Murphy Mondays: A Portrait of a Pretty Bouquet

I love having my picture taken - it's one of my favorite things. Personally, I don't think I take a bad picture, whether I'm sunbathing or on the move, and believe me, there are plenty of people who agree. But I understand that for most dogs - and people - having a picture taken is something to plan and take seriously. Especially brides!

The wedding is one thing...of COURSE there are going to be a lot of pictures taken at the wedding. But for many brides, the pictures don't start there - they start with their bridal portrait; a whole day set aside when they go to their photographer and have their picture taken in their dress. On the wedding day, there are lots of pictures of the couple and their family and friends, as well as pictures of the space, the flowers, the food, and more. But the bridal portrait is just about the bride. For most brides, bridal portraits are pretty important. They are wearing their dress and they have their hair and makeup done; so, of course, they need some wedding flowers.

This is where my people come in! At Bouquets of Austin, we offer the option for our brides to a get a bridal portrait bouquet and there are a couple of ways to go.

*A bride can have a full replica of her wedding day bouquet made for her bridal portraits. Hey, it's your day - you get to have whatever you want, right?!

*Another option is to choose our bridal portrait bouquet that is a little smaller than a traditional bridal bouquet - about the size of a bridesmaids bouquet - and includes all roses in the color of the bride's choice. This is often the option that brides choose. For one, a bridal portrait bouquet is a nice, affordable price. And, second, the bridal portraits are all about the bride and the dress. You just want some beautiful flowers to complement your overall look.

If you're ready to schedule your bridal portrait, make sure you talk to my people at Bouquets of Austin for your bridal portrait bouquet and get ready for an amazing day!

Have a great week!

Murphy

Friday Photo Spotlight: Rustic Elegance

There are some wedding gowns that we just can't get out of our heads and this is one of them. Could this gown be any more spectacular? Or this bride any more gorgeous? This is one of our favorite weddings - a rustic, yet elegant, affair at Vista West Ranch (with bouquets to match!).

Wedding Planner: Barbara's Brides

Friday Photo Spotlight: Gorgeous Gloriosa Lilies

A stunning bouquet from last fall - something for a bride looking to make a statement!
It features gloriosa lilies and hot pink coxcomb finished with a collar of scented geranium foliage and a lush pink velvet ribbon.
Photographer: Anthology

Friday Photo Spotlight: Soft, Sweet, Romantic Bridal Bouquet

This is one of my absolute favorite color combinations - creams,whites, and blush - featuring one of my all-time favorite garden roses, the White O'Hara. If only you could smell this photo...

Color? White? Or Something in Between?

Our consultation process is just that - a process. We ask questions of our brides and grooms - getting to understand their style so that we can best realize their wedding flower vision. In turn, they ask questions of us. Part of our job is to help our couples understand the nuances of flowers - and how they can best be used to help create a spectacular wedding design.

One of the most frequently asked questions of our design staff?

Should my bridal bouquet be all white or should I include color?

This is a tough one because, quite simply - in the end - it is the personal choice of the bride. But do we have a preference? Yes - sometimes we do.

 There's nothing more classic and "bridal" than an all white bouquet. But no matter what, the bridal bouquet should always be a complement to the wedding dress. Brides can either look at the bouquet as another accessory or....they can look at the flowers as something to be showcased - the spotlight of the wedding "outfit."

If you choose an all white bouquet, you can always make it interesting by adding a few varieties of flowers in whites or perhaps a few berries or an accent - even a colored ribbon to make a statement.

One of the biggest trends right now is the blush bridal bouquet - and boy are there a lot of ways to achieve blush! Generally speaking, "blush" refers to a combination of flowers in soft pink, peach, and champagne.

If, in the end, you decide you don't want to add a color to your bridal bouquet, you can always complement a white bouquet with foliages and natural green flowers. Once again, it all comes down to your vision - a beautiful classic bride with all white or a soft romantic vision with a blush or pastel bouquet and allowing Mother Nature to add the right hint of green. No matter what you picture, we'll help you bring that vision to life!

