Simple doesn't have to be Boring.

This centerpiece sprang from necessity when the white dahlias we ordered did not come in as large as expected.  Instead of placing each flower in individual small glass cube vases, we decided to make a bolder statement by floating them together in a low, wide container accented with horsetail grass wrapped with black bear grass.  Simple, but definitely not boring.

Matti and Dan

I've already posted pictures of Matti's bouquet but I couldn't resist this picture.

The groom's boutonniere.

This is by far my favorite arrangement from this wedding.  I love the height and all the different textures and elements--the bare branches with dendrobium orchids juxtaposed with the straight lines of the horsetail grass, the voluptuous dahlias next to the chartreuse frog eyes, the clear glass pedestal and the black philodendron leaves.

The bare winter branches of the crepe myrtle tree are perfect for weaving the small stems of dendrobium orchids--no wiring required.

Originally Dan and Matti had planned on just having three white calla lilies in a vase for their centerpieces.  I suggested that perhaps we could come up with something more interesting.  It's amazing how the artful addition of one black philodendron leaf, three stalks of horsetail grass, and some black bear grass can make such a huge difference.

The cake.

Burgundy Dahlias in the Round

When Matti and I started discussing flowers for her wedding, one thing was for certain--she wanted burgundy DAHLIAS and nothing else would do.  Imagine my panic when the first flower source I contacted informed me that dahlias are not available at this time of year.  I didn't want to disappoint, so on a hunch I kept going through my list of suppliers until I found someone who could get us what we needed.  I was informed that the flowers were coming in small but they seemed to be getting bigger--Maybe by the time we needed them they would be in better shape.

Hurray! The flowers gods smiled upon us and this is what we ended up with for Matti's bouquet.  I was relieved and she was ecstatic.  More to come on Matti's wedding day...

Not Your Average Carnations

I have to admit that I have been guilty of being a carnation snob--as in,

 I really don't like them--usually.  But the other day as I was looking over 

the offerings at the wholesale flower place, I saw the most amazing purple

 carnations.  I couldn't resist.  I bought them and now I have a whole new 

respect for these flowers.  Not only do they look great en masse and come 

in colors that are sometimes hard to find, but they are tough-- 

this arrangement lasted almost two weeks!