Ever Wonder How…? Part 4

Ever wonder how… to make a floating floral raft?

The first floral raft I ever saw was this R. Jack creation on the Love and Splendor Blog.

(Photo by The Image Is Found).

There are also some amazing Japanese flower rafts on the net, like this one:

(photo from here)

Piggybacking off my last post, I thought I’d share how I created the floral rafts in this picture.  I’m often asked to create things that I’ve never done or even seen before.  This was one of them!  I’m sure there are many ways to do this, so let me know if you have another method that works.

1.  Purchase styrafoam sheets, at least 2 inches thick.  Mine came from a floral supply store.

2.  I wrapped satin ribbon around the foam and secured it with pearl pins for a nice, tailored look in the water.

3.  I gathered different height candle holders and positioned them on the styrofoam.  I took wooden picks (aka hyacinth sticks) and stuck them around the candles like a little fence.  They keep the candles in place.  I was worried that the weight of these candles would be too much for the foam. Surprisingly, the foam is very bouyant and I could have probably loaded the rafts with even more.

4.  Next, I took 3″ round caged foams (see picture below, from the fss website) and spaced them evenly on the styrafoam.  It took about 10-12 cages per raft.  Note:  If you’re using sturdy flowers like mums and carnations which do ok without a water source, you can insert these flowers directly into the styrafoam sheets using toothpicks or pins.

5.  I wanted the rafts to look like fluffy beds of flowers, so I chose flowers that would give me a lot of coverage (hydrangea, stock, open roses, and ivy).  I inserted the flowers into the foam cages and tried to keep the arrangement low, so as to not block the view of the candles.

6.  We used LED pillars for one reason- if the wind blew these suckers out, who was going to jump in and relight them?  Real wax LED’s look realistic from a distance.

7.  Oh yes, remember to LIGHT THEM/TURN THEM ON FIRST before you dive in to set them up!

8.  We created hooks on the bottom of our rafts with ribbon, and attached fishing weights to the hooks with fishing line.  You can spray paint the weights light blue to blend in with the bottom of the pool.

9.  Hindsight is 20/20, and I realize now that we could have attached the  fishing line to opposite sides of the rafts, and then tied them to waterproof suction cups on the walls of the pool. You would need to  test it out ahead of time to make sure they would be secure enough.

These are incredibly labor intensive, which can make them very pricey.  I think a simple raft with votive candles on a bed of petals or greenery would be just as gorgeous (and a little more budget friendly).

 

 

 

Ever Wonder How… Part 3

Ever wonder how... to prevent “sweaty vase syndrome”?

I like the look of stacked vases.  The picture below features bubble bowls stacked on top of cylinders of submerged orchids.

Photo by The Image is Found.

I also love creating floral cake stands with glass vases and plexiglass.

Photo by Trista Lerit Photography.

I’m also loving enclosed terrariums, like the one below via Grey Likes Weddings.

Lidded apothecary vases filled with flowers are also sweet.

Here’s the potential problem:  flowers and plants sweat, and if the evaporated water can’t escape, it causes fogginess inside the glass.  This is not such a cute look.  I’m embarrassed to point this out, but you can even see my vase is sweating a little in the picture above!

I learned a cool tip passed on to me by my head assistant, Shana.  She is full of wisdom and I’m blessed to have her on my team.

Step 1.  Find a stick of clear glue for a glue gun.

Step 2.  Use sharp scissors to cut it it up  into little pieces, the thickness of a pencil eraser.

Step 3.  Use a glue gun to glue the pieces to the rim of your vase or jar.

Step 4.  Place your plexiglass sheet/vase/lid on top.  The little  glue gun pieces prop up the cover just enough to allow air circulation, and help to prevent your vase from fogging up.

What makes this so handy is that the glue pieces are hardly noticeable, they come off really easily when you’re done, and every florist has glue sticks in her/his toolbox somewhere.  I have yet to try this trick on a super hot day, when sweat of all kinds is all too abundant.  Can anyone vouch for this, or have another solution?

 

 

 

 

 

 

Heat wave + Flowers = Anxiety

Picture this: It’s August in California and it’s 100 degrees.  You’re transporting flowers to a big hotel, and the loading area is in a boiler room of all places. You pray that your flowers survive the moist, sticky heat as you wait for the teeny tiny elevator to arrive so you can bring your flowers to the reception… two centerpieces at a time.  This happened to a colleague of mine who is an amazing photographer and graphic designer, but who also dabbles in the floral arts occasionally.  This experience left her traumatized.

