A great video describing the process, origin, and design of the pretty, pretty royal wedding flowers! I love this modern couple. Besides the fact that Kate chose to have her dress made by one of my two very favorite designers (the AMAZING Sarah Burton who had the near impossible task of carrying on the Alexander McQueen label after his untimely death last year...and who is miraculously performing the task to perfection), they sourced ALL of their flowers from the various royal properties. Nothing was imported. The resulting designs reflected their heritage, kingdom, natural beauty, and commitment to sustainable practices. The video is gorgeous...tons of lily-of-the-valley, white lilac, and euphorbia. I would have given almost anything just to be part of the giant floral team that pulled this off. It would have been fascinating just to be their water girl or floor sweeper and watch the process!
Kate's bouquet? Petite and elegant, very tasteful and traditional. The bouquet almost echoed the French lace overlay on her dress, being composed of a collection of meaningful but tiny blooms. Love how the small scale of each bloom produced the overall lace effect.
I highly doubt that the meaning behind the floral varieties in the bouquet escaped the detailed princess. Together, the meanings seem to really sum up what we know about William and Kate:
Myrtle: love, joy
Lily-of-the-valley: purity, sweetness
Sweet William (awww!): gallantry
Hyacinth: games and sport
The mastermind behind all of it was Shane Connolly, "Supplier of Flowers for Events, by Appointment to HRH The Prince of Wales". Report over for now...off to drink a boatload of coffee after my middle of the night wedding vigil. Happy weekend!
My fancy espresso machine that is one of my most prized possessions is on week four at the repair shop...which means I've been spending a lot of time thinking about coffee. Ok, I always spend a lot of time thinking about coffee, but I just appreciate a steaming pick-me-up more than ever right now, since it's a little harder to get. But I've been thinking this morning, as I'm drinking some Starbucks VIA--which is actually surprisingly good!--how much I love my favorite mug.
It's a mug with a beautiful swirly "A" that one of my favorite brides gave me after her wedding. It's fun to have a personalized mug with your initial, and there are several great ones out there! I think they'd be a great gift to tuck into welcome bags with some local coffee. They show that you really thought about each guest individually, and they'll think about your event for years to come whenever they are having a cup of something cozy.
If you are in Seattle, some of my very favorite coffees are from Caffe Fiore (and not just for their awesome name!), Zoka, and Stumptown. Stumptown is really from Portland, but is so delicious that I'd consider bending the local rules a little and using it since they have opened a store here now.
A few more details from Kristin and Trevor's beautiful October wedding at the Rainier Club. Thanks La Vie for the beautiful photography! And a huge thank you to Kristin and Trevor for the opportunity to be part of your day. You were a joy to work with!
I've been so remiss in posting these beautiful images that La Vie Photography took of Kristin and Trevor's wedding last October. It was an elegant, cozy, and STYLISH soiree. Kristin (both on her wedding day and at every meeting we had) is absolutely gorgeous with impeccable style...very tailored but feminine. (Kristin--I'll trade you anniversary flowers every year for some free personal styling help, any day!). Their chosen venue was the Rainier Club in Seattle. It's a fantastic old club. It manages to be beautiful and luxurious, but also very comfortable without the least bit of stuffy going on. And La Vie! I seriously can't ever get enough of Kim and Adam's pictures. They are always magical. Enjoy!
Soft, romantic white bouquets full of texture, blowsy ruffly blossoms, tight green buds, and fragrance are one of my very favorite looks for brides. While being somewhat traditional, I'm happy to report that they also seem to be the chicest trend this year.
I love how the bride that carried the bouquet shown above used it as an inspiration point for the table centerpieces (that's pretty common), but in a delightful and unexpected way. She ordered a cake for each table, decorated with blooms that complimented her gorgeous bouquet. Each cake was slightly different, and each was cut later to serve the guests that had enjoyed it as a centerpiece during the dinner hour.
The beautiful cakes and sugar flowers are from Perfect Endings in California. You could also order cakes through your baker, and organic pesticide-free flowers from your florist. I hope someday my centerpiece construction for an event means decorating 15 beautiful cakes!
It seems people are really trying to bring unique elements into their ceremonies and receptions. I think I speak for everyone in the industry when I say that we see some incredibly creative, successful, meaningful, and beautiful twists on tradition...and we also see some complete flops! I think this would be such a memorable and yummy twist on the expected!
I'd be...sitting on one of these fantastic toadstools (from Sugar & Fluff),
drinking this seriously pretty Ramos gin fizz (made by Bryn Lumsden of Rob Roy via Seattle Met),
ordering these fantastic stickers for all of the soon-to-arrive-babies around here (no! not at my house!). They stick to a onesie and look just like they've been ironed on, but peel right off. How perfect for photos throughout the first year! Created by a Seattle mom, and also available with tummy stickers for those pregnancy photos, and years through 12.
The short version...work, , coffee, work, eat, music, work, music, sleep from 2 am - 6 am, work, work, coffee, coffee, music, snap a photo of the rainbow that all the work had produced, go to wedding. Work, work, cry as bride and groom walked down to "Forever" by Ben Harper, work, work, eat awesome meal, work, work, get some blessed sleep! More pictures of Carina and Matt's awesome event soon.
A few tidbits, with very little writing. My brain is tired from collecting an entire rainbow of blooms today, in preparation for Carina and Matt's celebration on Saturday. (Think blank-slate art gallery with reclaimed wood floors and 40' high ceilings...black and white damask...flowers in every shade of the rainbow, gathered into dramatic monochromatic bouquets).
Oh, what do we have here? A sweet girl with some...bird wings?
A very interesting article from the NYT Home & Garden section this week. I'm fascinated by the role of the economy on visual aesthetics within our homes; particularly the meaning of the interiors that an economic slump produces. And maybe this explains my shelves of dead things in my living room (coral, alliums, shelf fungus, Araucana eggs, feathers, birds' nests, even a crocodile head--it comes together, really!). And interesting to consider how the current decor will be perceived in years to come. Just read it already.
Thanks Urban Unveiled for featuring Fiore Blossoms this week. Love you guys, everything you do for the Seattle (and beyond) wedding industry, and being part of your group. The feature shows a few of my all-time favorite flower photos, and a little more info about my background and favorite wedding moments.
Do you ever think about this situation? About the universe, scale and perspective? I do.
