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While roses are the most popular wedding flower, peonies are not that far behind! Peonies are symbolic of love, honor, happiness wealth, romance, and beauty so it is no wonder so many couples want to include them on their wedding day. So let's deep drive! What is a peony, when do peonies bloom, are peonies expensive, and what other flowers could you use instead of a peony? What is a peony? Well according to Longfield Gardens, “Peonies are perennial garden classics, loved throughout the world for their extravagant, early summer blossoms. They are dependable, incredibly long-lived plants and will bloom for a generation or more with little or no attention.” When thinking of wedding flowers specifically, peonies are almost always the main focal flower of a bouquet or arrangement. They are the flower that a lot of couples have emotional ties to or think of when thinking of sweet childhood memories. Photo by Ellen Sargent Photography  When do peonies bloom? This of course depends on where in the world you are located but here in New England peonies bloom in the late spring to early summer. The first blooms in our garden typically arrive around late May and finish in late June. It is a fairly short season for local peonies but the good news is there are some other wonderful places to get peonies when they are not blooming in New England. From July - to mid-August our peonies come from Alaska! Alaska, believe it or not, has some of the most beautiful and large-headed peonies in the states. From late August to mid-October peonies are off crop pretty much everywhere in the world. However, from late October to springtime before peonies come pack on crop here in New England, we import peonies from places like Chile, Holland, and other countries. Are peonies expensive? She long and short of it is yes and no. Fresh local in-season peonies can range anywhere from $12-$18 a stem whereas out-of-season peonies that have to be shipped into us can range anywhere from $20-$24 a stem or more depending on size and variety. Fresh in-season local peonies typically have larger heads which gives you more surface area to work with and essentially more bang for your buck. Out-of-season peonies while still are larger blooming flowers compared to flowers like a ranunculus or rose can have smaller than average heads and also require more babysitting to ensure they open at just the right time for your event. Photography by Jenna Brisson Photography  What can you use if peonies are out of season? Some of our favorite flowers to use in place of peonies are garden roses. They offer the same ruffly texture and their bloom size can be fairly close. Below is a pink garden rose called Yves’ Piaget that is a wonderful substitute for a pink peony. Other than garden roses, we also love to use ranunculus, carnations, dahlias, and double tulips.
Are you planning to use peonies in your wedding flowers? Were you surprised to learn that peonies aren’t always available despite the idea that in today’s day and age you can get anything at any time?
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One of our 2022 New Year’s resolutions was to make sure we blog more this year. As you can tell we aren’t off the fastest start. (Insert facepalm emoji here!) Well, needless to say, here we are giving it a go one more time! With 2022 and 2023 bookings at an all-time high right now we thought we should cover our ten favorite bridal bouquets and why we loved them so much! We hope our 2022 and 2023 couples find this helpful and maybe even take some inspiration from these bouquets. Though these bouquets are not in any specific order, they each hold a special place in our heart for different reasons. Emily - The Barn at Smugglers’ Notch - Jenna Brisson Photography Emily’s bouquet is fairly self-explanatory why it’s here. It’s big, it’s bold, and yet still soft and romantic. TBH this bouquet also won us the 2021 Best of Flowers award from Vermont Weddings. This bouquet is filled with local goodies like cafe au lait dahlias, garden roses, lisianthus, panicle hydrangea, gomphrena, and bunny tail grass. Along with those local blooms, this bouquet also features some other blooms we sourced from our local wholesaler. Those blooms include thistle, ranunculus, astilbe, pampas grass, bleached ruscus, and a variety of eucalyptus.  Jess - Private Home in Lowell, VT - Margaret Michael Photography Jess’s bouquet made the list not only for that dramatic cascade but also because it had a lot of meaning to us. This was one of the bouquets from one of the elopement packages we gifted to a deserving couple in our community. (Check out more about our elopement package giveaways here!) Jess and Jake planned their wedding in a few short weeks and were able to pull off one of the most beautiful intimate weddings we have seen. Jess said she dreamed of a fall-toned bouquet that had a dramatic cascade. Jess’s bouquet was filled with peony tulips, scabiosa, ranunculus, butterfly ranunculus, thistle, stock, waxflower, mums, toffee roses, spray roses, italian ruscus, and a variety of eucalyptus.  Erin - Top Notch Resort - Henry Cotton Photography Erin’s bouquet was an all-round favorite from everyone. It is a classic garden-style bouquet with all white flowers and a mix of greenery. All white flowers with mixed greenery is one of the most requested palettes we get. While some may think it’s boring or plain we LOVE it. We find it to be timeless, elegant, and fit any theme or style you have for your wedding. Erin’s bouquet featured peonies, ranunculus, dahlias, stock, garden roses, lisianthus, veronica, hypericum berries, italian ruscus, and of course a variety of mixed eucalyptus.  Abby - Lilac Inn - Colette Kulig Photography Abby’s bouquet was another classic favorite of a white and blush palette. Getting married the first week of June, Abby knew for sure she wanted peonies everywhere. When creating Abby’s bouquet we started off the the obvious, peonies. We then added in ranunculus, stock, roses, veronica, lisianthus, hypericum berries, thistle, italian ruscus, olive greenery, and silver dollar eucalyptus. Eucalyptus is technically off-crop in the spring and early summer so locating it can be a little tricky. Luckily we are able to pull from a variety of different vendors to source the eucalyptus.  Carly - The Barn at Smugglers’ Notch - Zack Griswold Photography Carly’s bouquet is twist on the blush and white palette by adding in some punchy pinks. Originally Carly dreamed of coral charm peonies in her bouquet but unfortunately, they were not in season locally or internationally. Peonies are locally available from late May to mid-June. However, from July in to part of August, peony growers in Alaska can ship those beautiful blooms to us. From there the peonies are pretty much impossible to get until late fall early winter in November / December timeframe. However, there are many garden roses that offer the same ruffly petals as a peony. In Carly’s bouquet, we used Yves Piaget Garden Roses in place of the peonies. The rest of Carly’s bouquet was filled with ranunculus, garden roses, spray roses, anemones, and a variety of eucalyptus.  Nichole - Stowe Mountain Resort - Amy Bennett Photography Nichole’s bouquet was a fun punchy fall palette with of shade of burgundy, orange, copper, and white. From the start, Nichole knew she wanted something more bright and vibrant to complement the beautiful foliage Vermont has. The other thing Nichole knew she wanted was dahlias. We were able to source some beautiful local dahlias for her bouquet from a local flower farmer, Bridget’s Bouquets. Nichole’s bouquet also featured cherry brandy roses, snapdragons, ranunculus, pom mums, spray roses, alstroemeria, italian ruscus, and both seeded and silver dollar eucalyptus.  Alexa - Maqaum Barn & Winery - Anne Mientka Photography Alexa’s bouquet is one of our favorites because of the flexibility we had with it. Yes, it is technically a burgundy and blush bouquet. However, we were able to incorporate more of a dusty rose/ mauve tone in place of the traditional light pink blush. In Alexa’s bouquet, we added some unique goodies like astrantia and the mauve lisianthus that gave her bouquet that “wow what is that flower” factor. We were also able to include all of our favorite flowers such as the Hearts Rose, thistle, hypericum berries, anemones, and ranunculus. You know we finished off this bouquet with a variety of eucalyptus and israeli ruscus.  Maddy - White Rainbow Farm - Anne Mientka Photography Maddy bouquet was another bouquet that we had a lot of flexibility with. Her vision was a palette of mostly white and pops of blue. Blue flowers are incredibly rare in nature however we were able to snag some beautiful local light blue delphiniums and blue anemones. We also added in some blue thistle which not only is an incredibly long-lasting blue flower but one that adds some great texture to the bouquet. For the white in her bouquet, we added Tranquility Garden Roses from Grace Farms, veronica, hypericum berries, solomio, poppy pods, sword ferns, italian ruscus, and parvifolia eucalyptus.  Monica - Round Barn Inn - Ellen Sargent Photography Monica’s bouquet was a soft feminine bouquet filled with tons of fluffy petaled goodness. This is the type of bouquet that we love to refer to as classic elegance. The main star of her bouquet was white peonies but they were quickly followed up by romantic antique garden roses, coral ranunculus, watermelon ranunculus, stock, astilbe, anemones, lisianthus, billy balls, italian ruscus, olive greenery, and jasmine vine. Yup, no eucalyptus at all! Truth be told, we kinda liked it and that is just another reason Monica’s bouquet is on our favorite’s list of 2021.  Marianne - The Barn at Smugglers’ Notch - Todd Stoilov / Still & Motion Marianne’s bouquet was a must-add to our list of 2021 favorites because we finally got to incorporate succulents into a bouquet! We added a few larger focal succulents to her bouquet and wired in a few smaller ones to act as fillers as well. This gave Marianne’s bouquet not only a unique color palette but also some great texture. Along with the succulents, we also incorporated roses, stock, anemones, lisianthus, thistle, olive greenery, italian ruscus, and a variety of eucalyptus.  2021 was certainly a year to remember and I hope you all found our favorite 2021 bouquets just as beautiful as we did. We can’t wait to make this a tradition and next year and share our 2022 favorite bouquets. We may or may not already have one on our list.