I’ve been there, too! A few weeks ago, my assistants set up an outdoor wedding in 103 degree weather.  The bride’s favorite flowers are orchids (yay! sturdy!) and dahlias (uh-ohhh).  My sharp assistants followed my instructions carefully and added the dahlias to the arrangements at the last minute.  Except the ceremony started an hour late, and by then the blazing sunshine had taken its toll!  Of course, my girls brought extra flowers along and fixed the arrangements just in time.  Everything looked beyond gorgeous, but you can imagine the stress levels!

Any couple getting married in the summer months in California is ultimately taking a risk, not only with flowers, but with melting cakes, running makeup, flattened curls.   I got married in August,  so I totally understand!  But I owe it to my clients (and my own sanity) to take the following precautions to minimize the effects of heat on delicate flowers. I can’t do miracles, but I do all that I can do to make sure that even if I look like a sweaty mess by the end of the day, my flowers still look  fabulous.

1.  Choose Wisely: I create my floral recipes and place my orders about 2 weeks before the wedding.   When I do that, I check the weather forecasts.  If it looks like it’s going to be sunny and/or hot, I try to choose sturdier flowers for outdoor arrangements.  If a bride LOVES delicate flowers like dahlias, tulips, or gardenias, I’ll try to reserve those flowers for indoor arrangements or handheld bouquets that can stay in vases indoors until the last possible second.

bromeliads, orchids, and china berries- virtually sunproof. Photo by The Image is Found.

2.  Buy Fresh: This is where excellent flower suppliers come in.  Think of what wedding flowers have to go through before they end up on the table- they travel from all over the world to the U.S., then to the flower mart, then to the flower shop, then they are handled and designed, then transported to the site.  Only the freshest of blooms can withstand that much manhandling.

Photo by Sae Lee Photography.

3.  Use a Reliable Cooler: Ours is bigger than all three bedrooms in my house put together, and has never ever failed us.

4.  Hydrate, hydrate, hydrate: We change the water often and keep the flowers well-misted with finishing spray.

5.  Load quickly: We start the air conditioning in the cargo van first, then load the vases and nonperishables, then lastly the flowers.  And we keep the air blasting the whole trip!

6.  If possible, stall!: Not always possible, but we try to keep the florals indoors or in shade until the last minute.

As the shade rolled across the villa, we placed the centerpieces accordingly.  Notice there are no centerpieces on the sunny side!

Photo by Jerry Yoon.

7.  Bring Extras: We bring extra blooms to take the place of flower casualties.  Always a smart idea!

I'll never forget this wedding- it was 106 degrees in Sierra Madre that day! Luckily, the flowers were troopers and held up pretty well. Photo by Jerry Yoon.

Here’s what I’m dying to know: Any floral designers have to deal with extremely COLD weather?  That’s something I’ve never experienced.  Also, what do other vendors, like bakers and makeup artists, do in heat waves to keep their product looking fabulous?

My Favorite Roses

I always ask my brides which flowers they love, and which flowers they absolutely don’t love.  Roses are almost always mentioned.  Most brides see their lovable qualities- their gorgeous spiraled petals, the insane variety of colors, shapes, and sizes, their sturdiness in all kinds of weather, and their relative affordability (I can’t think of a more bang-for-your-buck flower out there.)  But there are some brides who consider roses to be a little “same-old”,”traditional”, or “bleh”.  Perhaps they just want to explore the hundreds of other more unique flower possibilities before they settle on the old stand-by.  I totally get it.

These are the roses that excite me every time I pick them up from the mart.  These are the varieties that have reignited my love for roses and have converted my most anti-rose brides into rose lovers.

1.  Polo:

A creamy white rose.  Love their cup-like shape and ruffly texture.

(Photo by Tony Florez Photography)

2.  Pink Intuition:

How funky are these fuchsia zebra striped beauties?

3.  Faith:

These lush roses have a color that’s hard to define: where lavender meets dusty rose meets silver.  They are so much more beautiful in person.

(Photo by Viera Photographics)

4.  Amnesia:

There is something mysterious and a little haunting about these greenish-greyish-purplish roses.

5.  Black baccara:

My love for this rose is probably obvious, since I use it whever I can. You can’t fully appreciate it until you feel it’s velvety soft petals.

(Photo by Trista Lerit)

6. Abraham Darby garden rose. Scratch that, any garden rose!!!

(Photo by Jasmine Star)

7. Mimi Eden Spray Rose:

A million tiny petals that burst open in shades of intense pink and cream.  Their mini blooms are the size of quarters.

