One of my brides from earlier in the summer wanted a rather old-world, old-fashioned look for the reception and selected a palette of creams, whites, and greens in antiqued vessels - half of which were my vintage metal containers that have a ring of dangling crystals, and the other half were gilded stone urns. We designed similar arrangements for the church - enormous creations of dozens of lilies and peonies - the scent of which is truly the essence of summer.
In contrast to this, the bride wanted a clean, plain, and very colorful bridesmaids bouquets to set off the navy blue of the bridesmaids' dresses - so I created classic nosegays of blushing akito and donna roses - orange and pink. For her own bouquet, we went with a tiny teardrop of all phalaenopsis orchids to set off her beautiful, detailed gown.
The contrasts worked: the bright colors with the cool navy, the lush designs of various white and cream flowers against the plain cream cloths, the simple orchids with the richly detailed gown.
Variety, when executed properly, delights the eye and I think that's what your guests remember most about your wedding day - the way it looked and the way they felt as a result. I am sure these guests felt almost magically transported to another time. A time of long summer days and old-fashioned blooms and soft light. Magic!
Flowers pictured include: Casablanca lilies, snapdragon, larkspur, peonies, Tibet roses, hydrangea, dendrobium orchid sprays, lemon leaf, pittosporum, and Israeli ruscus.
