Tuesday, August 7, 2012

Olympic Victory Bouquets

Gabby Douglas, with her Victory Bouquet and a little jewelry

I knew there had to be a story behind the pretty blooms of the Olympic Victory Bouquets. If anyone honors the traditional meanings of flowers, it is the British! Jane Packer Ltd, a London institution, was asked to create the bouquets. From their website:

JANE PACKER  are proud to have been selected to design and produce the "Victory Bouquet" for the medal winners at the  London 2012 Olympics. 4,800 floral bouquets will be presented to athletes along with medals during the Victory Ceremonies. The flowers and herbs in the bouquet are British grown and are  made with the help of floristry students across the country.

The Victory Bouquet was designed by our creative director, Susan Lapworth, to reflect the energy and vibrancy of the London 2012 Games.


The bouquet is sectioned into boldly coloured quadrants to mirror the 2012 logo. These are separated by typical British food ingredients which also provide an eclectic fragrance. All of the components of the bouquet had to be able to be grown in Britain, a key aim for us. We have chosen British grown herbs, lavender, apple mint and rosemary.  These provide an eclectic fragrance which is important to enhance the ‘moment’ of triumph for the athlete without causing an allergic reaction which some heavily scented flowers often do. Along with these herbs, we have included wheat, a source of energy, to reflect the ‘energy lines' of the London 2012 theme that has been an influence throughout the design process.

We chose a bright and vibrant colour theme that not only reflects the colours used in the 2012 logo but also throughout the London 2012 games. This vivid combination creates visual impact, which will also enhance the athlete's moment of victory.

For more, check out this fun, behind the scenes look at making the bouquets at Writtle College by Flowerona.

Tuesday, July 31, 2012

Who Needs Perfume? Just Wear A Jasmine Dress!


Can you imagine the fragrance? This gorgeous dress, shown in these even more gorgeous images from Jonas Peterson, is made of jasmine flowers. Jasmine FLOWERS! I have to warn you that after seeing this, I'm no longer content with my wardrobe as is. And if you invite me to your fancy party, I might just arrive wearing a crazy concoction like this. And by crazy, I mean astoundingly awesome.

Monday, July 30, 2012

Real Wedding: Jennifer + Brandon's Romantic Garden Wedding

More today from Jennifer and Brandon's wedding. A little after my self-imposed deadline, but you know what they say. And I'm keeping it brief. By the time you read this, I'll be relaxing, lounging, and wishing for sun on Orcas Island. If you aren't from Washington and you are planning a visit, you can't possible come here and skip the San Juans. If you are from Washington and haven't spent time there, well...the rest of us disown you.

Anyway, Jennifer and Brandon's wedding was held at her childhood home "Sunnyside Farm". They were wed with with a traditional hand-fasting ceremony, performed by her mother, that incorporated elements from cultures around the world, as they wanted to speak to the "universal truth of love". Oh, and it was under the magnificent tree where they shared their first kiss. But just take a look. It's all pretty romantic, in my humble opinion.



















Pretty gorgeous stuff, huh? All of this fantastic pink garden-wedding pretty was created by:

Photographer: One Love Photo
Event Planner: True Color Events
Wedding Gown: Luly Yang Couture
Floral Design: Fiore Blossoms
Linens: Choice Linens
DJ: Austin Beaver
Vintage Rentals: Fiore Blossoms
Ice Cream Truck: Molly Moon's
Cake Topper: Ann Wood

If you haven't had enough, check out their sweet, poignant wedding video by Cabfare Productions, and  Jennifer and Brandon's feature on Junebug Weddings.

Wednesday, July 25, 2012

Raf Simon's Flower Maze for Dior Couture

Dior has, of late, been absolutely bewitching me. First, they go and make Marion Cotillard - truly the most beautiful woman in the world - their new girl. That piqued my interest. But with this maze of flower walls that new creative director Raf Simons created...they have BLOWN MY MIND.

Friday, July 20, 2012

Jennifer and Brandon's Romantic, Rustic Backyard Wedding - Live on Junebug Weddings Today!


Jennifer and Brandon's backyard wedding, filled with vintage touches and the most romantic blooms, was one of my favorites last year! Besides the great team of people I got to work with, J&B were the sweetest couple; Sunnyside Farm was like a mini-escape each time I came out to plan, and their family just welcomed me in.  It was also such a lesson in karma...for this kind, loving pair, the sun fought through the terrible rain that had made for a soggy day, and they were able to have their hand-fasting ceremony that spoke to the "Universal Force of Love" under the tree where they had shared their first kiss. Seriously, I just loved being part of this amazing day!

It's live on Junebug today, and I'll share a few more flower pictures from their off-the-hook beautiful wedding day next week, right here. Have a great weekend!

Monday, July 16, 2012

Real Wedding: Kristie + John


Kristie and John's wedding day at The Willows Lodge in Woodinville, Washington was filled with vibrant color! They chose a striking color palette of navy, chartreuse, and fuchsia with local dahlias, exotic orchids, and a zillion granny smith apples providing the color. Loved working with the sweet couple (how did Chick-fil-A come up at every meeting?) and my favorite guys, Travis and Jesse from True Colors Events (how do we end up laughing so much at every meeting?). Thank you Sarah Rhoads for the pretty photos!















Monday, July 2, 2012

Ranunculus and Icelandic Poppies in Bright Coral, Pink and Orange - Amy's Bridal Bouquet

Amy's springtime wedding at Lord Hill Farms in Snohomish was filled with bright shades of pink, orange, and yellow, and romantic blossoms of Juliet garden roses, ranunculus, Iceland poppies, and fragrant hyacinth. I gathered the stems together with a mix of new and vintage silk ribbons in shades of coral. A happy bridal bouquet for a happy wedding day!

Tuesday, March 20, 2012

Bringing Nature Home by Ngoc Minh Ngo and Nicolette Owens


File this under the "I wish I'd done this..." category! But in truth, I'm so glad that it was Nicolette Owen of Brooklyn's Nicolette Camille and The Little Flower School  who created the stunning arrangements "Bringing Nature Home: Floral Arrangements Inspired by Nature"  book that will be released March 27. Nicolette is CRAZY talented, and has teamed up with fantastic writer and photographer Ngoc Minh Ngo to share her wisdom, talent, ideas, and a whole heapin' pile of eye candy. Deborah Needleman, of Domino fame, wrote the forward--bestowing upon it the highest stamp of approval in the design world. Some of my all-time favorite Nicolette Owen designs:








For a little more Nicolette before March 27, check out this sneak peek on Design*Sponge of her darling, flower-filled apartment!

Photo Credits: (1) Pink garden roses with white clematis, photo by Jayd Gardina, (6) Pink peony bouquet photo by Susan Stripling via Elizabeth Ann Designs

Sunday, March 18, 2012

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!




Monday, March 5, 2012

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.)