winter flower inspiration from Studio Choo
Hello lovies…today I have pretty muscari, violet and paperwhites made into sweet and simple winter bouquets from Studio Choo.
Don’t these winter flowers look lovely in Studio Choo’s birch vase set? Birch is such a great material for winter weddings.
Be sure to also check out Jill + Alethea’s post on forcing paperwhites at Design*Sponge too.
{all images courtesy Studio Choo}
blue and yellow inspiration
Just a little pretty I’ve been holding onto for awhile, so long in fact I’m not sure where I found a few of these images (if you have clues please send them my way). I love this palette for winter or very early spring, with its whispery shades of blue and yellow.
{first row: love poster by Made by Girl; cattleya bouquet by The Treasured Petal photo by One Love Photo; second row: centerpiece from Martha Stewart Weddings; third row: blue gown at far left by LulaKate; bird cake topper by Ann Wood Handmade}
little flower school
I’ve always really loved Saipua’s work, and couldn’t have been more excited to find out that Sarah (of Saipua) and Nicolette (of Nicolette Camille) were offering workshops at Saipus’s studio in Redhook, a neighborhood of Brooklyn. Above is a picture in the Saipua studio. Just look at those flowers! We had our pick of anemones, ranunculus, gray dusty miller; parrot tulips, pin cushion flowers and jasmine; queen anne’s lace, the most fragrant rose geranium leaves and delicate green bells.
Here is a Japanese ranunculus. Can you even believe the size of that bloom? The Dutch ranunculus we normally see are half its size!
We spent a lot of time talking about how the season dictates the color palette and materials you use. In the wintertime color tends toward icy pinks, silver and clean whites; you also see a lot of “woody” plants. The woody, gestural flowering quince was the basis of our class on Saturday.
Quince is the harbinger of spring. It’s one of the first to flower, reminding us that spring is just around the corner. Mind you, it’s still horribly cold outside as I type, so the reminder is welcomed.
The class was small – just nine of us. Here we are beginning our work.
About an hour later, we were all shocked at our progress. Each of us made something beautiful. Here is my arrangement. I’ve only dabbled in flowers, making arrangements for parties here at our house, so it was fun to see what I could do under the guidance of two women whose work I admire so much!
{photographs by me at the Saipua studio}
A New Years Eve Wedding
I’m love-love-loving Claudia’s sparkly gown and all of the pretty timepiece details in this New Year’s Eve wedding captured by Grazier Photography.
holiday inspiration
If you haven’t see our holiday soiree over at Snippet and Ink, be sure to stop by Kathryn’s blog! We shot this pretty table a few weeks ago. What I love most about it is that the ideas are something you can easily interpret for your own holiday soiree.
If you don’t have mercury glass containers on hand, galvanized steel, which is easy to find at gardening stores and Lowe’s (of all places), can stand in their place. Janie used peonies, anemones and parrot tulips, but if they aren’t available to you, there are so many other pretty white blooms this time of year…white tulips, amaryllis and paper whites that are easy to find at grocery stores and greenhouses.
We used white hemstitch placemats and napkins and dark charcoal gray plates – the great thing about those materials is that they’re not so holiday you couldn’t reuse them later in the year. Mercury glass is also a really great basic I use throughout the year. It looks great at Halloween, and I could definitely see this decor transitioning well into the new year!
Vintage sheet music is so pretty at the holidays. Accordion fold strips and seam them together with glue for a pretty garland to decorate your mantle or tree, or turn it into paper pinwheels that look equally great on the table, tree, mantle or as embellishment on wrapped presents.
For unique ribbon look beyond the usual suspects. I went straight to the upholstery aisle at Hancock Fabrics and found lots of beautiful ivory trimming.
A croquembouche, like this one made by Jenny at Sweetest Thing Bakery, is the perfect treat for a refined holiday soiree.
I hung my collection of silver trays above the mantle with plate hangers you can find at any craft store. Floral decor mimicked what we used on the table. I added a vintage wooden container in the center for texture and filled it with jute twine and silver ornaments. I also added a white bust (on the far right of the mantle) and dressed her up in long strands of pearls and rhinestones.
I love this garland! It was a last minute idea that came to me um, probably an hour before the shoot! I found these tags at an antique store down the street, stamped them and strung them on jute twine. I’m going to use this same garland in a project I’m working on now…a really pretty Christmas card display in our kitchen window.
I hope you enjoyed our holiday soiree inspiration as much as we enjoyed pulling it together! Happy holidays to all of you!
{photography by Katie Stoops, floral design by Janie Medley, calligraphy by Pretty Pen Jen, pastry by Sweetest Thing Bakery, hair and makeup by Sarah Valentine at Mango Salon}
brides in boots
Don’t you love the look of brides in boots? I’ve seen so many girls in cowboy boots on their wedding days, but I love a winter bride in boots {or booties}. Hope you all have a happy {and warm} weekend.
{first image by One Love Photo, second image by Jason Keefer Photography}
winter wedding inspiration
{photography by Calla Evans; images via little winter bride}
winter wedding inspiration: paperwhites
I just love the look of paperwhites for winter weddings, whether their potted or cut. Their tiny, fragrant blossoms are lovely for bouquets and boutonnieres.
{potted paperwhites via Real Simple; paperwhite nosegay via Brides; boutonniere via Once Wed; paperwhites in pewter via Sunset}
winter wedding inspiration: evergreen
Seasonal, fresh and local plants + flowers are always easier on the budget and easier to source. I love the idea of using something that’s so abundant this time of year. Evergreen can be simple + rustic wrapped in burlap and twine or dressed up + chic in silver trophies.
{bride with saplings via Lucky in Love; herb place setting (imagine the same place setting with sprigs of evergreen) via Sunset; evergreen bouquet by Holly Chapple Flowers; chair decoration via Country Living; bride and groom photographed by Worthington Photography; evergreen favors via Nurserymen; evergreen in trophies via Southern Accents}
winter bouquets
Because I was a December bride, and because I vividly remember people saying things like, “oh, there are nooooo flowers in December,” and because I love you winter brides bucking the Spring tradition, I’d love to share some winter inspiration with you. You see, there are beautiful blooms throughout the cold winter months. I’ll be sharing lots of ideas over the next few days.
Today’s bouquets are from Holly Chapple. Holly is one of those amazing women who you look at and think, seriously, how do you do it all?!? She has a big, young family, and she’s constantly whipping up really lovely work, like this first bouquet with pretty red dahlia and hypericum berries.
This evergreen bouquet is made of boxwood, blue spruce, cedar and yew bush. It would be lovely for a rustic wedding, and unlike so many wedding bouquets, this one will last and last (up to six weeks!).
Red ranunculus, coxcomb, pineapple sage and cedar are make a lovely {and unique} winter bouquet.
White snapdragons are clustered in the middle of seeded eucalyptus and boxwood.
And, finally, pink cabbage rose {a favorite of mine} are surrounded by black beauty roses, coxcomb and cedar. Thank you so much for sharing your work with us Holly!