So why do we LOVEEEEE this bouquet? We love this bouquet because it is filled with tons of lush flowers and eucalyptus. The color palette is something we've never done before but we LOVE it! We think this palette is going to be hot for 2021 and 2022. It is the perfect twist on the Pantone color of the year. So let's break it down! This bouquet is packed with tons of beautiful luxurious flowers. We are so lucky to have scored one of the most highly sought-after roses, the golden mustard rose. We also scored some bleached italian ruscus which is becoming increasingly popular in both boho bouquets and garden-style bouquets. Golden Mustard Rose: The golden mustard rose is considered a highly sought-after garden rose. It has a 75% bloom aperture and boasts some of the most unique color tones. Being that the golden mustard rose is considered a garden rose it also comes with a lovely scent. This golden hue is perfect for any fall or winter wedding. We think Alexandra Farms says it best though: "The pale almond of her outer petals, which may also be faintly edged with pink, blends into deeper tones of dull gold at the heart of this extraordinary rose." We think this rose works best with both garden-style bouquets and boho-style bouquets. This rose is available year-round and we give it a $$$$ out of $$$$$ on the expensive scale. Scabiosa Pods: These fun filler flowers are actually the product of a spent scabiosa flower. They are so unique and the brown color pairs perfectly with the golden mustard roses. These filler flowers can be used from any style starting with rustic and going all the way to boho. Scabiosa Pods are available year-round but we find them to look the best in the summer and the fall. We give scabiosa pods a $$ out of $$$$$ on the expensive scale. Blush Peony: Blush peonies may be the most romantic flower when used in a bridal bouquet. They have such a soft and feminine tone to them. Much like the festiva maxima peonies, they offer a large bloom filled with ruffled petals. Peonies are typically in season from May to June with limited availability through July and August from flower farms in Alaska. We give peonies a $$$ to $$$$ out of $$$$$ on the expensive scale Blush Lisianthus: Lisianthus is available in a huge spectrum of colors. Yes, even find those hard to get mauves, champagnes, and yellowy apricots. Lisianthus kind of remind us of spray roses in the way the fresh-cut blooms look. Lisianthus are available year-round and we give them a $$$ out of $$$$$ on the expensive scale. White Lisianthus: Lisianthus, we love it so much we used it twice! The tiny rosettes in the middle have the same shape as spray roses and open up to reveal a gorgeous center with tiny little stamens. Lisianthus is available year-round and we give them a $$$ out of $$$$$ on the expensive scale. White Stock: Stock is such a beautiful timeless flower. It has an incredible scent that is reminiscent of cloves. Stock is said to mean a happy life when added to a bouquet. Stock comes in a large variety of colors from white, blush, salmon, lavender, fuchsia, dark purple, and more. It is available year-round and we give stock a $$ out of $$$$$ on the expensive scale. White Hypericum Berries: These little berries are so versatile and we love sneaking them in everywhere. Did ya notice they were in our last bouquet breakdown as well? While no, they are not edible but they can certainly look it sometimes. Hypericum berries come in every shade of green, red, pink, white, peach, and cream. Hypericum berries are available year-round and we give them $$ out of $$$$$ on the expensive scale. Akito Rose: A new white rose to our bouquet breakdown. We actually wound up using this rose by pure accident. This bouquet was created for a winter styled shoot and we did not have a lot of time to order our most often used flower varieties. However, what a blessing! We never would have used this rose as we would have just ordered our go-to playa blanca rose. The akito rose, is a beautiful white rose with a smaller head. While some might find this rose not so desirable because of the smaller head, we think it is a plus. It allows the other flowers to ready shine in the bouquet. The akito rose is available year-round and we give it a $$ out of $$$$$ on the expensive scale. Bleached Italian Ruscus: Dried and bleached flowers and greeneries are so popular right now. This bleached ruscus is dried which means it requires no water source. This is wonderful for larger installs and other florals that will be out of water for a while. Since they can be in such high demand they can be a little harder to get a hold of. Bleached Italian ruscus is available year-round but tends to be a little on the pricey side. Because of the extra work going into the processing of this greenery, we give it a $$$$ out of $$$$$ on the expensive scale. Bleached ruckus can be nearly two to three times more costly than its non-bleached self below. Italian Ruscus: This dark green foliage is great for adding height, weight, and even length to a bouquet. The deep green leaves are often a great contrast to the silvery eucalyptus. The way the leaves are positioned on the stems gives this greenery a lighter more airy look. Italian ruscus is available year-round and we give it a $$ out of $$$$$ on the expensive scale. Silver Dollar Eucalyptus: Silver dollar eucalyptus is back in our bouquet breakdowns and we've really missed it. This silvery sage green foliage is super versatile and used in nearly every bouquet we create. It always pairs well with other eucalyptus varieties and contracts dark foliage like ruscus. Silver dollar eucalyptus is available for the most part year-round but does go off crop for a short stint in the spring. We give silver dollar eucalyptus $$$ out of $$$$$ on the expensive scale. Seeded Eucalyptus: The ultimate texture foliage in our book. The tiny seeds pods on the seeded eucalyptus are just so versatile! We love using them in a winter bouquet to offset the softness of the winter greenery like cedar. Seeded eucalyptus does go off crop in the early spring and some parts of the year can have brown cupped seeded instead of the desired green seed pods. We give seeded eucalyptus a $$$ out of $$$$$ rating on our expensive scale. Parvifolia Eucalyptus: This eucalyptus has elliptical-shaped leaves that offer a dainty and feminine touch to the bouquet. Parvifolia Eucalyptus can be found year-round but during certain seasons the tips of the new growth will have a burgundy red tone to them. While it is not as common as the Silver Dollar Eucalyptus it is just as expensive if not more. For that reason, we give it a $$$ out of $$$$$ on the expensive scale. Gunni Eucalyptus: Finally another new eucalyptus! Does it seem like we used every single variety of eucalyptus we could get our hands-on? Well, that's because we did! Gunni Eucalyptus can sometimes be confused for parvifolia eucalyptus due to the smaller elliptical-shaped leaves. However, you can see the gunni has a wider leaf and often a more soft drape and feel. It also has a little bit more of a silver tone to it when compared to the parvifolia. Gunni Eucalyptus is available year-round and we give it a $$$ out of $$$$$ on the expensive scale. Did you have a favorite flower from this bouquet? Maybe a new favorite greenery? Let us know in the comments below if you would rock this bouquet for your own wedding. Photography by Coryn Keifer Photography 
With 2022 wedding couples booking us earlier than normal, we are getting a little sneak peek into what 2022 weddings will look like. While some of them may not surprise you, others just might! Here are some of the trends we are seeing with our 2022 wedding couples and their wedding flowers.
Did any of these trends surprise you? Are there any trends you'll be participating in for your 2022 nuptials? Leave us a comment below of your favorite 2022 wedding flower trend.
The 2021 wedding season will be like no other, to say the least. While 2020 had its fair share of challenges, postponements, and firsts, we are prepared and looking forward to a busy 2021 season. This is something we have been watching and dealing with in real-time and we feel it is something that is important to share with everyone. Back in March of 2020 when the world shut down, the fresh-cut floral industry struggled. You may have seen the photos or news stories of fields of cut flowers being destroyed or seen the Dutch auction come to a halt. There is an image of flowers from the Aalsmeer flower auction that will forever be etched into our memory. With over 200,000 large blooms the message was clear, #LetHopeBloom.  I know a few of you may be thinking well, that not in America. Which, for some part, is the truth. However, American florists rely heavily on other countries such as the Netherlands, Columbia, Ecuador, and others to get the volume and special varieties they need for large events like weddings. One of the leading growers of those stunning garden roses, Alexandra Farms, is located in fertile savanna Bogotá, Columbia. We promise this blog isn’t to scare you or upset you. We want to keep all our couples up to date and let them know what steps we are taking to stay ahead of this situation and deal with the upcoming unknowns. We are resilient and resourceful. We will deliver you beautiful wedding flowers for your special day. That is our promise and we intend to keep that promise at all costs. So what steps are we taking to combat the global fresh-cut flower shortage?
We know this is not the news you want to hear but it will get better. We will do everything in our power to get that specific rose variety that you love but please have an open mind. We promise you will LOVE that Combo Rose or Honey Dijon Rose just as much as a those highly prized Toffee Roses. Check out the comparison below! Toffee, Combo and Honey Dijon Roses (in that order).
At Tipsy Tulip Designs, we promise to deliver full, lush, beautiful wedding florals for you on your special day. Flower and greenery substitutions are coming but in the words of Dalia Lama, “Remember that sometimes not getting what you want is a wonderful stroke of luck.” No matter what, your bouquet and your florals will continue to stop guests in their tracks.
Let's talk about the 10 must-have spring wedding flowers for 2021 and 2022 wedding couples. We not only LOVE these flowers but practically use them in every spring wedding. Much like the #bouquetbreakdowns, we will give you the flowers' names, some quick facts, their availability, and their price range on a scale of $ to $$$$$. Plus as a bonus, we will include a photo of each flower for your reference next to its description.
I know what you're thinking, but what about daffodils?! Well, to be honest, daffodils do not play nice with others. When a daffodil is cut the stem secretes a milky substance that can poison other flowers and actually kill them. For that reason we skipped them in our 10 must have spring flowers for your wedding. However, if you are dead set on having them in your bouquet we do have a few work arounds to incorporate them.
Which flower above is your favorite? Are you planning to use any of them in your spring wedding? Let us a comment below! Boutonnières, also know as "buttonholes", are most notably worn by the groom, groomsmen, and male family members of the groom. However, we have been seeing them become more popular for females as well! They should be worn on the left lapel of the man's suit jacket. Boutonnières have a long history. Historians believe that they can possibly be traced all the way back to the Egyptians or the Aztecs. Boutonnières seemed to have gain popularity as a fashion accessory in the 19th century. The choice of a fresh boutonnière was as important as a pair of freshly shined shoes. Moving into the 20th-century and present day, men transitioned the boutonnière into more of an accessory for their wedding day ensemble. Typically the groom's boutonnière matches the bridal bouquet and the groomsmen and fathers/family have similar style boutonnières. Though, we have seen a rise in all matching boutonnières lately. Photography by: Jenna Brisson Photography  Now that we have the history out of the way, let's talk about what they are made of. The short answer, almost anything! Some flowers and greeneries are certainly better suited than others as they hold up better. While you can technically make a boutonnière out of anything, there are some flowers we will refuse to put in them as they don't hold up well enough or for other reasons. The first being hydrangea. Hydrangea, although beautiful and long-lasting in a vase, are not well suited for boutonnières as they wilt so fast out of water. Lilac, similar to hydrangea, do not hold well out of water and will certainly wilt before your photos are done. We also do not love using large head roses but not because they don't hold up, because they are to large and heavy. A large head rose can have a tendency to pull away from the wearer and appear to droop. Anemones, say what? But I have seen these on Pinterest! Yes, you have. You have probably even seen them in our portfolio. That is how we can confidently say no to them. We call them "one-hug-wonders". One hug from grandma and those paper-thin petals will bruise. Ok, so what does go in a boutonnière if I can't have any of those flowers? Some of our favorite flowers to put in boutonnières are lisianthus, spray roses, ranunculus, thistle, billy balls, pom mums, berries, strawflower, any and all eucalyptus, Italian ruscus, as well as any bleached or dried florals. Our go-to boutonnière is a lisianthus bloom or a ranunculus bloom with thistle, bits of eucalyptus, and ruscus. Photography by: Anne Mientka Photography  So how much do boutonnières typically cost? This of course varies on many factors such as the focal flower and other flowers being used, the attachment style (i.e. pin on, magnetic or other), and the finished wrap style. Traditionally florists used to just wrap the boutonnière stems in plain green tape. We think that is a little outdated and more prom than wedding though. Some of the most common stem wraps we do include twine, satin ribbon, and silk. A standard boutonnière will usually cost between $19-$22. Photography by: Shem Roose Photography  It's the wedding day, and you're ready to pin that boutonnière on but you are not sure how. Depending on the man's attire, you will have to choose the correct method for the application. For grooms who are wearing a traditional suit, the boutonnière will be placed on the left lapel. Place your thumb on the underside of the lapel and firmly grasp the front of the boutonnière with your index finger. Once the boutonnière is in the correct place gently fold back the lapel to expose the underside. Gently push the pin into the fabric starting from the outer edge of the lapel. Continue to push the pin through the stems and back into the underside of the lapel. Think of a sewing stitch! If you have a heavier boutonnière you can place another pin in about a 1/2" below the first one. Remember you should be pinning through the top of the stem where it is the thickest. Photography by: Coryn Kiefer Photography  Have any other questions regarding boutonnières? Drop them in the comments below and we will be happy to answer them!
