Exquisite Weddings Magazine, behind-the-scenes

Hello!  Here we are, at the beginning of November, and it’s been quite a year.  I hope yours has been as productive and fulfilling as ours, though maybe not as crazy!  We have a lot of new projects and ideas brewing and can’t wait to share them with you.  To that end, I’d like to introduce a new guest writer - Jennette Wilson.  Though new to the wedding business, Jennette has had her work featured in several publications, and brings a true passion for both beauty and storytelling that we think will fit right in here at Adorations.  We’re so excited to welcome her to the team!

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We passed through the entry of the country club, peering through doorways and down halls in search of our destination.  Following the buzz of conversation, we continued until we reached a bright, sunlit space, and I suddenly felt as if I had come into some sort of pocket world.  Encased by windows, the room glowed with morning light and energy.  There was an air of industry, but also ease; everyone seemed to know their place in this new world, and their purpose, and was glad to fulfill it.  LaVonne greeted us with a smile - friendly, cheerful, distracted by her own focus.  A well-serving focus made evident in her corner of the staging area, a corner spilling over with the wonderful organized flurry of an artist at work.

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The request was for greenery growing up along a windowframe, creating a sort of half arbor.  Enchantingly, the result looked as if it had been transplanted straight from The Secret Garden.  A wilderness of ninebark and huckleberry sprouted from the floorboards as if it belonged, and from this wilderness grew rose vines and pepperberry fronds in an easy, graceful arc.  A step away, a tarp lay scattered with clipped stems and blossoms, plucked leaves, and five-gallon buckets overflowing with surplus foliage.

Standing back, hands on hips, gesturing, the designers discussed the overall effect.  A spray of the pepperberry, apparently as feisty as its name suggested, had taken an awkward detour.  LaVonne was soon up the ladder to make the correction.

“Do you see that straight line?”

“What if we add more roses?”  

Ultimately, they decided against additional vines.  It is easy enough to fidget with a creative project until the end of time, but the arrangement was already well-balanced, and in no real need of adjustment.  Later, I learned the blossoms on the rose vines were both unexpected and not quite the prescribed color, but met with a little flexibility and a lot of enthusiasm, became a surprise of great advantage.

I watched, fascinated, as the setup progressed to completion.  Prop bouquets were photographed, extra flowers gathered and contained, and tools returned to their belts and boxes while the morning sun shone upon it all.  We carted the last of the supplies out to the truck and said our goodbyes.  The next step was teardown, but that would come later, after the photoshoot, and after coffee.

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Written by Jennette Maynard

Behind the scene photography by Hannah Abad  l Editorial photography by Carrie McGuire

See it in Exquisite Weddings Magazine on newsstands now.

Teaming Up With Basic Invite

We are working together with the masters of stationery over at Basic Invite to show you just how important details are and how all of your wedding vendors can work in sync to create a perfectly curated wedding from start to finish. 

Since you’re already well aquatinted with us over at Adorations we want to give a small introduction of Basic Invite before we get started on our favorite tips and tricks! Basic Invite has been creating the perfect stationery for every occasion for over a decade and have only expanded their amazing products and services since their start. They specialize in fully customizable stationery with a customer driven hands on approach. This means they have over 200 wedding invitation designs, 180 color options, 100 font choices, and several paper types and card cuts to choose from. Basic Invite even has the option of starting with a completely blank canvas where you can upload a photo and place text boxes as you wish for the exact invitation you’ve always pictured.

We must say, we are pretty impressed with all of their options and their own attention to detail because when is comes to your day of blooms that is exactly what is at the forefront of our services. So, how can vendors work together to help all you brides stay on track with your wedding theme or your colors? It’s simple when there are essentially endless options so, here are a few inspirational examples for you to consider.

COLOR

Color plays a huge role in weddings… What color are your bridesmaids dresses? What color is your cake? What are your wedding colors? These all too familiar questions go on and on. But if we’re being honest, it’s a good place to start and one that may even help keep all of your festivities uniformed, but with color comes choices and sometimes that can be overwhelming. Basic Invite suggests this; for formal wedding invitations stick to black and white. You can always add a bit of gold or silver foil for a bit of shine and then use your flowers to incorporate that special pop of color. Another option, fun wedding invitations -  go all out! Mix and match your colors and use those colors to plan your venue decor and florals. Here is your opportunity to utilize the simplicity that floral decor can bring. Keep it simple with whites and creams to offset your bright and bubbly invites and decor.

