Flowers in Love - Beautiful Weddings

'Love in Crisis' Pregnancy Problem House Fundraiser Dinner

2012-02-18T20:15:00.000-08:00

2012 comes with lots of new ideas from Flowers in Love - I have been very busy over the last couple of months working on an exciting range of new hire items, which will be revealed over the next few months.

It was a real buzz being able to introduce one of the new centrepieces in support of Pregnancy Problem House, who do a great job in our local community - I love being in a position to be able to offer tangeable support to such critical charities:

Pregnancy Problem House provides care and support for women and couples with unplanned pregnancies, offering education, companionship and practical assistance. For more info:

Pregnancy Problem House (Midwest Branch)
8/81 Forrest Street, Geraldton
ph: 9921 3922
www.pregnancyproblemhouse.com.au

When decorating a large room with tall ceilings, it is essential to include height into your design to make sure your guests get that 'wow' reaction when they walk into the room (first impressions) and to make sure all your efforts don't get visually lost in all the space, as small designs often do - 'Blossom' came about after brainstorming ideas for tall centrepieces that look amazing, but don't hurt the budget.

60cm tall footed vase sits atop a round mirror, filled with 2kg of acrylic diamonds, and hold 3 huge stems of pale pink cherry blossoms (also available with white blossoms); for a total height of over 135cm. Blossom will be available to hire for just $55 per centrepiece (including GST), with no minimum order required. Also available with 2 stems for $44

I set up 10 of the pink Blossom centrepieces for the event, and the swirl chandelier:

It sounds like a great night was had by all. Make sure you book tickets for next years' dinner and support a great cause!

CREDITS:

Organisers: Sarah Grimsley, Heidi Hewison

Caterer: Adams Catering

Ceiling and Wall Draping: Tinkerbell Weddings

Function Centre: QEII

Supporting Businesses: Radio MAMA, Finch's Nest Quilt Shop, Mitchell & Brown, Debt Resolutions, Batavia Furniture & Bedding, Suncity Print & Design, Road Runner Mechanical Services, The Scrapbook House, McDonalds Wholesalers, Midwest Auto Group, Elite Electrical, All Decor, PCYC, Midwest Surf School, Aussie Tree Services, Rangeway Pahrmacy, Turtle Cove, Horizon Accounting, Sun City Christian Centre, Geraldton Fruit & Vegetables, SR Plumbing & Gas, Leading Edge Computers, Revolutions, The Chopping Block 4 Hair, Midwest Technologies, Beauty at Sunset, Clares Cakes & other private sponsors

SARAH & DAN

2012-01-08T19:16:00.000-08:00

On a perfect, sunny Saturday Dan & Sarah made their love official - their way.

Sarah made the fabulous choice to let each of her 7 Bridesmaids choose their own floral/vintage style dress; with the result being an eclecic mix of colour and lace creating a floral harmony.

* All professional photos are watermarked 'Photo: Miranda Gregory' in blue *

Sarah's Bridesmaids carried pastel posies of creams and whites, with touches of baby pink which connected their dresses and pink pillboxes. I used Hydrangea, Parfum de Grande roses, white roses, scented Tuberose, Lisianthus, dusty miller, Bouvardia and Dendrobium Orchids. They smelled divine and with seven of them, really made a statement together:

Amanda herself carried a large posy with stronger shades of pink. For her I was able to score one of my all-time fav flowers, Dahlia - how can you not love this:

Sarah's bouquet:

I made bouquet wraps for all the posies: Sarah had lace appliques on her dress, so her was ivory satin with a white floral lace applique and creamy pins. The bridesmaids all had blush pink satin wraps with white pins:

Personal flowers:

The ceremony was held at the intimate St Lawrences Church, in Bluff Point:

Stunning!

Reception was held at Tides. Sarah's Mum (and no doubt other family/friends) did a wonderful job at decorating the room, with vintage-style glass bowls filled with garden blooms, and paper balls hanging from the ceiling:

I decorated the cake (by Cheryl Clancy) with bridal theme blooms, placed vases around for the Bridal party to place their bouquets, and added a toss posy:

Hope you had a perfect wedding day Sarah and Dan, it always makes me smile seeing true love being so publicly celebrated with family and friends, thanks for letting me be there to see it!

KYRA & DALE

2011-12-31T23:26:00.001-08:00

* Unless marked 'www.flowersinlove.com', all photos are by the lovely Samantha Brumpton.*

I have appreicated the unprecidented amount of faux flower wedding orders I have been getting over the last couple of years, as it has given me the opportunity to really hunt far and wide for the best possible selection of natural and real touch flowers. I now have some firm favourites, and love how real they look (and feel) on the day. And you get to keep them!

Kyra was after a teardrop/trail style bouquet with folded leaf border, using real-touch Oriental Lilies and garden-style red roses. I used the stunning 'Sabrina' and 'Royal Rose' varieties, which blend well. Here is Kyra's bouquet:

Kyra's 4 Bridesmaids wore red rose corsages with handmade grey glass pearl bracelets:

Personal flowers:

Hair bloom:

The ceremony was held beachside, with 'Royal' red roses tucked into the chair sashes, and the *new* glass signing table used to sign the wedding certificate:

At the reception, crystal trees added sparkle to POSH:

Congratulations Kyra and Dale, all the very best for your life together as husband and wife!

MICHELLE & MICK

2011-12-31T22:10:00.000-08:00

New Years Eve is a now and extra-special date for Mick & Michelle, as it will evermore be their wedding anniversary!

Michelle's theme colours were red, cream and white. She chose the garden-style 'Sabrina' silk rose as her flower, and I created the bouquets, buttonholes and corsages with them, adding fresh foliage on the day. Each bouquet had Swarovski crystal 'Classic Sparkle' stems sprinkled among the flowers, adding a hint of sparkle as they made their way down the aisle:

Buttonholes and corsages:

And one for Oriel Clarke, the lovely celebrant:

The bouquets were finished with custom satin wraps, complete with bead embroidery and handmade Swarovski brooches:

I also made composite hair flowers for the whole Bridal party, made from petals of the same 'Sabrina' roses used for the bouquets, for a perfect match:

Morningside Gardens has been beautifully put together and has great little nooks to explore. Made for a lovely intimate ceremony. I set up the small crystal aisle which looked great sparkling in the sunlight:

The Ceremony:

The lovely bride:

The reception was held at QEII, which was set up beautifully with long tables (love them!) and red/white decorations. I hung the new 'swirl' hire chandelier in the centre, which created a stunning focal point for the ceiling draping:

A lovely day and such a nice way to end 2011 - congratulations to Mick and Michelle, and Happy New Year to you all!

WRAPPED WITH WRAPS

2011-12-21T18:43:00.000-08:00

Ok, the title was a little cheesy... but it was so nice to come home after holidays to some lovely emails - one of them from a client in Queensland who found my bouquet wraps online and ordered 'Shimmering Crystals' and 'Lace & Love' for her wedding next year. I adjusted the colours to compliment her color scheme, using dusky pink and mocha for the Bridesmaids, each having a different feature/accent colour; and swapping the crystals for pearls to match Stacey's theme and jewellery. The result: finishing touches that really add glamour to bouquets and tie the flowers and jewellery together beautifully.
Here are the finished wraps:

They are fiddly to make and I often find myself making things by hand that I can't find, like the heart buckle in these Bridesmaids wraps; I couldn't find quality heart-shaped pearl buckles in the right size, so I carefully removed the crystals and replaced them with tiny pearls! Time-consuming but (very) worthwhile, knowing these babies will be used at someone's wedding!

And the email from Stacey that put me in such a good mood:

Hi Chantelle and Grant

The wraps arrived yesterday – thank you so much!!!