Please note this post may not be up to date pricing as the 2022 and 2023 wedding season flower shortages have effected the pricing from both local farms and large wholesalers. We have seen anywhere from a 10-15% increase on the cost of wholesale flowers and greeneries. This is often a question a lot of couples come to us with, “How much do wedding flowers really cost?” or “How much should I spend on my wedding flowers?” The answer to this question is completely personal and something individual to each couple. There are a ton of different wedding blogs and websites out there saying you should spend only 8-10% percent of your total budget on flowers. While that % could be totally accurate for you and for individual situation, we find that couples we work with tend to spend a little more, somewhere in the 12-15% even up to 18%-20% range. So let’s break it down! What does a $1,500, $3,500, $5,000 and $10,000+ budget look like. Please remember these examples are based on an in season wedding in New England with roughly 4-6 attendants on each side and roughly 100-125 guests. This of course does not include tax, delivery or any breakdown fees. $1,500 Budget Most Common Flowers and Greenery Used: hydrangeas, sunflowers, alstroemeria, tulips, stock, gerbera daisies, mums, standard roses, carnations, leather leaf fern, lemon leaf, isreali ruscus Bridal Bouquet: $215-$235 Bridesmaid Bouquet: $105-$125 Boutonniere: $18-$19 Centerpiece: $40-$50 Couples who have around a $1500 budget usually pick up their flowers or have them delivered to their venue. (We do not offer setup weddings or full service weddings under $3500.) This means we create all the bouquets, boutonnieres, centerpieces and other flowers for you and deliver them to you ready to use. This is a great option for couples who are on a budget or are looking for an affordable, easy and convenient flower experience for their wedding. Typically couples who opt for this are not very picky about flower choice. They typically have a color palette and style but aren’t set on having a lush peony bouquet. Photography by: Great Impression Portrait Studio
$3,500 Budget Most Common Flowers and Greenery Used: peonies, ranunculus, astilbe, anemone, delux roses, garden roses, lisianthus, dahlias, eucalyptus, huck, olive, italian ruscus Bridal Bouquet: $275-$295 Bridesmaid Bouquet: $145-$165 Boutonniere: $20-$21 Wrist Corsage: $45-$55 Centerpiece: $125-$150 Arbor: $325-$475 Couples who spend around $3500 usually have a simple setup wedding. This means all the bouquets, boutonnieres and other wearable flowers are delivered to site ready to be used. The other items such as the arbors or more elaborate centerpieces are assembled on site the morning of the wedding. Typically these are centerpieces that involve loose greenery runners and small amount of other florals in the form of bud vases or blooms tucked into the greenery. The arbor is typically a medium to large sized top corner arrangement with a mix of flowers and greenery. Photography By: Darling Photography
 $5,000 Budget Most Common Flowers and Greenery Used: peonies, ranunculus, astilbe, anemone, standard roses, garden roses, lisianthus, dahlias, eucalyptus, huck, olive, italian ruscus. (Typically the same flowers as above) Bridal Bouquet: $275-$295 Bridesmaid Bouquet: $145-$165 Boutonniere: $20-$21 Wrist Corsage: $45-$55 Centerpiece: $195-$245 Small Arrangements: $75-$95 Arbor: $625-$825 Greenery Chandelier: $245-$265 You’ll notice the cost of the bouquets and other personal flowers stayed the same. We find couples who have roughly a $5,000 budget opt for more lush centerpieces and arbors. If their venue allows they will include a greenery chandelier or two. Some couples also opt to add in smaller arrangements throughout the venue in places like the bar, dessert table, bathrooms and welcome signs. These weddings are typically done as simple setups or full service weddings. Simple setups just like the one above do not require us to come back for a strike. However, if a couple opts for items such as a greenery chandelier or other install, we consider those full service. A small strike fee would be added to the bottom of your estimate to cover our time and travel back to the venue after your event to clean up and breakdown these items. Photography by: Ellen Sargent Photography
 $10,000+ Budget Most Common Flowers and Greenery Used: lily of the valley, orchids, gardenias, king proteas, xerographica(large air plants), blooms from the category above that may be out of season, eucalyptus, huck, olive, italian ruscus Bridal Bouquet: $365+ Bridesmaid Bouquet: $195+ Boutonniere: $25+ Wrist Corsage: $70+ Centerpiece: $285+ Other Floral Details: $950+ Arbor: $1250+ Aisle Flowers: $450+ Floral Chandelier: $5250+ Large Floral Install: $1,500+ Couples who have a larger floral budget like this, are almost always booked as a full service wedding and are booked for a weekend instead of a single day. We call them “Exclusive Weddings”. This means you are our sole focus for the week! We do not book any other weddings the week of your wedding so that we can focus solely on you and your special day. With a budget like this we are able to create some stunning flower walls, flower entrances to a tent or grand staircase designs dripping in greens and flowers. Couples also opt for larger arbor installs with flowers and greenery typically wrapping around the entire arbor or most of it anyways. They also usually have lavish aisle flowers and elevated centerpieces or lush garlands. While this may not be the majority of our couples, they are sure to stand out. Photography by: Coryn Kiefer Photography
 Still not sure where you fall on the budget spectrum? That is totally fine! We’d love to setup a complimentary consultation to help you set a budget and create some gorgeous wedding florals.
Schedule your complimentary consultation below. In this guide we will cover our top 5 favorite venues, why we love them and why you will fall in love with them too! We will be honest, it was so hard to pick out our top 5 favorite venues. However, these are all places we have worked at and could totally see ourselves getting married at! Let us know which venues are your favorites or which venue you plan to marry at! The Barn at Smugglers' Notch Some of our favorite weddings from both friends and clients have been at The Barn at Smugglers' Notch. From the white shiplap walls, to the gorgeous chandeliers, there is not a square inch of this barn that has not been thought about. Owners Steve and Jennifer take extreme pride in their venue and it shows! One of our favorite ways to dress up the venue is to add greenery to the chandeliers and staircase. We often find wedding couples opting for greenery garlands to run down the farmhouse tables as centerpieces. Adding the greenery to the chandeliers above helps to bring out the cozy vibe and adds a touch of color. It's a great, fairly affordable option to really dress up the venue and keep your guests talking about your special day. The location of the barn is another thing we feel we should note. It is tucked into the hills of Jeffersonville and offers a stunning mountain backdrop for your ceremony. While the fields around offer beautiful wildflowers in the summer, the venue truly comes alive in the fall. The foliage here in the fall is out of this world. Photography by: Ellen Sargent Photography & Coryn Kiefer Photography 
The Maquam Barn and Winery The Maquam Barn and Winery is a new venue on the scene! It offers a beautiful vineyard view and a stunning view of the Cobble Hill and Arrowhead Mountain. One of our favorite features of the venue is the arbor. The arbor was custom built for the venue with old beams from the adjacent farmhouse. This big bold arbor is something you won’t forget. Much like the Barn at Smuggs, this venue also offers gorgeous chandeliers and a grand staircase. While you can’t quite put greenery on the chandeliers you can dawn the entire staircase in greenery as well as the wall behind your sweetheart table. The floral options are endless at this venue. The barn is painted a classic red but has a really neat wooden silo attached. The silo offers panoramic views. We were incredibly lucky to be part of the first mini‑mony at the barn this past Summer. Since then the barn and it’s vineyard views have not left our head. We cannot wait to work here again in 2021 and beyond. Photography by: Ellen Sargent Photography 
Vermont Swiss and Bloom Farm The Vermont Swiss and Bloom Farm is a dreamy barn located in Enosburg Falls. This 1850’s hand‑crafted timber frame barn is surrounded by beautiful gardens of lush blooming hydrangeas. Once you open the doors to the interior of the barn you will immediately fall in love with the character and unique features the barn offers. Our favorite feature (besides that grand staircase) are the chandeliers and vintage couches! The farm also offers a large farmhouse for you and your wedding party to stay at. With 7 bedrooms this house holds a ton of people and is the perfect spot to get ready for your wedding. This venue also offers a fire pit! Talk about the perfect wind down to the perfect evening. While this hasn’t been done at the barn yet, we dream of doing greenery dripping from all the exposed beams and a lush floral install that frames the vintage couches. Thinking of having your wedding here and wanting to create a floral magic moment to wow your guests? We’re happy to do an onsite consultation to show you the endless options that can be done! Photography by: Great Impression Portrait Studio 
Lake Bomoseen Lodge The Lake Bomoseen Lodge and Taproom combine all our favorite features into one venue. This lodge is nestled in among the shores of Lake Bomoseen. If the greenery chandeliers are your thing this is another venue to check out! The main dining room offers two large chandleries as well as exposed beams. Once again, we will preach how incredibly beautiful and how much of a statement piece these items can be when dressed up a little with greenery. The Lake Bomoseen Lodge has many ceremony spots to choose from as well. From the private island in Lake Bomoseen to the shores of the lake and even a cool hillside spot with a stunning view. We also find that couples love the Lake Bomoseen lodge because it has onsite lodging for their guests. This helps save both guest’s time and worry as well as the couple's money since there is no shuttling from a hotel to the venue. This venue is also great because they have the option to do winter weddings here. We can totally see lighting up the room in a warm glow with fresh cut christmas trees. Small fir tips at each place setting with a hot cocoa bar as you enter the lodge. The Lake Bomoseen Lodge has endless possibilities to dress it up and we can’t wait to see what the future holds for us there. Photos from Savannah Brown Photography & Taylor Kemp Photography 
The Inn at Burklyn The Inn at Burklyn is a sprawling estate on 86 acres of lush grounds surrounded by beautiful mountain views. This luxurious mansion is located in East Burke, Vermont but it is totally worth the drive! The mansion itself houses 14 ensuite bedrooms for couples and guests to stay at. The Inn at Burklyn offers multiple ceremony sites with both our favorite being the intimate garden and greenhouse area. One of the most notable features at Inn at Burklyn is the gorgeous greenhouse tucked off to the side of the inn. In the summer the greenhouse is crawling with beautiful green vines and blooms. We find that the greenhouse offers a beautiful spot to hang a floral chandelier. Other than the greenhouse, one of our other favorite spots to decorate with florals is the large porch. The Inn at Burklyn is certainly a must see for couples who are looking for something a little different than the traditional Vermont barn wedding. We have near endless ideas of how to dress up this beautiful mansion and cannot wait to be back here designs soon. Photography by: Coryn Kiefer Photography 
Which venue could you see your self getting married at? Do you have any must see venues for us to check out? We love to hear from you all and cannot wait for our next adventure.
Today we had the pleasure of speaking with a couple of amazing wedding photography pros! These pros are here to give us their best advice from selecting your wedding photographer to the must-have photos on your wedding day and beyond. Let's introduce these amazing wedding pros quickly before we jump into the fun stuff!
Amelia, the owner of Amelia Marie Photography, is based out of Burlington, Vermont but serves all of Vermont, New England, and beyond. Amelia is truly an adventurous soul and is not afraid to jump in headfirst for her couples. Amelia has that warm personality that just invites you in. You will truly leave any session with her feeling like you've made a new friend. Ellen, the owner of Ellen Sargent Photography, is based out of Boston, MA but has some very strong ties to Vermont as she grew up on the shore of Lake Champlain. One of our favorite things about Ellen is that she has mastered the art of simultaneously streaming a Boston Bruins game while catching up on the most recent episode of The Bachelor. We have worked with Ellen numerous times on weddings and her talent has never ceased to amaze us. We were recently featured on Vermont Weddings with Ellen after she reached out to us for a Surprise Spring Mini-mony for some of her amazing clients. Check out the feature here! We curated a list of questions for Amelia and Ellen and they so graciously answered them all in great detail.
