Real Wedding - Leanne and Drew

As promised, here are more images from recent weddings - this one from Leanne and Drew, who celebrated their wedding this past August at Newcastle Golf Club.
Leanne was just a pleasure to work with - for sure the most easy-going bride of the season. I just loved her - so sweet! Oh, and her dress - so different and fun!
Leanne's wedding flowers in bright summer colors of pinks and oranges just "popped" against the bright blue summer sky. Take a look at the wedding arch we created for her: the brightly colored roses and dahlias almost glowed in the sunlight. The rose heads attached to long colored wires gently swayed in the summer breeze - so romantic!
Her bouquet of all roses was designed with luxurious garden roses, full hybrid roses, and lushly petaled spray roses - all in hues of pink. The brides maids' bouquets, the ceremony flowers, as well as the guest table center pieces contained a mix of oranges and pinks.
Thank you Tania and Ken of Azzura Photography for yet another set of gorgeous photos!!

Real Wedding - Tiffany and Tyler

I recently received so many fabulous photos of weddings from this past summer that it is hard to keep up...
Today I am posting images of Tiffany and Tyler's wedding at the Woodmark Hotel last August - they enjoyed a beautiful sunny and warm wedding day by the lake.
Tiffany's color palette was ivory and chocolate brown with accents of burnt orange and some chartreuse green. The overal event decor reflected her elegant contemporary style: clean and dense bouquets, composite style center pieces, submerged orchids, deep contrasts of dark and light colors, clean lined accessories. Simply gorgeous!
Thank you Angie and Ashley from 1000 Word Photography for these beautiful images!

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Tiffany's bouquet of all white mini calla lilies

Brides maids' bouquets of burnt orange calla lilies, hydrangea, roses, ornithogallum, berzilia, chocolate cosmos

The aisle decor of mounds of white and green flowers on tall glass vases later served also as center pieces

Center piece of tall cylinder glass vase with submerged orchids, floating candle, and a ring of roses

Composite style center piece

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Stay tuned in coming days for more photos of real weddings!

Woodsy Centerpiece Idea

I enjoyed the Thanksgiving Holiday with friends at a cabin near Leavenworth in the Wanatchee Forest. While the turkey was cooking in the oven, we all went for a walk near Lake Wenatchee and gathered all kinds of treasure off the ground to create this very Northwest woodsy center piece with moss-covered branches, pine cones, rose hips, and evergreen twigs. All we had available at the cabin was the pillar candle.
So, next time you are strolling the Northwest woods, just look around you on the floor - the last winter storm probably knocked down all kinds of goodies to make a Northwest-themed center piece for your dinner table. It doesn't always need to be flowers ...

Seminar with Hitomi Gilliam

Earlier this week I traveled to Vancouver, B.C. to attend a seminar by one of the world's leading floral designers - Hitomi Gilliam, AIFD. We had organized this customized seminar with Hitomi for members of the Greater Seattle Floral Association (GSFA) - fortunately almost all GSFA members were able to attend so we were a great group of 12 Seattle wedding and event florists.
Hitomi is recognized as one of the most influential floral designers of our time - she has received many prestigious awards, has authored several design books, and is considered a true artist in her field.
I was (or still am) blown away by the creativity of Hitomi's work and her enthusiasm and energy as a teacher. We learned all about trends, colors, and new materials, and got inspiring new ideas for building and creating large scale designs. A fabulous class! I already implemented some of the new tricks for my wedding this weekend.

Elegant Bouquet with Bling!!

Recently I received incredible photos from Laura and Eric at Anthology Photography. They were shooting the gorgeous wedding of Bree and Brian last July.
Bree wanted lots of "bling" mixed with more unusual elements incorporated into her bouquet, so we used crystal bouquet jewels inserted directly into the flowers, wired crystals cascading from the bouquet, and more crystals to embellish the stem wrap. Mixed with garden roses, blushing bride, lady slipper and cymbidium orchids, fern curls, feathers, chocolate cosmos, and agonis foliage the outcome was stunning.
It sure was a super elegant bouquet with a sparkly twist to it!

Flora Nova Holiday Designs

This holiday season we would like to extend our holiday decoration services to all our friends, clients, and colleagues: let us decorate your home for the holidays or simply indulge in a beautiful floral center piece for your holiday dinner table. This is a chance for you to enjoy creations and designs by Flora Nova Design during the holiday season!