(Photo found here)

8.  Sahara:

Soft beige with a touch of pink on the outside of the petals.  Adds a hint of color to neutral white arrangements.

(Photo by Jonilyn Photography)

9. Supergreen:

My go-to green rose.  While green tea, jade and limbo roses can look a little washed out and yellowish (depending on the bunch), supergreen is reliably a vibrant shade of chartreuse.

(Photo by Michael Norwood Photography)

10.  Circus:

No rose opens as beautifully as this orange and yellow bi-color lovely.  It just pops in this bouquet!

(Photo by The Image Is Found)

There are so many others I could list, I may need to do a part 2   With so many rose varieties coming out all the time, there are still many more to discover.  Also, R.I.P. to my favorite rose varieties that are no longer available in L.A. (like sterling silver and candy bianca!)

Are you a “rose person?” What are your favorites? Also, if you’re a florist, are you mourning the loss of a favorite rose that is no longer being produced?  I feel you!

What’s in my cooler?

My friend let me chop down a ton of beautiful green apple branches from her overloaded tree. They are so shiny and bulbous, and look so sweet in this weekend’s centerpieces. I can’t reveal too much, but here’s just a glimpse at what my designers have been up to the last few days.

It involves the aforementioned apples…

And the most beautiful dinner plate dahlias…

Recycled glass bottles…

And petally garden roses that will satisfy any peony lover-who-can’t-get-peonies-in-August.

Can’t wait to see it all come together!

Have a wonderful weekend!

And happy (late) anniversary to my good friends Angel and Erik! It was an honor to stand beside you on your big day 4 years ago.

What’s in my toolbox?

I think it’s fun when wedding planners divulge what’s in their emergency kits. Sometimes the stuff they stock seems so random and meticulous to me, proving how Type A these planners need to be! Angel from Love and Splendor wrote a terrific post for Weddingbee PRO about her emergency kit, and Liene from Blue Orchid Blog enlighted me with some of her unusual tools.

We florists also need to come prepared. When working with fragile, perishable artwork on a time crunch in sometimes brutal weather, things can DEFINITELY go wrong. But with florals, there is always a way to make it work. Through trial and error, I’ve built an arsenal of tools that has seen me through some snafus. Here are a few that I just packed up yesterday morning for a fabulous LA wedding:

• wire and floral tape: to make last minute corsages or bouts, or repair ones that are looking less than perfect
• small and large pearl headed pins
• crowning glory or finishing touch spray: when misted onto the florals, these sprays help lock in the moisture and keep them fresh- an absolute must for California summers.
• extra ribbon in the wedding colors: to rope off the aisle so guests don’t stomp your aisle petals to smithereens
• toothpicks: so I can do this neat little cake trick
• water pitcher
• hot glue gun
• extra vases: super important! I always bring a few extra vases with me for peace of mind.
• glass cleaner, plastic cleaner, and paper towels
• lint roller: to quickly pick up any flower bits that fall off the centerpieces onto the linens. I’m thinking of bringing along a dust-buster to clean up the carpets too.
• florist gummy: to stick arrangements to glass vases or containers
• extra flowers: my florist friend once told me that a big stack of chiavari chairs fell on one of her altar arrangements and destroyed it. Luckily, she had extra flowers and floral foam to patch things up just in time. Phew!
• pipe cleaners: so useful for attaching flowers to arches, bouquets to chairs, and for removing the pollen from lilies. Simply sweep the fuzzy pipe cleaner over the lily petals to brush away pollen.
• tent stakes and twine: to my horror, a chuppah once collapsed to the ground because a strong ocean breeze picked up the fabric like a sail! I had to run to REI and grab tent stakes last minute to secure the posts into the ground. Needless to say, I ALWAYS have tent stakes with me now for arches, columns, and other ceremony structures.
• needle and thread
• clear fishing line
• small buckets: the faucets on site are often too short for vases to slide under. You can fill small buckets instead and transfer the water to the vases.
• long lighters
• Water siphon tube: I think any florist can relate to the following scenario. My assistant came to pick up the rental vases at the end of the night, and was faced with these big boys:
  

  Huge thick glass vases filled to the brim with blue water and submerged orchids.

She had to channel her inner “hulk” to hoist these 50+ pound vases off the center of the table, all the way to the kitchen sink where the water could be dumped, all the while not spilling a drop of tinted water onto the linens or carpet. What I should have thought to do is to send her to the site with a water siphon tube. She could have sucked out half the water into a bucket in seconds, allowing her to more safely and easily pick up the vases. Next time we’ll be prepared!

