Some brides like to go literal with their color schemes, others like to use their favorite color as an accent. These shower arrangements are about as literal as you can get with the color palette that was at hand; Green and purple!

The vases were made from recycled yogurt tubs wrapped in wax paper and white floral mesh, and topped off with a pretty purple and white striped ribbon.

The floral shopping list: Green Spider Mums, purple-ish/pink Spider Mums, green and purple Hydrangeas, and some cool looking dyed purple branches.

A few flowers here, and a little branch there, and the arrangements are ready for your bridal shower. The best part about these arrangements is that they can be taken home by your guests as little treats.

If you haven’t been to Café Du Nord in San Francisco, it’s a classic SF joint that hosts all sorts of awesome bands and events. With its dark woods, and red accents, it has a very speak-easy/ prohibition era feel to it.

Crimson colored Dahlias were the flower du jour! Other flowers that the bride wanted included: Crespedia (Billy Balls), Succulents, and Fig Branches. I threw in a bunch of white/green Hydrangea, and some green filler to help fill in the gaps. (I hope you’re all memorizing these plant names, as I will have a pop quiz at some point…. )

Dahlias, Billy Balls, Fig Branches, and Hydrangeas

The main arrangement was tall as it was going to be the centerpiece to the buffet.

A tall arrangement as the main centerpiece

Totally Succulent!

The Bride asked for a small bouquet that she could hold on to for some of the special moments at the reception. She was provided with a classic Nafis Designs yogurt tub holding vase for the moments that she didn’t want to hold on to her bouquet.

A bouquet with a lot of texture

A Succulent Bouquet and a Billy Ball Boutonniere!

The Groom received a small boutonniere made of a couple of Billy Balls, a Quail feather, and a sprig of green filler.

Billy Ball Boutonniere

After all the arrangements were complete, there were enough flowers left for an accent arrangement that could either help amplify the table centerpiece, or could be set aside as a separate arrangement.

Accent arrangements always come in handy

Accent arrangements can always be paired up with centerpieces for extra umph!

Autumnal Centerpiece

If you’re having a white winter wedding, chances are that your bridal shower will be sometime in the fall.  With all the pretty fall colors around us, it’ll be easy to go all autumnal for your shower.

Ask the host of your shower to head down to their local Trader Joe’s where they sell organic and locally grown flowers, and  for roughly of $22.00 they can purchase some decorative Gourd’s and Squash and three pots of “Pin Cushions”. (The cutest ground cover I have ever seen)

Top left: Pin Cusions. Bottom Left: Mini Apples from Farmer's Market. Right: Gourds and Squashes

Ask your host to raid their kitchen cupboards and use grains, legumes, and fruits to accent the centerpiece arrangement for the table. For example I had some extra flowers from last week’s arrangements that I decided to take apart, cut up, and re-use, along with some lentils from my cupboard, and some mini apples I had purchased from the farmer’s market.

With a bit more rummaging around in the cupboards I’ll guarantee that your host will be able to find vases or containers that can be used as alternatives to complete the look. After searching through my storage cabinet, out came my great grandma’s old tea cups (used as mini candle holders), a few vases I had from a wedding last summer, and one of my Ikea canisters from the kitchen counter top.

Tiers of activity help make your centerpiece interesting

Get creative with legumes and the containers in your kitchen

Remember, centerpieces don’t always have to be done with flowers; you can get creative with fruits, veggies, and yes, even legumes! Happy Fall & Happy Shower!!

I was introduced to a bride that was looking for a bouquet and a few other arrangements by a great San Francisco artist whose mother owns a flower distribution shop at the SF Flower Mart. (If you ever need fantastic roses, you MUST check out “Sunshine International” )

The bride and I spoke over the phone a couple of times, and we went through her special day. The wedding was going to be intimate, with a total of 6 people attending (including the bride and groom) in the foothills of Mount Tamalpais.  The bride had antique blue Hydrangeas in mind as her dress had silver accents on it and she felt that the blue hue would look nice against her dress. She also mentioned that she likes non-traditional flowers, as she’s not a very traditional person, and was adamant that we use the signature Nafis Designs yogurt tubs wrapped in wax paper as her vases! A truly low cost, environmentally friendly wedding!

