From Start to Finish #28

Photo by This Sweet Love Photography

We are going to have so much fun doing the flowers for Meghan and Brett’s wedding!

Why? Well...

One, they have some beautiful ideas that we can’t wait to translate into reality. And two, I used to work with Meghan when I was the Managing Editor for WeddingsInWinnipeg.ca, and we were so beyond excited when Brett (finally!) proposed and Meghan got down to the planning of the details! I remember when she started her first wedding-inspired pinterest board, and seeing it grow has had me so excited.

Where do you recommend brides look for inspiration?

The answer to finding inspiration depends on what type of style you want your wedding to be. For example, if it’s taking place in the heart of summer with a casual or romantic feel, then scoping out gardens is a great place to start. Or if you’re planning a fall wedding, then look to fall colours and textures to come up with something unique. In general, online searching is the best way to begin. A few websites we love are Pinterest (of course! You can find Academy Florist’s boards at http://pinterest.com/academyflorist/), the galleries at Martha Stewart Weddings (they’ve got them categorized by season AND style, which is awesome!) and TheKnot.com, as well as OnceWed.com and StyleMePretty.com. It’s also a great idea to search through local florists’ websites and facebook pages to get an idea of their work as well as the types of flowers that they have access to. And another must: keep your venues in mind when thinking about the style and the look that you’d like to achieve. If your ballroom is super modern but you want a retro feel to your flowers, they’re going to end up sticking out like a sore thumb.

What do you recommend to a bride trying to stick to a tight budget?

The most important things for a bride on a budget are 1) Tell your florist right away that you’re on a budget so she can suggest the best price-friendly options for you 2) Be open and flexible to suggestions. When brides have specific flowers in mind and won’t use anything but them, fate often has it that those blooms are the priciest. You’re going to a florist for her expert opinion, and letting her get creative within your price range is really important to make sure that you get the style you’re looking for.

One of the great things about Meghan’s planning is that she’s tried very consciously to NOT make it all too girly... despite wanting to use only pinks, she’s found a way! So, armed with a pinterest board with photos she loves, a few ideas for the types of flowers she wanted, and a lot of excitement, Meghan and Brett walked into our consult room and HERE is what we’ve come up with for their wedding!

Colour Palette: Creams, pinks, peaches, blush with some wood and lace accents

Flowers Chosen: O’Hara garden roses, Juliette garden roses, spray roses, stocks, asters, baby’s breath, and hydrangea mixed with dusty miller as the chosen foliage.

Bouquets: Meghan’s going to be carrying a very textural mix of pinks, peaches, and creams.

Bridesmaids: The 6 bridesmaids will be carrying a similar nosegay to Meghan, which will be a gorgeous compliment to their dusty rose dresses!

Ceremony Decor: The wedding will use both a few lace and a few ribbon accents, so we thought we would tie those together in the ceremony arrangements. We’ve chosen 2 white acrylic stands to sit at the front of the church, on which we’re draping colour coordinating strands of ribbon. A large tapered vase wrapped in lace will be placed on each stand, with a full and somewhat ethereal bouquet of white baby’s breath in each. Meghan’s going to add a few candles in small mason jars to the stands to add in something a little extra!

Reception: Meghan’s bringing in glass mason jars in differing sizes, all wrapped with lace. We’re going to fill them with garden-fresh arrangements of baby’s breath, white asters, and a mixture of roses, stocks, and hydrangeas. The overall look will be very lush and “just from the garden,” and thanks to the varied sizes of jars, the tables will also look casual and simple. Some vases will have a single garden rose in them, some will have a large hydrangea, some will have baby’s breath, some will be a mixture of spray roses and asters—you get the idea. Each table will have both a small and a large jar, and each arrangement will be different. We’re also going to bring the ceremony arrangements to the reception to highlight the head table, which will be lined with the girls’ bouquets and more candles. Set at the brand new Qualico Family Centre, it’s going to be gorgeous!!

All in all? This is going to be a wedding to remember!

Academy Florists

I can't wait to see what Academy Florists puts together for us. It's going to be beautiful and they've been wonderful to work with! That's all from me today. Hope this helped you out in some way. :)

From a bride-to-be that has checked florals off the to-do list,