Personalizing your bouquet

March 09, 2019

I’m a big fan of making your wedding a reflection of your style, personality and spirit—whatever they may be. And because bouquets are an important wedding detail, I put together a list of five ways to ensure you love yours and it reflects you.

Do you have favorite flowers? Emily told me she loves lavender, rosemary and succulent. So naturally, we included them in her bouquet.

Is there someone special whose memory you want to honor and celebrate? Barb had us attached a photo of her late father so he could be with her.

Do you have a special family heirloom like rosary? Incorporate it to your bouquet like Julie did for a unique flair.

Do you have an artsy and romantic style like Hope? Play that up with a flowing, silk ribbon treatment for your bouquet. She purchased Silk and Willow ribbon to wrap around the stems.

It’s not always ideal to wear your mother or grandmother’s wedding gown for your own day. A great alternative would be to use a piece of it to wrap the stems, like we did for Sarah’s bouquet.

Need more ideas for your bouquet? Check out our portfolio for more pics!

Floral workshop in England!

January 11, 2019

“Learning never exhausts the mind.” - Leonardo Da Vinci

I think at any time in your career, there is absolutely learning to be had. There is nothing more inspiring than meeting like-minded people, learning new techniques and using florals you haven’t used before. Via Instagram, I learned about Litha, an England workshop organized by Jo Flowers, a florist/flower farmer from England and floral designer extraordinaire from Portland, Hart Floral.

I love England, have always wanted to meet florists from other countries and the “syllabus” sounded amazing, so I reserved my spot without hesitation. What resulted were several “pinch me” moments over four days!

The workshop took place at gorgeous Bylaugh Hall in Norfolk, about 2 hours by train from London. Bylaugh Hall is a mansion designed by the same architect who created the Houses of Parliament and Downton Abbey’s Highclere Castle.

All our meals were excellent and made by Bylaugh Hall’s French chef, Ronnie Cockett. The Bylaugh staff made us feel cared for during our entire stay.

The highlight for me were these two large, floral installations we did as a group. Large scale work are intimidating at times, so it was priceless to learn how Madison approach these floral creations. She is so creative and uses her background as fine art painter often in her floral design work.

Jo and Madison also demonstrated how they create centerpieces and bouquets. We then made ours and had photoshoots. Like I said, workshops allow you to use some flowers you may not have used before. With England being a country of gardeners (like Jo), we used the most beautiful blooms and had access to amazing local roses, cosmos, phlox, etc. For the first time ever, I used corncockle (aka agrostemma).

Lastly, one of the great things about workshops is making flower friends. It was an international group, so I met florists from several countries, including Finland, Malaysia and Australia. Hope to visit them all one day!

The above photos were taken by the amazing Gillian Stevens.

Repurposing wedding bouquets for your reception

January 29, 2018

Ever wonder what to do with your and the bridesmaids' bouquets after the ceremony? I definitely recommend that they serve double-duty as reception decor. Besides being an earth-friendly and budget-conscious idea, it's easy! May Floral delivers our bouquets in vases that match your wedding design, so it's stress-free to execute this idea. Here are my go-to ideas:

1. Put the bouquets in vases and add some candles and a runner of greenery and voilà, the head table is decorated!

2. Wedding cakes look amazing on their own, but a touch of flowers and a few candles can add a little extra to the tablescape.

3. Some flowers and candles add a beautiful, welcoming touch to the card and gift table.

4. The sweets table is my favorite! Desserts + flowers = winning combination!

5. Jill and Scott's bar at Salvage One was spruced up with one of the bouquets, candles and this sign that speaks the truth!

Hope this helps! If you're planning a wedding and need flowers, say hey here!