Farm-themed weddings inspirations

We just had a great meeting with one of our June brides who is having her reception at a farm in Southern Maine called Laudholm Farm. We are creating an earthy and organic style with a muted color palate, naturally composed floral arrangements and touches of burlap. The flowers we will be incorporating are: white hydrangea, mini green hydrangea, white peonies, cream garden roses, white and purple anemones, white and green ranunculus, star of Bethlehem, and fresh lavender. We are custom staining and distressing two different sizes of wooden boxes for the flower vessels. We'll be using wide-mouthed mason jars with dahlias and anemones for the cocktail hour as well. Take a look at the images below to get an idea of the reception centerpieces and table design! Something Sweet by Michelle will be creating the cake, a linen hemstitched themed design, complete with her incredible and impossible to copy sugar flowers. The reception tent is provide by Sperry Tents Seacoast so we know if will look fantastic! We'll post more inspirations from our other weddings as we get closer to them!









Kate Parker Weddings
Kate Parker Flowers

We LOVE Martha Stewart but...

There are a few things MS likes to show brides that are so unreasonable either due to the unrealistic nature of the flowers they like to work with or the complexity of the items they are suggesting... We have more brides carrying around Martha Stewart Weddings than any other magazine and her word is the end-all-be-all for many brides. I think for the most part they have beautiful concepts and inspirations for brides, although they create such high expectations around the "perfect" wedding. The details all have to match, the ribbons formed a specific way, the colors all in the same family. It makes it difficult for brides to understand the reality of their wedding... It's so much more important to sit back and enjoy the overall event when it comes time to actually get married.. Don't forget, that's what started all the planning, a wedding ceremony. I thought it would be slightly humorous to speak my mind about MS and to see how many people have issues with my opinion...Here are a few photos and examples of what we're talking about...

All images are from Martha Stewart


Probably our biggest gripe, Hydrangea is NOT suitable for a boutonniere. It will die in a matter of minutes and will look terrible.



A lot of her DIY ideas are really creative but not the most sensible or practical... take these PAPER boutonnieres...




Some of her ideas have the right intentions, such as including your guests, but they are often over the top in scale or expense... Take a look at these boutonnieres for EVERY guest at your wedding.



Martha Stewart is certainly known for her eye for details and one of the more popular examples of this would be her ideas on favors.. here are a few examples of the detailed, DIY favor boxes she suggests you add to your already growing list of bridal duties... have fun with your hole puncher....




Find different types of yarn to tie these favors


Hole punch away


Different shades of origami paper were used to create this favor box

I suppose there is always a need for inspiration in this industry... I just think that it's imperative to give reasonable and attainable inspirations.... let the discussions begin!

What you need to know about "Seasonal Flowers"

More than once a week I get a call from a bride looking for "seasonal flowers," hoping to be able to save money on her overall flower budget. Every time I field this question, I answer with saying, "Other than peonies, lilacs, and lily of the valley, there really is no such thing as "seasonal flowers." More and more resources on-line and in print tell brides to pick blooms in season in order to be budget conscious. I am here to set the record straight on flowers. Florists get their flowers from all over the world, many from South America and Holland. These blossoms include some of the most popular flowers available: roses, hydrangea, calla lilies, tulips etc. We don't pick our own hydrangea in someone's backyard in Maine to get them when they're blooming "in season." These flower farms grow specific types of blossoms for extended longevity and consistency. I suppose while I'm on this rant I should also say that there are some flowers that florists give a bad name concerning price. Here's another record to get straight: Orchids are not THAT expensive. Sure, they're more expensive than carnations and button poms, and for their size they're more expensive than hydrangea per blossom, but they are very reasonable to work with in select floral arrangements and add a great texture as well. Here are some photos of individual flowers and if they have a particular season I've mentioned it... Otherwise you have free reign on all of these throughout the year.

Hydrangea- all year, depending on color. Antique Green is available in the fall when the nights get cooler, although you can get a hold of it in the spring when it's a light pink and green combo which is also beautiful. The periwinkles, purples and hot pinks are great in the summer, but are available for the most part, year round.. Mini green and regular green shouldn't be a problem either. Photos from Sierra Flower Finder

Blue Hydrangea

Hot Pink Hydrangea

Antique Green Hydrangea

White Hydrangea

Light Blue Hydrangea

Roses- I know some brides don't like roses because they think everyone uses them, which is true for a very valid reason. Roses come in almost every color imaginable and they also come in different forms- traditional, spray, garden. They're a great way to add a specific color without breaking the bank... here are a few of our favorites.

Dark Milva

Black Magic

Amnesia

Esperance

Marjolik Spray Rose

Garden Rose

Peonies are bride's FAVORITE flowers.. we think they're really beautiful, full of fragrance and texture. The downside is they are available at a reasonable price from May to Mid-June... you can get them earlier and later in the year but their per stem price can sometimes triple or worse.

White Peonies

Light Pink Peonies


Hot Pink Peonies

Coral Peonies


Red Peonies


Orchids: There are a lot of different types of orchids: cymbidiums, dendrobiums, mokaras, vandas, plus many others...they work really well out of water, by the full stem, or the individual blossom. Here are a few of our favorites we work with all summer long.

Cymbidium Orchids



Dendrobium Orchids



Mokara Orchids





Vanda Orchids are some of the most expensive orchids, so we only suggest them if you want that really purple/blue color. Definitely a splurge item here.