Love Notes: The Pacific Weddings Blog

Wedding Bouquets & Boutonnieres: An Indelible Impression

While researching a flower story I was reminded of one of our very talented Hawaii wedding florists, Della Peacock, who founded Dellables, a floral design company based in Haiku, Maui. Della's designs are clearly influenced by her serene tropical home. She describes her work as a "creative personal expression, absorbing my natural surroundings and painting my interpretations of ocean, mountain and sky through my floral designs." Originally from San Francisco, Della has lived in Hawaii for 20 years and is particularly adept at combining tropical flowers with more traditional roses and orchids. I love how her bouquets are beautifully constructed with a unique unrestricted quality all their own. Perhaps they reflect the heart of the artist herself—warm and welcoming and at once beautiful! Check out more of the Della's floral portfolio here. (Photos courtesy of Dellables)

Vintage Wedding Style: Moss & Bell Jars

I've had a longstanding love affair with bell jars, and I recently discovered it was the French that developed the glass cloche to protect plants from cold weather frost. I like the idea that these miniature gardens are a natural still life framed only by the glass that envelopes them. Blended with moss and European accents, a bell jar wedding arrangement is both interesting and unique. For this style sheet I looked to two of my faves, Roost and Anthropology, for inspiration. (Photos: above, La Mome bridal caplet is available at Tocatta's Etsy shop; upper right image via Apartment Therapy; bell jars above and images below by Roost.)

For our table setting below at Pua Le‘a Estate, a historic sugar mill tucked away in the lush green hills of Haiku, Maui, we used moss in lieu of linens to cover the table adding bouquets of white orchids and calla lilies as centerpieces. Below, another amazing Anthro store display; moss balls and Euro accessories from Save-on Crafts. I think it would be fun to create a unique tableau for each of your wedding reception tables with these interesting pieces, and your guests will appreciate the nature-inspired still life scenes.

A weathered container from World Buyer's new collection is a fabulous table accent. Finally, a perfectly adorable Antrhopologie frock dubbed the Beach Grass Dress is perfect for a casual destination wedding—you decide whether it is for the bridesmaids or for the bride herself. xo ~robyn

Wedding Style: Silver & Amethyst Palette

Amethyst is emerging once again as the color of choice among fashion and interior designers, and this rich shade of eggplant makes a beautiful wedding palette when paired with silver. These colors were the impetus for a Pacific Weddings photo shoot on the Garden Isle of Kauai, known for its legendary Hanalei poi, a local staple that is usually a beautiful shade of dusty lavender. A silver bridesmaid dress by Umee Honolulu accents the flowers arranged by Hawaii florist, Yvonne Chapman of Yvonne Design. Photos by Visionari; food prepared by Kauai Cuisine; shot on location at the Princeville Resort, a romantic honeymoon and wedding destination.

 

A Country Wedding at Turtle Bay Stables, Oahu

Today we are featuring a real wedding post from one of our regular contributors, Yvonne Chapman of Yvonne Design, one of Hawaii's most sought after floral and event designers. Photos were captured by talented Hawaii photographers at L'Amour Photography. (For more Hawaii weddings on the North Shore, visit the PW Movie Room.)

My favorite weddings this year have been yellow and white, which seems to have been the color scheme of choice for our summer brides. This season we have created events in varied motifs— modern and chic, classic and elegant, sweet and traditional—all following a yellow and white color scheme. My absolute favorite was this country romance wedding we designed for Jodi Santos and Gary Yu at the Turtle Bay stables on Oahu's North Shore. Delicate flowers in shades of white and pale yellow were gracefully designed in ceramic pedestal bowls. The inviting fragrance of hyacinth, stock, and sweet peas was combined with beautiful Limoncello roses, lisianthus, and hydrangea. To emphasize the country theme, mini gerbera daisies were used throughout the reception, adding a playfulness to the décor. The result was a unique country wedding you don't often see in the islands. ~aloha, Yvonne

Paula Pryke Wedding Flowers, Part II

As mentioned in a recent post, I'm a big fan of UK florist Paula Pryke, so I wanted to share more of her unique wedding flowers. We often find inspiration for the Pacific Weddings® floral photo shoots within her fabulous books, most recently, Simply Pink. Whether you are planning nuptials in a tropical location like Hawaii or heading to California's Wine Country, here are a few beautiful designs in keeping with a destination wedding.