They are so beautiful and the colours are perfect!!! Your work is much appreciated J J

Thanks,

Sean and Stacey

ABIA Awards

2011-11-20T23:23:00.000-08:00

2011 draws to an end with fantastic results for Flowers in Love - winning all 3 state awards in the Australian Bridal Industry Academy's annual awards! Here is the write-up in the local paper:

Huge thanks to all the amazing Bride's who voted for Flowers in Love - ABIA is run entirey off bride's feedback, which makes it even more special. I am off for much-needed holidays, back to blogging in a few short weeks xx

TANIA & JOEL

2011-11-12T05:54:00.000-08:00

Tania has been wonderful to work with - I absolutely love using cheerful colours at weddings - I think they have been too long neglected!

Tania chose orange and black for her and Joel's special day, and it was the perfect choice for this couple. Tania carried a trail style bouquet with orange Asiatic Lilies, white Dendrobium Orchids and soft foliage, with dark silver crystal flourishes on the handle:

Her 5 Bridesmaids carried gorgeous posies of Orange Lilies, Hypericum berries and rustic orange Magnolia foliage with crystal heart sliders on the black satin-wrapped handle; each bouquet was sized slightly differently to suit the Bridesmaids they were for, so they balanced beautifully with both the outfit and wearer:

The Bridal party wore my 'Zinnia' jewellery - such adaptable designs, I am sure the Bridesmaids will get plenty of wear out of their earrings! Tania wore the crystal drop earrings with clear Swarovski crystals:

And her Bridesmaids wore classic crystal Zinnia drops, with sterling silver earwires:

Buttonholes - Joel wore white Orchids, the Groomsmen Orange roses and Orchids to match the Bridesmaid colours; and the other Buttonholes and corsages were classic and elegant white Orchids:

The ceremony was at the back of St George's Anglican Church in Bluff Point - a really earthy, rustic spot. The brickwork and church walls make for a lovely backdrop....

The ceremony went off perfectly, full of sunshine and laughter:

Worth a mention: the boys were left to secure the tablecloth that was blowing around... girls would find pins somewhere, but boys... they have jumper leads!

On to the reception at POSH; ceremony flowers were re-used, and I added table centres of 40cm round mirrors with black ceramic vases filled with orange flowers; LED lights covered with orange vellum votive covers (means you can have any colour lights, and without any concerns of 'accidents' with flames, candles going out, or your lighting being too yellow), and orange/clear diamond scatters.

Cheryl Clancy made a 2 tier cake with white chocolate flakes, to which I added more orange blooms:

I tied orange China Cord around the vases, which made sure the black wasn't too overwhelming and connected with the cake ribbons - it also ended up being ther perfect way to tie on name tags for the guests who would end up taking them home:

Well done Tania and Joel - I thoroughly enjoyed being at your special day, thank you for the honor of being a part of it! C

KATIE & BRAD

2011-10-09T00:45:00.000-07:00

* Above photo by Miranda Gregory *

Katie and Brad wed on Saturday with perfect weather - and the Sunshine Festival parade happening outside! It was a great day - Katie is a stunning girl with impeccible taste. Her theme was very white, with shades of ivory and mocha 'Honeymoon' roses in the Bridemaids' posies:

Katie asked for my handmade pearl and crystal brooch on her bouquet handle, but a bit bigger - I added an extra row of crystals and pearls and it looked fab!

Katie wore a composite rose made from fresh petals in her hair, with handmade pearl centre:

* last 2 pics by Miranda Gregory *

Corsages and buttonholes:

The ceremony was held at the awesome St Francis Xavier Cathedral:

Katie's choice of cermony decorations goes straight to the top of my list for the Cathedral - with such a large building and high ceilings, what is really needed for a ceremony is a more personal, intimate feel. And the best way to do that? Lighting! I used dramatic spotlighting and romantic candles together to create a whole new feel to the aisle, altar and lectern.

For the aisle, my silk rose spheres with satin ribbon:

For the altar, a neat row of my cylinder vases at various heights, each lit with my under-vase LED lighting, filled with submersed white blooms and topped with floating candles:

For the lectern, I used my brand new 'wall wash' LED lights - small and mighty! I also added a few blooms to the lectern:

Reception was held at POSH, where once again lighting was used to its full effect. I re-used the altar vases at the Bridal table, and added fresh flowers to Cheryl Clancy's lovely cake:

Well Done Katie and Brad, I am sure you will treasure your wedding day memories for many years to come xx

CLIENT FEEDBACK

(via text):

"Hey Chantelle! We had an amazing day! Thank u for the beautiful flowers & all your work!..."

Katie

STUNNING PHOTOS - Kate & Lindsay

2011-10-02T20:07:00.000-07:00

One of my recent weddings has been featured on 'Modern Wedding Blog', with absolutely beautiful photos - take a look by clicking here

AMANDA & SHANNON

2011-10-02T01:05:00.000-07:00

Thumbs up to Mandy - however she managed to get these stubby holders for her wedding deserves respect! Go girl!

That said, this was a classy wedding. Mandy did such a great job creating her own elegant theme, and it all came together beautifully. I can see how often wedding businesses spring from Bride's who DIYed their own wedding and get hooked!

Mandy's bouquet was a large natural stem posy with stunning ivory 'Vendela' roses; white Lissianthus and scented Freesias; soft grey textured Silver Suede foliage; Ranunculus; and blush pink Dendrobium Orchids with Dodda vine border:

Yes, I played with the colours on the last one! Just pretending to know what I am doing with a camera ...

Her three Bridesmaids carried the same flowers, but with a bit more colour; soft pinks and mocha were introduced:

Buttonholes and corsages of white Ranunculus and Orchids:

The ceremony was held at the Cathedral, where I slipped Vendela roses and Queen Anne Lace into the pewter-coloured sashes, 2 cream urn arrangements either side of the altar, and an arrangement each at the lectern and altar:

The gorgeous ceremony:

And beautiful Bride:

Reception was at the Queen Elizabeth II Centre, in the large function room. Tinkerbell Weddings had covered the brown doors with draping (great idea!) and set the tables up. Mandy had found some lovely footed bowls, which I filled with her them flowers and added Chincherinchee, Queen Anne's Lace, and some miniature pink roses. Ceremony arrangements were moved and repositioned at Reception, and a long Bridal table arrangement added:

Clare's Cakes made one of the most beautiful cakes ever - I looked close and couldn't find a mark or fault! Having tested her cakes before I know it would have tasted perfect too...

The super-talented Bride also made all the guests' bonbonniere - gorgeous stencilled cookies! When I came to pack down this morning Mel (Tinkerbell) mentioned there is usually a couple of bonbonniere left behind by guests, but not a single one of these gifts were left behind - they were obviously well treasured!

A very elegant and romantic weekend, congratulations Amanda and Shannon, and well done Amanda for putting together such a lovely celebration!

CLIENT FEEDBACK:

(via email)

"Hi Chantelle,

Thanks so much for all your hard work in helping our day be such a beautiful day for us to remember. The arrangements were just beautiful!"

*UPDATE* Angela Higgins (www.angelahiggins.com) was lovely enough to share some of her stunning photos of Mandy & Shannon's wedding, here they are:

JANELLE & DAMIEN

2011-09-19T03:48:00.000-07:00

WARNING - This wedding has loads of pictures! I tried to cull them but still ended up with 54 favourites .... I will try not to use them all!

Janelle has been so awesome to work with - she had some out-of-the-box ideas that she trusted me to interpret and adapt, which is totally how I love to work.

Ok, in order...

Janelle wanted a posy full of small white blooms, in a neat dome. I used Orchids, Sweet Pea, Freesias, scented Hyacinth, Alstroemeria and Tulips:

But for her Bridesmaids, something very special - a posy made entirely of faceted crystals, pearls, wire, rhinestones and tulle. I also made a matching brooch for their dress, pearl drop earrings and Swarovski pearl & crystal bracelets:

I used their leftover dress material to treat the handle:

Buttonholes and corsages - the Bridal party boys had a crystal leaf in theirs, as well as silk Calla lilies, ivy berry and tiny Hyacinth blooms:

Parents of the Bride and Groom had classic white Orchids - lightweight and long lasting:

Janelle and Damien have a gorgeous little girl named Indie. She was looked after on the day by her godmother, which I will tell you about soon. For now, here is Indie and her star wand, made from whitewashed natural wood, decorated with a silver and pearl Swarovski dragonfly, fresh moss and orchids:

Indies' godmother had a special pink wrist corsage:

The ceremony was held at a stunning private property. Serendipity Weddings' white chairs were set up, then I added handmade wire and Dodda vine spheres with purple Mokara orchids and crystals, and 4 aisle vases (I placed 2 on the ground at the aisle entrance, and 2 on my new white glass-topped pedestals either side of the altar); with external arrangment with more luscious Orchids, vine and flexi grass; and inside were gorgeous spheres of the giant Allium:

Love it! Here comes the Bride:

I am no photographer, and did no justice to just how cool and sparkly the crystal bouquets looked, but I hope you get the idea!

