The Bouquet Hand-off…

The bridal bouquet is the star of all the wedding flowers, and it’s so important to me that the bride is in love with her bouquet. That’s why I’m always a bit nervous when I drop off the bouquets. Every time my assistant and I make the long trek to the bridal room with 2 bouquets in each hand, I always have to take a deep breath before I knock gently on the door and say, “It’s me, Kristin, with your flowers!”

I always feel privileged to enter into the “bridal zone” where the bride is just beaming with excitement, getting her makeup done and walking around with her shoes off, sipping champagne, listening to music, and having a ball with her bridesmaids.

I remember being insanely happy and goofy while getting ready with my bridesmaids in the bridal zone. I also remember getting choked up when my bouquet was handed to me. I wouldn’t let go of it for a long time while my sister was refreshing my curls. I just wanted to hang out with it for awhile.

Choked up.

beaming.

just chillin with my bouquet, getting to know it!

There have been some classic bouquet hand-offs that I’ll always remember. Many brides have cried, some smile from ear to ear, some bury their noses in the flowers and sniff, and some actually shriek with joy. I love my brides and I LOVE those moments!

Handing Stefanie her violet spring bouquet. I find it hilarious that they are watching the news in the background. (Photos by Christine Marie Photography.)

Angel Swanson was a doll and helped me carry the bouquets to Veronica’s bridal room. The expression on Angel’s face is classic. Yes, she’s definitely entered the bridal zone!

Veronica’s hand reaching up for her bouquet. The young lady in the back is Stephanie, one of my talented designers. (Photos by Jerry Yoon Photography.)

Showcase: Kadidja and Thomas… How to you like them apples?

I love apples- not really to eat (not a big fan of fruit but have been trying to eat it for breakfast everyday after reading this book) but to look at! They are so round, shiny, colorful and cute!

Kadidja came to me with visions of orchids and green apples in her head. She chose a fresh palette of chartreuse, white, chocolate brown and accents of gold. Vibrant, lush, playful and cheerful was the look of the day, but the gold accents and candles added romance and elegance to the decor.

I was totally bowled over by the talented Sarah K. Chen’s images. I have admired her work from afar, and have wanted to work with her for quite awhile. Her style of photography was just perfect for Kadidja’s wedding- vibrant, fresh, modern… I am on pins and needles for the rest of the photos.

I also got to see Jonilyn of Jonilyn Photography, who assisted Sarah that day, and Paola of Just Chic Events, who coordinated all the intricate details, two weeks in a row (at LeeAnn’s wedding and Kadidja’s wedding!) What a treat!

As you can see, Kadidja is a drop dead gorgeous bride. She is also warm, friendly, and has a calming way about her. I so enjoyed working with her every step of the way.

Here is a sneak peak of their wedding, courtesy of Sarah K. Chen!

There she is, the beautiful bride.

There he is, Kadidja’s pup dressed up with mini cymbidium orchids. He doesn’t seem to mind them, but my dogs would have pawed off the orchids and tried to eat them.

What a dreamy photograph. Her eyelashes are just perfect.

The bouquet- with jade roses, green cymbidiums, white hydrangea, peony tulips, white lisianthus, fiddle fern aka monkey tails, and lots and lots of fragrant freesia, finished with brown satin and a lovely crystal brooch.

Someone looks excited! Here is the groom looking dapper with his cymbidium, hypericum, and fiddle fern bout.

She has a noble profile, doesn’t she?

A spectacular image.

So much joy!

The entry table: the center vase was actually filled with tall curly willow, with orchid clusters and green apples clutching the branches. I’ll post pics when they are available! The two flanking arrangements were funky and overflowing with roses, hydrangea, peony tulips, stock, and of course, apples.

Kadidja and Thomas, I’m so glad your wedding was everything you dreamed it would be. May your married life together be just as sweet (also a little tart, juicy, and of course, full of nutrients.) I’m a dork, someone stop me!

I’m off on a hot date with my hubby to Native Foods. Enjoy your weekend!