Thank you so much Ellen and Amelia for letting us #AskTheExperts and breakdown some photography questions. We have worked with Amelia and Ellen many times and a lot of photos in our portfolio actually belong to them. We highly suggest you check them out if you are in the market for a wedding photog. We will leave links to them below! Who do you want to see us chat with next? Venue Owners? Caters? Bakers? Let us know in the comments. Ellen Sargent Photography Amelia Marie Photography #BouquetBreakdown - The "Lindsey" This winter bouquet breakdown holds a special place in our hearts as it was for a dear friend of ours. The bride, Lindsey, and her now-husband are huge winter lovers. They dreamt of a snowy winter wedding with cedar garlands and red berries, a true woodland winter wonderland. This bouquet has been highly sought after as inspiration for many winter weddings since and we absolutely love it. So why do we LOVEEEEE this bouquet? We LOVE this bouquet for its simplicity. While most of our bouquets have between 8-12 different floral ingredients this bouquet has only six. The simple luxurious flowers make for a very clean, classic, and elegant design. This bouquet will be something you look back on in 30 years and say, "wow, I am so glad I choose that bouquet." So let's break it down! White Cloud Garden Roses: White garden roses are the epitome of a classic romantic wedding flower. The swirling petals create a soft cushion-like feel. They always pair nicely with peonies and especially eucalyptus. We opted for the variety white cloud in this bouquet as it is a true white rose. Garden roses are available year-round and we give them a $$$ out of $$$$$ on the expensive scale. White Veronica: Veronica is considered a line flower meaning its blooms are lineal. Some other more popular line flowers are snapdragons and delphinium. While veronica is not nearly as large as the other line flowers it does give a bouquet some nice height. The blooms can be placed deeper in the bouquet to only show a green point or closer to the surface of the bouquet showing the white to green gradient. Veronica comes in a variety of colors and is available year-round. We give it a $$ out of $$$$$ on the expensive scale. Red Hypericum Berries: Hypericum Berries are a unique filler flower that we love. The small cluster of berries adds an element of interest and intrigue. And no, they are not edible but they look it sometimes. They come in every shade of green, red, pink, white, peach, and cream. We also used these berries in the boutonnieres! They hold up extremely well out of water and offer a more masculine feel as they aren't a traditional bloom. Hypericum berries are available year-round and we give them $$ out of $$$$$ on the expensive scale. Seeded Eucalyptus: The ultimate texture foliage in our book. The tiny seeds pods on the seeded eucalyptus are just so versatile! We love using them in a winter bouquet to offset the softness of the winter greenery like cedar. Seeded eucalyptus does go off crop in the early spring and some parts of the year can have brown cupped seeded instead of the desired green seed pods. We give seeded eucalyptus a $$$ out of $$$$$ rating on our expensive scale. Parvifolia Eucalyptus: This eucalyptus is fast becoming another favorite of ours! It has elliptical shaped leaves that offer a dainty and feminine touch to the bouquet. Parvifolia Eucalyptus can be found year-round but during certain seasons the tips of the new growth will have a burgundy red tone to them. While it is not as common as the Silver Dollar Eucalyptus it is just as expensive if not more. For that reason, we give it a $$$ out of $$$$$ on the expensive scale. Cedar: Cedar is the perfect winter foliage. It gives you the perfect amount on length and fluff in a bouquet all while giving your bouquet a winter feel. Cedar is available year-round however we haven't used it outside of the winter season yet. We have always dreamed of a Christmas in July wedding though! We give cedar a $$ out of $$$$$ on the expensive scale. What do you think about the "Lindsey"? Doesn't it make you want to get married in the winter with that beautiful snow backdrop and cozy atmosphere? Photography: Jenna Brisson Photography 
#BouquetBreakdown - The "Kylie" Let's be real, you knew we couldn't do only half of the iconic duo. Very much like the "Kendall" and "Kylie" you are more accustomed to, these bouquets are both special in their own ways. The "Kylie" is soft, she's feminine and elegant. She features some of the classic flowers like roses, stock, and lisianthus but with a twist. We find that the "Kylie" is perfect for those longtime sweethearts who want a romantic and intimate wedding. So why do we LOVEEEEE this bouquet? We LOVEEEEE this bouquet because we got to use some of our favorite flowers that we haven't been able to in a long time. Thanks, Covid.... We love the white, blush, and mauve tones of this bouquet. It's romantic and it's timeless. We also LOVEEEEE the shape. It is a non-traditional oval and we think it compliments the flowers so much more. You know what they say, spread the love! So let's break it down! White Snowy Jewel Roses: Snowy jewel roses are another favorite of ours. They have an incredible rose fragrance and open up beautifully. If left to bloom completely, they will open up 100% of the way exposing the inner yellow center. One thing to note is while they are a white rose, they are not as white as a Playa Blanca Rose. Snowy jewel roses have a little more of a cream tone to the center of them but it is something we have come to love! They are not available all year but are most often available during the traditional wedding season. We give snowy jewel roses a $$ out of $$$$$ on the expensive scale. White Lisianthus: Lisianthus is our most popular wedding flower. Lisianthus is available in a huge spectrum of colors. Yes, even find those hard to get mauves, champagnes, and yellowy apricots. Lisianthus kind of reminds us of spray roses in the way the fresh-cut blooms look. The rosettes in the middle have the same shape as spray roses and open up to reveal a gorgeous center with tiny little stamens. Lisianthus is available year-round and we give them a $$$ out of $$$$$ on the expensive scale. White Mums: White mums are a wonderful substitution for dahlias when they are out of season. Mums have an incredible vase life and come in a huge variety of colors. We know, mums are best known for being those little button-sized flowers you put on top of your hay bales on your front porch in the fall. These mums are much larger and are roughly the size of a dahlia. They are also available in a large more "dinnerplate" size as well. Mums are available year-round and we give them a $ out of $$$$$ on the expensive scale. Amnesia Roses: Amnesia roses are another love of ours. They are so unique and fit every mauvy, dusty pink lavender palette under the sun. When paired with other pastels and ivory flowers they give an antique vibe. However, when paired with brighter tones they give off more of a modern vibe. Amnesia roses are a very unique color and don't have any truly great dupes making them very desirable. While during peak wedding season they can be hard to get a hold of, don't fret! We have our secret sources who seem to always come through. They are available year-round and we give them a $$ out of $$$$$ on the expensive scale. Blush Stock: Stock is such a beautiful timeless flower. It has an incredible scent that is reminiscent of cloves. Stock is said to mean a happy life when added to a bouquet. Stock comes in a large variety of colors from white, blush, salmon, lavender, fuchsia, dark purple, and more. It is available year-round and we give stock a $$ out of $$$$$ on the expensive scale. Blush Alstromeria: Alstromeria is a great inexpensive filler flower. It comes in a variety of colors and typically has 4-7 blooms per stem. Their common name is the Peruvian lily and I am sure you can tell why. They look like mini lilies with their petal shape and bloom structure. Alstroemeria is a very hardy flower and makes a great choice for arrangements that will be out of water for an extended period of time. Alstromeria is available year-round and we give it a $ out of $$$$$ on the expensive scale. Peach Hypericum Berries: These little berries are so versatile and we love sneaking them in everywhere. Did ya notice they were in our last bouquet breakdown as well? While no, they are not edible but they can certainly look it sometimes. Hypericum berries come in every shade of green, red, pink, white, peach, and cream. Hypericum berries are available year-round and we give them $$ out of $$$$$ on the expensive scale. Silver Dollar Eucalyptus: All hail the king! Silver dollar eucalyptus is back in our bouquet breakdowns and we've really missed it. This silvery sage green foliage is super versatile and used in nearly every bouquet we create. It always pairs well with other eucalyptus varieties and contracts dark foliage like ruscus. Silver dollar eucalyptus is available for the most part year-round but does go off crop for a short stint in the spring. We give silver dollar eucalyptus $$$ out of $$$$$ on the expensive scale. Seeded Eucalyptus: I know, shocker! You know we love it and have to use it in nearly every bouquet. We find the seeds give an amazing texture to any bouquet but fit best with cascading summer bouquets or fall weddings. Seeded eucalyptus can be found year-round for the most part. It does go off crop in the early spring and some parts of the year can have cupped seeded instead of the desired green seed pods. We give seeded eucalyptus a $$$ out of $$$$$ rating on our expensive scale. Italian Ruscus: This dark green foliage is great for adding height, weight, and even length to a bouquet. The deep green leaves are often a great contrast to the silvery eucalyptus. The way the leaves are positioned on the stems gives this greenery a lighter more airy look. Italian ruscus is available year-round and we give it a $$ out of $$$$$ on the expensive scale. So what do you think of the "Kylie"? Isn't she so sweet with a flair of fierce? Photography courtesy of: Amy Bennett Photography 
#BouquetBreakdown - The "Kendall" These cooler fall days have us ready to cozy up on the couch with our laptop and write away. We have had so many incredible bouquets over this wild 2020 wedding season. The "Kendall", however, seems to be the fan-favorite of the year so far. It's bold, it's vibrant, its texture and adventurous. It's perfect for that fall mountainside elopement. So why do we LOVEEEEE this bouquet? It's the uncommon flowers in this bouquet for us. Please somebody get that TikTok reference. We loved using dahlias as the star of the show instead of the standard rose. It opened up our realm to use more uncommon flowers and more local flowers. Which, we think gave this bouquet the overall perfect fall vibe. So let's break it down! This bouquet is jam-packed with a huge variety of different in-season local blooms. While the dahlias may be the star of this show there are some other fun new faces like strawflower and oats. Orange Ball Dahlias: A first here on our bouquet breakdowns. These ball dahlias are a great option for a bride who doesn't love the standard rose for a wedding. It is still a nice round flower but has a very unique petal structure. Ball dahlias come in a wide variety of colors and sizes. The one downfall of the dahlias is that they are very finicky. They prefer to not be shipped and only last a few days after being harvested. For that reason, we only purchase local dahlias. Local dahlias can be found in the summer and fall. We give ball dahlias a $$$ out of $$$$$ on the expensive scale. Orange Amaranthus: Orange upright amaranthus is another fall favorite. It often comes in a few different hues ranging from bronze to bright orange. Just like the red upright amaranthus, the orange features the same fuzzy lineal bloom. We find orange amaranthus is best when bought from local growers. It is available from the summer to the fall and we give it a $$$ out of $$$$$ on the expensive scale. Orange Strawflower: Strawflower is a new found love for us! It is a truly unique flower and dries just as beautiful as it looks fresh. The strawflower gets its name from the feel of the petals. Don't be fooled though, once completely opened the flower reveals a velvety smooth core. Strawflower comes in a huge variety of colors from white, blush, peachy all the way to burgundy and plum. It is a wonderful local cut flower and is in season from the Summer to the Fall. We give it a $$ out of $$$$$ on the expensive scale. P.s. Check out the strawflower up close in the boutonniere photo below. Peach Hypericum Berries: Hypericum Berries are a unique filler flower that we love. The small cluster of berries adds an element of interest and intrigue. And no, they are not edible but they look it sometimes. They come in every shade of green, red, pink, white, peach, and cream. Hypericum berries are available year-round and we give them $$ out of $$$$$ on the expensive scale. Burgundy Ball Dahlias: Much like the orange ball dahlias, these are a great option for brides who don't love roses. Ball Dahlias come in a huge variety of colors and while they are finicky, the are the hardiest of all the different dahlia types. They prefer to not be shipped and only last a few days after being harvested. For that reason, we only purchase local dahlias. Local dahlias can be found in the summer and fall. We give ball dahlias a $$$ out of $$$$$ on the expensive scale. Red Astranthia: This fun filler can often be found in the background of our boho, rustic, wildflower, and garden-style bouquets. The flower bloom itself is very unique in the fact that the stem bears many blooms. Each bloom itself has a collection of soft tips that create a circular focal point that is enclosed by an outer ring of pointy petals. Astrantia comes in a few different colors but white and mauve are our two favorites. It is available year-round and we give it a $$ out of $$$$$ on the expensive scale. Red Amaranthus: Red Amaranthus is a fall favorite. It is available in both an upright and hanging form. For this bouquet, we used both the hanging and upright form. Red upright amaranthus features a fuzzy lineal bloom on a red stem. Typically the bloom is roughly 3" to 6" long. Amaranthus is available year-round but we find it best in season for the late summer and fall. We give red amaranthus a $$$ out of $$$$$ on the expensive scale. Blue Thistle: Thistle typically will have 4 to 5 blooms per stem which gives you a great bang for your buck. They are a little sharp the more mature the bloom is but we promise, it's totally worth it. Haven't you heard, beauty is pain. Blue thistle is available year-round and we give it a $$ out of $$$$$ on the expensive scale. Oats: Yup! Just like you would eat. These funky oats were amazing for adding texture and movement to the bouquet. They floated and danced above the bouquet in the wind. Oats are available in the fall season and are sourced locally. We give them a $ out of $$$$$ on the expensive scale. Bunny Tail Grass: Bunny tail grass is a tan soft fluffy grass that has gone to seed. While it isn't a large showy bloom like the roses, bunny tail grass tucked into the bouquet it is just important as any other floral element. This grass is also sourced locally and available in the summer and fall. We give it a $ out of $$$$$ on the expensive scale. Seeded Eucalyptus: Obviously, we had to throw some sort of eucalyptus in here. The tiny seeds pods on the seeded eucalyptus are just so versatile and just give the bouquet that much more dimension and interest. Seeded eucalyptus does go off crop in the early spring and some parts of the year can have brown cupped seeded instead of the desired green seed pods. We give seeded eucalyptus a $$$ out of $$$$$ rating on our expensive scale. Parvifolia Eucalyptus: More eucalyptus! The elliptical shaped leaves of the parvifolia eucalyptus offer a dainty and feminine touch to the bouquet. Parvifolia Eucalyptus can be found year-round but during certain seasons the tips of the new growth will have a burgundy red tone to them. While it is not as common as the Silver Dollar Eucalyptus it is just as expensive if not more. For that reason, we give it a $$$ out of $$$$$ on the expensive scale. Photos courtesy of Amelia Marie Photography 
Trending Wedding Flowers for 2021 With 2021 wedding consultations in full swing, we thought we would breakdown some of our favorite trending color palettes and flowers for this upcoming season. These popular flowers and color palettes are pulled directly from our consultations and bookings for 2021. From bright pops of color to the simple white and green we are here to break it down for you. We will start with our three base color palettes and then add in some popular touches to switch them up a tiny bit.