Total material cost: $80.00

Shopping list: Antique Blue Hydrangeas, Green Hydrangeas, Fig Branches, Sedum, Bells of Ireland, Star of Jerusalem, White Roses, Scabiosa  Seed Pod.

The bride’s bouquet was made up of Star of Jerusalem flower, Sedum, Green Hydrangea, Blue Hydrangea, and Scabiosa Seed Pods, and was wrapped with light silver satin ribbon at its base.

The Groom’s boutonniere was crafted with three Scabiosa Seed Pods and some interwoven silver wire.

There were enough flowers left over for three really full arrangements that could be used as alter pieces, and or table arrangements.

Once again, you don’t have to spend a lot of money to get some great looking flowers that will leave a lasting impact in your wedding photo album!

Tip of the day: If you want Hydrangeas to be in full bloom for your event, place the flower head in cold water and watch the blossoms burst open!

Rich colors and textures

“M & J” had known of each other for years, but had never really “met” till two and a half years ago when a mutual high school friend of theirs formally introduced them. Well, guess what? They ended up getting hitched!

I got a text message from the bride-to-be about a yearago, asking if I’d be a bridesmaid in her wedding, and also if I’d do the flowers for the bridal party. I said “yes” to both accounts, and we started to brainstorm about colors and textures for her flowers. She was going with a Spanish theme and her colors were red and black. Don’t worry; it wasn’t a GOTH wedding…

On a crisp Saturday morning in May, the lovebirds met me at the SF Flower market where we walked around pricing flowers and getting a feel for the textures that “M” had in mind for her arrangements. After a couple of hours we had the floral list: Red Roses (Freedom), Red Freesia, Black Schwartz Calla lilies, and Red Aranda Orchids. This selection would give us great rich colors, and really soft/lush textures.

Red and romantic

Once we were set on the floral palette, I got to designing and decided that the bridal bouquet would be the main focus with the most color and texture; the groom’s and fathers’ boutonnières would be constructed of one Calla Lily with a fiddle stick accent; the mother’s corsages would be one Red Rose bloom with some accent greenery; and finally the bridesmaids would have simple bouquets of red roses.

The effect of some trailing ribbon was great as the bride walked down the aisle

A red corsage for the Mothers, and a black and gold boutonniere for the Groom and Groomsmen

Classic red Rose bouquets for the Bridesmaids

Black lace, votive tea candles and red silk rose petals completed this "Epic Love" wedding look

I wish my dear friends “M & J” the best in their “Epic Love” and hope that it leads them onto an even more “Epic Life”! Love you both! Congratulations!!!

Tip #1: if you’re buying flowers for an event from the flower market, make sure;

a)    The flowers you want are in season (this will cut your cost considerably)

b)     Put in the order for the flowers about 2 weeks prior to the event with the different vendors, to ensure that you get great quality fresh flowers

Tip #2: Brides-to-be; make sure you have a tossing bouquet that is separate from the bouquet you walk with down the aisle. This way you can dry/preserve your original bouquet as a keepsake from your special day.

This wedding was a true pleasure to work on. The bride, an Architect by training, and the groom, a Landscape Architect, had a great eye for design and knew exactly what they were looking for, yet were totally open to suggestions and changes to help their dream wedding come to fruition.

At our first consultation meeting, the bride said to me: “I’m so torn, because I want a really streamlined, modern, and architectural wedding, but then again, I’ve been dreaming about the big white poofy wedding since I was a little girl!”

Every bride has a favorite flower, or at least a flower that really speaks to her personality. This bride’s was “Billy Balls”, otherwise known as Crespedia. It has a Canary yellow color, spherical head, and tall slender stem that gives it a lot of character.

The colors were Yellow and Grey; a fantastic combination for this young couple’s modern wedding at the San Francisco Art Institute (http://www.sfai.edu/). The greys worked in concert the modern concrete architecture of the building, while the yellows added the right touch of color to help soften everything, and a hint of white helped bring in the classic white wedding feel.

With the main flower in mind, we started to chat about all the other flowers that would complement the Billy Balls while keeping everything modern, fresh, yet classic. Our list quickly became: Billy Balls, Brunia, White Freesia, White Star of Jerusalem, Fiddle Sticks, yellow Mini Calla Lilies, and Curly Willow.