Memory Lane: Shelley and Brett’s Organic Wedding

I felt the urge to post pictures from Shelley and Brett’s wedding from back in February because I had the honor of attending Shelley’s baby shower today! The theme was rubber duckies, and everything was gorgeous and so full of detail. Once upon a cupcake provided the rubber ducky adorned confections. They were delicious and almost too cute to eat (but that didn’t really stop me from downing them). I have to say, Shelley is the most gorgeous, radiant pregnant woman I’ve ever seen. She was also the most elegant bride I’ve ever seen. Can you imagine how stunning her child will be? I mean, look at her husband, too!

Shelley and I met at church a few years ago and hit it off right away. What is not to love about this humble, sweet, soft-spoken, compassionate girl? She always had her Bible Study homework neatly typed out in pretty colored ink, and mine was always scrawled on a napkin with coffee stains on it. She was always on time and perfectly put together after a long day of teaching Special Education classes. Yes, I have much to learn from this amazing woman. And now I get to watch her be a mommy.

Here are some breathtaking images from her nature-inspired Rancho Las Lomas wedding, captured by the one and only Jasmine Star. This wedding is a classic, and was featured on The Bride’s Cafe (my favorite blog) and covered thoroughly in Jasmine Star’s blog (also a daily read!). The adorable and incredible Courtney of Joyful Weddings And Events executed this event flawlessly and calmly, even through the drizzle. We used a soothing palette of soft pink, sage and cream. Our repeating elements were curly willow, fiddle fern, and lots of candlelight.

Beautiful Shelley in her stunning lace gown.

The dashing groom wearing a berry and curly willow accented rose.

I just love the composition of this image captured by Jasmine Star. Shelley carried white peonies, ranunculus and creamy roses wrapped in a collar of magnolia leaves and accented with fiddle fern. The deep green and bronze leaves allowed the creamy white flowers to stand out against her dress. This was a two-hander bouquet, but I couldn’t resist adding more and more beautiful (and very thick-stemmed) ranunculus, which is her favorite flower. I told you, I like em’ big and I wanted to spoil my friend!

A trio of curvy glass vases filled with kiwi branches (my favorite branch) and dahlias. A simple but elegant entry arrangement.

The curly willow arch was just drenched in floral clusters of hydrangea, roses, dahlias, orchids, and berries. This super heavy arch took me, my 2 assistants, and 3 grown men to hoist it above our heads while teatering on ladders, and attach it to tiny hooks 14 feet off the ground. Not an easy task, but I’m always up for a thrill.

We fashioned simple petal cones out of velum paper printed with their monogram. We filled them with orchids and pink petals.

The low centerpieces were 4 petite, lush arrangements in square/rectangular vases with playful fiddle fern accents.

The tall centerpieces were very simple curly willow branches with wired florals, and square hurricane candles.

Small nosegays to accent the bride and groom’s chairs.

This is only one half of the whimsical sign in table arrangement. Two brown urns filled with moss held kiwi branches which meshed in the middle to form a lovely arch. Courtney hung darling love quotes from the branches.

On a sweet note, these Vanilla Bake Shop cupcakes were beautiful and delish! Usually, as I put the flowers on the cake and smell the sugary frosting in the air, I can only fantasize about taking a bite. However, since I was also a guest at this wedding, I got to have one! (…or two. I ate Joe’s cupcake. Bad Kristin!)

Speaking of attending weddings that I’ve florified (I’ve attended three so far), it’s so fun to watch the whole evening unfold and hear people commenting on the florals, not knowing that I was the little elf who made them. It’s also a little strange, as I constantly have to hold myself back when I am tempted to fix a petal here, adjust an orchid there, check on the water levels in the vases… I don’t want to look like a freak to the other guests, poking and prodding at all the arrangements, but it’s in my job to make sure everything is perfect! Joe usually helps me to relax and just be a guest for once.

Shelley, it totally made my day to see you today after 5 long months. I can’t wait until you and Brett move back to O.C. (Lord willing, soon!) I am excited to see what joys, trials, and triumphs will come with Baby English. May the Lord bless your beautiful new family! xoxoxoxoxo Kristin

Showcase: LeeAnn and Geoff’s Shabby Chic Wedding!

I feel like LeeAnn is one of my biggest cheerleaders. She has been so full of enthusiasm, encouragement and compliments since the day she first emailed me an inquiry.