Holiday services range from decorating your tree, your entry way, your dinner table, or any area of high visibility - please book early!

Or you can simply just order a floral design for your dinner table. Holiday arrangements contain flowers and foliage mainly in orange, red, brown and cream color palettes (unless otherwise requested) and we offer each arrangement in the following price ranges:

• Fancy - $65 (hydrangea, some roses, various chrysanthemums, and foliage)
• Beautiful - $100 (same as above but bigger with orchids)
• Deluxe - $125 (same as above yet bigger and with more unusual elements)
• Or let us have fun and custom-design your table scape - customized options starting at $175.

[Delivery is free within Seattle city limits.]

We kindly request to please pre-order your Thanksgiving flowers by end of next week, November 14th to guarantee availability. For Holiday orders, please contact us by December 10th.

Centerpiece Options for Thanksgiving

Roses, hydrangea, chrysanthemum, with gourds, berries, or pomegranates

A design in purples with kale, roses, carnations, spider mums, and purple foliage:

Or a more earthy design with succulents, mosses, berries, branches, and rocks on a wooden tray:

Deluxe option in square glass vase with roses, leucadendron, cymbidium orchids, proteas, and more:
Design Options for the Holidays

Or some beautiful potted orchid plants embellished with holiday decor:

Or outdoor/indoor decor products ...

Luxurious custom designs are available upon special request. A consultation meeting prior to your order is highly recommended.

We hope to hear from you this holiday season!

Real Wedding - Sarah and Jared

Fabulous Sarah Rhoads recently gave me a couple of CDs with gorgeous pictures of weddings we worked on together this season. Choosing just a small sample of pictures was close to impossible, because I just loved every single one of them. I guess I mentioned before that I just love Sarah's work! :)
The adoreable couple Sarah and Jared got married at the Seattle Tennis Club on a balmy and sunny August evening - Lake Washington during sunset was simply a perfect backdrop for their wedding ceremony.
But without further ado, here are the photos ...

Urban Unveiled 2009 - What a Blast!

It was yet another great evening! Last night we participated in another Urban Unveiled show - a "Wedding Event like no other...". It truly is like no other: so elegant, so fun, so stylish! It was not only great to see so many fabulous colleague-friends there, but also to talk to many fantastic brides and grooms who visited the show.
For our own table, draped in chocolate and with lots of gold accents, we designed a gorgeous orchid center piece featuring masses of rust and gold cymbidium orchids (with a total of ~140 blooms!), fern curls, gold roses, and brown foliage. Wow - truly a show piece!

We used a spotlight, illuminating the design at night and bringing out the warm and rich colors beautifully.
Table, Chivari chairs, underlays, plates, flatware, and gold rimmed glasses all courtesy of Pedersen's Party Rentals. Beautiful embroidered overlay and matching chair sashes from Choice Linens.


For Pedersen's table, which was draped in their gorgeous new plum colored table linen, we designed a low center piece in orange, white and plum. We used lots of roses, orchids, spider mums, purple kale leaves, and looped purple calla lilies. Several silver spheres mixed in with the flowers gave it a touch of glam ...
And finally for True Colors we created several elements featuring lush fuchsia colored flowers mixed with chartreuse green and chocolate elements. Jesse and Travis designed this gorgeous table scape, featuring tall manzanita branches inside big birch trunks, adorned with fuchsia rose and carnation pomanders, lots of hanging votives, and crystal strands. Wow!

Urban Unveiled 2009

Only 3 more days till Seattle's premier wedding show! There is no better way to spend you evening than to munch on yummy foods, sip delicious drinks, talk to some of the industry's best, and enjoy lots of eye candy...
This Thursday, October 15th at 6:00 at Benaroya Hall. For more information and to get tickets go to the Urban Unveiled web site.
Below, one of our designs from last year's show:

Bouquet Wraps

I always tell brides: the bouquet is the one area where you should not cut corners. Your bouquet should be all and everything you always wanted and imagined. If budget is a concern, it is the one place, where you should not skimp.
Besides the actual flower choices, it is the little details that make your bouquet special and memorable. There is so many ways to "dress up" the bouquet you will be holding for most of the day.
The combination of different textiles and materials add a special glam: ribbons, pins, crystals, pendants, pearls, wire, and beads are just some of the fun examples shown below ...