Straight after the sweet ceremony was done, Faye Blanchard (celebrant) moved on to the naming ceremony for Indie. It was nice to see such a special moment captured in front of everyone.

Janelle had ordered an extra crystal posy for this moment to present to the godmother, and had asked for it to have a touch on pink through it (remember the godmother wore a pink wrist corsage too?):

Off to set up the reception, which was held at Irwin Rec Centre. The ceremony flowers were re-used, and tropical topiaries added for centrepieces.

Janelle used wine barrels for bar tables:

Janelle created a lovely lounge area under a gazebo for guests, which I decorated with crystals, dodda and Orchids. You can see my talented worker Kate in one pic, putting the finishing touches to the gazebo:

and had some sweet decorating ideas:

there was a romantic birdcage in the gazebo with purple candles inside:

Old luggage for bonbonniere holders and wishing well:

Painting of a tree for guests to add their thumb print 'leaves':

contrasting bright tropical centrepieces:

All up, a very uniquely stunning wedding, with perfect weather and a lovely client! All the very best to you both, hope you enjoy your honeymoon and new life together!

*UPDATE*

Ok, receiving written feedback from my clients officially makes my day! Got this lovely email from Janelle this morning:

"Now that we are slowly returning back to normality after being un-indated with guests I wanted to sincerely thank you for the tremendous effort you went to to complete our special day. Your creative thought, passion & enthusiasm is greatly appreciated & all that you did didn't go un-noticed. Damien & I are soo very pleased with absolutely everything & didn't like your work but absolutely LOVED it. Thank you for everything Chantelle, I am one very very happy bride & look forward to passing your name on.

Cheers Chantelle :)"

CATHERINE & BUTCH

2011-09-19T02:03:00.000-07:00

Catherine wanted classic silk ivory roses for her wedding day, and I used a mix of buds, partly opened and full bloom roses in slightly varying shades, to give a very natural 'fresh' look to her bouquets. Catherine carried a shower bouquet and her Bridesmaids a posy, with hand-dyed black vine border:

Bridal bouquets and toss posy:

Buttonholes and Corsages:

Once her dress was altered to fit, Catherine gave me the leftover hem, which I used to make satin and tulle flowers to pin on the Bridesmaid dresses:

I will leave it at that for now, and when I get pics you can see it all come together!

Hope the day was perfect Catherine!

CRYSTLE & LUKE

2011-09-13T19:16:00.000-07:00

Luke & Crystle were wed earlier this year in exotic Phuket. For their destination wedding Crystle wanted to make sure she didn't have to worry about last minute details like flowers, so asked for silk arrangements she can take with her. I made her bouquet out of my favourite real touch roses, peach Calla Lilies and blue Orchids, white crystal flourishes on the handle (I have several designs available):

The Bridesmaids were carrying parasols (perfect for a tropical wedding), so I made pearl wrist corsages for them:

Luke had the same blue Orchids as a buttonhole:

And for jewellery; Crystle wore my 'Zinnia' triple drop earrings, bracelet and a custom hair slide, ready for fresh Orchids to be attached in Thailand (see the 'something blue' crystal?). Her Bridesmaids wore 'Juliette' earrings - I used an off-cut from their dress material to match to the perfect Swarovski crystal 'Sapphire' colour, and 'Dahlia' pearl and sterling silver brooches, which were pinned to their dresses:

Toss Posy:

Their photos are amazing, such a perfect place to thoroughly enjoy your wedding! Love the fresh flowers and ceremony setup, very beautiful. Congratulations Crystle and Luke, you really did create a memorable wedding!

KATE & LINDSAY

2011-09-12T23:30:00.000-07:00

This weekend was such a lovely wedding - Kate has impeccible taste and the overall impact of this wedding was so romantic, vintage-y and sweet.

Unfortunately my camera played up and I lost most of my before-delivery shots of the bouquets (*sniff*), which is a shame as Kate had collected some stunning vintage brooches for each of the Bridesmaid handles, and a family heirloom brooch for hers, which looked fantastic. I wrapped the Maid's posy handles in pale blue grosgrain ribbon with an overlay of white lace. These are the surviving pics of one of the Bridesmaid posies, buttonholes and corsages:

Kate carried a heavenly bouquet with (very) early season blooms, most of them ordered from the Eastern states for the wedding, including David Austen 'Juliet' roses, 'Sweet Avalanche' roses, 'Lavender Lace', 'Faith', 'Affinity' and 'Honeymoon' - with names like that, it was bound to be a sweet posy for the Bride!

Bridesmaids carried a smaller bunch of the same roses, but without the white:

Lindsay and Kate held the ceremony at the same spot Lindsay proposed - sooo romantic! And it was magical - held on a farm in Northampton, on a hill with beautiful views all around:

I set up my aisle stakes either side of the white carpet, and adorned them with small designs of bridal flowers, with vine twisting it's way up to the stake top, and weighed down with large crystal spheres. Each stake was then connected with sheer white ribbon:

For the reception (Queen Elizabeth II Centre), I transferred the aisle and it became a grand entrance for guests and the Bridal party!

Serendipity Weddings did a lovely job setting up the reception; with a combination of pastel blue and pink sashes across tables and on chairs.
My 'layered chandelier' hung in the centre of the room, finishing off the draping nicely:

Kate had a wooden feature with their names custom made, which I added silk flowers (I even found silk David Austens!) so they can keep the piece for years to come:

Their funky cake table (what a cool cake!) with toss posy:

Congratulations Lindsay and Kate, all the very best! Can't wait to see more pics ;-)

PRO PICS - Kellie & Jono

2011-09-01T21:58:00.000-07:00

Once again Miranda Gregory has delivered some stunning wedding photos - this time for Kellie & Jono (see my post on them from July 2011) - here are a few of my favourites:

Told you they were stunning! Doesn't hurt to have a beautiful Bride either...

Well done Miranda!

ZOE & AARON

2011-09-01T19:19:00.000-07:00

Zoe lives out of town so our correspondance about her flowers was mostly by email... but she was so blissfully easy to work with there were no problems with that at all.
She was getting married at Nukara and wanted a real 'natural' feel to the flowers. She chose silk Magnolias and naturally dried vine, with a classic posy for herself; custom made 'soft crush' corsage bracelets for her Bridesmaids (these are awesome to wear with jeans later, as the flowers can be removed after the wedding); and paper cones with fresh rose petals for the Flowergirls (I can see how people get addicted to scrapbooking and paper crafts ;-)
I only got to meet Zoe and her lovely fiance when she came to pick up the flowers, and I loved the reaction - she was pretty happy! Gives me a buzz every time...

I especially loved the corsages (can you tell...) and making the cones was pretty fun too.
Hope it all went supremely well Zoe, looks like you were ready to totally enjoy your day!

PRO PICS - Melanie & Shawn

2011-09-01T02:18:00.000-07:00

Some of the lovely professional photos from one of my recent silk flowers/jewellery weddings - see previous post 'MEL & SHAWN' for the original blog... photos below from Kerry of KJ Image Photography

LOVE the shoes!