The Bouquet: Modern, streamlined, yet full of texture and spunk.

Soft and hard textures helped this bride's bouquet be the ultimate cross between modern and classic!

The Boutonnières: A couple of Billy Balls, a sprig of Brunia, and a Fiddle Stick made the boutonnières fun and also made them pop for all the men in the bridal party.

The Corsages: Classic

The Bridesmaids Bouquets: Calla Lilies, and Billy Balls completed the bridesmaid look. Simple, sophisticated, and a fun!

Hip, young, and fresh!

The Altar Piece: At our first consultation, the bride already had a vision for the altar. She wanted tall branches with Billy Balls attached to them for her altar piece. Two large vases, 100 lbs of tumbled mirror from Builders Resources, a bundle of Curly Willow and a couple bunches of Crespedia later, we placed the altar pieces on two stressed wood pillars that the groom had hand made himself and it was ready to receive the lovely couple and their entourage!

The groom's hand crafted wood bases were perfect for the glass and curly willow altar pieces

An Altar with a view!

After the ceremony, the altar pieces were moved to to flank the bridal party table

Just two hours from San Francisco, in Hopland, CA, lies Campovida, a gorgeous, historic property that has been given a new lease on life thanks to its latest owners.  Campovida is the ultimate wine country retreat, filled with vineyards, graceful Valley Oaks, 13 acres of organic gardens, wisteria and grape arbors, private accommodations for weddings and events, and a wine tasting room highlighting the local biodynamic wines of Mendocino’s Magnanimus Wine Group. Throughout its history, Campovida has had only nine property owners—including current owners Gary Breen and Anna Beusilink—since the Pomo Indians. The famous Fetzer family began growing grapes on the property in the 60’s, and eventually created a food and wine education center (Valley Oaks) in the early 80’s, which was host to some of the nation’s top chefs. After being closed for the past few years, Gary and Anna have restored the 50-plus acres of property. Campovida now produces its own honey and olive oil and uses its own fresh herbs and produce to create wine pairings and meals. The garden consists of over 13 acres of organic plants including herbs, vegetables, more than 100 olive trees, over 100 apple trees, plus pear trees, fig and persimmon trees, and groves of organic lavender.

Hold your ceremony or reception in the garden, perhaps in the walled Tuscan Garden which has a wisteria arbor, lawn and an area for dancing under the stars. An old growth grape arbor at Campovida can create a natural cathedral-like effect for ceremonies, or you’ll find other romantic romantic settings like the lake or pavilion.  You and you close family and friends can stay overnight in Campovida’s 10 rooms comprised of suites, smaller rooms, a one-room cottage and 3-room farmhouse. Nearby hotels and guest houses offer additional options for guests in and around Hopland. Your guests will love exploring the region, which offers activities like wine tasting, river kayaking and canoeing, beach walks, scenic hikes, farmer’s market visits and more.

Campovida espouses a mission of sustainability and thoughtful stewardship of the earth. In addition to their organic goodies on the table, you’ll find eco-conscious efforts all over the property, from solar panels that power the water heaters, to reclaimed or re-purposed wood and furniture, to carefully cultivated honey bee colonies. If you’re a bride looking to have a “greener” wedding, Campovida works with partners such as Park Avenue Catering, one of wine country’s only certified green caterers, and Green Mary, a company dedicated to making events 100% compostable. At Campovida, you’ll have a wedding you can feel good about down to the smallest detail.

Flowers + Vase = Centerpiece…right?  What about putting a spin on this basic principle?  Skip the cut blooms that die out in days. Try centerpieces tailor-made for their little glass houses by Botany Factory.

Based in San Francisco, Botany Factory, specifically plant pro Katie Goldman Macdonald, creates terrific terrariums that are like a green thumb’s version of a ship in a bottle, full of twee plants that are cleverly combined. Katie works with Oakland-based glass artist, Evan Kolker, to come up with hand-blown glass shapes for her creations. Put one of these beauties on each table and you’ll be sure to blow a few minds.  Give them as gifts after the wedding to close family and friends who helped out at the event, but be sure to keep one for yourself as a treasured keepsake from the day.