Rediscovering a Color: Peach

Just like in fashion, colors and shapes have a way of being 'in' or 'out' in floral design. In the '80s, I did hundreds of multi-colored arrangements, cascading bouquets, and floral headwreaths. The color peach was also huge, and I did many all-peach or peach and white weddings well into the mid-'90s. Then, gradually, peach fell out of favor and I found myself working with it less and less if at all.

Peach is back and I'm thrilled because it's so fun to rediscover a neglected color - it makes flowers look fresh again and I find it so inspiring. The possibilities are endless because Peach goes so well with so many other colors.

For Amy and Marco's wedding at Overbrook Golf Club, I created peach arrangements in washed stone pedestal containers. I used three shades of peach roses, stock, a hint of white hydrangea, apples and of course, peaches. I set these on green damask cloths and the effect was breathtaking - so summery and light - perfect for an August wedding!

I am looking forward to working with this color again soon - what fun!

Simple vases of roses for the cocktail tables on the terrace...

Placecard table in center hall...

Perfectly Pink

So many flowers come in so many shades of pink - from the palest of blushes to the deepest of fuchsias - it really is fun to explore and see how many you can find.

For Danielle and Mike's wedding at Overbrook Golf Club in July, I created all-pink arrangements of pink and white hydrangea, snapdragon, larkspur, three shades of pink roses, and veronica in glass compotes. Danielle also wanted me to create huge floral initials of D and M, which we hung on either side of the ballroom doors. The effect was lovely and the room looked summery and fresh.

We set the placecards on the piano in the living room - 

Simple cocktail table centerpieces of candles and pink hydrangea - 

Sweetheart table -

D is for Danielle - the flower initials stood on either side of the main door into the ballroom. Very pretty and very effective!

And M is for Mike -

The bridesmaids carried bouquets of three shades of pink roses and pink ranunculus - stunning!

Danielle's bouquet had white peonies, gardenias, freesia, and white roses. We attached her rosary beads to the handle to complete the look.

Working in Large Spaces

One of the challenges in choosing flowers for a wedding is determining what looks best in a given space - and not just the size and decor of the room, but the table size (6-foot or 5-foot), the number of guests, the dance floor, how the room flows, the lighting, and the time of day of the wedding. All of these elements must be taken into consideration - plus, of course, the colors and types of flowers the Bride likes.

For Meg and Curt's wedding, we needed to decorate over 20 tables at RiverCrest. RiverCrest has a wonderful large ballroom and I knew we'd need very large arrangements in order to make a visual impact. 

I used white hydrangea, white stock, an assortment of white roses, green apples, and ribbon for half of the centerpieces and for the other half, the bride purchased lanterns and I created three vases of apples and flowers to circle the lanterns. Extra-wide silk French ribbon - coordinated with the citrus green tablecloths and playing off of the chairs - completed the look and candles were everywhere. Everything turned out gorgeous!

Here are a few shots of the placecard table - we used a lantern and created a terrarium-like arrangement in the middle.

The two kinds of centerpieces:

The bridesmaids carried lavender flowers - stock and freesia - with green hydrangea.

The mothers carried tiny nosegays similar to the bridesmaids, but with deep purple hydrangea as well.

The two flower girls carried wands - individual stalks of allium, tied off with ribbon - it was very sweet.