And a few more... these are by photographer Leigh Diprose, a friend of the Bride and Groom:

JENNA & SCOTT

2011-08-25T22:11:00.000-07:00

Jenna and I spent a couple of months tossing ideas for her flowers and jewellery, and I couldn't have asked for a more lovely Bride to work with. Jenna already knew the look she was after, so I translated the fresh flower ideas she had into silk - and I loved the fresh 'Spring' look her flower choice turned out to be. Jenna's bouquet was a clustered posy of Sweet Pea, Orchids and Freesias, all in white:

Her Bridesmaids carried a smaller version of the same:

Jenna wore my Zinnia crystal drop necklace and earrings, and her Bridesmaids the earrings and bracelet from the same set:

Now Jenna had purchased a dress for the big day, which had a brooch on the front she wasn't so keen on - so she asked if I could design a brooch to replace it that would also tie in with her Zinnia jewellery. Ironically I had shelved the idea of a brooch for this set, as I didn't think it would be wanted; obviously I was wrong! So with that gentle nudge I set to work designing a brooch, which ended up like this (I made it in pink for the trial, and yes there are a couple of empty settings!):

* NOTE * This design will be on the website for purchase soon!

Love how well it works with other Zinnia pieces:

Jenna loved it, but needed it to sit the same way as the original brooch, so I slightly altered the design and we ended up with (drum roll.......)

But then, Jenna changed her dress ;~) No matter - she found another great way to wear her custom designed brooch: in her hair!

Clever!

Boys had buttonholes to match the bouquets:

And some small designs for the cake:

Love it! Now to finish here are a couple more pictures passed on to me by Jenna - not sure who the photographer is yet, but they are stunning. Let me know if you can and I will give due credit! (All the pics that are not marked by me are not taken by me)

Thanks so much Jenna for letting me be a part of your day, you looked beautiful!
* Update * The stuning professional pics are from the very talented Miranda Gregory. Love your work ;-)

"Hi Chantelle,
Just thought I would send you a couple of photos of your handy work on show!!
I appreciate everything you did to contribute to our amazing day!!
I have recommended you to several people so far and thankyou for your patience and help.
Regards
Jenna"

2011 ST JOHN AMBULANCE VOLUNTEER BALL

2011-08-08T07:06:00.000-07:00

* Click on any photo to see it larger *

Mullewa town Hall was transformed on the weekend for a ball to thank the many people who volunteer their time to save lives with St John Ambulance:

This was the first outing for my new crystal trees, which join my crystal aisles, chandeliers and other hire pieces to make transforming everyday locations into wonderland quick, easy and affordable.
I also now have huge white pedestals that light up (and the light colour can be changed to suit your theme), which are the perfect way to make a dramatic statement at the entrance or internal corners of large rooms. Here they are with crystal trees adorned with fresh Orchids, crisp white LED lighting at the base of the tree and around the pot, glowing through patterned vellum covers. I also added 2 LED spotlights to add drama to the pots (can't have too much drama!):

After creating such a 'Wow!' entrance, there had to be decorations inside that matched the standard: my layered chandelier was hung just below the draping, and as the sun fell I turned on battery-operated (cordless) LED lights:

For the table I used more crystal trees; these ones were on 40cm mirrors, with LED 'tealights' (no hassle with candle wax and flames, and create a clean white glow, instead of the yellow of normal battery tea lights). I alternated using some trees plain, with crystal rocks at the base of the tree lit up with more lights, and some with fresh flowers at the base and Orchids through the branches and crystals, with the lights hidden inside the flowers...

Here is the Hall setup - I was told that later in the night all the hall lights were turned out so the guests could enjoy their lit-up centrepieces!

The Ball was a sell-out, with plenty of sponsers:

Love seeing humanity doing what we were created to do - caring! Well done to Margaret and the team for putting the event together so well, I loved being a part of it.

*UPDATE* Details and prices for the hire of these Crystal Trees (and the internally lit pedestals) are now on my website.

MELANIE & SHAWN

2011-08-08T06:24:00.000-07:00

Orchids were the feature for Mel & Shawn's wedding flowers, with touches of teal. More pics (much better than mine!) coming soon....
Mel wore my triplestranded 'Deborah' Swarovski pearl and crystal necklace and bracelet, custom made to fit:

... and carried a silk trail bouquet of white Vanda and Dendrobium Orchids and real-touch Roses in bloom; bordered and trailed with fresh vine, which dried in place perfectly for the big day:

Mel had a pearl necklace family heirloom she wanted included on her bouquet, which I wove around the stem:

And her Bridesmaids carried a posy with the same flowers:

Mel and Shawn's daughter Zoe wore a wrist corsage:

Buttonholes and corsages:

All packed up and ready to go!

Well done Mel and Shawn (& Zoe!) enjoy your honeymoon and your life together!

RECENT WORK...

2011-08-08T05:03:00.000-07:00

Hand stamped gold-filled pendant with decorative chain:

NEW PICS

2011-07-30T22:40:00.000-07:00

The very talented Melanie from VBI Photography has generously sent pics from a silk & fresh flower wedding I did earlier this year (see post here) so here they are:

Stunning! I especially love the last one, with the window frames looking like a panelled picture... clever. Make sure you look at Mel's website for more of her work. Melanie and Shawn actually got married yesterday (Congratulations!) and I can't wait to see pics of their day! Will post on that soon...

KELLIE & JONO

2011-07-30T20:37:00.000-07:00

The Lavender Farm was the venue for Kellie and Jonathon's nuptials - it was such a lovely view I enjoyed a coffee break before the Bride arrived!

Kellie chose a bold but feminine colour palate - hot pink, black and white. Kellie carried an armsheaf of solid pink Oriental Lilies, as well as white/pink Lilies, white Dendrobium Orchids and fuchsia Roses:

Her 2 Bridesmaids carried smaller versions of the same, without the bi-coloured Liliums:

What I really loved about this wedding was how Kellie chose to combine my jewellery with her flowers (which is the main purpose of my handmade jewellery lines). Kellie wore the necklace, earrings and headband from my 'Dahlia' collection:

Then I put the matching 'Dahlia' brooch on the handle of her bouquet (armsheafs really show off stem decorations), which created such a strong connection between her outfit and flowers, it really made everything combine beautifully, and gave Kellie a wonderful keepsake from her wedding bouquet:

Kellie's Bridesmaids wore my 'Jodi' set (necklace and earrings) with Swarovski's 'Fuchsia' crystals to bring out the hot pink from their dress, as well as Swarovski pearls to match the Bride's jewellery:

And I also made a custom brooch for their bouquet handles; incorporating the same crystals and pearls as their jewellery:

And fresh Orchids on pins for their hair (can't beat fresh flowers!):

Kellie's 2 gorgeous Flowergirls carried wands, with an arrangement of fuchsia miniature roses in the centre:

How cute are they!

Corsages for the ladies, kept neutral to match any outfit:

For the ceremony I setup my small crystal aisle, then added fresh rose petals just before the Bride arrived:

And at the Reception (African Reef), a toss posy:

And I teamed up with the very clever Clare, from Clare's Cakes, to finish off Kellie's yummy cake:

Congrats Kellie and Jono, you make a beautiful couple and I loved being a part of your wedding day!

FRANCES & MATT

2011-05-29T22:15:00.000-07:00

Frances has been a lovely client (though you all are ;-) - so happy and easy going, with great taste in flowers and jewellery!
Frances wore my new Dahlia hair slide and earrings:

and carried a trail bouquet with stunning imported cream Roses and white Tulips, with ivy and Orchids for the trail:

and her three Bridesmaids carried a posy with the same Roses and Tulips:

I made a soft elastic lace headband with satin and organza flower for the Flowergirl:

The ceremony was held at St Lawrences Church in Bluff Point, where I used silk rose spheres with satin ribbon to decorate the aisle, cream urns with Bridal theme flowers for the altar, and a small arrangement for the centre of the altar. It looked so different with all the flowers in there, really gave the Church a 'wedding' atmosphere, the air of something special about to happen!

