myKPW Photo Shoot - Floral Design by Apotheca

Late this summer, myKPW held a photo shoot with the concept of a bride getting married at different times during the day. We challenged four photographers, a hair and makeup team, a bridal stylist, and floral designer to create a look unique to each of our four brides according to their ceremony time; morning, afternoon, late afternoon, and evening.

Alyssa from Apotheca graciously jumped on board and designed four beautiful bouquets. Check out the designs she created along with her thoughts during the design process. ~LS



A Morning Bride

Time of Wedding: 11:00am
Inspiration: Simplicity, Understated, Casual.
Color Palette: Moss Green, Limoncello, Warm White
Floral Palette: Lady's Mantle, Soft Yellow Roses, Scabiosa, Chamomile, White Asters

image by Studio Nouveau


Thoughts: Using smaller, busier textures leads to a more relaxed, informal bouquet. In this case, the chamomile, lady's mantle, and scabiosa, work with the roses to create an elegant, but "casual garden" feel. This design mix is echoed again with the textile choices in the bouquet wrap--white satin with twine.

images above by Studio Nouveau



An Afternoon Bride

Time of Wedding: 2:00pm
Inspiration: Colorful, Playful Interest.
Color Palette: Moss Green, Limoncello, Papaya, Apricot,
Floral Palette: China Berry, Coral Fern, Green Parrot Tulip, Helliobore, Limon Spray Roses, Yellow Calla, Cottage Yarrow, Roses, Ranunculus

image by Claris Photography


Thoughts: An early afternoon wedding can be playful and fun--but always elegant! The bolder take on the palette in the bouquet was "contained" by surrounding the colors in coral fern. For the wrap I used a Sophisticated & Serious Green Dupioni Silk, but cuffed it with a bright, vintage-feel silk rosette.

images above by Claris Photography



A Late Afternoon Bride

Time of Ceremony: 4:00pm
Inspiration: Depth, Sophisticated Textures.
Color Palette: Sage Green, Limoncello, Papaya, Apricot, Champagne,
Floral Palette: Apricot Garden Rose, Papaya Rose, Warm White Ranunculus, Yellow Calla, Succulent, & Peiris

image by Roxanne Ashey Photography


Thoughts: By introducing Champagne and Sage and more sophisticated textures like the succulents and Romantic Draping Peiris, the bouquet feels more elegant. The wrap is a generous amount of Double Faced French Satin in Pewter and Sage Green.

images above by Roxanne Ashey Photography



An Evening Bride

Time of Ceremony: 6:00pm
Inspiration: Structured Elegance.
Color Palette: Moss Green, Limoncello, Apricot, Warm White, Champagne
Floral Palette: Ranunculus, Calla, Roses, Phaeleonopsis Orchids.

image by Brea McDonald Photography


Thoughts: Monochrome Palettes are the safest way to sophistication, but in this case I wanted to keep the color; so, to streamline it a bit I cut back on the range of color and blocked the flower elements together. I also exaggerated the structure by giving the bouquet strong lines via the offset cascading orchid and the rolled leaf collar. The wrap was Double Faced Satin, French Ribbon in Pewter and Lemon, and was embellished with a patterned cuff and silver buttons.

images above by Brea McDonald Photography




Apotheca Flower & Tea Chest
Phone: 866.479.4594
Website: www.apothecaflowershoppe.com
myKPW State and Budget: NH $25-50k and $50-80k

Other vendors (including our photographers listed above) who helped make this shoot a success were:

Hair: Hair that Moves
Makeup: Joya beauty
Attire: Occasions Bridal and Tuxedos

my Kate Parker Wedding is a new online wedding resource guide launching in January 2010 geared toward directing brides to quality vendors based on their price range and state.

Road Trip: Brea McDonald, Griffin-vites, and Maine Seasons Events

Brea, Sara, and Meagan we featured on Maine Maven today! After using Meagan's backyard for a spring shoot, this group of very talented individuals took a little road trip to Clark's Cove Farm in Walpole, ME to use the apple orchard as a backdrop for the autumn portion of their shoot. Click here to check out their work on Maine Maven!