#BouquetBreakdown - The "Liberty" We're back for another #bouquetbreakdown and this bouquet gives us all the patriotic vibes. From the deep reds to the bright whites and pastel blues this bouquet screams America. No matter the season this bouquet is always going to pop. So why do we LOVEEEEE this bouquet? Well, we are very patriotic and very much love our country but we also love the bright colors. It is not often we get to use such bold colors in wedding work. When our bride, Sarah, was needing a color palette redesign we were ecstatic to offer the red, white, and bloom palette. She surprised her now-husband with the flowers and he loved them so much he had them preserved for her after their intimate wedding. So let's break it down! We have categorized the blooms by color this time and we're starting off with that bold pop of red! Red Spray Roses: These bright red spray roses were the main blooms for our pop of red. Spray roses are a great all-purpose flower and just like ranunculus come in a rainbow of colors. Spray roses are available year-round and we give them a $$ out of $$$$$ on the expensive scale. Red Mini Gerbera Daisies: These red mini gerbera daisies were our supporting actress in the red category. They have a very different bloom structure than the red spray roses and therefore gave a nice definition to the red category in our color palette. Mini gerbera daisies are available year-round and we give them a $$ out of $$$$$ on the expensive scale. Red Astible: We love using this fluffy red astible in bouquets. We find that adding in even the smallest amount gives the bouquet so much more dimension. Astible is a line flower which means it blooms vertically instead of in one round ball. Some of our other favorite line flowers in delphinium, stock, veronica, liatris, and snapdragons. Astible is available year-round and come in a variety of colors from white, blush, pink, red, and burgundy. We give astible a $$$ our of $$$$$ on the expensive scale. White Anemones: Anemones are another unique blooming flower. They don't have any great dupes which makes them highly sought after. Their dark black centers can throw off a navy tone in some varieties. Anemones are also available in a wide variety of colors such as white, red, blue, purple, pink and even a beautiful burgundy wine color. They are a very delicate flower with tissue paper-thin petals. They are often placed last into a bouquet. Anemones are available year-round and much like ranunculus we give them $$$$ out of $$$$$ on the expensive scale. White Lysimachia: A new face to the bouquet breakdown! Lysimachia is a fun new mini line flower. We love it because each individual bloom is star-shaped. We know, we know a little cliché for the red, white, and bloom pallet but we couldn't help ourselves. These blooms very much remind us of a more plump veronica. Lysimachia is available year-round and we give it a $$ out of $$$$$ on the expensive scale. White Stock: Stock is a fairly fragrant flower that reminds us of a spice smell, almost clove-like. They are made up of little clusters of ruffled petals that grow upwards towards a small spiked top. They can be purchased year-round and come in a huge variety of colors. We give stock a $$ out of $$$$$ on the expensive scale. Blue Thistle: Blue thistle another bouquet breakdown classic. When you're thinking you still need something blue for your day, this is almost always our go-to. Thistle comes in a variety of colors and some of our other favorite colors include green, white glitter, and purple. Blue thistle is available year-round and we give it a $$ out of $$$$$ on the expensive scale. Blue Delphinium: Another new face to our bouquet breakdowns. Delphiniums are a wonderful flower to add a pop of blue. There are very few naturally true blue flowers and delphinium is one of the best in our opinion. They can range from light to dark blue and come in both a regular and hybrid form. For this bouquet, we chose the standard form to give the bouquet a lighter more whimsical vibe. The hybrid version is often much larger with thick stems and near 100 individual blooms. Delphinium is available year-round and we give it a $$-$$$ out of $$$$$ on the expensive scale. Dusty Miller: This fun pop of bright silver foliage is a great addition to any bouquet. The soft silvery leaves help bring out the light and bright silver tone of the eucalyptus. It is typically grown as an annual in our area and not many people think to add it to their bouquet. One thing to note about dusty miller is that it is a very water thirsty foliage. It can often wilt in the hot summer so it needs to be tucked into bouquets and supported by other greenery and blooms. Dusty miller is available year-round and we give it a $$$ out of $$$$$ on the expensive scale. Willow Eucalyptus: Willow eucalyptus has long beautiful wispy leaves. While it is not super aromatic like the baby blue eucalyptus it does have a nice hint of eucalyptus scent. It is a wonderful greenery for cascading bouquets as it has a nature drape and incredible movement. Willow eucalyptus is available year-round and most often February through May can be found to have seed pods like the seeded eucalyptus. We give it a $$$ out of $$$$$ on the expensive scale. Seeded Eucalyptus: Like we've said before it hasn't *quite* outran it's cousin Silver Dollar Eucapytus but it is getting there! We find the seeds give an amazing texture to any bouquet but fit best with cascading summer bouquets or fall weddings. Seeded eucalyptus can be found year-round for the most part. It does go off crop in the early spring and some parts of the year can have cupped seeded instead of the desired green seed pods. We give seeded eucalyptus a $$$ out of $$$$$ rating on our expensive scale. Italian Ruscus: This greenery is great for adding height, weight, and even length to a bouquet. The deep green leaves are often a great contrast to the silvery eucalyptus. The way the leaves are positioned on the stems gives this greenery a lighter more airy look. It is available year-round and we give it a $$ out of $$$$$ on the expensive scale. Would you consider the red, white, and bloom palette for your wedding?! We hope so! Photography by Coryn Keifer Photography 
#BouquetBreakdown - The "Celeste" Hiiii! We're back for another #bouquetbreakdown and this one is LONG! We hope you've got your snacks and a glass of wine ready! This boho-inspired bouquet has a whopping 18, yes 18 ingredients! So what makes this bouquet "boho"? The texture, the color, and dare we say, the free-spirit vibe. The mixture of the traditional greeneries, not-so-traditional greeneries, and grasses poking out gives this bouquet more of a loose, meadow feel. Yup, you heard right grass. Well, technically grasses. So why do we LOVEEEEE this bouquet? We love this bouquet because it's different. It's unique and wild. This boho bouquet is perfect for a mountainside or woodsy elopement. This bouquet could even be rocked in a more rustic venue or lakeside ceremony. So let's break it down! Within our 18 ingredients, we have 7 different types of greenery and 11 different flowers. A lot of these flowers are old favorites with a funky twist on the color and variety. Toffee Roses: Toffee Roses are a truly unique rose. Their warm brown and tan hue is great to mix into a boho bouquet to give it a moody feel. They mix nicely with other champagne, blush, apricot and mauve tones. Toffee roses are available year-round. They are fairly new to the market which means they tend to fetch a higher price tag than other more traditional roses but their unique color is worth it! We give toffee roses $$$$ out of $$$$$ on the expensive scale. Mauve Mums: Another new face to our bouquet breakdown! These mauve toned mums ofter a great alternative to the expensive dahlia. Their petal structure is fairly similar to the expensive dahlias but for half the cost. One of the best things about mums is that they come in endless amounts of colors and sizes. These mums are available year-round and we give them a $$ out of $$$$$ on the expensive scale. Cream Hypericum Berries: Hypericum Berries are a unique filler flower that we love. The small cluster of berries adds an element of interest and intrigue. And no, they are not edible but they look it sometimes. They come in every shade of green, red, pink, white, peach, and cream. Hypericum berries are available year-round and we give them $$ out of $$$$$ on the expensive scale. Burgundy Snapdragons: These burgundy wine toned snapdragons are an amazing lineal flower to add some height and structure to your bouquet. They bloom from the bottom up so you get a stunning ombre of colors running up the flower as it blooms. They are available year-round and we give them a $$ out of $$$$$ on the expensive scale Nigella Pods: These neatly structured pods add an unexpected texture and design element when tucked into bouquets. Each pod has a viney, lace-like cone that encompasses the pod. As the pods age and dry out they go from light green to a deep burgundy. Nigella Pods are sourced locally and therefore only available in the summer months of July, August, and September. We give them a $$ out of $$$$$ on the expensive scale. Wine Hellebores: Hellebores have a beautiful deep cup-shaped bloom that is often so heavy it faces down. They are also the first things to bloom in the spring, often while the snow is still on the ground. While they do make beautiful cut flowers and garden flowers be sure to keep pets and kids away as the blooms and plants are toxic if ingested. Hellebores are certainly at their peak in the winter/spring but can be found year-round from other growers outside the US. We give hellebores a $$$ out fo $$$$$ on the expensive scale. Bunny Tail Grass: Bunny tail grass is a tan soft fluffy grass that has gone to seed. This soft grass elevates any fall or boho bouquet to the next level. While it isn't a large showy bloom like the roses, bunny tail grass tucked into the bouquet it is just important as any other floral element. This grass is also sourced locally and available in the summer and fall. We give it a $ out of $$$$$ on the expensive scale. Explosion Grass: Explosion Grass just like the name says, is an explosion of long soft tendrils from the top of the grass. It very much reminds us of a firework! While some may consider it a weed, we consider it a must-have textural element for boho brides. Explosion grass is available from local farms during the summer and fall. We give it a $ out of $$$$$ on the expensive scale. Cone Leucadendron: This unique greenery very much resembles a pine cone. From the overall shape to the way the "petals" are formed on the cone. Leucadendron itself is part of a much larger flower family and comes in a variety of sizes, colors and textures. It is technically a tropical flower and available pretty much year-round. We give it a $$ out of $$$$$ on the expensive scale. Blue Thistle: Thistle typically will have 4 to 5 blooms per stem which gives you a great bang for your buck. While yes they are a little pokey they are so worth it. Haven't you heard, beauty is pain. Blue thistle is available year-round and we give it a $$ out of $$$$$ on the expensive scale. White Astrantia: This whimsical filler can often be found in the background of our boho, rustic, wildflower, and garden-style bouquets. The flower bloom itself is very unique in the fact that the stem bears many blooms. Each bloom itself has a collection of soft tips that create a circular focal point that is enclosed by an outer ring of pointy petals. Astrantia comes in a few different colors but white and mauve are our two favorites. It is available year-round and we give it a $$ out of $$$$$ on the expensive scale. Green Frill Lisianthus: This fun pop of green will bring the light and bright out in any arrangement. As the bloom ages and opens more it starts to turn a more creamy white color. Just like the white lisianthus we love it. There are always multiple blooms per stems and the smaller unopened blooms are usually confused for spray roses. Lisianthus is available year-round and we give it a $$$ out of $$$$$ on the expensive scale. Double Ruffle White & Green Ranunculus: This special ranunculus is a showstopper. It is uniquely colored. The green shining from within the white-edged petals gives the bloom great dimension. It may not be for everyone and every bouquet but we are certainly here for it! Ranunculus are available year-round and we give them a $$$-$$$$ out of $$$$$ on the expensive scale. Italian Ruscus: That famous "hot" cousin of the Israeli ruscus that everyone wants. This greenery is great for adding height, weight, and even length to a bouquet. The deep green leaves are often a great contrast to the silvery eucalyptus. The way the leaves are positioned on the stems gives this greenery a lighter more airy look. It is available year-round and we give it a $$ out of $$$$$ on the expensive scale. Israeli Ruscus: Israeli ruscus is a great traditional greenery that is amazing at adding some bulk and brightness to a bouquet. It may be hard to see here but it does have a beautiful deep green color. We find that it works as an amazing base for those larger bouquets. It helps cradle the blooms while still letting the other greens shine. Israeli ruscus is available year-round and we give it $ out of $$$$$ on the expensive scale. Leatherleaf Ferns: Leatherleaf fern is the most traditional greenery used by florists and we find it to be a little underrated. It is a beautiful true deep green shade that allows the flowers' blossoms to be highlighted. Leatherleaf is available year-round and we give it $ out of $$$$$ on the expensive scale. You'll typically find