Frances looked sooo beautiful

Then off to setup the Reception, held at POSH. This was fun - first time I have used my new Crystal Stands, which are designed to be an affordable way to bring the 'wow' to the tables using height, sparkle and fresh flowers! The stands allow instant height, without expensive big flowers; 'bling' with crystal strands and diamond scatters, tealights and a 40cm mirror to bring intimacy, and a small arrangement of Bridal theme flowers and colours is all that is needed to finish of this piece. Now available to hire!

I also transferred the urns and pedestals, and placed them either side of the Bridal Table, and added a hedge style arrangement with pillar candles:

And, of course, the toss posy:

All up, a very beautiful and enjoyable day, with perfect weather and lovely clients. I loved seeing the new hair slide and crystal stands in use; continuing to develop new ideas into reality is a very rewarding process - I am determined to continue to look for new ways to make your weddings beautiful xx

2011 RFDS Bridal Expo

2011-05-23T05:48:00.000-07:00

What a huge weekend! It is fun planning my stall every year - though I make a lot of work for myself doing something completely different each year lol...

Flowers for the fashion parades...

1. Pastel posy of soft and mid pink David Austen Roses, crisp standard white Roses, blush pink Orchids, white Freesias and 'light rose' Swarovski Zinnia crystal stems; and finished with a Bouquet wrap of white bridal satin hand embroidered with glass Miyuki beads and Swarovksi crystals:

2. Absolutely beautiful (in my top 10 fav. flowers ever) Cymbidium Orchids in an elegant wired posy:

3. And for something vey different - my brooch bouquet, made from dozens of vintage brooches, most of them my favourite 'Sarah Coventry' , imported one-by-one from USA. Never heard of them? Get a brief history here. In shades of pink, silver and gold, with ivory satin bouquet wrap. I won't make too many of these, as it takes many months to hunt down the stunning brooches, but this is a great piece that will make a family heirloom...

And, of course, a matching boutonniere:

4. For the Flowergirls: the popular star wand, handmade to order so it matches the Bride's dress perfectly...

5. 'soft crush' corsage bracelet in silver - super comfortable, molds to fit any wrist snugly - with white and blush pink orchids:

And a couple of other arrangements I made for Serendipity Wedding's stall, showing off Kelsey's huge range of chair and table covers, sashes and runnners, and centrepiece hire - I love her new white metal stand - so many ways to use it!

Thanks to Stefanie Muller for taking some lovely creative photos for me, and of course to everyone who came to the Expo, supporting a great cause and hopefully gathering plenty of information & inspiration!

REBECCA & TRAVIS

2011-05-01T00:52:00.000-07:00

I have been looking forward to this wedding for a while - I just love the chance to try out new ideas...

Rebecca and Travis held both their ceremony and reception at the Queen Elizabeth II Centre on Durlacher street - both in different rooms. This is the 'before' shot of the reception, set up (partly at this stage) by Kelsey of Serendipity Weddings:

For the centrepieces I used my tall cylinder vases, filled with water pearls (very cool things - kind of feel like eyeballs if you squish them in barefeet though...):

Then I filled the tops with huge twisted willow branches:

...and then individually attached hundreds of fresh red Mokara Orchids to the branches, to create an 'orchid forest':

Ok, this is a bit backwards, but let's backtrack to the ceremony! Here is Kelsey putting the finishing touches on the chairs:

To which I added 4 large arrangements and aisle flowers:

Rebecca's bouquets, buttonholes and corsages were all quality silk:

Rebecca carried red roses with crystal pins, the Bridesmaids white roses, flowergirl red roses:

And here is the ceremony (was so beautiful - I caught Kelsey wiping tears ;-)

Ok, so back to the reception - I moved the pots to the entrance and bridal table, and (if you can see) a silk centrepiece for the Bridal table:

I put red lights under the vase and white lights shining down, which created a very nice effect when the sun went down:

All up, a totally enjoyable weekend. I don't want to see red Orchids again for a while, but it was so worth it. Huge congrats to both Rebecca and Travis, it was a delight to witness your love being celebrated!

Couple of weeks break now - time for me to get my jewellery and wrap orders finished, and get ready for the Bridal Expo at the end of May. Hope to see you there!

UPDATE:
Sneek peek at the pro pics by VBI Photography (http://www.vbiphotography.com/):

LIZY & KYLE

2011-04-27T06:47:00.000-07:00

Last Saturday was so perfect - sunny, with a gentle breeze. Lizy and Kyle were wed on the foreshore, just outside where Conversations restaurant used to be - there is a nice sized paved area just begging to be used! Mel from Tinkerbell Weddings setup the green and white theme with bali flags, covered chairs and the (my fav.) black carpet. I added my crystal aisle (here with sheer white ribbon as well as crystals):

Lizy carried a unique bouquet she had made for her in Melbourne - made entirely out of buttons:

The Bridal party all wore green flower bracelets, and carried parasols. The couple's daughter led the way down the aisle, through the papparazzi!

Corsages were made from white Dendrobium Orchids:

Following the Ceremony, I set off to the Surf Club to finish the Reception setup - only to discover we were locked out! While we all waited for the key, I grabbed the chance to admire a perfect Geraldton sunset from the top of the club:

*sigh* lovely.
Ok. Back to work: I used single rose spheres to jazz up the guest entrance and balcony doorways:

Then finished off the Bridal table (again setup impeccably by Tinkerbell Weddings) using Doda vine and more Orchids, woven among Lizy's candles:

For the guest tables: I filled Tinkerbell's small fishbowl vases with Calla lilies and looped grass. Can you tell they are silk? Love these lilies, they feel real and look real, down to the tiny 'veins' running under each petal. Pretty cool!

I placed the vases on my round mirror - which helps to visually enlarge the design - and finished with green and clear diamond scatters.

As the sun faded away, the lights came on - shining through the flowers:

And finally, I had 2 special arrangements ready for Lizy's speeches, to be given away as 'thank you's, which until needed became useful decorating the gift table. I also decorated Tinkerbell's wishing well with more grass, Lilies and Orchids:

Overall, a wonderful wedding for a wonderful couple! Thank you Lizy and Kyle, for letting me share in part of it, all the very best for your special family!

TANIA & RUDY

2011-04-17T10:21:00.000-07:00

I never actually got to meet the Bride and Groom, but Rudy's lovely sister Elly was the planner for this wedding: we went for feminine, relaxed and beachy. Tania and Rudy only flew in a few days before the ceremony, and I am sure they were very happily surprised by all the work Elly put in to making their day very special. So, to the pics....

Tania carried a beautiful bouquet with Dolce Vita and Parfum Roses; Orchids in baby pink and white; white tulips; and a border of fresh vine, with jute ribbon and baby pink pins on the handle:

The Ceremony was held at the beach, where Elly had setup a stunning gazebo draped in sheer white material; I added flowers for the 4 corners, with scented pink Lilies, roses and orchids, and the lovely Erica foliage/flower:

Reception was held at a private residence overlooking the beach, where I decorated the pool, chairs, tables and any blank areas (it was too hot to put some of them outside yet, so they are photographed indoors):

Congratulations Rudy and Tania - welcome to Oz, hope your wedding was fantastic ;-)

KATHRYN & MATTHEW

2011-04-17T09:40:00.000-07:00

Just as the weather finally started breaking and bringing much-longed for coolness, it cranked up again to 36 degrees for Saturday! But no mind, at least it was sunny....

Kathryn carried a natural-stem posy of 40 creamy champagne Roses with camellia and fresh vine border, and a dozen crystal pins scattered amongst the flowers; her 4 Bridesmaids carried a smaller version of the same. Buttonholes were more champagne roses (double for the Groom) with a touch of vine:

A lovely touch for the Ceremony - 'presentation rose' for each of the Mums:

But it was the Reception that really stood out: Hundreds of stems of white Dendrobium Orchids, in a simple, elegant design. I created 19 tall vases, with an internally submersed Orchid, black vase cover (to match black & white theme), all lit with under-vase lighting:

Mel from Tinkerbell Weddings setup the lovely tables.