Luna & Yanda :: Elegance in the Park

Luna contacted us on fairly short notice (relative speaking...). She was still living in Vancouver when she first emailed me, and moved to Seattle only a few weeks before her wedding day in June. Her sweet personality and really fun ideas for her wedding day made this project fun from the start.
The wedding ceremony was held at Queen Anne's Parsons Gardens right off of Highland Drive - it was our first time there: a very idyllic beautiful little park overgrown with large rhododendron bushes (which were in full bloom on her wedding day - even in the colors of her wedding!).
The intimate reception for close family took place at Canlis Restaurant - we created a fun table scape featuring pink peonies (Luna' favorite), wheat grass bowls with a few blooming branches, and lavender sprigs on each place setting.
The truly artistic and gorgeous photography is from one of Seattle's finest: John & Joseph Photography.

Real Wedding - Liz and Jeff

On July 4th we were up at the Plateau Club providing the floral decor for Liz and Jeff's wedding. It was a sunny and balmy day - a perfect wedding day.
I loved Liz and Jeff right from the start - a sweet and super-fun couple! Liz knew pretty much what she wanted right from the start (oh, it sure makes my life a little easier ... ;-): romantic, lush flowers in mainly creams/whites and very light pinks. For the ceremony we created a beautifully lush floral arch featuring lots of hydrangea, roses, lilies, peonies, stock, and fresh green smilax garlands. The reception center pieces included similar flowers - half of the tables had tall center pieces, the other half was decorated with low mixed vase arrangements in the same colors.
I loved how her bouquet turned out: Liz had provided me with some pearl jewelry which we incorporated into her bouquet - very romantic!
Their talented photographer Joey Nicole provided these truly beautiful images:

Urban Unveiled 2009

The evening of October 15th, 2009 we have once again the pleasure of participating in this year's ultra-chic wedding show Urban Unveiled. And again it will be hosted at spectacular Benaroya Hall. The party starts at 6:00PM.
Tickets are on sale now, so please make sure to visit the Urban Unveiled site to find out details and to purchase your tickets. The producers of this up-scale event don't think of it as a regular wedding show: "it is a celebration, a cocktail party for those getting married and the creative partners who make dreams come true. This evening of opulence is a chance to meet and mingle with the Urban Unveiled partners who can take your bridal vision and make it a reality while you enjoy fine wines, nibble on sumptuous cuisine, decadent cakes & other to-die-for desserts."
We couldn't agree more! We are very honored to have been selected for this event based on "amazing artistry and reputation for excellence". The vendors are truly some of the city's best. We encourage you to came and experience it! I am sure you will not be disappointed.

Green Washington

Yesterday we provided the floral decor for the 2nd Annual Green Washington Awards Dinner and Roundtable at the Bell Harbor Conference Center hosted by Tiger Oak's Seattle Business Magazine.
For the 28 tables and the stage we designed truly "green" center pieces featuring locally produced or sustainably grown elements: the wheat grass, willow branches, lily grass, zinnias, and Aralia leaves were all purchased from local growers. The roses and hydrangea were sustainably grown at farms in California. And the zinc container is quite durable and can be reused for many different purposes.
Working in the event industry and establishing environmentally friendly practices for our business operations can sometimes be a challenge. That's why a project like this one is a welcome challenge for us to rethink processes and think about where we order future flowers and products from.
While we already have lots of environmentally friendly processes in place (we recycle everything and reuse products as much as we can), I have another specific personal goal for the coming (slower) months: how to reduce or even completely eliminate the use of floral foam. I wish there was a less harmful but equally versatile material available. I am sure some of my fellow designers would agree.

Real Wedding - Katie and Josh

Last night Katie and Josh celebrated their wedding at Newcastle Golf Club. Katie and her mom Debbie were a delight to work with - I truly had a lot of fun designing their wedding day. With their color palette of raspberry and chocolate, Katie's desire to incorporate lots of branches, and a great sense for taste and style they wanted to achieve an understated elegance. Nothing over the top yet romantic and beautiful.
We created an arch with lots of willow branches, smilax garlands and delicate clusters of pink flowers and then carried the theme to the reception featuring tall willow trees "blooming" with orchids, lots of candle light, and silk drapes with up-lighting.
Katie and Debbie were absolutely thrilled - what a nice way to end a busy summer wedding season!

