Bouquets of Austin meets Colin Cowie

Here we are a few weeks ago at the NEAWP dinner that featured Colin Cowie.

It was alot of fun seeing alot of our colleagues outside of our regular work pace!

We had a terrific meal and entertaining presentation.

The new classic

A winter bouquet from this past winter-- I love the combination of flowers , creating a full,lush texture in shades of whites and ivory.

Dendrobium orchid blooms for the groom--simple, elegant. The perfect compliment to a tuxedo and bowtie.

The flower girl pomander--shades of reds- roses, orchids!

Frequently asked Friday

I want to take a minute to say thanks to all of the photographers who so generously provide us with pro images-- thank you, thank you, thank you!

We are in the process of updating our consultation room and portfolios, we have reached out to a great number of the talented photographers that work with us--they have so graciously sent over great images.

It is really fun to go to the mailbox and get a CD with images or open an email full of fun shots--it reminds us how much we love what we do also!

Hopefully I let you know who they are--if not, please ask in the comments so that we can give them the proper credit. We are asked many times if we have favorites--honestly there are so many great photographers-I am glad that I do not have to choose! We do have a few that we recommend based on the experiences that we have with them--not only do they provide great images, but they are prompt,courteous, and so many other factors!

Once again--thanks to all the pros out there that make our work look great--we'll look forward to seeing you very soon!

Calla lilies

This is by far one of the most popular bouquets that we design. It works with so many different types of gowns- is always simple and elegant.

Colored ribbons with the calla lilies for the outdoor chairs.

I love colored ribbon outdoors--I generally would not suggest colored ribbons for a church or chapel, but I love them outdoors.

This is a combination of both regular and miniature varieties of calla lilies. We like the way this combination finishes-- it doesn't make the handle too big but still give a bigger presence.

Thanks to Robert Lu at robertstudio.com for the pro images.

Getting the moment!

A flower girl with her own bouquet--looks like she's getting some last minute direction!

The bride does not need any direction--I love this genuine smile--

I have a feeling we will be seeing this combination alot this year--fushcia, purples and blue.

Photos from Studio563.

Thanks guys for all the images!

Lavender and brown

A recent set of photos that we received from

inkedfingers fotography.

I love this soft 'smushy" color for the bride and

repeated for the bridesmaid to complement the chocolate brown gown.

Lavender freesia for the mom --

and green hydrangea for the groom. Thanks Carli for the photos.

Favorites

A few favorites from last summer-- succulents-- love all the different colors and textures.

The courtyard at the Lady Bird Johnson wildflower center.

One of our favorite bouquets of all time-- pin cushion, succulents, celosia,seeded eucalyputus--full of texture!

Thanks to Jeff Loftin for the photos.

Casablanca lilies at Green Pastures

Paper lanterns along with a pair of formal floral arrangements create this simple,elegant ceremony location. This is the lawn at Green Pastures--this was an early afternoon wedding, so peaceful and serene.

White Casablanca lilies were everywhere-- bridal bouquet, chair markers-

And of course the centerpieces-- 2 stems of Casablanca lilies in a tall vases finished with white rose petals. Simple, elegant and sophisticated-perfect for the Cotillion Room!

Garden roses!

One of the most requested flowers--garden roses! I have to admit I have had my doubts about garden roses--they are gorgeous, but until recently we have not had a reliable source for them. I feel like that has finally changed--we had three varieties for this particular event--a light pink, a darker pink and white-- they all performed spectacularly- this centerpiece had been featured at a morning reception and then delivered to a different location for the evening reception--these were some hard working flowers!

These are the entrance pieces to the tent--the morning they were featured at the aisle entrance.

I love these new brown metal containers-- we added the small centerpiece sizes and also the taller ones-they worked perfectly with this green,pink and brown pallette. The garden roses were definitely similar in size to peonies and smelled unbelievable!

The Four Seasons fall weddings!

A beautiful fall palette for a recent event-- rich, warm reds,oranges and a hint of purple. These are a few pro pics from Stella Alesi-- absolutely gorgeous photos.

The bride and groom lived in Amsterdam, so it was planning a very long distance! I had been referred to her by a past bride (thanks so much!). We met in person one time-the rest of the planning was done via email and phone-- with a package of samples,swatches in between.

Every detail carefully executed-- the cookies were prepared with a recipe from the groom's grandmother.

Designers favorite

Saturday favorite from last October!

Where do we get our flowers?

All the flowers featured in these photos originated from a different resource! We are frequently asked where we get our flowers-- the answer is long and intense but I'll give the short version. Our flowers are resourced from all over the world--we get get them through different brokers or wholesalers. Each week we use our local wholesalers, along with a California broker who primarily handles CA product and a Dutch vendor,who ships directly from the Aalsmeer auction. I have my own personal reasons for the wholesalers that I support-- our local wholesalers are very important to us because they also carry flowers from around the world, Columbia, Ecuador, Mexico, New Zealand, Italy to name a few and provide our hardgoods (think vases floral foam, etc.) so I feel like it my responsibility to support them and our local economy. It may not always be the cheapest option but cheapest is not always the best! Our California supplier is once again a company that I strongly believe in, after working in that market for more than 10 years, I know the care and handling that goes into the product they provide to us. They not only have a large group of domestic (US ) farms that they procure the product from, they also have the phenomenal LA flower market to choose from--they are where we go for those hard to find, unusual and fresh products. They have provided us with some awesome product and finally our Holland vendor-- no one does Dutch flowers like the Dutch! There is no comparison to their tulips, peony,freesia, orchids and I could go on--with todays global transportation it is effecient for us to ship directly from Holland--crazy, you know! At this time we do not have a reliable local resource, although we are asked about it all the time-- there are a few farms that produce some random products but overall not super reliable, but if you want a locally produced product you must be flexible and I mean very flexible! It is nothing short of amazing when I look down at a bouquet and see orchids from Holland, roses from Eucador, hydrangea from Columbia, dahlias from California-all nestled together harmoniously-- landing in the hands of a local Texan!

Hanging pomanders

These pomanders were featured inside the chapel at Villa Antonia along with yards of beautiful glass crystals ( no cheap plastic here!) Our bride loved pomanders and I mean loved pomanders!

They were all white each a different flower-roses, hydrangea, carnations and gerbera daisies--hanging on the iron chandeliers.

It made for a beautiful understated look for the chapel. What do you think?

Bouquets of Austin @ Villa Antonia

A couple of weeks ago I was cruising through our cooler and looked around and even though the calendar said fall--our weddings were all designed in bright, bold colors. I love brides who go with their own ideas-- this Sunday evening event was filled with floral color--raspberry hydrangea, orange and bright pink roses, green orchids all to complement a neutral palette.

This beautiful composite rose was carried by the bride. She knew exactly what she wanted and we were able to deliver beautifully! More than 300 rose petals individually placed to create this exquisite bloom.

And a centerpiece that I absolutely loved-- a trio of vase with floating candles ( I like floating candles for outdoors because we can adjust them to burn in the breeze) sitting on a floral base of pink, green, orange and white florals. Check out the gorgeous freesia and dahlias.

I cannot wait to see the pro pics from this event!