this tucked into all of our arrangements in one way or another. Grevillea Foliage: This jagged almost saw style greenery transitions from a dusty green to rusty red. Grevillea Foliage is available nearly year-round but peaks in the fall and winter. We give Grevillea Foliage a $$$ out of $$$$$ on the expensive scale. Silver Dollar Eucalyptus: You thought we could go a bouquet breakdown without it. Whoops! I told ya we used this stuff in everything. Silver dollar eucalyptus is available for the most part year-round but does go off crop for a short stint in the spring. We give silver dollar eucalyptus $$$ out of $$$$$ on the expensive scale. So would you dare to rock this boho bouquet? The "Celeste" is not for the faint of heart. Photography by: Danielle Allendorf  #BouquetBreakdown - The "Juliet" When we're asked to describe what we envision as the holy grail of wedding bouquets, we immediately think of the "Juliet". Juliet just like the fairytale name suggests is a romantic, timeless love story featuring white blooms in a bed of lush greenery. So why do we LOVEEEEE this bouquet? Whether you're getting married in a rustic barn, lakeside retreat, or winery this bouquet is for you. The white blooms bring a very bridal feel while the greenery giving you the pop of color to distinguish the white blooms against the white dress. It's been deemed one of our all-time favorites and we can't wait to share more imagines from this stunning mini-mony with you! So let's cut to the chase and break it down. Duchesse de Nemours Peonies: These brilliant white peonies came straight from our personal cut flower garden. They are a garden favorite as they smell heavenly and have stems that often produce multiple blooms! Peonies are typically in season from May to June with limited availability through July and August from flower farms in Alaska. We give peonies a $$$ to $$$$ out of $$$$$ on the expensive scale White Ranunculus: Ranunculus are still a favorite for us! We tuck these fluffy swirling blooms in everywhere. Ranunculus are available in a rainbow of colors and are super hardy out of water. They are available year-round and we give them a $$$ out of $$$$$ on the expensive scale. White Lisianthus: Lisianthus is another one of our best-kept secrets when it comes to wedding flowers! Lisianthus is available in a huge spectrum of colors. Yes, even find those hard to get mauves, champagnes, and yellowy apricots. Lisianthus kind of remind us of spray roses in the way the fresh-cut blooms look. The tiny rosettes in the middle have the same shape as spray roses and open up to reveal a gorgeous center with tiny little stamens. Lisianthus are available year-round and we give them a $$$ out of $$$$$ on the expensive scale. White Perennial Scabiosa: Perennial Scabiosa, not to be confused with the Scabiosa Scoop, is another great filler for a more rustic or wildflower style. Unlike its cousin Scabiosa Scoop, the perennial version lacks the fluffy center. The stems also can branch to have multiple blooms per stems. While Scabiosa can be purchased year-round we find the local season to be June through October. On the expensive scale, we rate Scabiosa $$ out of $$$$$. White Hypericum Berries: Here we go again with the texture thing. Someone get us a thesaurus! While yes they are great for texture they are also great for adding small pops of color in bouquets. The small cluster of berries adds an element of interest and intrigue. And no, they are not edible but they look it sometimes. They come in every shade of green, red, pink, white, peach, and cream. Hypericum berries are available year-round and we give them $$ out of $$$$$ on the expensive scale. White Veronica: Veronica is a truly unique filler flower. It is considered a line flower meaning its blooms are lineal. Some other more popular line flowers are snapdragons and delphinium. While veronica is not nearly as large as the other line flowers it does give a bouquet some nice height. The blooms can be placed deeper in the bouquet to only show a green point or closer to the surface of the bouquet showing the white to green gradient. Veronica comes in a variety of colors and is available year-round. We give it a $$ out of $$$$$ on the expensive scale. Green Thistle: Green thistle another great textural filler flower. The stems typically have 4 to 5 blooms which gives you a great bang for your buck. I know you hear this a lot from us but it does give the bouquet great texture. Texture is so important when making a bouquet really stand out and look ultra-lux. Green thistle is available year-round and we give it a $$ out of $$$$$ on the expensive scale. Silver Dollar Eucalyptus: Good ol' faithful! I told ya we used this stuff in everything. Silver dollar eucalyptus is available for the most part year-round but does go off crop for a short stint in the spring. We give silver dollar eucalyptus $$$ out of $$$$$ on the expensive scale. Parvifola Eucalyptus: More eucalyptus! The elliptical shaped leaves of the parvifolia eucalyptus offer a dainty and feminine touch to the bouquet. Parvifolia Eucalyptus can be found year-round but during certain seasons the tips of the new growth will have a burgundy red tone to them. While it is not as common as the Silver Dollar Eucalyptus it is just as expensive if not more. For that reason, we give it a $$$ out of $$$$$ on the expensive scale. Israeli Ruscus: The good ol' trusty Israeli ruscus! It's a great traditional greenery that is amazing at adding some bulk and brightness to a bouquet. It may be hard to see here but it does have a beautiful deep green color. We find that it works as an amazing base to those larger bouquets. It helps cradle the blooms while still letting the other greens shine. Israeli ruscus is available year-round and we give it $ out of $$$$$ on the expensive scale. Olive Greenery: Yes! A new greenery to our bouquet breakdowns! Olive, just like the name suggests has a beautiful olive color to the leaves. They very much match the silvery tone of eucalyptus while adding another leaf shape and texture. And, Yup! It still is one of the oldest symbols of peace. Olive is available year-round and we give it a $$ out of $$$$$ on the expensive scale. So tell us, would you want the Juliet for your special day?! Photography by: Ellen Sargent Photography  #BouquetBreakdown - The "Jennifer" While the crocus and daffodils might be known as the first signs of spring, you also often hear that peony blooms are the first sign of summer. And this week, we’re shouting from the rooftops! The peonies have begun blooming!!! To celebrate the first sign of summer we’ve done a bouquet breakdown on this show-stopping peony bouquet. We first met with the wedding couple in early 2018 to discuss their flowers. The bride shared a vision of peonies as far as the eye could see. Let’s be real here, we LOVED IT! After deciding on a light pink, blush, and white palette we went over a few different options of bouquets. It didn’t take long before we sketched out a large bouquet filled with eucalyptus, peonies, garden roses, and more! So why do we LOVEEEEE this bouquet? The “Jennifer” has all the elements of a traditional bridal bouquet but with added pops of greenery to give it some more dimension and depth. It’s classic, simple, and a very understated bouquet in our book. Peonies will never go out of style! So what’s in this bouquet? There are three different varieties of peonies in this bouquet, some garden roses, and a few different greens. Some greens that are new to our bouquet breakdown! Festiva Maxima Peonies: These stunning white peonies are our go-to when we hear "I would love some peonies in my bouquet". They are a tried and true variety! The huge white blooms are often characterized by tiny red flecks in the innermost petals. Peonies are typically in season from May to June with limited availability through July and August from flower farms in Alaska. We give peonies a $$$ to $$$$ out of $$$$$ on the expensive scale Pecher Peonies: Pecher peonies are the creme-de-la-creme of blush peonies! They have such a soft and feminine tone to them. Much like the festiva maxima peonies, they offer a large bloom filled with ruffled petals. Peonies are typically in season from May to June with limited availability through July and August from flower farms in Alaska. We give peonies a $$$ to $$$$ out of $$$$$ on the expensive scale Sarah Bernhardt Peonies: Sarah Bernhardt peonies are named after the famous French actress who once played Queen Elizabeth in the 1912 film, Les Amours de la Reine Élisabeth. These peonies have been around for over 100 years and are still a favorite among wedding couples. The light pink hue of these peonies always pairs well with both a blush palette and a more electric palette. Peonies are typically in season from May to June with limited availability through July and August from flower farms in Alaska. We give peonies a $$$ to $$$$ out of $$$$$ on the expensive scale Myriah's White Garden Roses: White garden roses are the epitome of a classic romantic wedding flower. The swirling petals create a soft cushion-like feel. They always pair nicely with peonies and especially eucalyptus. Myriah's white is our most commonly used white garden rose but some other great options are patience, purity, white cloud, and white o'hara. Garden roses are available year-round and we give them a $$$ out of $$$$$ on the expensive scale. Silver Dollar Eucalyptus: Good ol' faithful! I told ya we used this stuff in everything. What can we say, silver dollar eucalyptus is everything. In this bouquet, we've used it more tucked in as a greenery accent instead of the main show like some other bouquets. The dusty sage green gives the light pinks a nice pop. It also helps whiten up the center of the garden roses which can tend to pull a little yellow or blush depending on the variety. Silver dollar eucalyptus is available for the most part year-round but does go off crop for a short stint in the spring. We give silver dollar eucalyptus $$$ out of $$$$$ on the expensive scale. Baby Blue Eucalyptus: Baby blue eucalyptus is just another eucalyptus we LOVE and love to tuck it into everything! You've seen it in a couple of our bouquet breakdowns now and despite the sticky sap when processing it, we still can't help ourselves. It is available year-round and we give it a $$ out of $$$$$ on the expensive scale. Nagi Greens: Nagi Greens have to be one of the most scented greens on the market that we use. When their leaves are stripped or stems cut, they have an incredible lemon scent! The dark green glossy foliage is great for contrasting against the lighter eucalyptus foliage. Nagi is available year-round and we give it $$ out of $$$$$ on the expensive scale. Plumosa Greenery: Another new face to our bouquet breakdown! Plumosa is a light and airy fern that has a feather-like texture. It is another old-school classic greenery that is making a come-back. We find that Plumosa best fits with woodys, rustic, or boho theme. Plumosa is available year-round and we give it a $$ out of $$$$$ on the expensive scale. Which flower or greenery is your favorite in this bouquet? Stuck on the peonies like us? Photography: Jenna Brisson Photography  #BouquetBreakdown - The "Alexis" Another day another bouquet breakdown. Today we're here to breakdown our first bridal bouquet we ever made for a real wedding! And yes, today is their first anniversary! This beautiful bride dreamed of blush and white fluffy peonies and garden roses. After seeing this bride in person we couldn't have imagined a more luxurious and posh bouquet for her dreamy day. So why do we love this bouquet so much? Besides the bouquet having such a special place in our heart for being our first bridal bouquet ever, we love the simplicity of it. The clean and simple design really allows for the bride and her dress to be the center of attention. So what's in this bouquet? Not a lot to be honest. Once again the simplicity gives this design the high-end feel. Blush & White Peonies: Peonies are 100% the most highly requested flower for weddings and bridal bouquets. We'd be lying if we said we didn't love them from the bottom of our hearts. They also tend to have a connotation of being super expensive and unattainable for lower budget wedding couples. Well, myth busted! We are finding more and more that peonies are becoming more available and more affordable every year. Peonies are typically only available from May to early July but the season can be extended into August and even sometimes the first week of September depending on the Alaskan weather. We give peonies $$$ out of $$$$$ on the expensive scale. Tsumugi Wabara Garden Roses: We think these are the hidden gems or the garden rose world. They are the perfect pale pink. Not to bright but not to blush. They have large heads and open up to a soft swirling interior. While they aren't to fragrant their beauty more than makes up for it. Tsumugi wabara garden roses haven't been on the scene for very long. They were just put into cut flower production in 2018. They are available year-round and we give them $$$$ out of $$$$$ on the expensive scale. Have we changed your mind on the big greenery heavy boho bouquets? Sometimes the clean and simple all flower bouquets are 100% the way to go. Photography by: Natascha's Photogrpahy  #BouquetBreakdown - The "Nikki" We're coming at you with a super unique bouquet for this bouquet breakdown. We'd be lying if we told you this bouquet was a breeze to make. The giant tillandsia xerographica was HEAVY! Our traditional wire and stick method that we use for other non-flower things like succulents did not work for this. We had to think outside the box. Our