Showing posts with label flowers. Show all posts
Showing posts with label flowers. Show all posts

Wednesday, July 28, 2010

Bridesmaids, colors and flowers




Love the cake and save-the-date above!!


Well, not to sound too repetitive for those of you in the blog-o-sphere, because apparently KAG and I are having a VERY similar wedding (because we both have good taste is my argument)! She is doing yellow and blue too, funny!


Bridesmaids dresses, which ironically my BFF A and I started picking out two weeks before I got engaged (so late May), are going to be navy satin or navy chiffon - likely from Alfred Angelo as we have wedding party people from CA to NYC to Florida! Most of my bridesmaids are college students, grad students, or travelling from far away so them feeling obligated to spend over $175 on a dress is just mean and unfair for them. Here is one of the styles I have chosen, they can pick any one of the 5-6:

Front:



Back:



Again, this dress would be in navy, and it is satin.


WAYYY back in June when this engagement thing happened, I spent the first weekend trying to figure out colors. Miss Mindless, Amid Privilege, and my family were huge helps when it came to color scheme ideas. Several Twitter conversations ensued between me (@worthystyle), @AmidPrivilege and @MissMindless about how colors go, what would overwhelm the room, etc.





We quickly realized that champagne gold may be too light, but could be used sparingly such as in rimmed glasswear, china, runners down a table, etc... A brighter yellow would contrast better with the primarily blue and white room for flowers.



I did not want to use W&L blue solely, as the room is wedgewood blue, as you can see in my previous post about the reception hall. So I chose navy as the wedding is at dusk and reception is after sundown. Plus that is a color which is very bridesmaid-rewearing friendly!!

But we won't be having blue flowers obviously, so let me show you where my mind has been going with my Garden Club former president mother, and both grandmothers!!



Sunflower yellow is a great pick-me-up color, and it will be perfect with Mums and other Fall flowers for our October 2011 wedding date. It is cheerful and whimsical, without coming across as casual like granny smith green would in such a big venue.



Floral, display and centerpiece arrangements will be all fall tones - really lovely peaches, sunflower, rust, and some brown. Maple leaves will be integrated in with wheat to add demension to the flowers of Chrysanthemum, Amaranthus, white Aster, hypericum berries, apples, and pomegranates. Maybe big jars of lemons at the bar because I will be serving my signature drink, a French 75! I am hoping to go local for a lot of these as Lexington, VA has wonderful local florists that do the Homestead, Greenbrier, and country clubs throughout the region. If my budget has room we may integrate roses but everything else is so lush I may not even need them!!





Images: banquetevent.com, WeddingsEvents.com, sheandheplanweddings.com, Flowerbarn.com, Restoration Hardware, Floral Design Institute

Thursday, April 22, 2010

fleurs préférées

What are my favorite flowers?

I love all kinds of flowers. I can blame it on the extreme WASP-ness that three direct relatives have been Garden Club President at one time or another (Mom and both Grandmothers). And the fact that I grew up on a farm doesn't hurt either.



My mother bought me the books by Englishwoman, Cicely Mary Barker, who grew up in Croyden, England. When she was 13, in 1908, she had artwork exhibited. Seriously! Isn't that amazing? She lived until 1973, and had a long, fulfilling life. The people at Kew Gardens would help her coordinate in finding special flowers she couldn't find on her own, and she was widely successful in many publications.

Here is one of my favorites - the Almond Blossom fairy from Flower Fairies of the Trees:



When I was growing up, we frequently went to The Homestead and The Greenbrier for Sunday brunch, long weekends, and vacations - and their landscapes are gorgeous:

The Homestead Resort in Hot Springs, Va




The Greenbrier Resort in White Sulphur Springs, WV




I also love visiting houses with special meaning, or with great stories behind them. Like Swannanoa in Afton, VA and Maymont in Richmond, VA - both owned by the Dooleys in the 20th century. Grove Park Inn and the Biltmore Estate in Asheville, NC are two other great landscapes...

But on to the main question posed.... What are my favorite flowers, you may ask?

*aster



*delphinium



*hydrangea



*chrysanthemum



*zinnia



*muscari



*dahlia



*stephanotis



*ivy, trailing



*gardenia



*dogwood



*ladys slipper


Lots of blues and ivories in there.... with maybe a hint of pink and green!



Cicely Barker photo+fairy picture from: http://www.ortakales.com/illustrators/barker.html