We are always on the look out for interesting chair decorations, and white-on-white is one of my personal favorites. (Upper left) White hydrangea is ideal for this classic modern chair; ivy and spray roses or a bouquet of daises suit a Wine Country wedding; a lei of dendrobium orchids (lower right) is a popular choice for a Hawaii wedding.

Tropical wedding flowers can be stunning when designed to show off their drama and striking colors. Paula uses variations in texture and height to achieve this look. I love the woven Dracena leaves of the centerpiece on the right--her details are simply exquisite.

 

One vase three ways: Paula is known for her creative use of unexpected containers and vases. Here she lines a rectangular glass vase with colorful sand, lemons and jelly beans. I like the idea of presenting  wedding centerpieces as generous hostess gifts at the end of the evening. Wouldn't these be perfect?

Simply Pink Wedding Flowers

I have always loved pink wedding flowers, in fact we dedicated an entire issue of Pacific Weddings® to the color pink. So when I heard about the release of Paula Pryke's new book, Simply Pink, I couldn't wait for the visual feast to begin. I have been a fan of the talented London florist for years and, like all her other books, this one left me in awe. She has an amazing way of making all her designs look effortless and at once fabulously creative. Here are a few of the gorgeous floral centerpieces from Simply Pink.

 

Originally trained as a teacher, Paula launched her internationally successful Flower School in London eight years ago and teaches florists from all over the world. If you are serious about wedding floral design, stay tuned for more of Paula's flowers, as I will be perusing my library to bring you a few of my favorite designs from her previous books, including Paula Pryke Table Flowers, Paula Pryke Flower School and Wedding Flowers, plus a few DIY tips from the artist herself.  xo ~robyn

Vintage Palm Tree Wedding

Hawaii wedding details often take their cue from the intoxicating natural beauty of the islands, and a palm tree motif can be beautiful in this tropical context. This article, which first appeared in Pacific Weddings® in July, 2002, was inspired by European botanical prints from the 18th century. Honolulu cake designer, Lillian Masamitsu, created royal icing panels on the wedding cake, which provided a perfect canvas for the hand painted palm tree renderings. The regal pineapple cake topper was sculpted out of gumpaste, and a pearl and white harlequin pattern is accented with intricate lace icing on each tier.

  

 

Baby's breath in tall ceramic vases mimic a palm tree's graceful curves. A lei of crown flowers connects each vase. The table was set on the ocean front lawn of the Four Seasons Resort Wailea, Maui, a fabulous wedding and honeymoon spot. Wedding bouquets and centerpieces in shades of white and pale green reflect the natural color palette of the islands. (Flower designs by Sheryl Suzuki and Eileen Woods-Takayesu of Town & Country at the Four Seasons; photos by the amazingly talented Hawaii photographers Chrissy Lambert and Dave Miyamoto)

 

 

Soft and Romantic Peonies

I swooned over this gorgeous bouquet of pale pink peonies and feathers last week on Brooklyn Bride. And that dress— Vera Wang Luxe, of course! More sensational photos here.

[photos by Nashan Photographers]

Gorgeous Wedding Bouquets

You may recall photographer Stephanie Williams from our Nostalgic Photo Contest last fall— her photos have an unmistakable vintage quality to them. As a wedding and portrait photographer based in Southern California, she's been able to document a nice mix of weddings in Orange County, L.A., and San Diego. I wanted to share her most recent work with you— she captured these beautiful bouquets by designer Kelly Parsley-Gordon of PlanIt OC, a floral and event boutique in Irvine, California. What a gorgeous use of color, texture and light...

    

Make Sense of Wedding Flowers: Buy the Book

The natural beauty of flowers has been a great source of inspiration for Tricia Guild. The London-based fabric and wallpaper designer celebrates the shades of color, texture and proportions of flowers in her latest book, Tricia Guild Flower Sense. Her acclaimed book, Tricia Guild on Pattern, introduced me to the bold and colorful world of her pattern design. This time around, she explores the art of decorating with unexpected floral elements in various settings— city, vintage, modern, romantic, party, country, exotic, minimal, and garden. The dreamy and evocative photography by James Merrell sets a mood as original and stylish as the interiors on each page! Below, Tricia transforms her own outdoor garden into a bright summer party steeped in exotic pinks and reds. I love the simple canopy formed by strips of scarlet silk woven between the branches and tied with peonies and dahlias.