AESTHECTIC

Romantic, rustic, vintage, formal. There are endless themes to help create the perfect wedding day look. Basic Invite has tons of ideas for wedding invitations and once you decide on one you can create your day of decor around that and then choose blooms to match that style. Whether your focus is on greenery, wildflowers, or traditional roses Basic Invite has a card style to help get you started and we have the flowers to bring all the details full circle.

If you are embarking on your wedding planning process start by deciding on one major aspect of your theme - color or aesthetic and take it from there! Head over to Basic Invite for all the inspiration and once you’ve created your perfect invite and matching wedding menus and wedding programs we will be here to pick the perfect flowers to match.

Right now, Basic Invite is offering 15% off everything site wide using code 15FF51. Don’t forget to enter that coupon code at checkout! See more basicinvite.com.

Ode to Peonies

Oh sweet peony, how we love you so! We truly despise having to see you go…

It is that season! The most sought after flower has been in bloom since about mid-May and carries through till the end of June. While we floral designers are known to pull a few tricks out of our sleeve, the precious peony is only available for just a few more weeks, and then we must bid farewell to the most popular seasonal wedding fleur of all time!

Last weekend, I purchased peonies from a grower in Oregon and they were the last of his crop. The shipment arrived on Tuesday morning and the flowers looked more like marshmallows tightly bound up in shape. As the week progressed I watched, as the blooms started to magically unfold exploding into their femininity like that of a woman. By Saturday they had opened up into their magnificence and were such a sight to be seen! As if I didn’t know before, I completely understand why us ladies adore this very, VERY, special flower.

We were in Vegas for a wedding and as you know, there is a lot of heat in Sin City. The temperature had its effect on the flower and I mean that in a positive way. The heat caused the phenomenal bloom, allowing the luscious petals to exude its full beauty. These peonies were so spectacularly gorgeous that I just had to pull a few out of the arrangements (after the wedding, of course) and left them in my hotel room overnight, hoping the maids took them home to enjoy!

There are so many varieties of peonies, some single, double or multi-layered, like the Sarah Bernhardt, which is the classic, double-bloomed, frilly pink peony that resembles that of an old-fashioned rose. Coral Charm Peonies are also quite popular, as they open into a bowl-shaped bloom revealing a glowing mass of stamens in a deep coral-peach shade. The Cerise Peony is more fuchsia in color and has an outer guard petal that protects the fluffy petaloids insides. Yellow tree peonies are one of my favorite kinds and actually grow trees as opposed to bushes so they aren’t quite as dense. It amazes me the number of peony varietals there are—over 3,000 cultivated types are known throughout the world!!

So enjoy these seasonal beauties while they last… I know Trader Joe’s has been quite a haute spot to pick up a bouquet of stems for your home at an amazing price!!! And while we can’t get peonies all year, we do see some varieties return in the winter months, like the Coral Charm in October, white in November and the deep burgundy blooms in December, right in time for the holidays. However, these lovely pink petals are on their way out, which does make me wonder if that’s why June has become known for weddings…it MUST be because of the picture-perfect PEONY season!

Maharani Weddings FEATURES Adoration’s FLOWER CROWNS

Shot by Braja Mandala Wedding Photography 

There is something magical about placing a flower crown a top a lady’s head. It’s the moment when she transforms into her very own inner princess…

Adoration’s was inspired to create three very special floral crowns for a shoot with the incredibly talented photographer, Braja Mandala. Braja sent me the image of three Radhiki Gopi Skirts in different styles and asked that I create the finishing or rather crowning look with a floral headpiece.

I am often asked to create these fresh floral head wreaths for all ages, mostly darling young flower girls or for the bridal parties at rustic outdoor weddings, but these skirts were extravagant in their ethnic detailing, which inspired me to make dramatic accessories to complement.

The first crown was a luscious compilation of roses and dahlias in an ivory and green color palette while the second crown was a bountiful mix of colorful florals to offset the gorgeous patterned blue skirt design.  The third crown was very simple --- a strand of white hyacinth blossoms that were delicately sewn together with petite beads to add a touch of fresh flora to an ethnic head wrap.

This stunning fashion editorial shoot is featured TODAY on MaharaniWeddings.com. We are thrilled to have contributed to this incredible feature with Braja Mandala Wedding Photography and Gopi Skirts. Thank you so much for including Adorations and our floral crowns… again, perfect for any princess, at any age! 

