Purple is the New Black

From palest lavender to deepest aubergine, the color purple is everywhere this spring.

And it’s no wonder; purple is wonderfully versatile. Equally at home at an afternoon tea or a black-tie event, purple can be dressed up or down, depending on the need!

As a result of its association with royalty and luxury, the term purple  is often used to describe pretentious or overly embellished literature. For example, a paragraph containing an excessive number of long and unusual words is called a purple passage.

Best bets for spring purples: anemones, freesia, tulips, sweetpeas, callas and the all-time favorite purple flower – Lilac!!

Pretty in Pink

Pink and ivory with crystal and gold; it’s a fairytale wedding!

Our bride was married in the rose garden at the Ritz-Carlton, Marina del Rey, which is a lovely spot for an outdoor wedding. Surrounded by greenery, rose bushes and a waterfall, the rose garden makes a very romantic and picturesque setting.

The bride wanted something very elegant and unique without being busy, so we stayed within a two-tone color palette for all the flowers. Tall taper candles on the centerpieces added a touch of drama to this daytime reception.

The bridesmaids bouquets were also kept simple and elegant. Using massed pink roses with touches of folded Lily grass, we created nosegays for all the girls that had a modern leaf-wrapped collar and black silk ribbon wrap.

Calamigos Equestrian Center Wedding

Red has been the color of choice for so many of our brides this year, in part because the color goes a long way for those on a limited budget; you get a lot of “bang” for your buck with a single, bright color.

The processional aisle was flanked on either side by a scrollwork pattern of red rosepetals, accented throughout with candles of varying size.  Candle light played a big part in the ceremony; there were dozens scattered down the aisle, behind the ceremony area and on the walkway leading to where the ceremony was held.

The ceremony was held outside as the sun was setting under a large pergola covered in a garland of lemon leaf, seeded eucalyptus and fern. Clustered all over the garland were arrangements of roses, hydrangeas and orchids. More ferns were added at the foot of the front two columns to hide uplighting and add a visual base for the design.

We’ll post more photos of the personal flowers and centerpieces when we get them from the photographer!

Mountain Gate Wedding

Day and Tony celebrated their wedding at the beautiful outdoor venue of Mountain Gate Country Club. The bride chose an elegant palette of crisp white, raspberry pinks and celedon greens which perfectly complemented the natural setting.

Day preferred a very tailored, contemporary look, so we designed an unusual squared arch with a clean fabric and floral treatment.

The head table treatment included varying height vases with rosepetals and votive candles placed between for an interesting visual dynamic.

In keeping with the clean, modern look, we arranged a tight path of petals on either side of the processional aisle, along with small clusters of roses and hydrangeas at every other chair. The back of the aisle is an important area that should always have some kind of decor, in this case a large glass vase filled with sea glass, hydrangeas, dahlias and calla lilies.

Day and Tony’s five tiered cake was adorned with pink and green cymbidium orchids; the tabletop had petals and votive candles for the finishing touch!

Terranea Wedding

Natalie and Scott’s recent wedding at Terranea resort in Palos Verdes was a fun, festive and beautiful event.

The ceremony took place on a bluff overlooking the Pacific ocean. We used masses of hydrangea, Calla lilies, Anthirium and tropical leaves along with organza fabric and a custom seashell and reed runner to create a tropical paradise feeling.

There were so many personal touches throughout the wedding, from having their four dogs (two labs and two pugs) in the ceremony, to the heart stickers the bridesmaids wore on the bottom of their shoes.

Natalie’s bridal bouquet had over 500 Stephanotis blooms and took over six hours to make!

Los Verdes Wedding

Hot colors. Beautiful setting. Love galore.

Summer weddings are special in that they are ebullient, colorful and full of the pizazz of the season.

Our bride, Meredith, chose a bright summer palette of raspberry, orange and apple green with hits of purple and yellow which spoke to her sassy, vibrant personality. Her bridesmaids wore beautiful cocktail dresses in purple/fuschia and each carried a different bouquet.

Meredith’s centerpieces were broken into three different styles: a trio of vases, one large low centerpiece and one tall display. This is a great way to visually break up a large banquet room

Meredith had a great idea for her head table; each of her bridesmaid’s bouquets was used as a part of the centerpiece on the table. Standing in clear glass vases, the bouquets added color and pop with little additional cost.

Meredith’s cake was lovely and understated with small clusters of orchids and sweetheart roses on each tier and a caketop of hydrangea, roses and orchids.

Beautiful Summer Wedding

Last weekend at the Ritz Carlton, Marina del Rey, we designed a lovely wedding in a bright summer color palette for our bride and groom, Alison and Kent.

Using tones of orange, lemon yellow and apple green gave the decor and flowers a modern, seasonal feel while still keeping it warm and elegant.

Alison chose beautiful apricot Calla lilies tied with a simple silk cuff for her bouquet, and the ring bearer’s pillow was accented with shells to coordinate with their beachy theme.

The detail on the cake was one of my favorite things: sugar scallop shells lined each tier and a single shell sat on top. (We covered it in flowers, but they’ll see it on their one-year anniversary!)

Simple rosepetals and clusters of opened roses with votive candles accented the table, and small clusters of orchids and spray roses adorned each tier of the cake.

Terranea Resort

Next month, we will be designing a wedding for Natalie and Scott at the spectacular,  brand new Terranea Resort in Rancho Palos Verdes.  It just opened a few months ago, and we visited the location with the bride and groom last week to walk through their event plan. We were blown away by the amazing ambiance. This is how a resort should be! There’s nothing quite like it in L.A.

Their ceremony will be held on a bluff overlooking the ocean, with the reception in the elegant and truly one-of-a-kind Catalina Room which has huge doors opening onto a tiled terrace with a spectacular view of the ocean beyond.

The resorts’ decor is so well done, it made us wonder why every hotel doesn’t hire their decorator/interior designer. The artwork, the furnishings, the details, even the carpeting — all were Mediterranean/California chic done to perfection. It’s even an Eco Resort, dedicated to lessening the impact on the earth through careful environmental initiatives.

We’ll post pics as soon as the wedding is over!

Eco Friendly Wedding florals

For the many brides who are opting to “green” their wedding celebration, there are a myriad of creative ways to pack a visual punch and still be eco friendly.

The Eco-Fleur Wishing Tree (which could also be used as a centerpiece with wired on succulents, orchids, etc.) is bedecked with cards (printed on recycled paper with soy ink, of course) that guests write their good wishes on and hang on the tree.

This piece serves in lieu of the traditional sign-in book, which many brides pack away and never look at again. You can take the wishing cards and put them into an album with some candid shots taken at the reception for a fun and special memory. The natural Manzanita branch will last indefinitely.

Another great idea for the earth conscious bride is a centerpiece made with recycled materials, drought-tolerant plants (such as succulents, which can be taken home and replanted) found objects and discarded treasures.

Here we have a centerpiece in a square wood box filled with moss, river stones and succulents surrounding two joined pieces of dried grapevine from old vines. This can be kept as a home decor piece which will live indoors on a coffee table or outdoors on the patio for years.

Soy candles could also be added to complete the ambiance!

Simple and Stunning on a Budget

Try this for your next dinner party or special event: Instead of dressing a long dining table with flower arrangements, create a sense of drama with a rosepetal runner.

This lush petal runner in red (with votive candles down the middle) acts as a centerpiece and coordinates the table with the other dramatic red Murano glass chandeliers around the restaurant.

It’s also less than half the cost of filling the table with flowers.

Using a single bold color works best when adhering to a tight budget — that way you can get the most visual “bang” for your buck.

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