Friday Flowers: Lilacs

While not necessarily a flower, there’s no denying how great moss can look in wedding decor, so we feel it’s completely worthy of its own Friday Flowers post! Moss brings a natural and organic feel to weddings regardless of the venue or style of the event. There are countless places to use it – here are some of our favorites!

Another under-appreciated flower in weddings (you know I love an underdog!), this weeks Friday flower gives gorgeous texture, fragrance, and fullness to any arrangement it’s in. While stock doesn’t come in every color, there are some absolutely gorgeous shades out there like lavender, magenta, deep purple, white, and even peach. It’s a thick ruffled flower with not a lot of foliage and looks great as a complement to other flowers or even when bunched all together by itself!

When I was growing up, there were 3 crabapple trees that grew along our driveway. One of my absolute favorite times of the year was when all three of them were full of white and pink blooms, saturating the air with their sweet smell. It was a sad day when the last of the tiny blooms fell to the ground and I realized I’d have to wait another whole year before enjoying them again. Ever since then, I’ve never been able to get enough of flowering spring trees, whether crabapple, cherry, dogwood, or apple, and now I absolutely adore the idea of using these sweet blooms as florals for a wedding!

Anemones are pure elegance. Perfect for a black and white wedding with their delicate white petals and bold black centers, they also come in a variety of pinks, reds and purples. Anemones are just as classy whether by themselves or with a mixture of other beautiful blooms!

There’s nothing more show-stopping than bold and dramatic flowers, don’t you think? Amaranthus adds texture to an arrangement and when used in a bouquet, it’s hanging stems can give it a cascading feel. It comes in both a rich fuchsia and a bright green, and will make even the smallest boutonniere or the largest ceremony arch unique!

One of the most under-used and under-appreciated wedding flowers (at least in my opinion of course) are irises. They’re ruffled, dainty, delicate, and come in some very pretty colors! The deep purple is saturated and vibrant, the paler purpley blue ones are perfect if you want just a soft touch of color, and for you brides going all-white out there, why not let the slightest hint of yellow peek out of the center of some white irises! In any color, iris petals give texture, movement, and dimension, while the yellow center adds an unexpected pop of color. Check out these gorgeous bouquets and the variety of ways irises are used!

Beware – ridiculous amounts of gushing are forthcoming. Deserved gushing. Because I’m not sure there are words to describe just how much I love Kelly Marie and her team at Fleur. No matter what the wedding theme, what color palette is chosen, or what the venue may be, Kelly Marie and her team consistently create gorgeous florals for Chicago weddings of all budgets.

Did you know that a calla lily is not actually a lily? Yup, although these sleek and sophisticated flowers are just as much a show-stopper as their namesake, they are more closely related to the Jack in the pulpit than the lily! Now that our science lesson is over, let’s look at some pretty flowers! For the most part when I see callas, the trumpet-like blooms are bundled without any greens or other flowers. Very sleek and modern, right? But when I do see them used with other flowers, their unique shape adds a whole new dimension to the arrangement. And when those stunning deep purple callas are used? Oh I swoon every time. Happy Friday everyone, and enjoy these gorgeous calla lily arrangements!

There’s nothing that says spring to me more than when the sunny yellow daffodils start to bloom in my yard. From the standard bright yellow to more subtle white with peach, to the smaller or more ruffly versions, what I love the most about daffodils though is the variety that they come in. For a dose of sunshine or a touch of spring here are a variety of arrangements that include this cheery bloom!

Welcome to day 2 of the Indie Wed Inspired Creations Contest! The incredible team involved in today’s shoot created an amazing and beautiful idea, a “Belles and Gents Bar”. Picture this: one day, wives crash an old-school gentlemen’s club bringing in big beautiful blooms and brightly colored details to freshen up the usual decor of cigars, highball glasses, aged scotches, and decanters. SQN Events stocked the bar with his and hers drinks (homebrews and sweet tea) from Femme du Coupe personalized by Courtney Callahan Paper and treats like chocolate-covered cigars and bourbon-infused brownies from truffle truffle. Fleur never disappoints with their stunning florals and these peony, ranunculus, and cotton arrangements are absolutely some of my favorites! Love this brilliant idea and beautiful photos by the wonderful Simply Jessie Photography!

There’s so much this wedding to fall in love with. Colorful tissue poms for the ceremony, unbelievable florals by the always amazing Fleur, and one of the cutest invitations I’ve seen in a while (self-designed, printed with Letterform), Bahareh and Justin had a colorful garden party wedding with all these stunning details and more! Their love of animals is what brought the two together, so they incorporated animals into their invitations, table numbers, cake, and other reception decor. Oh, and I’m in love with her shoes. Simply Jessie Photography did an incredible job capturing Bahareh and Justin’s big day!

