How to Pick A Color Scheme for Your Wedding or Party

     Just pick your favorite color, right? That's how most pick their color schemes. People ask what my favorite flower is quite often and I usually say roses, an easy choice given my last name, but you just can't beat a fragrant garden rose! But for an event, party or wedding, I'd choose a combination of colors that complement each other and give off the right vibe for the event, not just use your favorite flower. If you want all white roses for a lush, rich look, mix in cream with the white to give depth of color, but also realize the atmosphere that an all white event creates.

     There are some wonderful color combinations in flowers but I continually see color combinations that don't work so well together or combinations that aren't taken advantage of.  Colors can bring energy, calmness, sweetness or sexiness to a room. They can also evoke a reaction you may not want. For example, I recently attended a corporate party where the event planner (not me), used all dark red, including red curtains, red uplighting, red arrangements and wrought iron accents to give the room a 'Spanish' feel. The saturation was overwhelming for the guests and I heard one man comment that it looked like a strip club.  I felt bad for the event planners because I knew they'd worked hard on the event. But understanding that there can be too much of a good thing as far as saturation is concerned, is as important as understanding that the color palette may be too boring.


     If I had to pick a favorite single color, one that I might use in my house, for example, I'd probably pick blue. Light blue is calming as a color, and when combined with white, it gives off a very soft look. So, when planning your ceremony or party, always ask what atmosphere do I want for my event. This look might be beautiful at the ceremony, but for the reception party, a different look and feel might work better.


     Gorgeous flower color combinations can transform a room in a powerful way.  Dark reds with dark  purple can look very romantic, especially with greenery.  An all red floral arrangement can look romantic, but add some dark pink flowers and the overall look is softened and beautiful. But, add light pink with red and the effect could be reminiscent of a certain sweetheart holiday you may not want.


     
     I love the dark red and purple combination like the one above, and some other beautiful color combinations for flowers are pink and lime green which has a 'garden party' look.

    All purple flower arrangements can make a room look modern and energetic, but add some green, especially lime green and it looks stunning.

     Pink and orange together is modern, clean and fresh. This is another favorite of mine because it's just so pleasant and appealing.

     Want a classic look? White and pale pink are very lovely together. Ways to spice up this combo are to add a slightly darker shade of pink or fuchsia into the arrangement and the amount of greenery used can totally change the overall look.

     Color combinations can help transform a room and help express emotions, so as you consider your color scheme for your big event, talk to your florist and see if they recommend certain accent colors that are analogous or complementary to your main color preference and explain the atmosphere you want at your event. And don't be afraid to ask for their honest opinion on the colors you're considering.  

Some clients pick colors and flower types that are hard to find and just don't work that well together.  My least favorite combination are red and yellow mixed together. Sometimes it's what registers subconsciously.  Not that people notice the color combination on a conscious level per se, but what feeling they have when they leave your event.
If you have a question about your color combination, let me know and I'd be happy to weigh in and give some pointers or thumbs up/thumbs down.



















What About Meghan Markel's Wedding Bouquet?


     On Saturday, May 19, 2018, I watched Meghan Markel's grand entrance into St. George Chapel at Windsor Castle on her wedding day, eager to see the wedding flowers and especially her bouquet, wondering if it would be something different, and...it was.  I'm constantly looking for the next wedding trend and wondered if the bouquet style she selected would become a style I'd be receiving requests for, but in my humble opinion, I'm going to guess - not so much.  

     I loved absolutely everything about Meghan's choices, the understated but elegant wedding dress, the diamond tiara that belonged to Harry's great-grandmother Queen Mary, the long train on the veil, which was very distracting yet entertaining, and the beautiful decorations to the chapel which included a very full and lush garland around the arches, that took, according to a post on a floral message board, a team of 28 installers to put in place. As for the wedding bouquet, I will have to admit to being somewhat surprised to see such a small bouquet. But I totally understand one thing and that is, it's the bride's choice and  the thoughts behind the bouquet had meaning to her and Prince Harry and that's all that matters.




      The monochromatic bouquet consisted of Forget Me Not's, (Princess Diana's favorite flower reportedly picked by Harry from his mother's memorial garden), Sweet Peas, Lily of the Valley and Astilbe, Jasmine and Astrantia. Though some of the flowers were handpicked, it was definitely professionally put together.  It was not a fashion statement, but rather a sentimental statement. The bouquet choice actually reminded me of my own wedding bouquet in it's uniqueness. I wanted my bouquet to have an earthy fragrance and chose herbs such as lavender and rosemary to accompany the fragrant red roses.

