Click below to ask our bridal consultant a question or schedule an appointment!

We’re halfway through 2011 and at Gillespie Florists; we know that brides each have their own very distinct style. However, there are a few color trends that are new to the 2011 wedding season.

Our Top 5!

 

#5 Spice  

Perhaps replacing classic red, this terra cotta colored spice version is gaining popularity for use year round, where prior to 2011, spice was nearly exclusive to fall weddings.

 

#4 Bright Yellow and Cream

Pale shades of yellow (often paired with tiffany blue) have been a staple for brides over the last couple of years, but this year the brighter yellows are blossoming.

 

 

#3 Peaches and Creams

Hinting at our number one color combination, this brighter version landed in the number 3 spot.

 

#2 Blue and White 

 

“Something borrowed, something blue” might be the mantra for brides choosing to accent their wedding décor with shades of blue (often paired with purple and/or green).

 

#1 Champagne, Ivory and Pink

Our number one color combination is trimmed with berries, beads and even wire accents; this bouquet is anything but bland!

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Blue wedding flowers are a popular choice for brides. Bring the Something Blue into your wedding with flowers! There are lots of great choices!  We’ve done several weddings featuring combinations of blue and shades of white. 

Click the video below to see photos of some of our favorite blue weddings from 2010.

Our wedding specialist can help you put together your dream bouquet. 

Click the button below for more information on blue flowers and a complimentary consultation.