solution, a chicken wire cradle! Hidden under all that greenery and all those blooms was a chicken wire cage. We carefully glued and wired the xerographica in the cradle and then filled in with blooms and greens around till the cradle was hidden. So why do we love this bouquet? We love a challenge and we love to problem solve. Side note: many of you may not know, but I(Emily), am a real math and science nerd. Till life decided it had other plans for me, I was set to attend Iowa State University as a chemical engineering major. Wild! I know! While I am kind of sad I wasn't able to follow through with that path I am so incredibly happy with the path life has provided to me. With that backstory, I am sure you can see why we love problem-solving and critical thinking. The tougher the challenge the more interesting it is to us. So what's in this bouquet? We'll cut right to the chase with this one and start with that huge air plant! Tillandsia Xerographica: The tillandsia xerographica aka the "Queen of Airplants" started to become more popular in bouquets over the last couple of years. They are a dry-forest epiphyte that grows without any soil. They simply require high light conditions and a good 20-30 minute soak upside down in water every week or so. We love having unusual things like the tillandsia xerographica in bouquets because it adds a special element. Once the other traditional blooms have faded you can pop this out of the bouquet and have it live on as a special memory of your wedding day. They are available year-round but are one of the most expensive things you can add to a bouquet. For that reason, we give them $$$$$ out of $$$$$ on the expensive scale. White Ranunculus: Ranunculus the new favorite for us! This time we used it in white to give the bouquet another textural difference to contrast against the white roses. While it may not be super noticeable at first, we find that even the smallest change in bloom structure or petal structure makes a difference. Ranunculus are available in a rainbow of colors and are super hardy out of water. They are available year-round and we give them a $$$ out of $$$$$ on the expensive scale. Playa Blanca Roses: Playa Blanca Roses are a wedding staple in our opinion. Anytime you see a white rose in one of our bouquets it's 95% of the time a playa blanca. These stunning white roses open up so large and have a more garden rose feel to them even though they are just a standard rose. A fun fact is that the playa blanca rose is named after the southernmost town on the Spanish island Lanzarote. It is truly a stunning pure white rose. Playa blanca roses are available year-round. We give them a $$$ out of $$$$$ on the expensive scale. Blue Thistle: Blue thistle is another secret texture element we love to throw in. The quite literal sharp lines and points of this flower are so unique. When you're thinking you still need something blue for your day, this is almost always our go-to. While we admit we do use the blue color quite often, we find ourselves using the green and purple varieties just as much. Blue thistle is available year-round and we give it a $$ out of $$$$$ on the expensive scale. Silver Dollar Eucalyptus: We're going to go out on a limb here and deem this the "king of eucalyptus". You may notice that we use it in almost every bouquet. The truth is wedding couples absolutely love it! It has a stunning silvery sage green. Silver dollar eucalyptus is available for the most part year-round but does go off crop for a short stint in the spring. We give silver dollar eucalyptus $$$ out of $$$$$ on the expensive scale. Seeded Eucalyptus: Much like it's cousin silver dollar eucalyptus we can't get enough of this stuff either! While the silver dollar eucalyptus may be the king of eucalyptus, this is probably the queen of eucalyptus. With this eucalyptus variety, it is truly sought after for the all-important texture element. The tiny seeds are just so versatile and just give the bouquet that much more dimension and interest. Seeded eucalyptus does go off crop in the early spring and some parts of the year can have brown cupped seeded instead of the desired green seed pods. We give seeded eucalyptus a $$$ out of $$$$$ rating on our expensive scale. We hope you loved our bouquet breakdown of the "Nikki" leave us your comments below!  #BouquetBreakdown - The "Alyssa" So, we've decided, bouquet breakdowns are kinda our thing. We absolutely love flowers and talking about flowers. I suppose you could say, "well that's because you're a florist." While that is true we also have a small suspicion that you guys like them as well. We hope you at least find them entertaining and maybe even a little educational. This bouquet breakdown might be a little shorter than our other ones but none-the-less we LOVE this bouquet. So why do we love this bouquet so much? We find the "Alyssa" to be super elegant and timeless. This is the kind of bouquet that you'll look back at 30 years from now and think wow! I'm so glad I picked such a classic bouquet. So what's in this bouquet? You may be thinking hmmm that looks like just roses. Well, we do have some stunning roses in here but we also have a new kind of eucalyptus and lisianthus. But first, let's start off with those roses! Quicksand Roses: Quicksand roses might be the most sought after wedding roses right now. They are best described as a nude or dusty champagne color with a hint of pale pink. These creamy stunning roses are sure to compliment any color palette and reflect the other color tones of the bouquet. Quicksand roses are grown in a variety of different countries and harvested from a ton of different farms. That means depending on which farm your roses come from, they could be more tan or sandy in color or more pinky. No matter which farm or county they come from they are sure to be a stunner. Quicksand roses are available year-round but being one of the most sought after roses they also carry a higher price tag. We give quicksand roses $$$$ out of $$$$$ on the expensive scale. Secret Garden Roses: Secret garden roses might have the most misleading name. They are not garden roses at all. They, in fact, are just standard roses. However, they get their name for their stunning color and way the rose blooms. The secret garden rose has a 100% bloom aperture which means it will completely open up like a garden rose and expose the stunning peachy yellow core. The dusty light pink petals are a sure-fire match for any light mauve dress. If you can't get secret garden roses some other great options would be the menta rose or the faith rose. We give secret garden roses $$ out of $$$$$ on the expensive scale. Blue Manhattan Roses: Blue manhattan roses are a standard rose in a stunning lavender shade. They have a large bloom size and if allowed to, they will open up to a 100% bloom aperture. These roses are typically imported from Columbia. Some great alternatives if the blue manhattan rose isn't available for order would be ocean song, moody blues, and avant garde. We give the blue manhattan rose $$ out of $$$$$ on the expensive scale. White Lisianthus: Lisianthus is another one of our best-kept secrets when it comes to wedding flowers! Lisianthus is available in a huge spectrum of colors. Yes, even find those hard to get mauves, champagnes, and yellowy apricots. Lisianthus kind of remind us of spray roses in the way the fresh-cut blooms look. The tiny rosettes in the middle have the same shape as spray roses and open up to reveal a gorgeous center with tiny little stamens. This specific lisianthus is just a single white but some colors are also available is doubles with fun ruffly edges. Lisianthus are available year-round and we give them a $$$ out of $$$$$ on the expensive scale. Parvifolia Eucalyptus: The new kid on the block when it comes to eucalyptus in our bouquet breakdowns! Parvifolia eucalyptus is another great variety of eucalyptus that gives a beautiful light green pop to a bouquet. It grows as a long stem multi-branch tree! Yes, a tree! A tree that can reach 35-45ft when fully mature. The elliptical shaped leaves of the parvifolia eucalyptus offer a dainty and feminine touch to the bouquet. Parvifolia Eucalyptus can be found year-round but during certain seasons the tips of the new growth will have a burgundy red tone to them. While it is not as common as the Silver Dollar Eucalyptus it is just as expensive if not more. For that reason, we give it a $$$ out of $$$$$ on the expensive scale. So what do you think of this classic rose bouquet? Do you have a bouquet you think we should breakdown next? Drop a link in our comments.  We can't help ourselves! We absolutely love bouquet breakdowns. We often hear wedding couples say "oh I really like those! What are they?" or "Those are roses? I guess then I do like roses and I'd like those in my bouquet." While we have zero expectations of our clients flower knowledge we find when a client is more confident during our consultations they are able to ask the questions they want. Therefore, making the consultation more productive and leaving the wedding couple feeling like they were completely heard. So why do we love this bouquet? The cascade of course! While it's not a full floor-length cascade we find that even a little cascade action adds an immense amount of elegance to a bouquet. A cascade bouquet no matter the flower choice will always be a show stopper. So what's in this bouquet? EVERYTHING! We have the most affordable greenery all the way to one of the high-end greeneries. We have super budget-friendly flowers in this bouquet as well as some gorgeous and highly sought after garden roses and ranunculus. Kahala Garden Roses: Or as we like to shout, KA-HALA! These garden roses are truly one of a kind. They have a beautiful champagney-cream undertone outlined in a powder pink peach. These roses are a must-see and must-have for fall weddings. Fun fact the name "Kahala" comes from an affluent neighborhood in Honolulu Hawaii. They are available year found and we give them a $$$$ out of $$$$$ on the expensive scale. Burgundy Wine Ranunculus: Another fall wedding favorite, the burgundy wine ranunculus. Ranunculus is one of our favorite wedding flowers. We try to tuck ranunculus into every bouquet. The fluffy petals give a sweet softness to the bouquet. Ranunculus are available in a rainbow of colors and are available year-round. We give ranunculus $$$ out of $$$$$ on the expensive scale. Spray Roses: Spray roses are a great filler flower and just like ranunculus come in a rainbow of colors. While these red and orange spray roses are standard form they also are available in the garden rose from as well. Spray roses are available year-round and we give them a $$$ out of $$$$$ on the expensive scale. Green Thistle: Green thistle is a great filler flower. The stems typically have 4 to 5 blooms which gives you a great bang for your buck. I know you hear this a lot from us but it does give the bouquet great texture. Texture is so important when making a bouquet really stand out and look ultra-lux. Green thistle is available year-round and we give it a $$ out of $$$$$ on the expensive scale. Cream Hypericum Berries: Here we go again with the great texture thing. Someone get us a thesaurus! While yes they are great for texture they are also great for adding small pops of color in bouquets. The small cluster of berries adds an element of interest and intrigue. And no, they are not edible but they look it sometimes. They come in every shade of green, red, pink, white, peach, and cream. Hypericum berries are available year-round and we give them $$ out of $$$$$ on the expensive scale. Brick Red Alstromeria: Alstromeria is another great inexpensive filler flower. It comes in a variety of colors and typically has 4-7 blooms per stem. Their common name is the peruvian lily and I am sure you can tell why. They look like mini lilies with their petal shape and bloom structure. Alstromeria is available year-round and we give it a $ out of $$$$$ on the expensive scale. Copper Spray Chrysanthemum: These cute little copper spray chrysanthemums are a fall favorite. They boast the perfect shade of copper and are a great filler flower. While they are quite bold in color, we think they pair nicely with the deep reds, oranges, and cream tones in this bouquet. Copper spray chrysanthemums are available year-round and we give them a $ out of $$$$$ on the expensive scale. Agonis: Agonis much like the willow eucalyptus has wispy long leaves. Agonis however, has a stunning burgundy and green tone. It is ideal for fall weddings as it gives the perfect backdrop to show off those deep yellows and burnt oranges. Agonis can be found year-round but technically is in season from June to December. It is one the most expensive greenery options available but we think it's totally worth the extra bucks. We give agonis a $$$ our of $$$$$ on the expensive scale. Silver Dollar Eucalyptus: The one and only silver dollar eucalyptus. This is definitely by far the most popular greenery right now. Pinterest boards are smothered in and we're not upset about. The sage green color compliments almost every palette. Silver dollar eucalyptus is available for the most part year-round but does go off crop for a short time in the spring. We give silver dollar eucalyptus $$$ out of $$$$$ on the expensive scale. Seeded Eucalyptus: A tried and true eucalyptus variety. While not quite as famous as the silver dollar eucalyptus, seeded eucalyptus is definitely gaining traction. We find the seeds give an amazing texture to any bouquet but fit best with rustic or fall weddings. Seeded eucalyptus can be found year-round for the most part. It does go off crop in the early spring and some parts of the year can have cupped seeded instead of the desired green seed pods. We give seeded eucalyptus a $$$ out of $$$$$ rating on our expensive scale. Willow Eucalyptus: A new eucalyptus to our bouquet breakdowns! Willow eucalyptus has long beautiful wispy leaves. While it is not super aromatic like the baby blue eucalyptus it does have a nice hint of eucalyptus scent. It is a wonderful greenery for cascading bouquets as it has a nature drape and incredible movement. Willow eucalyptus is available year-round and most often February through May can be found to have seed pods like the seeded eucalyptus. We give it a $$$ out of $$$$$ on the expensive scale. Baby Blue Eucalyptus: What can we say. We LOVE baby blue eucalyptus and love to tuck it into everything. You've seen it in a couple of our bouquet breakdowns now and despite the sticky sap when processing it, we still can't help ourselves. It is available year-round and we give it a $$ out of $$$$$ on the expensive scale. Israeli Ruscus: The good ol' trusty Israeli ruscus! It's a great traditional greenery that is amazing at adding some bulk and brightness to a bouquet. It may be hard to see here but it does have a beautiful deep green color. Israeli ruscus is available year-round and we give it $ out of $$$$$ on the expensive scale. Do you have any favorite flowers or greens from this bouquet? Drop them in the comments!  