Wedding flowers by Scarlet Petal Florist Chicago, IL

Modern Thanksgiving Table Decor

Happy Thanksgiving! We have a lot to be thankful for this year and much of it goes out to all of you. I hope everyone enjoys their holiday surrounded by friends, family, and good food!

If you're one of the lucky ones hosting Thanksgiving 2011, you might still be wondering how to decorate your tabletop. Not everyone's a florist, but you can be one this Thursday! Here are a few tips to consider while setting your table:

1. Think groups - whether it's candles, vases, flowers, etc... place them in groups instead of scattered about the table. For example, instead of placing one votive candle by itself, group four of them together for a more vibrant impact.
2. Think monofloral - while visiting your local grocery store, pickup a few bunches of flowers and place each type in their own vase. It really showcases the beauty of the flower instead of detracting when mixed with others.
3. Think monochromatic - decide on your favorite color and stick with it. Monochromatic doesn't have to mean one color. It means staying within a color palette. For example, if you select the color orange this year, consider bringing in shades of peach, tangerine, rust, and terracotta.

Here are a few pictures to help illustrate my suggestions. I would love to see some of your creations after the holidays. Feel free to post them on our facebook page.

Enjoy!

The Perfect Palette

Happy Monday! I had to dedicate this entry to all of the brides out there who are overwhelmed with choosing their color palette. This past weekend, I met with three new brides who needed some guidance.

To simplify it, there are a few things to consider:

1. Season: To some it seems obvious, if you're married in fall you're likely to pick an autumn palette of burgundy, rust orange, and gold. For others who are married in summer, the colors are endless. How do you narrow down your options? Read on...
2. Room/Space: Often times the color of the room will influence your decision. However, what about those who choose a blank canvas like local favorites Prairie Production or West Loop Studios? I say the sky's the limit! Pick colors that best represent you and your better half.
3. Lighting: If you've found a reception site that has very little or no natural light consider choosing a lighter color palette. This will most definitely brighten up the space and reflect more candlelight if being used.
4. Flowers: Of course! I know some of you come in with one flower type in mind. Lately I've been receiving a ton of requests for peonies, but unfortunately peonies are not available in a variety of shades (or seasons for that matter). 
5. Theme: For example, if you're a romantic bride in love with soft, frilly flowers you may lean towards a muted palette like blush, cream, and celadon. If you're a whimsical bride, you might consider a vibrant palette of pinks, oranges, and purples.

I came across a fabulous blog called The Perfect Palette. It offers a ton of advice on color palettes, tablescapes, and flower choices. Here's one of my favorite boards I stole of their site.

Enjoy!

Winter Wonderland Wedding Inspiration

Whoo, baby it's cold outside! I think at the present moment the temperture (with the wind) is a toasty 8 degrees. That won't put a damper on the winter wonderland weddings we have in store for this weekend. There will be bits of silver, sparkle, and tulle throughout. I'll be sure to post photos next week so stay tuned!

In the meantime, I thought I would post a few photos of inspiration for those of you who are planning your own winter wonderland wedding. Not only does winter provide you with a fresh and crisp blanket of snow, but it may also save you money since it falls in the off-season here in Chicago.

Stay warm!

 

Melissa Rivers Stunning Ceremony by Preston Bailey

A more modest version of Melissa Rivers Wedding

Ice Bar Anyone?

A beautiful birch processional aisle paired with Martha Stewart's spider mum trio

I had to throw in a bit of whimsy...balloons and ornaments!

Hawaii's Unique Red Heart Photo

If only we lived in Hawaii! The flowers are plentiful and the vegetation is lush. Thank goodness for airplanes that fly in these pretty blooms daily to the mainland.You might associate Hawaii with orchids and you should, but we actually buy more orchids from 1/2 way across the globe from countries like Malaysia and Thailand. They're half the cost, but nothing beats the beauty of a Hawaiian orchid.

I recently stumbled upon a real wedding shot in Hawaii and the photos were fabulous! I  was so excited that I jumped on the photographers site, Red Heart Photo, to learn more about who was behind the lens. Simply stated, "Marina Miller, specializing in destination weddings, lifestyle portraits, and photojournalism. Located in Hawaii. Have camera, will travel." Here are few images from her website, but there are tons!!! of wedding images on her blog to inspire you. Enjoy!

 

 

Color inspiration at your fingertips!

Color seems to be on everyone's mind when it comes to planning a wedding. It's best to have it defined early in the process since it touches so many aspects like invitations, bridesmaids' dresses, and flower decor. 

A few days ago I posted a color test from TheKnot.com - it was short and sweet, but I was SUPER excited when I stumbled upon this site out of the UK. It's called Colour Lovers. It's your one-stop-shop for everything color stemming from home, fashion, print, wedding, and craft trends. Here you can create your own color palette, wedding pattern, or even browse the latest magazines for what's "hot" in the industry. They even have others posting their wedding inspiration boards and discussion rooms where brides can share ideas from across the globe.

Here's a few cool ideas I've pulled to inspire you. Have fun!

 

Rain, Rain, go away...

Looking out the window today can make you feel kind of blah. There are broken tree branches all over our front lawn (must have been a rough storm last night) and big mud puddles in the street. At least our new azalea plant is getting some much needed water.

How about a little sunshine! Sunshine in the flower world = craspedia (often referred to as billly balls). They're bright little yellow balls, always arriving perfect in shape and color. They're available year round and we just love working with them!

Here are a few sunny "postcards" I'm sending your way. Happy Friday!

 

Photo Credits: flowerbasket.com;meredith.com;inbloomeventdesign.com

Photo Inspiration: Spring Escort Card Table

I always find it tricky when trying to describe on paper one of our complicated floral pieces. It's like trying to describe a Picasso piece or the concept of cubism without the painting. Note: For all of you brides out there, trust is something that you must have in your designer.

Luckily for me, Melissa and Alan (our lovely bride and groom from last week) did! In fact, I worked with them solely via email until the day of their wedding. They lived in New York, read about us on Yelp and viola! - a match was made.

This was the piece I attempted to describe in their contract. I absolutely loved the way came together! It sat right in the middle of the hall of the Omni Hotel leading into their reception and served as their escort card table.

The flowers we used were flown in from our fabulous supplier in Holland. It's never a guarantee when importing fresh cut flowers, but this past week was a winner! The orange parrot tulips and fuchsia french tulips were crisp as could be, and the fuchsia spray roses were nearly the size of a standard rose. All of us girls were just giddy at the studio - what's funny is that we were giddy over common flowers we work with on a weekly basis.  Goes to show you how excited we get over the simple things in life.

Enjoy!