And the winner is...

Congratulations to our Minted giveaway winner, Melissa! I heard that she is throwing a "Century Party" this year...a celebration of the family farm that was purchased waaaaaaaaayyy back in 1912. What a fantastic idea for a fun summer event! I hope that the darling cards from Minted help make the celebration extra special!

And if you are looking for sweet Easter invitations, check out Minted's Painted Easter Invites. They are so adorable, and I'm proud that they were designed by two Seattleites, Alethea and Ruth. There are a lot of talented, good peeps in our little neck of the woods! I might just have to order some custom stationery in their "Initial Wreath" pattern. It's my absolute fave!

Giveaway! Save-the-dates coming your way!

Yikes! Life has been busy! But as thanks for hangin' with me, I have a great little giveaway this week! Minted is launching tons of beautiful new wedding invitations right now, and they also have fun and unique save the dates. They are celebrating all of their new designs by generously sharing 50 save the dates with a Fiore fresco reader! Take a peek around their site, and leave a short note in the comments section here about which design is your favorite. Leave your comments by Friday at 5 pm, and the winner will be announced next Monday!

May the odds be ever in your favor! (I had to. Because I'm counting the minutes. Literally. Tick Tock.)

Elsewhere in the blogosphere...

A few of my recent faves that I've written over on Junebug:

Edible jewels, for the most glamorous dessert buffet you've ever seen!

This exquisite real wedding at the Art Institute of Chicago has a stunning gown/venue combination. Bride Emily's Marchesa gown was an inspired choice!

Sweet, charming fabric inspiration for wedding invitations, decor, accessories, and even the guys! Isn't that groom in his ascot the handsomest thing you've ever seen?!

Yep! That's the groom on Grandma's ears. And the happy couple perched on her head. Wanna know more? 

I'm having a ball, writing over there. Hope you join me!

Real Weddings: Lyndsey + Robert

Some gorgeous beauties from the LOVELY ladies at Belathee Photography...those girls are generous, kind, and talented! This was a fun one! I fell in love with my new favorite Washington getaway: Cave B Winery. Just check out the views in these! I had fun working with my very favorite guy, Travis McBurney of True Colors Events. And Lyndsey's family? As welcoming and warm as can be. (And yes, that's a custom Luly Yang Lyndsey's rockin'. With beautiful yellow shoes. Perfection!)

Run away with me!

(But don't forget to pack your bouquet!)

A sweet image from sweeter Barbie Hull, of an elopement we did a few weeks ago, coordinated by Megan Keller.  The scent of this bouquet rocked!  The ceremony was at The Herbfarm (followed by the reception there as well...dinner for two!), so the flowers had to smell amazing.  "Patience" and "White Majolica" garden roses with French lavender.  Yum.

A little news, hot off the press!

Bopping in tonight to tell you a little news...are you sitting down for this? As of a little earlier this week, I've joined up with Junebug Weddings as their newest team member! As part of the editorial team, I'll be reporting on wedding ideas, trends, and stories through their award-winning blog, What Junebug Loves.

Fiore Blossoms? I'll still be here, multi-tasking my little heart out.  We have a busy summer booked, and we have PLANS!  Plans that involve peonies, boats, huge mercury glass vases, really sweet brides that are becoming new friends, delicate vintage ribbons, and collaborating with some phenomenal wedding planners. I wouldn't miss any of that for the world!

Fiore fresco will still be around as well. Over at Junebug, I'll get my fancy on with gorgeous real weddings and other work submitted by some of the world's best talent in the wedding industry. Please stop by often and visit!  And here at Fiore fresco, I'll get to post pictures of my macaron attempts, garden, and silly children; shamelessly self-promote with photos of my pretty flowers and decor; and ramble on about my favorite ideas, books, food, etc. like I've always done.

Looking forward to new opportunities, fantastic colleagues, and learning new things. It's going to be bananas!

Beautiful Baubles

I'm head over heels for these little repurposed beauties from Alona Freeman.  Wedding-perfect, but maybe just right for spring too!

Real Weddings: Olivia + Mike (aka Fairy Tale Beginnings)

Posting Mari and Tim's wedding earlier this week reminded me that I had stashed another beauty from Carol Harrold.  Olivia and Mike were married at De Lille Cellars, a gorgeous winery just outside of Seattle (though you'd swear you are in France when you're there).  O and M might have been the most loving, sweet couple I've worked with to date.  Their path to the alter had had a few twists and turns, and they were truly thrilled to be starting the rest of their lives--together. 

At our first meeting, Olivia hilariously described her style as "Goth Chic". I had a such a good time coming up with flowers that would fit that description.  Dark callas, burgundy cymbidium orchids, scabiosa and love-in-a-mist pods, hypericum berries, and "Black Bacarra" roses comprised her bouquet. 

De Lille's ceremony area is in a beautiful clearing, surrounded by tall trees and fields of fluffy white sheep.  We left the decor simple, but framed the entrance to the clearing with two huge foresty masses of foliage and burgundy flowers hanging from wrought iron shepherd hooks.  We echoed the design down the aisle with hanging vases of textured arrangements.

Fairy Tale Beginnings.  They're real.

Real Weddings: Mari + Tim

I'm so glad to be looking at these pictures today, in the middle of winter.  I don't know if it is Carol Harrold's amazing photography, Inglewood's beautiful grounds, the pretty colors in the summery bouquets, all the lace on my new chuppah, or Mari's gorgeous and infectious smile, but this wedding just feels like SUMMER!  And it is the only thing that feels like summer around here right now, so I'm appreciating it that much more.  Enjoy!