Let There Be Color!

Weddings have certainly changed dramatically throughout the decades, as have brides themselves. A 1950s bride may bear no resemblance to the modern bride of today. And yet - despite it all - they certainly share the desire to create a day that completely reflects their personality; what they love the most. In short, every bride wants their wedding day to be all about them.

As wedding florists, we love this simple truth because it allows us to creatively paint a picture of every bride and groom. Cookie cutter isn't our thing; it's always interesting to see what couples bring to the table and it's our job to help them express their personalities through the design of their wedding flowers.

Of course, when people think of weddings, they usually think white. Certainly white flowers are the quintessential wedding flowers. But over the years, we've also loved to see the dramatic use of color. Whether it's a color theme that is carried throughout the wedding or just a pop of color used here and there, there's much to said for the use of color in a wedding.

For brides wanting to make a little more of a statement with their bridal bouquet than the traditional white, the color possibilities are endless - maybe just a combo of colorful seasonal flowers and a variety of elements.
 
With this wedding, the bridesmaids wore chocolate brown and carried a smaller version of this vibrant bridal bouquet.

For a more modern look, use a single type of flower. In this case,  the bride carried a collection of these gorgeous gloriosa lilies. Her bridesmaids wore black and carried white cymbidium orchids with raspberry throats.

This bride loved variegated flowers and especially these gorgeous striped amaryllis. And for an extra special touch, we added some bling to her wrap. Her bridesmaids wore red and carried all white bouquets with pops of red.

There's so much that you can do with color. Don't be afraid to incorporate it into your wedding flowers!

Texas Wildflowers...Not

Did we mention it is booking season? Lots and lots of inquiries have been headed in our direction and we absolutely love it! Wedding flowers are our thing, but the best part of designing wedding flowers is that we get to tell a story - and that story begins with meeting the bride and groom and getting to know them. This is the creative part of the process and, honestly, a good part of the fun for us. We really enjoy getting to meet so many fun, awesome couples. This is what really gets us excited about making their wedding flowers something truly special!

Unfortunately, however, not everything about this process is picture perfect. We love when brides/grooms have a vision, but hate it when we have to squash their dream. This is especially true when we're talking about expectation to budget ratio. At least in this case, we can work with couples to help them create the wedding of their dreams but in a way that works within their budget. Some things, however, we just can't do anything about and that includes making particular flowers materialize.

We are in Texas and people here love their Texas wildflowers. We totally get it. We love them too. But guess what? Real Texas wildflowers don't exist for commercial use; they are simply not commercially grown. You should see the faces of the brides and grooms who have their hearts set on Texas wildflowers and are forced to hear this sad news.

So here's the deal...Texas wildflowers don't survive for long when they are cut; they are completely dependent upon the weather and they are not meant to be wedding flowers. So when brides and grooms ask us about bluebonnets, we have to say no. But what we can suggest is giving bluebonnet seed packets as favors or incorporating the essence of bluebonnets into the wedding in other ways, such as using a beautiful bluebonnet broach/pin for the handle of the bride's bouquet. One of our bride's mother even handmade gorgeous napkins out of wildlflower printed fabric. We can also mimic the look of wildflowers, by making loosely gathered, casual bouquets with pops of color.

Beyond Texas wildflowers, here are some other flowers that fall into the "no" category...

Magnolia. Most photos of magnolia bouquets are actually silk/artificial. I was lucky enough that my grandmother, like many others in the south, had a gorgeous magnolia tree in her front yard. The blooms were beautiful on the tree, but as many times as I tried I was never able to get a bloom to last for more than a few minutes once it was cut.

Wisteria. Sorry Twilight fans! I know that the use of wisteria in the wedding of Edward and Bella caused quite a stir and we have since been asked many, many times about using wisteria. And we have to say no. Wisteria, like wildflowers and magnolia, is meant to be enjoyed in its natural state and environment. Once it is cut from this natural state, it just doesn't make it.

Luckily, even though these few flowers are not available, we have tons of gorgeous varieties that are available and we're happy to help you make the best selections for you!