Kathryn had thought of some lovely details for the wedding: including a special table for the Bridal bouquets, where I set up 5 cylinder vases of increasing heights, filled with water and lit up with lights, to make a real feature of them:

The gift table:

And the Bridal table: which held 5 of my posy vases, filled with crystal pearls (water pearls) - once again, lit up from underneath - with a domed arrangement of Orchids:

All the best Katherine and Matthew!

TRACEY & BEN

2011-04-14T07:14:00.000-07:00

I had been looking forward to this wedding for a while - not just because Tracey has been so lovely to work with, but her ideas were fantastic - I have used small amounts of herbs in arrangements before; but nothing like this!

In Tracey's shower bouquet: Rose geranium, sage, mint, veriegated miniature ivy, thyme, silver suede, brunii berries, stephanotis, rosemary, lavender, pittosphorum, mint and basil..... and that was just the foliage! For colour I added champagne standard roses, purple freesias, miniature roses, and stunning David Austen roses in soft pink:

So... all those ingredients went into this stunner:

And the same (except for the stephanotis), was used for Bridesmaid posies, with custom bouquet wraps made from their dress material:

Buttoniere were a collection of herbs and foliage:

I had a bit of fun with the corsages; white miniature Roses with Rose Geranium, and luscious-smelling chocolate mint - yes, CHOCOLATE scented mint! (had to do that!) Hope they enjoyed wearing/smelling them!

And for Tracey and Ben's gorgeous flowergirl, a star wand in golden ivory to match Mum's dress, decorated with pink crystals, sheer ribbon, crystal drops, miniature pink roses and creamy pearls...

Isabella also wore a lovely halo, made with more miniature pink roses, variegated mini ivy, and herbs, with even more creamy pearls woven amongst the blooms:

Tracey and Ben were married on Tuesday (their anniversary) at St Georges Church in Bluff Point. Reception was held at Tides, where I filled Tracey's simple, elegant vases with scented herbs and blooms:

Thanks Tracey for being a wonderful client; you knew what you wanted but trusted my experience, and that makes for a smooth wedding. All the very best for your lovely family - and hope those olives turn out for you ;-)

PS - Wheatbelt Photography did a wonderful job with Tracey's pics, and have already (2 days after the wedding!) posted some sneek-peek pics here. Well done Dani! Stunning shots...

NATASCHA & SHAUN

2011-04-05T06:13:00.000-07:00

From the first meeting Natascha always wanted lots of colour in her flowers. Though we changed styles a few times along the way, the colourful images stayed!

So colour it was - crisp white Liliums with crystal anthers, hot pink and yellow roses, and orange Mokara orchids.

Bridesmaids carried the same flowers, but in a natural stem posy:

Corsages were kept pretty tame though, to make sure they complimented any outfit:

Buttonholes were a burst of yellow Roses:

Natascha and Shaun tied the knot at the beautiful beach outside the African Reef, which meant guests did not have far to go for the Reception later that evening at Adams by African.

Hope all went well Natascha and Shaun, all the very best for the future!

UPDATE May 2011:

Natascha kindly sent through some of her professional pics to show. All photos below by Miranda Gregory

"We had an awesome day! Thanks for your part in it... Tash"

CLAIRE & RYAN

2011-04-04T21:17:00.000-07:00

Claire carried a stunning posy of David Austen roses (not easy to get, but worth it!) in shades of mostly mauve and a little soft pink, and her Bridesmaids a smaller version with a balance of mauve and pink with pepper berries and fresh vine. Buttonholes were more beautiful David Austens, and corsages the ever stunning white Dendrobium Orchids.

I love Claire's cake - simple and romantic with butter icing and fresh roses in bloom with tendrils of green vine - too good to eat!

For the Bridal table I placed hire vases along the length, so the Bridal party can use their bouquets as decoration...

Congratulations Claire and Ryan ;-)

JENNA & CAM

2011-03-30T19:35:00.000-07:00

Jenna had actually booked me to do fresh flowers for her wedding; but in January changed her mind and we went silk. I hunted for the best, most realistic Orchids, Roses and 'Spring' like flowers and was pretty happy with my finds - Freesias that made great buttonholes and even has realistic 'veins' in the petals; Real-touch Roses and Orchids, and light fern. This is how Jenna's trail bouquet turned out:

Jenna wanted a brooch on the handle, this one is the perfect shape for the long stems:

The Bridemaids had the same flowers, but in a posy, with a smaller brooch on their handles:

And the guys had the cutest buttonholes:

And the Mums got a pearl bracelet with petit white blooms:

Jenna was happy, I was happy, what more can you ask?

All the very best to you both!

REBECCA AND GLEN

2011-03-30T19:07:00.000-07:00

Grammar School gardens was the venue for Glen and Rebecca's Ceremony - and with the weather finally starting to cool it was a lovely day to be outside.

The three Bridesmaids wore a lovely dusty pink dress, and their bouquets were wrapped with leftover dress material

Rebecca carried a larger version of the Bridesmaid's posies: stunning Honeymoon (mocha/pink), Cool Waters (mauve) and Grande de Parfum (scented pink) roses, softened with the soft grey Cineria 'dusty miller' leaves.

Urns and pedestals, used first at the Ceremony, were transferred to the QEII Reception to greet guests as the enter the main room:

Congratulations Rebecca and Glen, blessings for the future!

Thanks to my awesome worker Kathleen for the lovely pics ;-)

BROOKE & ANDREW

2011-03-11T08:47:00.000-08:00

Hi everyone! Lots of photos today, so I am going to seperate them into sections. Above is the lovely St Francis Xavier Cathedral, which was the ceremony venue for Brooke and Andrew today.
Brooke has been a wonderful Bride - I love the challenge of new ideas and custom items, and this wedding had plenty of both! Below is the Swarovski jewellery I made for the Bridal party - each piece is customised and OOAK - intricate Swarovski crystal and rhinestone earrings for the Bridesmaids: and for the Bride, a set centred around Swarovski's sparkly 'starfish' pendant with triple-strand necklace that has a removable pendant; classic drop earrings and a matching bracelet...

And for the flowers: Brooke carried a natural stem posy with... lime green and blue (dyed) Orchids; Echiveria; pepper berries; 'Carousel' Roses; deep plum Calla Lilies; Silver Suede; and natural sea shells, for a truly beautiful and unique bouquet.
Brooke's 4 Bridesmaids carried custom-made cones filled to the brim with classic white Orchids, glittery cone with hessian wrap and green-dyed natural starfish embellishment and a faceted crystal handle.
The flowergirl carried a simple posy of white Orchids to compliment the Bridesmaid's cones, complete with cute crystal buttons. All the girls wore Orchids in their hair.

The Ceremony was held at the Cathedral, with the Bride arriving in style - not every day I see a horse-drawn carriage bringing the Bridal party! Very chic, and what perfect weather for an open ride...

I decorated the entrance and aisle with bunches of contorted willow (love that stuff ;-) brightened and brought to 'life' by hand-wiring dozens of white Orchids on each bunch - I have wanted to do that at the Cathedral for ages

Huge Congratulations Brooke and Andrew - you pulled together a great wedding! Enjoy the rest of your lives...

KAREN & SHANNON

2011-03-07T07:46:00.000-08:00

I can't tell you what a relief it was to work a wedding without that horrid humidity to deal with! It was such a lovely day for Karen and Shannon's wedding, I thoroughly enjoyed being outside for such a lovely event.

Karen carried a classic posy with creamy Vendela roses, and I added 10 stems of Swarovski 'Glamour Unlimited' crystal stems - my photos really do not capture just how sparkly and beautiful they looked - they really take a posy to another level! Hopefully I will get some professional photos which are more likely to do the crystals justice.

Karen's three Bridesmaid's wore beautiful lilac coloured dresses, which were complimented by smaller posies of Vendela, this time without the crystals.

For the ceremony I set up my large crystal aisle to match the length of the 8m red carpet (essential if wearing heels on grass!), and finished the aisle with loads of fresh rose petals. I used part of Karen's bridal table arrangement to stop the cloth flying off the registry table, and it didn't hurt to pretty it up either!