As creative and artsy as we can be,  florists need to be a little Type A, too! Actually, all wedding vendors are working in high stress situations and need to come prepared. Just out of curiosity, any bakers or photographers want to share their emergency kits with us? That would be interesting!

Sitting Pretty: Chair Adornments

Chair decor is such a sweet touch. It needn’t be extravagant- just a little something to make the bride and groom feel special as they sit down for their wedding feast.

Photo by Jasmine Star Photography.

Photo by Jerry Yoon Photography.

Photo by Gabriel Ryan.

Photo by Sae Lee Photography.

Photo by Jasmine Star Photography.

Photo by Trista Lerit.

Photo by Trista Lerit.

Some other cute ideas?

• Mini wreaths
• Pomanders hung from satin ribbon
• Trailing ribbons in different colors and textures
• Flower leis, coral or starfish hung from ropes for a beachy feel
• Crystal strands or ostrich feathers for a glam wedding
• Fabric flowers and tassels for a vintage wedding
• Berry and greenery garlands for a rustic feel
• Giant, colorful lollipops for a whimsical wedding (these would even be cute at the kids’ table!)
• “bride” and “groom” signs like these shabby chic keepsakes from Etsy

Ever Wonder How…? Part 2

Ever wonder how… to keep fully wrapped bouquet stems hydrated?

*Disclaimer: Sorry if this post seems a little risque! I’m trying to be technical.  Thank you to my assistant Shana for sharing this amazing little trick with me!

I’m about to share with you all a little florist secret- shh! Don’t tell anyone I told you this!

Take for example this stunning bouquet by Karen Tran via Away Soiree:

Notice that the satin ribbon wrap fully covers the stems, even at the bottom of the bouquet, allowing for a luxe, tailored look.

Since the bridal bouquet is the star of all wedding flowers, it’s crucial that the flowers have a supply of water until the last possible second to keep blooms fresh. I usually don’t do full bouquet wraps for this reason. I feel more secure when I deliver the bouquets in a vase with water so I know the thirsty stems are drinking and are ready for a full day of wedding action. But there IS a way to keep fully covered stems hydrated. Don’t giggle please. Condoms.

Here’s how:

1. Simply create your hand-tied bouquet and leave it unwrapped in a vase of water until the day before the wedding.

2. Drench some paper towel in water. I mean DRENCH.

3. Wrap the drenched paper towel nicely around the bottom of the stems. Bunch a little bit around the bottom, but you don’t want it to look bulgy.

4. Fill the tip of a condom with water and roll the condom over the stems, essentially creating a sleeve. Not too much water- you don’t want any leakage!

5. Voila! If the rubber apparatus does what it’s supposed to do, you’ve got a sturdy, sealed reservoir of water for your stems. Simply wrap with ribbon and go!

Another plus about this method is that it prevents the green stems from staining white ribbon, which can be a big problem.

Does anyone have any other nifty ideas for wrapping bouquets? Let me know!

Ever Wonder How…?

As a floral designer, I’ve vowed to never stop learning. I still like to attend design seminars when I can, and I’m always asking other florists and my super savvy assistants if they think I could do something faster, prettier, or smarter. I might even go back to flower school to take some classes (and hopefully TEACH some classes someday.) In my new “Ever Wonder How…?” series, I’ll be posting some neat florist tricks of the trade addressing some questions that I certainly had before becoming a florist. And please, if you have an even better technique than what I am showcasing, leave me a comment!

Ever Wonder How… to decorate a cake with fresh flowers? That’s one thing I didn’t learn in floral school, surprisingly. I’ve seen and tried many different techniques.

• Some florists just stick the stems directly into the cake (after rinsing the flowers of course! A gentle fruit and vegetable wash works well for this.)
• Some actually wire and tape each flower, essentially creating a ton of little boutonnieres to stick into the cake. Some wire and tape the flowers onto picks, and insert them into the cake. Can you say time consuming?
• Some use tiny floral foam cages, fill them with flowers, and lay them on the cake (with cellophane in between, to protect the cake).

