Fresh flowers are gorgeous. You can't beat the smells, textures, and colors of beautiful blooms. Sure we'd love to have them in our homes all the time, but lets face it, they can be expensive and of course they only last so long. I've worked with Afloral on a few projects before, like this colorful table setting I styled, and wedding arch, and if you want to be surrounded by flowers all the time faux should be considered as a great alternative. Today I'm going to show you how to create a beautiful modern moody floral arrangement using faux blooms.
This post has been moved. Please find it now on my new baby and kid focused blog, Hazel & Ollie. There I'll be sharing all kinds of inspiration from nursery decor, kids fashion, maternity and new born shoots and more!
I keep asking myself why it's taken me such a long time to write this post. I keep putting it off, and finding reasons not to do it. I guess the easiest answer would be that by putting it into words, it's all very real. 2015 was our last year doing wedding florals. There, I said it. Trust me, I am at peace with the decision, it was a long time coming. However it's hard to put the past 8 years into words. Doing wedding florals has brought me so much happiness and joy, some of the most stressful moments of my life, and really "tested my metal" so to speak.
My heart is so grateful for all the amazing couples who put their faith in us to make their day beautiful, to all the amazing vendors we've worked with over the years. To my mom who has been my design assistant and right hand woman from the beginning. To my husband who put up with the mess in our house, the crazy schedule, and hauling countless boxes. To my family who were there to lend extra hands whenever they were needed. To all of you I say thank you a million times over. Now here are a few of my favorite images from each of the weddings we did this year.
I've never done flowers for an Indian wedding here in Kansas City, unfortunately for me. I've always wanted too, but never had the chance, so when Madi of Madison Sanders Events asked me to take part in this inspiration shoot I jumped at the opportunity. When I wrote Middle of the Map Weddings, I got the chance to share a handful of Indian weddings, and I always found them so inspiring. Not only the gorgeous colors and decor, but also the beautiful traditions behind the events that make up a wedding event. We had an amazing team for this one, and I'm so glad that I got to be involved.
This was my first time every making a varmala. I wanted to coordinate with the lovely colors of the models green and gold sari. I used gold beads along with white and green mums and carnations. It took a lot more flowers, and was way heavier than I expected.
Madi did all the lovely gold lettering and signage that you see in this shoot. She is a calligraphy master.
This is probably my favorite shot from the day. I just adore all the beautiful colors and textures that Paper Crane Photo captured here.
Today's wedding is simple, but gorgeous. If you guys know me, then you know that I'm a huge supporter of the DIY movement. My floral design journey actually started when I created all the flowers for my own wedding. I always jump at the chance to work with couples who are doing a DIY wedding, and create special personal flowers to supplement all their projects. I think it helps take the stress of them, and I get to be a small part of their lovely days.
Erin was such an easy bride to work with. She and her fiance Cody were getting married out at the family farm, so she wanted her bouquets to have a wildflower feel to them, but still some knock out blooms like ranunculus and garden roses. Cody's love of beer was even incorporated with hops in the boutonnieres. We kept the bridesmaids simple with babies breath bouquets, the perfect counterpoint to their mix and match pastel dresses. A huge thank you to Erin and Cody for having us as part of your day!
It's good to love what you do, and pretty much everytime I work on a wedding I say to myself "This is the best wedding we've ever done", and I absolutely mean it. Not in a braggy way, but in a, "look how beautiful we made someones day" way.
We've done lots of weddings since Adrienne and Pat's spring affair from 2014 (yes I'm way behind on blogging here), but it still lands in the top five of all the weddings florals for me. There were so many details, and so many gorgeously unique moments, like the custom wood sign, the hanging floral installation, and Adrienne's bouquet (to die for peonies happening here). It was a true collaboration with the couple, and I think that shows through with the lovely things we were able to create for their day. Here's some of my favorite images, and man it was tough to cut them down (from over 100+ favorites). Enjoy, and thanks to Adrienne and Pat for letting us be part of your beautiful day!
I mean, those bridesmaids dresses, so amazing. I love the mismatched bridal trend, and these ladies are all on point with their choices!
We showed the guys some love too. Each one of these beautiful boutonnieres was a work of art, and we made al of them just a little bit different and unique.
The reception decor was a total knock out. Guests entered the event and signed oars which acted as the couples guest book. We had flowers everywhere, including this beautiful hanging installation right as guests entered the reception space.
Carly and Drew's wedding was the very definition of classic. Both ceremony and reception took place at Grand Street Cafe's special event space. A palette of black and white with just a touch of green made for a simple, elegant look. Her bouquet was lush and romantic with peonies, garden roses, and lisianthus, and the greenery centerpieces were some of my favorites we've made. So simple, but modern and fresh (and the views not bad either). Thank you so much to Carly and Drew for letting us be part of your day. Images by emmy-ray and Dasa Photography.
Hillary and Matt's wedding was my first back post baby, and it was the perfect way to kick off the 2014 wedding season. Hillary is a friend from high school. It's so funny to think that when you meet someone when you're 14 years old, you never dream that someday you'll be doing their wedding flowers. However I love that I've been able to be a part of almost all my high school friends big days. Hillary and Matt wanted their blooms in beautiful jewel tones of plum and purple with touches of emerald, and peacock. I took care of the personal flowers, and then Matt, who used to work in a floral shop, DIY'd all the reception arrangements. Everything turned out so lovely, and I felt lucky to be a part of their big day. A huge thank you to Hillary and Matt, and to Dennis Lee Photography for the lovely images. Ceremony and reception held at the beautiful Berg Event Space.
Sometimes the stars just align, and things fall into place, which is exactly what happened for this shoot. I was lucky enough to work in it with my good friend Jana, for E A Bride Magazine, and it still remains one of my favorites ever. When we were brainstorming the shoot we decided we wanted to do something really different. Tons of color, texture, and lots of flowers that you usually don't see used for weddings. We were able to partner with some amazing vendors, and I'm also probably partial to venue since we shot in my house. Anyway, enough talking, here's some of my favorite shots!
Aren't Amy and Peter the cutest? They're a real married couple, and this ended up being the cover shot for the magazine.
And here's a few behind the scenes shots. The end results are always beautiful, but you never know what's going on behind the scenes to get that perfect shot!
Participating vendors who made this beautiful shoot possible:
This is Nicole and Frank, and I love them. For one thing I loved creating gorgeous, classic florals in beautiful fall hues for their wedding. For another thing, they are family :) Nicole is my cousin, and Frank felt like part of our family long before the got married. For her flowers, Nicole wanted to keep her bouquet classic and white, but with a touch of graphic black to match the rest of their event. The rest of the florals were bright with corals, peaches, oranges, and reds, a little bit modern with a nod to fall. My aunt sewed all the beautiful runners, and the rooftop views at The Urban Event completed their gorgeous reception. Thank you guys for letting us be part of your wonderful wedding! Beautiful photos by Nick Allen Photo.
xo ~ Emily
We wrapped Nicole's bouquet in a piece of her mom's wedding dress. And below is me awkwardly pinning a boutonniere to Frank's lapel.
Nicole also had me create this headpiece for her. She brought me a vintage brooch made of gold leaves, and I added the rhinestones and embellishments to spice it up. It perfectly fit their day! I love how the bouquets pop against the black bridesmaids dresses.
