Real Weddings: Angeles and Steve / Hotel Maya , Long Beach CA

Angeles and Steve were married at the Hotel Maya in Long Beach. It was a purple and lavender themed wedding with accents of pink and ivory. I loved the decor at the Hotel Maya – lots of eclectic furnishings and wall hangings.

The ceremony was held outdoors with a view of the water and downtown Long Beach. We decorated the chuppah with ivy, hydrangea, lisianthus, roses, and delphinium.

Angeles carried a bouquet of purple hydrangea, pink lisianthus, purple freesia, “polo” roses, and cafe au lait dahlia. The bridesmaids bouquets featured purple lisianthus, cool water roses, and pink cymbidium orchids.

The ring bearer carried a small pillow made of variegated ti leaves and decorated with white and pink cymbidium orchids and purple dendrobium orchids.

For the escort card table, we made a manzanita branch arrangement with sandblasted manzanita branches decorated with hanging pink crystals, orchids, and hydrangea. We covered the base with purple and lavender hydrangea and ivory roses. Pink crystals were draped throughout the branches and we glued white dendrobium orchids and pink cymbidium orchids to the branches.

The centerpieces were comprised of a grouping of three rectangular vases each with a layer of sand and white cymbidium orchids. The cymbidium orchids had purple on the lips – perfect for the purple and lavender themed wedding

We decorated the cake with white and pink cymbidium orchids. A toss bouquet accented the table and we edged the cake table with orchids and lisiathus blossoms.

Real Weddings: Amie and Leonard / Bacara Resort, Santa Barbara CA

Amie and Leonard

 were married at the dramatic, seaside Bacara Resort in Santa Barbara. Here are some professional and 

much better

 pictures from their wedding. I love it whenever I hear from my brides a couple of months after their wedding and see their pictures. So fun and so great to know how they are loving married life!

Real Weddings: Karen and Jon / Pasadena CA

I just wanted to share some gorgeous photographs of Karen and Jon's wedding by

Tauran Photography

.

The flowers look amazing in these pictures. And Karen is beautiful as always (and smokin’!).

Real Weddings: Marjan and Arman / Saddlerock Ranch, Malibu CA

The Flower Lab recently helped set up another wedding at the extraordinary Saddle Rock Ranch. It was another perfect Saturday with clear blue skies. The horses were frolicking, the zebras were snoozing, and the llama didn’t spit at anyone.

In the Persian tradition, the bride and groom sat at a table laden with nuts and sweets during the ceremony. Here, we decorated the canopy with sheer organza draping and accented with white hydrangea and green cymbidium orchids. Centerpieces of white hydrangea lined the front of the table and two tall manzanita trees framed the bride and groom. The trees were decorated with puffs of hydrangea, cymbidium orchid blossoms, hanging crystals, and floral spheres comprised of green kermit poms.

Individual green cymbidium orchid blossoms accented with a crystal and tied with ivory satin ribbon adorned each aisle chair. I love how effectively simple (and economical) this method of decorating the aisle chairs is.

Marjan carried a gorgeous, large bouquet of all green cymbidium orchids. Triumphal!!

Petite poseys of soft white peonies were carried by the sisters.

Cute floral spheres made of kermit poms were topped with white cymbidium orchids for a couture look.

One of my favorite style of arrangement for a long, rectangular escort card table, this arrangement of bleached corkscrew willow branches, white hydrangea, dendrobium orchids, and cymbidiums is interesting and unique.

Fluffy, bulbous centerpieces of white hydrangea have an asymmetrical flair of green dendrobium orchid stems and curly willow branch accent. They look so haute couture to me that I wouldn’t be surprised to see them jump up and prance down the catwalk!

Real Weddings: Jennifer and Jasen / Redondo Beach Historic Library, Redondo Beach CA

I love the flowers in Jennifer’s bouquet: white peonies, “polo” roses, and white cymbidium orchids with sweet little yellow marks in the lips. My new favorite ivory rose to use are “polo” roses because they open beautifully and look like vintage garden roses.

Jennifer and Jasen held their wedding reception at the Redondo Beach Historic Library – a very unique venue for a wedding (I am a big fan of libraries!). Their colors were ivory, green, and teal. For the green bridesmaid bouquets, we used baby green hydrangea, “super green” roses, and lime green cymbidium orchids.

Tall arrangements for the church altar were comprised of velvety green gladiolas and white fluffy hydrangea.

Tiffany (my assistant extraordinaire) took most of these pictures. I really like the composition of this picture of the wedding cake topper – so creative! The flowers we used include hydrangea, cymbidiums, and roses.

Corsages for the moms featured light green mini cymbidium orchids as well as white freesia.

I really like how the floating centerpieces turned out – not your typical arrangement with a few floating orchids in a lily bowl. The lily bowl has been around

a long time

, but here they look fresh and re-invented! I attribute it to the use of lush, leafy passion vines wrapped around the edge, some parts placed inside the bowl, and other parts above and outside of the bowl. Stems of white and green dendrobium orchids are not rigidly placed in the bowl, but rather allowed to breathe and angle over and around the lip of the bowl. Everything is kept tidy and within the glass bowl, but also looking loose and modern. So simple, yet looks elegant and new!

All the centerpieces lined up and ready to go!

Real Weddings: Rileah and Adam / Calamigo Ranch, Malibu CA

Rileah and Adam were married at the beautiful and mystical Calamigos Ranch in Mailibu. A big fan of Star Wars, Rileah wanted something a little different for her wedding. It was a enchanted, Midsummer Night’s Dream wedding in shades of purple.

For the bridal bouquet, we made a loose and wild bouquet of seeded eucalyptus, dark purple limonium, sword fern, purple hydrangea, and magenta peonies.

The reception table centerpieces featured sandblasted manzanita branches secured in slate stone containers and dripping with pink crystal beads, purple “wisteria” beads, green amaranthus, purple dendrobium orchid blossoms, and lots of lovely moss.

There were also lower centerpieces of sandblasted grapewood branches on a bed of mood moss with accents of glittery butterflies, sword ferns, and fun little things you’d find on the forest floor.

Additional details included a garland atop a small wooden bridge that crossed a babbling little creek and cute forest landscapes on the cocktail tables.

The escort cards were placed on a bed of moss highlighted by branchy candelabras decorated with moss and purple dendrobium orchids.

Instead of carrying bouquets, each bridesmaid carried a lantern and wore a single blossom dahlia corsage pinned to her dress.