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!

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.

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.

As vendor bids come in and your wedding budget gets more and more difficult to balance, I’m willing to bet you’ll think to yourself “I could make that for less!”  I wholeheartedly applaud a DIY wedding, but let me be the first to tell you—kid, it ain’t easy.   When my husband and I wed last October, we funded the wedding ourselves on a very limited budget.  It was DIY from top to bottom, including the ceremony, decor, even the food! One of the places I was able to save a ton of cash was on flowers, and here’s how I did it:

1) Shop where the florists shop: Search online or get friendly with a local florist to find out where they source their flowers from.  If you’re a Bay Area Bride it’s the San Francisco Flower Mart.  Go several months before your wedding to start building a relationship with a vendor whose flowers you like. Your vendor will be more honest and accommodating if you’re a familiar customer.  After a few practice bouquets or centerpieces, and a little calculation, get a quote on what the flowers will cost and schedule a pick-up date and time.

2) Keep it simple: For your centerpieces pick one or two colors and florals for your blooms then add a little greenery. Buying direct from a floral supplier means you can get more flowers for your money, as you are providing the labor yourself. Use clear floral tape to construct a grid over the top of your vases, especially wide-mouthed vases. The grid will give your arrangement added structure and stability.

3) Throw a party: Enlist the help of as many friend as you can comfortably fit in your work area.  Put some to work de-thorning and trimming flowers while others make grids and start arranging.  Provide mimosas, snacks, and a little music to make the afternoon more fun.

5) It’s all in the details: Narrowing blossoms to two types of flowers and colors leaves you room to add special details without making the final look too busy.  This could mean incorporating table numbers into your floral arrangement in a unique way, or adding a touch of ribbon.  Here I used wide ribbon around the edges of pots that were all the same size and color, but had different raised patterns.  The ribbon covered any bits of tape that overlapped from my grids and really brought the look together.

6) Get Your Timing Right: Even with help, this process will take you longer than you think.  Time yourself from start to finish on a sample arrangement, including cleaning and trimming, then multiply it by the total number you want.  Give yourself a cushion on top of that to avoid stress.

7) Cool Off: Keep the flowers well-watered in a cool place until they are ready for their big moment! Make sure in advance that you have boxes for transporting your arrangements. On your wedding day, enjoy!  All of those compliments about how beautiful things look?  They’re the reward for all of your hard work.