Now, all those ways are fine and dandy. They work. I’ve tried them all. But something always weirded me out about sticking an ordinary flower stem into a gorgeous, priceless confection. First off, no matter how well you rinse, are you really getting off all the pesticides and preservatives? And I doubt that florist tape and wires are much cleaner. My issue with the floral foam is that sometimes the cages leak out water and tiny green foam particles, which could be toxic. And the foam is heavy- I do NOT want to see a cake collapse because I’ve just topped it with a 5 pound arrangement. A collapsing cake is one of my recurring nightmares. I’m serious, I can barely breathe when I put flowers on a cake.

The best and easiest solution I’ve found came from my assistant Montita, who spent most of her life in Thailand. She is full of snazzy ideas that she picked up from her home country. Basically, she’s the bomb.

• Step 1: Select the flowers you’d like to use. Now this is kind of a bummer- most flowers are indeed toxic to some extent. I think the only common wedding flower I DIDN’T see on the on that list was roses. Hmm. That doesn’t leave us with much, right? Keep in mind that there are some flowers that are considered more toxic than others, including ivy, delphinium and kangaroo paws, so try to avoid those. Thankfully, this method really reduces the flower-to-cake contact, so you don’t have to lose sleep over this.
  

  Some white roses from my garden.

• Step 2: Cut off the stems completely, leaving just the flower head.
• Step 3: Take a clean toothpick and poke it into the bottom of the flower.
• Step 4: If you’re really concerned about your flowers making any contact with the cake, you can cut a small circle of celophane, a little smaller than the flower head. Then pierce it with the toothpick and shimmy it up to the flower head so it acts as a barrier between the cake and the flower.
• Step 5: Simply insert the toothpicks into the cake and voila! Couldn’t be easier! The best part- it doesn’t leave a huge gaping hole in the cake like a flower stem would.

Thanks for joining me for my first “Ever Wonder How…?” I’ll see ya next time!

And now, I’ll leave you with some pretty pictures of florified cakes

Photo by Sarah K. Chen

photo by Christine Marie Photography.

photo by Jasmine Star Photography.

photo by Jason Q. Tran

photo by Jessica Claire

Making Mercury Glass

Mercury glass, also known as “poor man’s silver”, is clear glass coated with a solution of silver nitrate and grape sugar to produce a mirror-like finish.  Over time, the silver coating chips and flakes off, giving it that old, tarnished look that I adore for vintage-inspired weddings. Be prepared to pay a pretty penny for authentic mercury glass (up to 1000 buckaroos for a single vase!) Even faux mercury glass can be pretty pricey to use for a one-day event. But boy is it gorgeous.

For Julia and James’ whimsical wedding, my mission was to track down over 50 various mercury glass bowls and vases in curvy, antique looking shapes. As I searched my favorite glass wholesalers, I was disappointed with the puny selection. Most of them were completely sold out or lame looking (for example, the shapes were modern cylinders, not at all reminiscent of the ornate mercury glass vessels from the 1800s, or the paint strokes were machine-made and too “perfect” looking.) Panic ensued.

I decided I would buy as many good reproductions as I could get my hands on. I found 15 gorgeous hurricanes at Pier 1.

Mini candle holder from Pier 1. Love the engraving!

Large hurricanes from Pier 1 on the left and right. The crackle finish made them look extra ancient.

It sank in that I would have to create the remaining 35 myself! This DIY adventure was inspired by a post on
The Everyday Bride where she explained that Krylon Looking Glass Paint can achieve a mercury glass look.

This technique requires you to spray several even coats on the inner surface of the vase.  This was a bit tricky since some of my vases were fluted and difficult to spray into, causing the paint to pool up and dribble.  Very frustrating.  After I got the hang of it, the results were quite pretty.  However, this technique gives the look of new mercury glass that hasn”t begun to chip and flake off with age. I wanted a more distressed, antique looking mercury glass. I think I nailed it.  Here’s how I did it:

Step 1: Clean your vase thoroughly.  Dust and grime are no good.

Step 2:  Cover the inner surface of the vase with silver leaf adhesive. Let it sit for 10 minutes or so.

Step 3: Apply rub-on silver leaf sheets in patches to the glass, making sure to leave plenty of uncovered areas. I did some large patches, and some lighter, flakier patches for a varied look.

Step 3: To achieve an even more roughed up look, take some sand paper and strategically scratch off some of the silver leaf.

Step 3: Cover the inner surface with spray-on leaf sealer.

Step 4: Spray 3 or 4 thin coats of Krylon Looking Glass Paint over the silver leafing to smooth out the look.

Voila!

Ok, so it is a little bit of a process. But I had an assembly line going and watched a million episodes of Seinfeld. It became really relaxing.   I do enjoy me some mindless labor from time to time!