BRIDAL BOUQUET RECIPE

Are these fleurs on fire burning to be in your bouquet? 

A bride’s bouquet is extremely personal. This is the one traditional accessory that every girl dreams about. Often times, these flowers make up a majority of the entire floral design scheme, so choosing the ones that you are passionate about is best. Plus you’ll forever be cherishing those photographs with you holding this botanical masterpiece. 

BLOOMING INGREDIENTS NEEDED: Orange Parrot Tulips, Flame Calla Lilies, Vivid Mambo Sweetheart Roses, Golden Roses, Mokara Orchids, Gloriosa Lilies 

Some like it HAUTE… like this hearts aflame bouquet in sun-kissed hues. Varieties of flowers make up this European hand-tied bouquet with tulips, calla lilies, roses and gloriosa lilies as the focal flowers. These are not just any ordinary flowers but specifically chosen breeds to suit this bride’s bright and vivacious style. Orange gold-tipped parrot tulips mixed with vivid mambo sweetheart rosebuds in varying stages of bloom comprise the majority of the bouquet with scampering red gloriosa and scattered flame calla lilies bursting in contrast. A bouquet in this orange-red color combination can be hard to achieve, but I am just in love with the freshness of this style that focuses on shape and textural elements.

BRIDAL BOUQUET RECIPE

What lovely fleurs do you want in your bridal bouquet?

Adorations Botanical Artistry is so excited to share with you our new ongoing blog series highlighting some of our FAVORITE bouquet designs created for real brides. Our first bouquet is a real treat and a sneak peak into a stunning feature published on Colin Cowie Weddings, stay tuned… 

BLOOMING INGREDIENTS NEEDED:  Carmel Antik Garden Roses, Amnesia Roses, Patience Garden Roses, Ranunculus, Gardenias, Tulips, Lisianthus, Jasmine Vine & Dusty Miller

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This dreamy bouquet is comprised of softly ruffled Carmel Antik garden roses in butter cream, coupled with the perfect proportion of white Patience garden roses and Amnesia roses, lending a vintage lavender hue. A variety of ranunculus and delicate handpicked gardenias add texture amongst the focal flowers, while subtle hints of tulips, lisianthus, and dusty miller complete the arrangement. This hand-tied bouquet has stems partially exposed for a natural presentation, keeping the romance alive yet not detracting from the real focus – the beautiful bride.

REAL WEDDING: VALENTINE’S DAY EDITION

Cupid and His Angel: Vincent & Angeliquea

He’s a nightclub manager. She’s a cocktail server. What they say is true. You ABSOLUTELY can meet the love of your life at a bar. 

In celebration of Valentine’s Day – Cupid’s holiday – it seemed fitting to feature one of the most stylish and passionate weddings I’ve had the pleasure to design.

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Vincent and Angeliquea are an incredibly gorgeous couple, full of personality and sensual energy. You can just tell that these two are extremely hot for one another. Take a look at their engagement photos. These images by Luna Photo took my breath away that I was certain this wedding would be one steamy night.

When my groom-to-be told me that he works for the corporation that owns Fluxx Nightclub in downtown, San Diego, I knew I was in for a real treat. Being the very location Vincent first eyed his lady love, it made sense they would say their “I Dos” right there, in one of the city’s most notable nighttime hotspots. And like any great man, he wanted to give her exactly what she wanted – the wedding of her dreams.

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Working with Kelly Aull of Mint Weddings, we chose to spotlight this glamorous couple in their naturally sexy setting, with an equally sensual surrounding, lush with red roses and massive amounts of petals lining the aisle. The ceremony site, the club itself, is already so captivating that we kept the altar décor very chic and simple with Manzanita trees framing the stage, dripping in moss and hanging candlelight. With a provocative color palette that completely complemented Fluxx, the couple chose black and red with hints of lavender and green for their floral décor. The bride’s bouquet was perfectly plump with red heart’s roses, while her maids, dressed in Betsey Johnson little black dresses, had black calla lilies and lavender roses mixed in for a dramatic affect. The dinner reception was held at the University Club and outfitted to resemble that of a nightclub vibe. The tables were lined with more luscious red roses and petals with candelabras that illuminated the space and highlighted all the juicy red details. 

Happy Valentine’s Day LOVERS!!!

Photography: Luna Photo. Wedding Coordinator: Mint Weddings. Ceremony Venue: Fluxx Nightclub. Reception Venue: University Club.