And for the three gorgeous Flowergirls: handmade wands painted lilac to match the theme, accessorised with crystals, glitter and sheer ribbon; then finished with a design of fresh cream miniature roses. I love making these stars - they are so much fun for the girls to carry.

The reception was held at the function room at Irwin Rec Centre, where I set up the Bridal table with a hedge-style arrangement, complete with varying sizes of pillar candles and surrounded to each edge of the table with diamond scatters and tealights; guest tables held my 40cm mirror, a posy vase filled with fresh vine and bursting with scented blooms of Hyacinth, full and miniature Roses, Orchids, Lissianthus and miniature Gerberas, all surrounded with more diamond scatters and candles ... Then all that was left was to dim the lights and light the candles; and the room was ready for a romantic evening celebrating with loved ones!

Congratulations Shannon and Karen - you are a lovely couple and it was a real pleasure watching you both declare your love to the world!

JARRAD & CHANTELLE

2011-02-27T00:39:00.000-08:00

It was on one of these hot, sticky, muggy days when Chantelle and Jarrad shared vows and decided the rest of their lives would be together - and the morning started with the heavens opening and the rain looking like it was here for the long haul! The tricky thing was Chantelle had planned their ceremony to be outside, in a stunning family garden. After holding off as long as possible, wedding planner Kelsey from Serendipity Weddings went ahead and setup in the garden... and it ended up being a great choice! The rain held off and the ceremony went off without a hitch.

Chantelle carried a bouquet of white Roses; she wanted it not too 'perfect', so I used a mixture of full size and miniature roses, bordered with camellia. With her Bridesmaids and Junior Bride wearing stunning coral dresses, I added 2 shades of coral roses to their posies, with a wrist corsage for the junior Bride using my brand new 'Dew Drops' bracelets - 3 rows of faceted clear glass (will be on the website soon), with miniature roses, Orchids and coral berries.

For the ceremony, I added some colour to the altar with urns bursting with coral roses and orange lilies in full bloom. With the natural surrounds and crisp white chairs (Serendipity have just got the lovely fold-out white chairs *yay*) and archway, it was a very romanic setting.

Reception was held a QEII, where I transfered the urns near the Bridal table, and set up the stunningly simple Submersed Orchid centrepiece, with the Orchids lit up under water with white lights, bringing real atmosphere to the table.

Well done Chantelle and Jarrad - it was lovely to be a part of your day!

AMY & CAMERON

2011-02-26T05:42:00.000-08:00

Being the week of Valentines, it was not easy getting the roses for this one! But I did, and there was some lovely colour for Amy - lemon roses and Lisianthus, mauve glasshouse Chryssies and scented lilac Hyacinth, but the real feature was those huge Oriental Lilies, and for Amy's bouquet I removed the anthers and replaced them with crystals - a very pretty way of getting rid of pollen problems!

Amy and Cameron were wed at the beach, and reception was held at the African Reef. Clare from Clares Cakes did a wonderful job making the cake, which I decorated with Amy's theme flowers. Amy also wore my real touch rose blooms in the Bridal party hair - about the only way to wear flowers in this heat wave!

All the very best to you both ;-)

XOANON & KIT

2011-02-26T05:24:00.000-08:00

The Yacht Club was the reception for Kit and Xoanon's big day, and their ceremony very cleverly setup under shade at the Foreshore just outside - no running around meant everyone could relax and enjoy the day!
Xoanon carried an armsheaf style bouquet of white Calla lilies and greenery, and her Bridesmaid a smaller version of the same. Simple and elegant.
White Orchids were used for wrist corsages and hair flowers, with Xoanons hair being a one-off slide comb with a small real-touch Calla and fresh Orchids.
I loved Xoanon's unique dress - white to look at but with a subtle aqau sheen through the material, making the colour theme easy to find!
All the best Kit and Xoanon!

Selah

2011-02-15T07:42:00.000-08:00

I know I have been quiet for a couple of weeks, but I am still here!
My over-worked computer has quit on me (PTL for external hard drives!) and in the meantime I am stuck with a borrowed laptop to check emails and do quotes...
I have done some lovely weddings in the last couple of weeks, but I know what you all want is the photos - so until a new machine hits my happy hands I will wait - and so must you - until I am able to upload photos again...

Making it all the more annoying is the fact I have some exciting new products to share, and I can't show you yet! Soon, very soon, I will be back. Until then, please call or email if you have any questions - my online shop is still functioning fine, along with the Paypal system to purchase jewellery.

I guess without a computer to distract me, the housework is getting done at least.... ;-)

Custom Bouquet Wraps

2011-01-19T08:11:00.000-08:00

A Bride in the USA contact me towards the end of 2010 about her wedding later this year - she is planning a 'Vintage western wedding with a modern touch' using 'watermelon pink, tangerine orange, and black' as her colours, and was after custom designed Bouquet wraps for the bridal party.

I offered a couple of design and budget options, and she chose the design sketch you see below - I used the swirl pattern often seen in western boots and shirts as the main inspiration, incorporating the theme colours (each chosen in colour balance to reflect the flowers they will wrap), and making the Bride's wrap extra special with the addition of Swarovski crystals incorporated into the design.

Today they were sent, once I had emailed photos of them to make sure she was happy with the result - 'They look amazing thank you so much!'
I can't wait to see how it all turns out - I will share photos of them in use later on this year!

If you are after bouquet wraps for your upcoming wedding, please visit my website here to learn more about how they work and to order popular wraps, or contact me if you are after a custom, OOAK design! I ship anywhere in the world, just make sure you leave plenty of time (minimum 4-6 weeks) as each and every wrap is made carefully by hand, especially for you.

PAM & RUSSELL

2011-01-13T22:43:00.000-08:00

I love the style of this couple - Pam and Russell married at Greenough Historical Settlement, at a lovely section out the back of the old Police Station, complete with a well shadowed by a huge gum tree... Pam wanted 'small and medium flowers, texture, scent, not too structured ... informal/old fashioned'

Best of all? It was a surprise wedding! Their close friends (who introduced the couple) thought they were coming for a surprise birthday party ... for Pam!! Guess the surprise was for them!

I didn't want to take away from the natural, rustic beauty, so made a simple colourful display for the top of the well, in front of which Pam and Russell wed. Using loads of scent and colour, I incorporated Tuberose, Delphinium, Roses, Lisianthus, Rosemary, Eucalyptus, Queen Anne's Lace (perfect for vintage weddings), Orchids, Freesias, Malucca Balm, both spider and 'kermit' glasshouse Chrysanthemums; and more!

Pam's bouquet was a loose natural arm sheaf, with the stems cut short enough that she could carry it downwards if she felt more comfortable that way; and it would still look pretty. Using all the above listed flowers, finished with pretty red pins to match Pam's red shoes.

Bits 'n' Pieces

2011-01-11T22:55:00.000-08:00

I have been working on a few projects over the Christmas break, and will add pics as they are finished...

Also, just letting you all know the 2010 collection of Flowers in Love jewellery will be removed from the website in a few weeks, to make way for the exciting 2011 collection! So if you have had your eye on anything, please order now at www.flowersinlove.com/jewelleryhome.html , and contact me (jewellery@flowersinlove.com) for custom orders. Once the 2011 collection is released, the '10 items are only available if they happen to be in stock in your colours until sold out...

Above is a Christmas order of a customised 'Louise' set - made with Vermeil (24c gold over .925 Sterling silver) with the stunning multi-coloured 'Vitrail light' Swarovski crystals.

Another of the Christmas orders - this one was the all-time favourite of 2010 'Naomi' design, a bracelet with white Swarovski crystal pearls and intricate sterling silver beads, here also with a hand-stamped tag to make it an extra-special and personal gift, complete with free gift box and bag!

JAYNE & DALE

2011-01-11T06:36:00.000-08:00

*sigh* What a lovely way to start a brand new year!