Jenifer and Gastao were married in Jenifer’s parents’ backyard in Coral Gables, Florida. How lucky is that? I love the attention to detail that Jenifer used when selecting her flowers. She did all her flowers herself (!) and chose ones that not only fit into her color palette, but also whose meanings she loved. For example, she chose lilacs (first emotions of love), stock (lasting beauty), seeded eucalyptus (protection, healing), and a several other flowers which not only looked beautiful but also had special meanings. There were so many beautiful photos of them from Elaine Palladino Photography that I had a very difficult time narrowing down which ones to include! A gorgeous setting for a gorgeous event, so happy to share it with everyone today!

Today is such a fun day for me because I get to show off my very first designed shoot! I was so thrilled when Sara Gray asked me to create a shoot for her latest MarryThis! wedding guide, and immediately enlisted the amazing Kelly Marie Uss of Fleur to join in to help me style a romantic summer wedding shoot, full of vibrant colors and elegant and fluffy blooms. I love trends, but wanted to take a few of the design trends that are popular today, such as vintage china and lace, and use them in a way that was classic and timeless, a wedding that would stay fresh and inspiring for years to come. We chose the absolutely fabulous Aeree Loft at Room 1520 as our venue, its clean white walls and amazing light were the perfect backdrop!

What better time to do a little love shoot than Valentine’s Day!  Leanne and Gordon are an absolutely precious couple, and this whimsical and quirky Valentine’s engagement session in snowy Chicago suits them to a T.  Their little table for two featured raspberry tarts, blooms in the palette of kisses, romantic ribbon and adorable cross stitch messages of love.  Thanks to my lovely friends Jessie from Simply Jessie Photography and Kelly from Fleur for sharing!

Dramatic jewel tones meet rustic barn setting in this inspiration shoot from One Summer Day, set at Silverbrook Farm in Virginia’s Horse Country. It’s simply gorgeous! The fall feel of the shoot is thanks to moody portraits, set amidst vintage decor from Stylish Patina Vintage Rentals. Coordinated by Ashlee Virginia Events, details like brass candlesticks and gold china sit among deep red and purple florals by Petals & Hedges. We cannot take our eyes off the black and gold stationery and that amazing and unusual cake from Cakebee! And how gorgeous is the gown from Soliloquy Bridal Couture? See all of the lovely images right here!

Turquoise and lavender—the color and the herb—are beautifully bold in this sophisticated inspiration shoot from First Comes Love Wedding Photography. Styled at Vellum in Ann Arbor, Michigan, the table pops with the tropical hues, grounded by dark wood tables and brick walls. Bright stationery accented with aqua and plum stripes from Dooby Design pairs perfectly with the palette. An exotic printed table runner holds a garland centerpiece of purples and greens by PassionFlower, who also created the fabulous coordinating hairpieces for the brides. Elegant gowns from The Gown Shop Ann Arbor are stunning; their classic silhouettes are the perfect backdrops for the unique bouquets and hair flowers. We adore the uber-chic colorful elements of this fun shoot!

This exotic, tropical wedding in Miami is making our hearts flutter! Stephanie and Marcus wove deep purple and white decor into an Old Havana-style setting for this fabulous fete, with a ceremony at Miami Beach Community Church followed by a reception at the iconic National Hotel. This must’ve been a dream for Elaine Palladino Photography to shoot! Stephanie’s Monique Lhuillier gown is bold and feminine, especially with that overflowing bouquet of white orchids from Flowers Unlimited. The deep violet and white flowers and linens in the reception decor served as a gorgeous backdrop for the over-the-top fabulous cake from Elegant Temptations. We can just see guests dancing the night away to Havana Soul at this wow of a wedding!

Absolutely fabulous is the name of the game in today’s inspiration shoot from E.M. Anderson Photography! We promise you’ll find tons of great ideas from this winter-inspired scheme set at The Athletic Club of Columbus in Ohio. Gorgeous jewel-tone arrangements from Flowers on Orchard Lane pop against the to-die-for gorgeous Anna Maier | Ulla-Maija Couture gown. Emilie Duncan Event Planning pulled together this breathtaking affair, calling on Ink and Ivory for frame-worthy invitations. Black and ivory linens from Event Source add a touch of drama to the fondant cake by Bella Luna Cakes & Confections. What more could you want? Answer: Nothing!

We want to click our heels, open our eyes, and be right in the middle of this woodsy, fall-inspired shoot in the mountains of Utah! RAE Portraits and Etre Photography collaborated to produce this “organic, lovely, romantic” setting—including designing that amazing cap-sleeve lace wedding gown with its scene-stealing black bow! Earthy blue and purple berries lent texture and warm color to the tablescape and floral arrangements—crafted by the talented Kortney Dowell of Kortney Cooper Dowell—and also inspired the groom’s jewel-toned velvet blazer. Our mouths are watering over those adorable jam favors, as well as these delicious photos!

While looking through bouquets of blushing bride protea for our Friday Flowers roundup, there were so many gorgeous bouquets with pincushion protea that it didn’t feel right to not share those as well! Pincushions look exactly like they sound: a little cushion stuck with a bunch of vibrantly colored pins. In yellow, orange or coral, they are all brightly colored and full of texture. It’s a flower with quite a personality!