She described her ideal wedding as elegant, playful, and feminine with antique touches. Being a self-proclaimed girly girl, I like to think that feminine and playful are my forte, so our styles meshed wonderfully. She chose a palette of fresh green, creamy ivory, and soft tangerine. Some of the motifs we incorporated were delicate chandalier prisms, graceful curly willow branches, lots and lots of satin ribbon, and flowers that were fragrant and super fluffy, like petally garden roses and poofy hydrangea.

Coordinator Paola of Just Chic Events was calm, organized and very helpful that day. There were THREE incredible photographers capturing all the wedding goodness- Jason Q. Tran, Jonilyn, and Natalie Williams. Such a dream team! The following pictures are from Jason and Natalie’s blogs, and they perfectly capture the emotion, beauty and warmth of the day through their timeless images.

What is shabby chic? The look is antique, slightly worn, showing it’s age (hence the “shabby”) but in a completely fashionable, elegant way (hence the “chic”). According to Wikipedia, “It is a soft, relaxed, feminine, romantic way of decorating that looks comfortable and inviting.” Just in case you weren’t sure! My husband looked at the title of this post and gasped, thinking I was insulting the couple!

The Ayres Hotel in Manhattan Beach is the perfect backdrop for a shabby chic wedding- with it’s crystal chandaliers hung about, quaint cobblestone courtyard, and beautifully aged antique furniture and tapestries galore. I seriously love how this hotel is decorated, and hope my future home looks something like it!

The first look- you can just see their hearts beating! LeeAnn looked so elegant in her Monique Lhuillier Camelot gown and Twigs and Honey hair accent.

Her bouquet was just yummy. The most fragrant gardenias and freesias ever, white garden roses and majolika spray roses, orange queensday and jade roses, star-shaped bouvardia, and crisp green orchids all wrapped up with her late grandmother’s embroidered handkerchief. The perfect touch.

The altar arrangements were lush mounds of hydrangea and roses, and were just dripping with italian ruscus and seeded eucalyptus trailing down the distressed pedestal. Roses were pinned to the greenery to look like they were falling to the floor.

LeeAnn purchased these petite chandaliers to hang from the trees. (Picture taken by LeeAnn’s friend.)

The flower girl was way excited about tossing the petals. Looks like the ring bearer couldn’t resist getting his toss on! (Picture taken by LeeAnn’s friend)

The joyous walk back down the aisle. It’s hard to see in the picture, but the chairs had big clusters of hydrangea with 12 strands of different color and texture ribbons trailing to the floor. When they blew in the wind it looked so breezy and romantic.

Early on in the brainstorming process, I sketched out some centerpiece ideas for LeeAnn. We settled on some variation of the bottom right arrangements. The teeny placecard arrangements was just a wild idea I had- I’m still longing to use the 3″ tall mini ceramic urns I found. Wouldn’t it be cute if each guest received a mini urn arrangement with their names on it? Should I just move on to the next picture? Ok.

Some table details: We alternated between tall vases of hydrangea, roses and hanging amaranthus with orchid dotted curly willow, and short corset wrapped vases with roses, orchids, bouvardia and tulips.

A closer look at the short centerpieces. (Taken by LeeAnn’s friend.)

This couple did a lot of kissy kissy! That’s a good sign, isn’t it? LeeAnn is holding the darling toss bouquet.

Such a sweet picture. Piles of white hydrangea lined the edge of their sweetheart table.

Thank you LeeAnn and Geoff for your kindness and generosity. You are a classy couple, and treated me with such love and respect. May you have a blessed married life together!

Exactly one year ago…

I married the most gracious, kind, hilarious, goofy, God-fearing man I’ve ever met.

Note: All wedding images were captured by my wedding photographer, colleague and friend, Trista Lerit!

My adorable husband, who is posing very naturally, don’tcha think?

My best friends, from left to right: Jenny-lyn, my beautiful sister; Angel (yes, from Events of Love and Splendor!) college church friend; myself; Ako, who I’ve known and adored since I was 5 years old; Julie, my soul mate from 4th grade who has stuck by me ever since; and Hazel, my Taiwan missions partner and dear sister in Christ. Note: Yes, I did the flowers for my own wedding (with lots of help from my little elves). But I wouldn’t advise it unless you are nuts or a professional florist! Seriously, wedding planning would have been a breeze if I wasn’t slaving away creating arrangements 2 days before my wedding. No regrets though because I got to use all my favorite flowers and had such a blast sketching and planning everything.