After some very relaxing holidays (and a long-awaited tan) I am back for more - last weekend it was the lovely Jayne and her man Dale swapping vows and rings - Jayne carried a modern 'pendant' style bouquet (like a teardrop but rounder and with a more subtle point) with crisp perfumed white Lilies, Lisianthus and deep green Cordyline foliage. I removed the pollen-filled anthers from the Lilies and replaced them with crystal rhinestones, which picked up on the crystal details in Jayne's dress.

The 4 Bridesmaids carried natural stem posies with Lilies and Lisianthus, and clean white Orchid buttonholes adorned the boys' lapels and Mums' corsages.

Tinkerbell weddings setup the Ceremony at the lovely Queens Park Theatre Gardens, with the new stunning 8m black carpet, white chairs and black sashes. My large crystal aisle and some fresh rose petals finished off the setting.

For the Reception at Tides of Geraldton, I used my 40cm mirrors and tall cylinder vases; filled to the brim with clear water, and topped with a posy of Lilies, Lisianthus, spear grass, mini Monsteria and tropical greenery. They really filled the room out and created the 'wow' factor when guests walked in. I also transferred a few of the aisle stakes with rose balls and crystal drops - and used them to highlight the entrance and external doors.

Congatulations Jayne and Dale - it was a lovely wedding and I was honored to be a small part of it!

MICHELLE AND TONY

2010-11-27T04:16:00.000-08:00

When I heard we were in for a top of 37 degrees today, my heart sank - not the best weather for an outside Ceremony! But PTL by the time Michelle arrived the breeze had kicked in and the Lavender Farm gardens dropped to much more bearable level.
Michelle carried a stunning bouquet - I told her I have a new favourite flower because of her wedding, and I do - huge, perfumed layers of petals make up the amazing Peony, in soft shades of pink and white. What's not to love!
I combined the Peony with purple Lisianthus to tie in with the 'violet' sheer table runners and chair sashes (romantic setup by the talented Mel from Tinkerbell weddings), soft pink 'Champagne' Dendrobium Orchids, lime green nuts, and the soft silvery leaves of Cineria. I added clear Swarovski 'Classic Sparkle' crystal stems which added a subtle touch of sparkle and highlighted the tiny crystals sewn into the bodice of her dress. Michelle also wore 3 of the lovely 'Champagne' Orchids in her hair.

For the Reception I made alternating table centres (great way to add visual impact to the room) - some purple 'Submersed Orchid' settings, with purple Orchids and white lighting, and lush, full posy vases filled with Lilies, Peonies, Orchids, Chincherinchee, Cineria, and fluffy Joey Fern. I also decorated the vases to both hide the stems (makes for a much 'cleaner' look) and to continue Michelles lavender and soft pink colour scheme. I made one extra covered vase, and placed it at the gift table so Michelle can put in in when she want to have her hands free!

Thank you for letting me be a part of your special day, Michelle and Tony!

MELBOURNE CUP

2010-11-11T19:26:00.000-08:00

Geraldton Turf Club was ablaze with colour for the 2010 Melbourne Cup - crowds of locals with plenty of feathers and heels braved the warm afternoon to place their bets, enjoy a yummy catered lunch by Adams Catering and watch the big race!

I added to the colourful tables with 30 low round centrepieces in bright Spring colours - lots of Lilies, Gerberas, Sunflowers, Rice flower, Carnations, Chrysanthemums... every piece was unique, and loads of fun to make!

I should have placed a bet - notice how Americain's jockey is smack in the middle of the screen when I took the pic of the TV, about half and hour before the race? Subtle clue there!

BREE & MATTHEW

2010-11-11T18:03:00.000-08:00

Bride: Textural modern teardrop Bouquet with gumnuts, Succulents, Orchids, Lilies, bark, Antherium, fresh vine, Cordyline and Aspidistra leaves - quite a mouthful but a lovely bouquet!

Bridesmaids: Stunning Bouquet that can be carried as a posy or an arm sheaf with white Orchids and deep green foliage, finished with black satin ribbon and crystal brooch (I have a range of brooches available and can even make custom brooches!)

Cake: Made by the talented Sheryl Clancy, with handmade Gumnut Babies (haven't seen them around for ages!), which I decorated with Bridal theme flowers and foliage.

Congratulations Bree and Matthew, hope it all went beautifully!

KELLY & SEAN

2010-10-17T01:05:00.000-07:00

Bubbly Kelly and Sean tied the knot at the Marina outside the what used to be Conversations - lovely views for photos! Kelly had a blue/white theme, which was carried through the flowers and jewellery.

FLOWERS: Kelly carried a shower bouquet with large white Oriental lilies and Dendrobium Orchids dyed blue (matched her colour scheme perfectly!), Bridesmaid's carried a detailed silver holder with white open Lilies and lush foliage. Another bright aisle design - this time I used red and orange Gerberas, kept fresh in glass vials of water, attached to the aisle stakes with blue wire to compliment Bridal theme colours, and decorated with blue crystals. What a difference a floral aisle makes!

JEWELLERY: Kely wore a custom y-drop necklace, with Swarovski pearls and diamantes. Bridesmaids wore custom necklaces (also in the y-drop style), bracelets and earrings, using blue, white and aquamarine Swarovski pearls and crystals, and of course Sterling Silver components.

Congratulations Kelly & Sean - hope you enjoyed the celebrations after!

JANELLE AND LUKE

2010-10-11T04:11:00.000-07:00

Just got some pro photos from a real touch silk wedding I did in September - not sure who the photographer is, if it is you please let me know so I can give credit!

Bride - shower bouquet with soft peach Swarovski crystal stems

Bridesmaids - Posies with Swarovski crystal stems

Bride - Hair flower on slide comb

Thanks for the pics, Janelle, you all look lovely!

SAMANTHA AND DANIEL

2010-10-10T03:19:00.000-07:00

This has to be the most colourful wedding I have done to date ;-) I must say, the cheerful blooms were perfect for this couple...

BRIDAL PARTY: Samantha wore 'Angela' earrings in Vermeil (24k gold over Sterling Silver) with clear Swarovski crystals, and carried a natural stem posy with Gerberas in bright pink, red, yellow and orange, setting the theme for the rest of the flowers.
Bridesmaids wore my 'Jodi' jewellery set (neclace and earrings) created with Sterling silver, bright red 'light Siam' and clear Swarovski crystals, and carried a simple posy with one of each of the theme Gerbera colours, accented with diamante hearts and sheer ribbon
Groom and Groomsmen were wearing black suits and black shirts (Daniel wore a white shirt) and red ties, so the red miniature Gerbera buttonholes really 'popped' against the black.

CEREMONY: I loved Samantha's Ceremony flowers - I have always had a warm spot for Queens Park Theatre gardens for Wedding ceremonies - it really comes alive with dramatic flowers. I created four Urn/Pedestal arrangements packed with a rainbow of Gerberas and simple foliage, two for the aisle entrance, and two at the altar, and made an aisle out of individual blooms in glass vials weaving their way along the carpet edge - very unique and funky! I made a registry table arrangement from red Gerberas and green Orchids, which looked lovely in the dappled shade next to the altar...

RECEPTION: After the Ceremony was over and the guests started to leave, I transferred the urns to Queen Elizabeth II Centre, where Mel from Tinkerbell Weddings (http://www.tinkerbellweddings.com.au/) had done a wonderful job setting up with black cloths and chair covers, with each table having a different sash colour - creating the perfect backdrop for the colourful Gerberas! Two urns were placed at the main entrance to welcome guests, and the other two either side of the Bridal table. The registry table flowers became the Bridal table centrepiece, and I placed the Gerbera blooms used in the aisle setup in individual vials, and re-used them (nothing should go to waste!) as place-setting flowers for special guests. Table centres were a simple but very colourful tall vase with internal design of miniature Gerberas, lit up with under-vase lighting, reflected with a 40cm mirror covered in tealights and acrylic diamonds in clear and red.

Phew! I enjoyed a glass of white after this day - hard work but so rewarding! Congratulations Sam and Daniel - hope the rest of your lives together remain this bright (sorry - had to do that!)