Faux Flowers No Longer a Faux Pas!

Years ago, if you had mentioned the use of faux or silk flowers in a wedding, it would have been a massive faux pas (no pun intended). Nowadays, you would be amazed at how realistic and beautiful faux flowers can be, and how many top designers incorporate them into their designs. Although nothing can replace the fragrant smell of fresh flowers, faux flowers can be wonderful to design with. They are easily manipulated and don't wilt like their fresh counterparts. Arguably, they could also be considered eco-friendly!An arrangement I made with faux peonies, roses and parrot tulips.
I've been working on the design of my friend Ada's wedding, and for the ceremony, I have the task of filling a large modern church on a tight budget. One of the stipulations of the contract was that fresh flowers were not to be used on anywhere there is carpet, so I ran to some faux flower suppliers in Mississauga over the weekend. I'll be posting more photos but here's a sneak peak! My living room's a bloom with the flowers for the wedding!
I got these gorgeous plum-lavender hydrangeas and bundled them with sprigs of lavender for the pews... i've got great plans for the pews!

Bastian + Skoog Decor

Another post featuring the beautiful creations of Bastian + Skoog.

I've always loved the theme of red & turquoise!

This melon palette is gorgeous!

A modern twist on the famous Martha Stewart rose stacked cake.

I love the idea of presenting the cake floating in an acrylic tray filled with flowers and candles.

Design Trends 2009

What a year 2008 was! Now that we're in the new year, I decided to write down my thoughts about what I think 2009 will look like in terms of design trends.

Comfort Foods, Comfortable Events
When things are uncertain, people tend to lean towards what's comfortable. In other words, I think people will be cooking a lot more of the comfort foods, decorating their homes with fabrics and patterns that are less trendy, and toning down the extravagant events that we've been used to seeing.

DIY
While Do-it-Yourself projects have always been getting more and more popular, more brides and party throwers are definitely going to want to take the time to take on more. The best tip is to start early and break down your list of projects. If anything can be done months in advance, do it! My fiance and I started making things for our wedding more than a year before it actually happened. The result? A stress-free jog to the "finish line"!

Vintage
A slow economy will force people to go deal hunting this year. The design result? An eclectic mix of goods in homes, and events. People will be scouring flea markets and antique sales like never before.

Recycling
On that same thought, with the real estate values dropping, people will be more inclined to stay in their homes and invest in deco details. We'll also see a lot of re-uphostering, so take a second look at that couch you were going to throw away!

Organic
While the slowing economy may have people thinking twice about investing in certain things, all things organic are still on peoples radars. Why? This economic climate has forced people to adjust their attitudes towards the "disposable/ consumerism" based lifestyle they've been living, pushing people to desire a taste of the "self-sustainable lifestyle".

Saipua Flowers

I love these organic floral designs from Saipua Flowers:
Gorgeous boutonnieres!

Fresh and new palette of lavender roses, orange berries, deep purple hues and crisp white flowers.

Love this all white bouquet! It's so pure without looking boring.

I loved the idea of tucking in these little oranges in the bouquet to tie in the orange place holders (below).

This gorgeous centerpiece looks it's straight from someone's cottage window sill.

Again, I love the idea of mixing peachy pastels with the deep purples.

Really Organic Arrangements

I know i've mentioned this before, but I just love the way fruits and vegetables can make such a fresh visual impact. Here are a few examples:
Love this picture of London Restaurant, La Petite Maison. I got the photo from Gwenyth Paltrow's blog, GOOP. There's nothing simpler and cleaner than stacking up fruits and vegetables in big vases.

Forget the grocery bought veggie & dip platters. You can easily arrange veggies in a "bouquet" like manner in a basket just by bunching veggies together. The dip is nicely presented in a scooped out red pepper. Photo from LA based caterer, Joan's on Third.

I like the idea of bringing the arrangement outside the bowl. Check out how Joan's on Third catering used the blood orange peels sto create a flower.

Centerpieces Under $20

In this day and age, budget is the word, and unfortunately there's no easier way to blow your budget than using fresh floral centerpieces. On the bright side it forces us to become a little more creative when it comes to setting the table. Pictures from The Knot.com and a British wedding mag.

Centerpiece Money Saving Tips:

- Up the romance and save money by filling the table with inexpensive tealight candles. I usually get large packs of tealights from Ikea for around $2/bag. I think groupings of 3 look best, especially on round tables.

- Consider purchasing the containers (ie vases, urn, etc) instead of renting from your florist. You can get really nice glass vases from some places like Ikea. Providing your own vases can definitely save tons of money (depending on the ones you pick of course). We saved about $30 off the price of each of our centerpieces by getting copper urns on sale from Michaels.

- Use flowers that are in season

- Consider inexpensive fillers that are still elegant like hypercium berries and galex leaves.

- Stay away from labour intensive floral arrangements. For example small pomanders (round balls covered with flowers can cost $75 or more. If you love the pomander look, try using a less expensive flower like carnations, or mums.

- Pile up your favours in the middle of your table on a cake plate instead of purchasing a centerpiece

- If you're looking for visual impact, renting table linens can sometimes do a lot more for the room than the actual centerpiece. You can find nice linens starting from $15 per table.

Here are some centerpiece ideas under $20:

You can get a lovely pot of orchids from Costco for $14.99. Personally i'd recommend to wrap the base in a strip of shantung silk, or pretty paper to get an even bigger impact. Using inexpensive potted herbs, or grass with one or two blossoms of gerbera daisies is a charming and fresh centerpiece.

Try to find centerpiece vases or troughs that can be a part of the statement, so you dont have to spend as much on flowers.Another example of that is this cute tea tin as the vase. There's no better way to add charm and personality to the table than taking the usual and making it unusual.

Isn't this teacup and saucer an adorable centerpiece for a shower!?

Taking small bunches of flowers and putting them in fabric wrapped cans (even washed tin cans) can make it seem as though you have more flowers on the table.

I love fruit centerpieces because there's so much colourful impact, yet you can buy them cheaply by case from your local grocery store or chinatown. Bonus- these can be done ahead of time, or easily by helpers on site.

I love this arrangement! What a deliciously fresh mix of peaches, apricots, cherries and leaves.

Le Bouquetier Floral Design

I love this florist Le Bouquetier (I love the name) out of Pleasanton, California. Beautiful work!

April Joy Events

Another incredible event designer I found off Once Wed, is event designer April Joy Events, based out of Chicago. From the photos you can see their firm is very detail oriented, which of course, makes more memorable and beautiful weddings.