The only arrangement I refused to create myself was my bridal bouquet. I asked my friend Deb to assemble a loose, wild bouquet of cattleya orchids and fuchsia gloriosa lilies. She did the most amazing job. I couldn’t stop gazing lovingly at my bouquet (when I wasn’t gazing lovingly at the groom of course.) Being the sweetheart that she is, Deb delivered a rustic glazed ceramic pot FILLED with gloriosa lilies and budding curly willow to my door as an early anniversary gift. Swoon!

You should know Pesto by now! This was before little Basil came along. Maybe Trista can photoshop Basil in.

There was no way I was going to awkwardly rock back and forth in a circle for 3 minutes, so we hired OC Wedding Dance last minute to come up with a fun, flashy routine that we learned in 2 hours

Did we save the top tier of our INSANELY YUMMY red velvet with cream cheese frosting wedding cake? Well, I did. In my family’s freezer. However, being Korean, my family has fish, kimchi, bulgogi and other delish but pungent foods stored in the freezer right next to our cake. Imagine how strange red velvet kimchi fish cake tastes! Needless to say, we didn’t dig right in today. Note: Four separate people have told me that my wedding food was hands down the best wedding food they have ever tasted. Major props to Collette’s Catering for serving up piles and piles of the most thick and tender prime rib, orange glazed mahi mahi, provolone potatoes, fresh citrus salad, and more. I knew I was supposed to be walking around greeting guests, but I had to sit down for a few helpings. Good, memorable food was a priority for our wedding.

Me and Pesto sharing a moment before I would abandon him for two weeks in Italy. Pathetically, there wasn’t a day that Joe and I didn’t long to have Pesto right by our side.

Ciao! Kinda cheesy I know, but in honor of our honeymoon and heritage, we had everyone wave Italian flags as we departed.

Thank you Joe for the best year of my life. I love you!!!

Stay tuned this week for pics of our little anniversary “getaway” (L.A. is not REALLY a getaway per se.) I also hope to post pictures of Jill and Harry’s geometric wedding, LeeAnn’s shabby chic wedding, and perhaps a sneak peak of Kadidja’s apple green wedding!

Showcase: Tablescapes

I was honored when Amanda of In The Now Weddings asked if I’d like to collaborate on a series of tablescapes for her website back in April. Amanda is a creative, detailed, and crafty girl with a million and one ideas swirling in her head. When she asked me to help, I was thinking, “Ok, three or four tables? I can do this!” Well, Amanda wowed me with 9 table setups, complete with their own custom favors, linens, napkins, menus, candles, silverware, and more. I was amazed to learn that she hand sewed many of the linens, sashes, etc. Talk about an overacheiver! Best of all, no detail was random. Everything was thought-out, purposeful and consistent with the overall mood of each table. That is what I call great design.

This project gave me the chance to get creative with the florals and explore a ton of different styles. I also decided to use some flowers that I don’t immediately flock to for weddings. Thank you to the fabulous Jonilyn for capturing the beautiful images of all the details. Jonilyn will do anything it takes to get the perfect shot, whether it’s lying on her belly in the sand or standing on top of precariously shaking chairs on uneven grass to get the perfect birds’ eye view. I was impressed!

Thanks also to Stephanie my talented assistant for helping me whip these up in just a few hours. Thanks also to my mom-in-law for the use of her front yard, again!

Here are 5 of my favorite centerpieces from the session…

Romantic: Black silk dupioni wrapped box filled to the brim with black bacarra roses, the most gorgeous red dahlia’s I’ve ever seen, and ruby red asiatic lilies. We added red and black speckled feathers for a flirty touch.

Modern: Amanda really outdid herself with this concept. I would have never thought to combine brown, black and white as a palette. I filled white opaque glass containers with fluffy hydrangea, cute arabicum, white china mums (an oft overlooked but incredibly lush and yummy flower), peppy white tulips, beige sahara roses to complement the brown table details, and brown fiddle ferns (aka monkey tails) and dried pods (some Amanda purchased online, and some I found on a tree in my neighborhood- score!) for texture.