     Since this was Meghan's second wedding, as was mine, I believe she purposely chose to downplay what might have been a more bold statement if she'd been in her 20's. I did the same thing. And as a result of this more toned down mindset,  we saw a poised, independent woman looking stunning.  I was curious to see from a couple of florist message boards I follow, what other professional florists from around the world thought and by Sunday morning there were over 300 comments on one site, with one particular word being used quite often, saying the bouquet was "underwhelming". A lot of the florists had big expectations for spectacular flowers and said they felt a little let down. But that's o.k.  The bride gets to decide. I'm happy for the couple and I applaud those professionals behind the scenes that helped make her special day perfect!

Below is my wedding bouquet, also understated, but very special to me.


             























Travel Inspiration - European Floral Trends, Laurel Head Wreaths, etc.

     Over the years I've noticed the wedding season begins to slow down towards the end of October and remains relatively quiet through the winter, thus allowing me to TRAVEL!, which I absolutely love to do because it always inspires and replenishes my bank of creativity.
     I recently traveled to Italy, Switzerland and The Netherlands, visiting the amazing cities of Trieste, Venice, Geneva, Lausanne, Bern and The Hague and found lots of inspiration from my European florist counterparts. 
     The trend I noticed most was a free flowing and generous use of greenery, including wispy vines  often encircling the arrangements and lots of monochromatic colors. Also popular was the inclusion of succulents in arrangement and the usage of rustic pots for Fall arrangements. Below are pictures of arrangements that caught my eye.

Beautiful monochromatic arrangement
 

Outdoor market in Bern, Switzerland
Lovely Fall wreath
Small white arrangements seem popular in the city. great for placing on a desk.
Small florist shop in Venice


Large florist shop in Geneva









Tulip bulbs in Amsterdam's Airport

























While in Trieste, Italy, I saw several young women around town wearing beautiful fresh laurel wreaths on their heads. I finally decided to stop one of the women to ask what the head wreath signified and was told it was graduation day and the white color of the ribbon on the wreath showed what the advanced degree was, PhD in Psychology. 





My favorite pastime, other than flowers, gastronomic travel!

Chocolate in Switzerland, everywhere!

Kraut and different pork sausages in Geneva

Captain's platter in The Hague
Fast food in Venice - delicious calzones 
Here, I'm enjoying a delicious popular drink called Aperol Spritz
Classic Margherta  pizza in Trieste
Espresso perfection!
Fast food in Trieste - a focaccia stand!
Venice

Bern

Trieste

Geneva
Venice
Geneva

United Nations, Geneva

And finally, I'll share a few pictures of doors, because,well, I have a thing for old doors.
My husband, standing in front
of this extremely large door at the Lausanne Cathedral

Isn't this door amazing?

Beautiful entrance of the Bern Cathedral

Kimberly and Gray's Chateau Elan Wedding

     Kimberly and Gray's wedding this past July was held at Chateau Elan, a winery located North of Atlanta.  The winery, with its many attractive indoor and outdoor settings was the perfect backdrop for this handsome couple.

     Beautiful bride Kimberly, chose a soft color theme of white and light pink with accents of gold for her decor and the result was stunning.  At our first meeting, she brought pictures of the overall look she liked, including a picture of a floral wreath for her dog, who was to walk down the aisle. And at a later meeting, a request was made to provide some sort of tree for the reception, to be placed near the photo booth for the Auburn University Alumni guests to paper in honor of the bride and groom. Papering trees after a football win is a beloved Auburn tradition and I was happy to work this feature into the look of the ballroom - no easy feat given the glamorous look of everything else to do with this wedding.  I knew I was going to enjoy designing for this couple!

     Here are some pictures of the wedding taken by Jessica Williams Studio. Our very best wishes to Kimberly and Gray!


Floral arrangements lining the aisle, placed at every row with
satin fabric draped over the columns for added color
Wearing her floral collar proudly
A great picture of the atrium wedding ceremony



Floral touches added to the staircase
The happy couple at the reception


Large arrangements for the seating tables and
another placed on the dessert table.
The photo booth area was the perfect
spot for the Auburn tree for 'rolling with a
 sign that read "Roll the Tree
 for Gray & Kimberly"


The beautiful reception ballroom at Chateau Elan










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