Subtle Fall Colors

Last Saturday was a very busy day for us - a wedding at the Woodmark Hotel and one at the new Four Seasons Hotel in Seattle. While we ususally don't book 2 weddings on the same day, this was an exception and happened unexpectedly (both brides booked during the same week last winter ...).
But we pulled it off - with the help of an exceptional team. :)
Here are just some images of Alaina's wedding: her ceremony was at St. Patrick's Church and the reception at the grand ballroom at the Four Seasons Hotel in Seattle. The bride chose creams with subtle fall colors: peach, rust, champagne, and brown. We created romantic floral arrangements that could be used as altar arrangements and as deluxe center pieces for special guest reception tables. Even the pew flowers were reused with high visibility: they decorated the stage between the live band and the dance floor.

Fabulousness in Pink

Everything about Thuy and Barry's wedding last June was just fabulous: the really sweet couple, the location of their ceremony (St. James Cathedral, Seattle) and reception (Hyatt Regency Bellevue), the style and colors they chose, the photographers (John & Joseph Photography), ... The list is long...
I can't express how much fun I had to work with this couple - they coordinated the whole event themselves, which was absolutely amazing considering the size of their wedding and the extend of details they tended to. The outcome - simply fabulousness!!
There is one very important factor of their reception decor I want to emphasize: the lighting! The gorgeous atmosphere at the Hyatt ballroom was achieved by 3 different lighting elements: up-lighting against the draped walls, pin-spot lighting to each center piece from the ceiling of the ballroom, and table up-lighting under each center piece vase. Wow! This was not a very inexpensive decor accessory, but worth every penny! If you choose to invest in beautiful floral decor, then a professional lighting installation is almost a must! We will be happy to talk to you about options.








For lots more great pictures of their beautiful wedding, check out the John & Joseph Blog.

Real Weddings: Jackie and Bryan

Today's wedding at the Woodmark Hotel at Kirkland was first thought to be drenched in early season downpours. But the lucky couple was treated to sun shine right when their ceremony took place. The lighting was fabulous and brought out the fall colors in their flowers beautifully.

Real Wedding - Pauline and Scott

Well, I guess, 'tis the season! I haven't blogged in several weeks! Time flies when you are busy with so many events and weddings and when it is hard to find a moment to blog and share pictures of recent work. Oh, and there is so, so much to share - here is the start of a hopefully more frequent blogging in the coming weeks ...
A few weeks ago we worked for Pauline and Scott, who celebrated their wedding on a beautiful sunny and warm evening at Newcastle Golf Club. What a fun and easy-going couple! Pauline knew exactly what she wanted - it was a true pleasure working with her!
For her bouquet Pauline wanted to use flowers in various shades of pink, so we combined roses, nerines, callas, orchids and threw in a few stems of chartreuse green mini hydrangea for a subtle contrast.
Her bride's maids, wearing elegant black dresses, were carrying smaller hand-tied pink bouquets of roses, nerines, and hydrangea ...
The large pink ceremony pieces - we used a total of three propped onto tall black vases and pedestals - were later used as deluxe center pieces on family and special guest reception tables. This was a great way to reuse the ceremony flowers! We changed the look slightly for the reception tables by placing these large designs onto tall square glass vases containing a few pink roses inside the vase.

The beautiful pictures above were taken by Scott Eklund of Red Box Pictures - great photography, Scott! Truly nice work!

Real Weddings: Sarah & Jared

Have I mentioned before that plum is a big color this year? Here is another design take on this beautiful color of 2009.
Sarah and Jared tied the knot last Saturday at the Seattle Tennis Club - a really fun, loving, charming couple, who was sent our way by Sarah Rhoads. Thank you so much Sarah! Once again, I can't wait for the gorgeous photography.
Weather-wise, it couldn't have been better: a balmy summer evening - the sun came out right at 6:30 during their water front ceremony. Perfect lighting - perfect temperatures! Wow, what a gorgeous evening!
Sarah & Jared wanted clean designs of purple and white - here are some of the pictures I took - enjoy!

A beautiful escort card table design ...

Some of the guest tables were decorated simply with lots of hurricane and votive candles on a bed of white rose petals. How romantic!

More votives on the head table...

And the ceremony setup by the beach - simple and clean!