Summer: A cheerful ball of yellow-centered daisy mums, with bright yellow craspedia balls clustered throughout. So simple and fun! Love this citrusy palette.

Classic: When I see this table, I think “Dutch”. I’m not sure why, but that particular blue colored silk just reminds me of the Netherlands. Amanda asked me to design a hand-tied, draping bouquet to be placed on a white ceramic cake plate as the centerpiece. I gathered red and burgundy tulips, spray roses, callas, ranunculus, black bacarra roses, lilies, and red hanging amaranthus into an elegant nosegay, all tied together with a thick silk sash. Mini versions of the centerpiece were placed on each napkin as a sweet floral favor.

Garden: Who knew budvases with simple white flowers and vines could make such an impact? The white feathery flower in the center is called astilbe and it is one of my all-time favorites. White hydrangea, tulips, and tibet roses were casually placed into the other bud vases.

You can see the rest of the tablescapes and closeups of all the details on Amanda’s site!

Sketchbook: Hypothetical Gloucester Wedding!

Gloucester Massachusetts: Home of The Perfect Storm, famous baked stuffed lobsters, 17 pregnant teens at Gloucester High School, and Joe’s parents’ historic “summer bungalow” where John Hayes Hammond Jr., the “Father of the Remote Control” once lived and invented crazy stuff in the dungeon (below), which was his laboratory. Pretty cool, right?

But as soon as I arrived for our 4th of July vacation, all my Dawson’s Creek fantasies came true and I was enraptured by the lush trees, rocky coast, salty air, winding streams, New England style homes, polite drivers… and the list goes on…

Note: Dawson’s Creek takes place in Cape Cod, Mass. which is down the coast from Gloucester, but the scenery is quite similar.

Being a florist through and through, much of my vacation was spent imagining how wonderful it would be to do a quaint, seaside destination wedding in Gloucester at my in-laws’ gorgeous bungalow. So humor me as I let my imagination run wild here! Photos are courtesy of hubby Joe.

THE VENUE:

For the ceremony, a charming white gazebo by the sea just minutes from the bungalow. I just wish the grass were a bit greener. Oh well, this is just hypothetical!

The reception would take place at my in-laws’ bungalow. The old pictures come from a tattered photo album that has been passed down to each owner of the house since it was built in the 1920s.

The bungalow in the 1920s.

The bungalow in 2008! Notice the castle foundation. The inventor started to build a castle, then changed his mind halfway through, leaving us with an incredible dungeon with hidden pathways galore. I never actually ventured down there because there are bats!

The ancient door leading to the courtyard where the reception would be held.

A closer look at the weathered courtyard.

A peak at the inside of the home circa 1920. How gorgeous are the silhouettes of the geraniums in the window and the collection of mismatched glass vases on the bookshelf?

THE COLOR PALETTE:

This palette is inspired by the mustard yellow moss clutching the rocks all over the backyard, and the bright, colorful buoys we saw on the harbor.

THE ATMOSPHERE: A casual, candlelit summer soiree at the bungalow inspired by 1920’s Gloucester. Guests are wined and dined with fresh, local lobster and homemade cannolis. Playful jazz music circa 1920s (think Duke Ellington, Cab Calloway, Louis Armstrong) fills the courtyard, and old silent films are projected on the side of the house after nightfall.

MOTIFS AND REPEATING ELEMENTS: Beakers, test tubes and other science tools as a nod to the famous inventor who resided in this house.

test tube vase by andy designs

All vases and containers will be mismatched, as if gathered from the attic.

I have been dying to use these rustic flower pots from accent decor in a wedding. Hopefully you’ll see them in a wedding soon!

THE FLORALS:

whites: fluffy white hydrangea, white sweet peas

mustard: buttery yellow garden roses, ranunculus, freesia, and oncidium “dancing lady” orchids

blues: blue hyacinth, blue cornflower, indigo blue delphinium, muscari

Below are rough sketches of the alternating high and low centerpieces.

The first is a rustic footed urn with a wild assortment of blue and gold blooms, and the second is a stack of mossy pots topped by a delicate potted oncidium, or “dancing lady” orchids (below).

Each blossom lookslike a lady wearing a big yellow ballgown and ornate hairstyle, hence the name.

And that, my friends, is the recipe for a gorgeous Gloucester wedding!