{vendor appreciation} Vintage Florals.

i know i promised details and the dress, but i'm pretty sure y'all are tired of looking at me and would much rather look at these beautiful flowers vintage florals arranged for the day...

photos by daniel meigs

i actually found melissa thru a wholesale flower shop that i used to frequent when i lived in nashville..i emailed the shop, asking if he had any recommendations for a floral designer..and luckily..he knew melissa.

the moment i spoke to her on the phone, i knew she was going to be fantastic. she seemed to know exactly what i was looking for and was just as excited to arrange them, as i was to have them there on the big day.

Do: be prepared. do some research as to what is in season on or around your wedding date. if you must have a flower that isn't readily available..be prepared to pay. try the wedding flower finder on real simple.

Don't: expect her to read your mind. bring pictures of designs/colors you like to your floral designer so you are clear about what it is you do and do not want. try the color image finder on google.com.

Do: check out your options. there are many ladies (and guys!) out there who do this sort of thing for a living out of their own home while trying to raise a family. you might get a better price and fresher flowers than if you use a florist. (but not always..there are good florists out there who won't charge extra just because the word "wedding" comes out your mouth).

{google} this is handy..

this is a dream tool for all us girls who know the colors we want to include in our wedding day..now we can find pretty little images to match. google released their image search to now let you choose colors! check it out:

so..i typed in ranunculus (of course) and chose yellow. after perusing the pretty images..i clicked on my favorite and it took me to toast and tables where i found these lovlies:

sigh. aren't they just breathtaking?!

{ideas} flowers & hospice

i keep having to remind myself to take a deep breath..cause y'all, i am so excited. i spoke with my incredibly nice, patient, and super intuitive floral designer late the other night. we went over flowers, style, colors..everything. she suggested some options without being pushy and i felt completely comfortable with her. in the end, she seemed just as excited as i was about what we came up with...

so here it is:

for the ceremony, we will have 1 bridal bouquet, 3 bridesmaids bouquets, 4 bouts total and 2 corsages for the moms. they will all have the feeling of this:

click on image for larger size

but using a lot of greenery and these flowers & herbs:

click on image for larger size

for centerpieces, banquet tables and cake flowers, we are using these:

click on image for larger size

also... 2 bay leaf and lavender wreath's to hang on each of the white barn doors:


and one large one to hang right above the fireplace:


i think the coolest part about the whole thing is that she can set up for perenity to stop by the next day and take the flowers from the reception to a local hospice hospital. what a wonderful way to celebrate life, flowers, beauty, and hope...

{ideas} flowers, floral designer, and a warehouse

i am overdue to find a florist. i was hoping to find one while in nashville...but totally forgot it was valentines day. we walked into one florist that would have worked out perfectly because it was close to the wedding site, but i did not like the attitude. she was nearly appalled that we had the audacity to show up on valentines day to talk about wedding flowers. really lady? total mistake on our part, yes, but an attitude? seriously? i'm scratching that one off my list. plus it has bad reviews on some of the wedding vendor sites (for the same problem).

so...for the past week i have been emailing florists all over the nashville area to see who might be able to help me...and while i did receive some very thoughtful responses, i felt like i was just picking blindly... i immediately remembered this amazing flower warehouse place that i used to get lillies from nearly every other week while i lived there..it was just down the street and the selection was always super fresh and the prices were amazing! so i emailed the peeps at import flowers and immediately heard back from lou. i have had a wonderful experience so far...and he has a list of preffered vendors! perfect. i much rather go off of a recommendation, especially if he even trusts his precious cargo in the hands of another..you know what i mean?

so...now for the flower pics i will be sending these lovely floral designers:

this is seriously how i want my bouquet to look. i love the bright colors and the greenery...although i would add rosemary, maybe fern curls or pussy willow, and more white... and add ranunculus here and there to tie in with my centerpieces.


i love this one too..i love how wild it is, the big puffy white flowers paired with the delicate dark ones..and have a smaller version of this type of bouquet for my girls..


centerpieces would be super simple in mason jars tied with brown & white bakers twine...i really want a rainbow of ranunculus, but mostly yellow and a few sprigs of rosemary and maybe even lavendar..

although, i really like the little white flowers in this one (don't know what they are)..



when i started collecting these images, i threw them in a folder on my desktop, and unfortunately have no idea where i "borrowed" them from. i sincerely appologize and if you happen to see one that belongs to you, please let me know.

{ideas} another gorgeous centerpiece..

omg. love, love, love this for a centerpiece:

(don't know where i got the image, so if it's yours, please claim it and i'll tell the world)

does anyone know what kind of flower this is??

{ideas} back to it..bouquets & bridesmaids

and i'm back. i knew i couldn't stay away from wedding decision making for too long. ;) perusing my fav blogs this morning, i came across a darling wedding over at snippet & ink. seriously. this is what i'm talkin' about! none of that uber frou-frou stuff...simple, charming, lovable - kinda reminds me of my fh. and check out this bouquet! i luuurve it. although i think i would add a few big white peonies to soften it up and a few crazy wild sprigs of sea oats or rosemary:

and for the guys, i would take one of those yellow ball thingies and pair it with a piece of rosemary and call it a day! simple. rustic. woodsy. i like it. what do you think?

p.s. bridesmaids dresses solved. let them wear grey!


i've decided that this wedding isn't just about me and what i want...it's making sure everyone is comfortable so that they can relax and celebrate the triumph of love. i think they are going to be stunning in these dresses, and i like the way yellow flowers will pop off this beautiful dreamy shade called oyster..

{ideas} finally! a flower finder tool

i am so excited about this new tool featured on brides.com! it's their new flower finder. you can search by color, style - including beach casual, bohemian, modern, classic, & romantic, or by cost! i thought i knew what i wanted..but now i'm even more confused...I love the results i get when i put in white and bohemian style. le sigh. check it out for yourself...