Brea McDonald Photography
Website: www.breamcdonald.com
Blog: www.breamcdonald.com/blog/
myKPW Budget and State: Maine $50-80k and $80k+


Griffin-vites Stationery
Website: www.griffin-vites.com
myKPW Budget and State: Maine and Massachusetts, $50-80k


Maine Seasons Events
Website: www.maineseasonsevents.com
myKPW State and Budget: Maine <$25k and $25-50k

MY KPW Photo Shoot - No. 6, An Evening Bride

Sue was a stunning evening bride as Brea McDonald was able to capture all of her fine moments strolling through a historical site in downtown Portsmouth, NH. Check out how Brea worked with our bride for her evening wedding.

Time of Shoot: 4:30pm
Bride: Sue
Hair: Hair that Moves
Makeup: Joya beauty
Photographer: Brea McDonald Photography
Dress and Accessories: Occasions Bridal and Tuxedos
Flowers: Apotheca Flower Shoppe
Location: Strawbery Banke in Portsmouth, NH


Brea shares with us her thoughts behind the shoot...

Sue, our bride, was having an evening wedding and I wanted to take advantage of the soft, warm evening light. It made for very glamorous and flattering backlighting that showcased the different layers of her dress. Her shoot took place at Strawbery Banke in Portsmouth; if I could live there I would. And in order to find the perfect settings for the shoot, we strolled the streets and paths in search for places that presented themselves to us.

Now Sue had an amazing smile, so my approach was to keep her moving without doing anything too crazy since she was more of a sophisticated bride. In working with Sue, I showed her what to do in terms of posing and movement, and she perfectly reenacted it her more realxed. Well she quickly got into the mood and the swing of things. I also wanted to make sure to keep things realistic yet playful (and with a little subtle sexiness). For example, I just love how she peeked around the corner as if she was looking for her groom.

The apple trees made for a beautiful setting and fallen apples were definitely a walking obstacle, but Sue kicked off her shoes and just had fun with it. Movement throughout the shoot was also key in order to see more volume of the dress, and with Sue just twirling around with her bouquet out made her focus less on the camera and more on just having fun.

The woodshed instantly jumped out because of the texture and the dark wood contrast against a soft, white, flowy gown.

The boat was also a great setting for it's texture and soft, subtle color that made it timeless so we had to take advantage of it. And the different tones in the bouquet against the blue were perfect. The boat also fit the coastal, New England charm.

Check out more photos from Brea!

Vendor Spotlight: Hair that Moves

Lena from Hair that Moves has incredible passion for creating beautiful and detailed styles for about any occasion. We love her work and she's such a joy to be around!

image by Emilie Inc. Photography


Company: Hair that Moves
Stylist and Owner: Lena Hartford
Phone: 207.698.7997
Website: www.hairthatmoves.com


Number of Years in Business: 13 years in the business and 5 years with Hair that Moves.

Preferred Wedding Locations: They are all special in there own ways, however I find locations on the water to be serene.

Pricing Information: I offer both individual pricing, package pricing, and day rates.

What makes me stand out in my industry? I really love what I do and I think it shows in my work and desire to help people.

What do I like to do in my spare time? Well, I don't have much of it. But when I do have time, I love to garden, do crafts, bake and I love to be with friends and family.

What charity am I supporting and why? The American Cancer Society because I am currently a volunteer with the National Cancer Society. I help to run the "Look Good Feel Better" program at our hospital with Joanne McDonough. We are able to reach a lot of local women that are in treatment and are in need of some advice with wigs and makeup. We really enjoy working with them and showing them how to make each day a little brighter. It is very rewarding! And with like most other people, my friends and family have had to tackle cancer. My wish is to one day have the cure and in the meantime we will continue to fight!

image by Claris Photography

image by Brea McDonald Photography

image by Studio Nouveau