We're back! We heard you love our bouquet breakdowns so we're here with another one! This time a little more springy. This quarantine lockdown has up craving those bright colors so we decided to play with some bright pinks and yellows. The third bouquet in our series is named the "Laurel". The "Laurel" is definitely a little out of our comfort zone with some blooms that we typically don't use and a succulent! So why do we love this bouquet so much? The simple answer, it's a different style than we normally do! We LOVE the garden style and big boho greenery bouquets with tons of color. However, we find that our brides typically like an all-white or white and blush bouquet. We don't blame them we do love our all-white bouquets. So what's in this bouquet? We have five different types of greenery and four different types of blooms along with that gorgeous succulent. Bay Leaf: Bay leaf (aka Laurel) is the greenery that we find most closely matches seeded eucalyptus. It's long slender leaves and light green color are a great fill in when seeded eucalyptus is not available. During some parts of the year bay leaf also has small "seeds" attached to the stem. Bay leaf is available year-round and we give it a $$ out of $$$$$ on the expensive scale. Baby Blue Eucalyptus: Baby blue eucalyptus is a traditional greenery that has been used for years! The long and sturdy stems are great for adding height to a bouquet or arrangement and the dusty green color is, of course, a favorite among brides. This variety of eucalyptus does put off a sticky sap when the leaves are stripped so it's important to wear your gloves or wash your hands thoroughly after processing it. This variety of eucalyptus is also quite fragrant and great for hanging on your shower head in your bathroom. Between the steam from the hot water and the aroma of the eucalyptus, you'll feel like you're in a personal spa. Baby blue eucalyptus is available year-round and we give it a $$ out of $$$$$ on the expensive scale. Silver Dollar Eucalyptus: Silver dollar eucalyptus is the hottest eucalyptus among wedding couples today. The leaf shape can vary from perfectly round to oval to even a perfect heart. This is a great greenery to lighten up a bouquet and add some bulk. Silver dollar eucalyptus is available for the most part year-round but does go off crop for a short stint in the spring. We give silver dollar eucalyptus $$$ out of $$$$$ on the expensive scale. P.S. It tends to be one of the most expensive greenery options. Leatherleaf Fern: Leatherleaf fern is the most traditional greenery used by florists and we find it to be a little underrated. It is a beautiful true deep green shade that allows the flowers' blossoms to be highlighted. Leatherleaf is available year-round and we give it $ out of $$$$$ on the expensive scale. You'll typically find this tucked into all of our arrangements in one way or another. Israeli Ruscus: Israeli ruscus to cousin to the famous Italian ruscus. Much like the leatherleaf fern, israeli ruscus offers a nice true green as well. It's a great greenery to add height and volume to any arrangement. It also gives a great texture as it has a unique leaf shape. Israeli ruscus is available year-round and we give it a $ out of $$$$$ on the expensive scale. Ursula Purple Thistle: Ursula purple thistle is a true purple thistle. It is often quite vibrant and sure to catch your eye. Thistle is a multi-branch flower which gives you a great bang for your buck. It is available in many colors from light green to purple to a true blue. Most specific thistle varieties have their own season but usually, some variety is available year-round. Ursula purple thistle is in season from December to May. We give this variety of thistle a $$ out of $$$$$ on the expensive scale. Ranunculus: Ranunculus are fastly becoming one of the most popular wedding flowers. Their fluffy petals and unique petal pattern are highly sought after. They make wonderful boutonnieres as they last great out of water. They are available in virtually every color imaginable and have some incredibly unique varieties available to be shipped in from Japan. The standard ranunculus are available year-round but the designer and highly sought after ranunculus are available from November to March. We give ranunculus $$$ our of $$$$$ on the expensive scale and even higher ratings for the imported ranunculus. White Anemones (with a kiss of blush): Anemones are another unique blooming flower. They don't have any great dupes which makes them highly sought after. Their dark black centers can throw off a navy tone in some varieties. Anemones are also available in a wide variety of colors such as white, red, blue, purple, pink and even a beautiful burgundy wine color. They are a very delicate flower with tissue paper-thin petals. They are often placed last into a bouquet. We do not recommend anemones as boutonnieres. While yes they are stunning we don't call them "one hug wonders" for no reason. Anemones are available year-round and much like ranunculus we give them $$$$ out of $$$$$ on the expensive scale. Craspedia: Craspedia (aka Billy Balls) are such a unique flower. They are remarkably versatile. You can find billy balls in rustic bouquets, tropical bouquets, boho bouquets and more. They almost look fake as they grow on a straight stick with no foliage. Craspedia can be easily painted to match any color which is great for wedding couples with those hard to match colors. Craspedia are available year-round and we give them $$ out of $$$$$ on the expensive scale. Echeveria Purple Pearl: Echeveria Purple Pearl is a succulent we picked up at our local greenhouse. Succulents are great for bouquets and offer the eye something different and unexpected. The best part is once your bouquet has withered and the blooms are gone you can plant your succulent and it will continue to grow on. Succulents come in all different shapes and sizes and are available year-round. We give them a $$$ out of $$$$$ on the expensive scale. So what do you all think of this bouquet? Do you LOVE the succulent in it like us? Leave a comment on what bouquet you would like us to breakdown next!  Part 2! Flower Processing and Arranging, we will cover everything from the time we order the flowers to the time we show up on your wedding day. For this part, we will follow along with a wedding we did this past May. This mid-May wedding was filled with beautiful peonies, garden roses, and antique hydrangeas.
30 Days Prior to the Wedding: Today’s the day! You sent in your final payment, you've confirmed centerpieces and any other small last-minute changes that may have needed to be done. It's crunch time for me! I start confirming my “recipes”, counting all my stems and turning those numbers into bunches. A sample recipe would look something like this:
Once I have all my stems counted I add a 10% extra buffer for breakage or blooms that don’t open up so nice. I gather all my stem counts, convert them to bunches and place my pre-order with my wholesaler. I am one of the few lucky florists that have such a wonderful wholesaler so close by. If your bouquet requires a more specialty flower that is only available in-season, I typically source them from either my personal garden or from a local flower farm. Some of my favorite flowers to source locally are tulips, peonies, lilacs, and sweet peas. 4-2 Days Prior to the Wedding: It’s the week of your wedding and you’re probably taking your first day off from work in preparation for the big day! This is when our true hard work starts! Depending on the type of flower, the season and your wedding date we typically pick up our flower order between 4-2 days before your wedding. This allows the flowers to open and hydrate in preparation for the wedding day. Upon pickup, the flowers will be wrapped tightly in bunches of 5, 10, 12 or 25 and often the greenery will be in boxes. Once we load up, we head home and the madness begins. We have to open each package, strip each stem of excess greenery, remove the thorns from each rose, give each stem a fresh cut and place them in freshwater with flower food. Some flowers like hydrangea require an extra step when they must be cut, dripped in Alum (yes, the pickling spice) and then put into freshwater with flower food. We also like to take extra care with our hydrangeas and mist them once or twice per day. Hydrangeas are thirsty flowers and can drink from both their stems and petals. Some other flowers/foliages that can have extra steps are dahlias, anthurium, dusty miller and more. They are given a fresh cut and set in almost boiling water. The extremely hot water helps the flower drink and keeps them hydrated longer. Caution, not all flowers are accepting of this trick so make sure to do your research before you try to process all flowers this way. Processing the flowers usually takes us between 3-5 hours per wedding and once we are done processing we have all those lovely leaves and stem tips to clean up. Flowers are then placed in 1 of 3 locations depending on their particular needs. We either place them out in room temperature air, cooled air in our cool room or directly in the cooler if they are extra delicate. 1-2 Days Prior to the Wedding: Now, this is when all the fun starts! We get to start arranging and playing with the flowers to create the bouquets, centerpieces and other arrangements. We always start with the bridal bouquet. We handpick the biggest, the fluffiest, the most luxurious blooms for the bridal bouquet. After all, it is her special day. We separate each bouquet’s recipe in their vase and then we play. Typically, we start each bouquet with a bed of greenery. The greenery is there to help support the more fragile flowers and create a grid to hold the other stems in place. A bouquet can be done without any greenery of all of course. For those, we typically do the “French-Twist” or “European style” hand-tied bouquet. The French Twist may sound tricky but it is one of the easier and more time-efficient methods. Plus we love the beautiful spiral the stems create when you are finished. A true test of the French Twist is to see if the bouquet stands on its own. If properly spiraled and cut, the bouquet should be able to balance on the stems and stand on level ground on its own. Once we have the bouquet all set we do a preliminary wrap in bind wire or bouquet tape to hold the stems in place. We give them all a fresh cut and place the bouquet back into freshwater. Similar to the bouquets, we collect each ingredient for the centerpiece recipe and place them in their holders. We then decide on our mechanics. Are we going to need floral foam, chicken wire, a floral frog or really anything at all? Our favorite mechanics to use are chicken wire and the floral fog. They are both made from metal and completely reusable. We find that to be a more environmentally friendly approach than floral foam. Once assembled the centerpieces are placed back into the cool room and there they wait till the wedding day. The Evening Before the Wedding: It’s now crunch time for us and now is when we start some of the finishing touches. We wrap the bouquets with their ribbon, we shine the vases and create our plan of attack for the next day. We now try and devise a plan for travel. How will all of these fit in the car? Will we need a second car or a truck, maybe a truck and a trailer? Yes, one of our December weddings will require us to have a full truck and trailer as we will need to cut six fresh balsam fir Christmas trees for the wedding. We will prep the boutonnieres and wrap them with their twine or ribbon and prep the flowers for the corsages. We typically like to make the flowers that will be out of water on the day of the wedding last, so they are incredibly fresh and last throughout the evening. We’re typically up till 11 pm or midnight the day before and then back up at 5 am the morning of the wedding. We’re perfectionists ourselves so we want to make sure we have enough time to make sure everything is absolutely perfect come wedding day. Check out our last installment of the #BehindtheScenes blog coming soon. We will explore the wedding day and share our secrets on how we pull it all off as husband and wife team. |
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