Vendor Advice and Trends - Calluna Fine Flowers on working with a Floral Designer

Heather from Calluna Fine Flowers shares with brides some advice when finding and working with a floral designer for their wedding day. Check out what Heather has to say and see some of her fabulous work below.

- You should feel comfortable with the people you hire. Get a good feeling of what the vendor does, the products they have, the quality they produce, and their pricing. The vendor needs to provide what you're looking for and not change what you want to fit them. Also, if you don't connect with the vendor, it's not going to work.

- You need to trust your vendors. Brides always want to be involved with every detail of their wedding, as they should be. But there is some point where the bride needs to feel comfortable enough to let go and let us do our jobs.

- When working with flowers, trust your floral designer to surprise you a little bit. I had one bride and she just said to me "surprise me!" She did tell me a few of her favorites but I went out to the market and picked different things that she never thought of. She trusted me to do something fabulous and was able to do just that.

- The biggest thing to keep in mind when choosing flowers for you wedding, make sure you look at examples in the store on the their website and talk to other brides who've had used the vendor. Recommendations and word-of-mouth is always emotion-filled which will give you a better feel for the vendor.

Calluna Fine Flowers
Phone:207.641.0867
Website: www.callunafineflowers.com
myKPW State and Budget: ME $25-50k

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.

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.

Vendor Spotlight - Petals Floral Design

We love that Michelle from Petals Floral Design uses flowers from local growers and her own garden to create chic wedding arrangements and bouquets. Check out Michelle in today's Vendor Spotlight!

Petals Floral Design
Floral Designer: Michelle Boleski
Phone: 802.793.7814
Website: www.petalsfloraldesignvt.com
Blog: www.petalsfloraldesignvt.com/blog.html
myKPW State and Budget: Vermont $25-50k and $50-80k


The Number of Years in Business: I have been in business since 2006.

Preferred Wedding Locations: I don't really have an preferred location but I have done venues in San Francisco and New York.

Pricing Information: I do not have a price list...

What makes me stand out in the industry? I graduated from Parson's School of Design and studied painting and illustration. I LOVE color and texture and I am a gardener. I often use locally grown flowers from the area and my garden. I also love collecting vintage fabric, containers and pottery and have all sorts of wonderful items to rent for weddings.

What the favorite part of my work? I love flowers and I love colors. I love helping customers plan the day and then see it all come together the day of the event. As part of my service, I pin corsages and boutonnieres on the wedding party and present bouquets. It is rewarding to hand the bride her bouquet and so far I have managed to make my brides happy on their special day.

What do you like to do in your spare time? In my spare time I am an elementary art teacher, a proud Mom of a beautiful 20 year old, and a proud owner of three dogs and a cat. I spend a lot of hours at the dog park :)

Which charity am I supporting? I support the ASPCA and Best Friends Animal sanctuary.

Do you have any tips or advice to share with brides when working with a floral designer? When working with floral designer, find out how many events the designer has the day of your wedding and be prepared to be flexible with flower choices. For colors, any color combination is possible; it's so much fun to work with all possibilities! Finally, keep in mind that you can add anything unique to your wedding day to make for an amazing day. There are so many resources and ideas on the web and in specialty stores for brides -- it's really amazing, but don't be afraid to make your own traditions.

A Deserving Couple - Jessica's Country Flowers

Jessica Robinson from Jessica's Country Flowers recently helped a couple with their wedding during this difficult, economical time. It's really great to see that even through tough times, there are still giving individuals always willing to lend a hand.

Check out the story (and photos) that Jessica shares with us and the people involved . . .

Each year we host a contest called "Deserving Couple" which we take applications from engaged couples who have financial hardship and yet still give back to their communities. We feel that we have been extremely fortunate in business and this is our little way of giving back. We donate our services at no charge to the couple and help to coordinate the entire wedding.

This year's couple, Amanda and Matt, were married on August 29, 2009 at Thomaston Congregational Church, Thomaston, Connecticut with a noon ceremony. About 170 guests attended the ceremony and then followed to the reception which was held at the Lyceum in Terryville, Connecticut. Amanda had recently lost her job from White Flower Farm of nearly 13 years and Matt works for a HVAC company. Both of their fathers had also recently lost their jobs and wedding funds were extremely low. Each year they travel the world with missionary programs helping out others less fortunate. They deserved a wedding that was incredible!

We had many outstanding wedding professionals who provided their products and/or services for the couple, which included:

- Jessica's Country Flowers (flowers, invitations and candy station)
- Jamie Collins Photography (photographs)
- Jubilee Events (coordination of event)
- Lamothe's Sugar House (maple chocolate favors)
- Emily's Catering Group (buffet reception dinner)
- Kim's Cottage Confections (wedding cake)
- Festive Occasions (linen and chivari chair rental)
- Kathy Faber Designs (custom bridal gown)
- The White Dress by the Shore (veil and shoes for the bride)
- La Belle Chateau Salon & Spa (pedicures and manicures for bride and her bridal party)
- Dana Bartone (hair and make-up for bride and her bridal party)
- Regal Stageways (transportation)

This couple's love for each other is felt and shared with their families. They are truly fortunate to have the love of each other and their close family and friends. They had a friend who was a DJ and provided all of the music. Their reception dinner was scrumptious with purple colored potatoes, pasta and apricot glazed stuffed chicken along with mouth watering pork tenderloin. You can see the glow of love in their faces!

2009 Vendor Advice and Trends - Jessica Robinson from Jessica's Country Flowers

Jessica from Jessica's Country Flowers gives brides some great advice when choosing the right florist for their big day! Check out some of her work below or visit her website: Jessica's Country Flowers

Tips and Advice for selecting a florist:

If flowers are high on your priority list you may opt for selecting a wedding floral designer vs. a traditional flower shop. Which means a designer in which will be completely dedicated to designing weddings and special events. A normal everyday shop probably won't give you the much needed attention you deserve.

Select about 3-4 floral designers to interview. You'll want to hire someone that can work within your budget and someone that you connect with. It's a long process with planning a wedding and you need to know that the person you hire will create something you will be completely satisfied with, or give you more than you imagined.

Expect to budget approximately 10-20% of your overall budget for flowers.

Be cautious when selecting your date if flowers are important to you. You will get more for your buck if you don't get married on Mother's day weekend or during a busy holiday season. Don't insist on peonies in August. If peonies are something you want, plan to marry in late May to mid-June.

Choose a color scheme with your florist and maybe a few important blooms. But, try and give your floral designer a little creative freedom.

Ask for a sample bridal bouquet as well as a sample table setting. This way you will view your design prior to the wedding and make any necessary changes or additions.

If you have a limited budget, spend more money at your reception. You have to figure, you're only going to be at the ceremony site for about an hour and spending most of your time at the reception.

Jessica also shares with us some trends happening in the floral design space...

Brides are looking for fresh, creative designs. Our signature "tree" centerpieces have been big for us. We are seeing more monochromatic weddings and color is big. People are looking to have events that people walk away saying "wow! I never saw anything like that!".

Colors that have become hot right now are purple flowers and touches of green along with all white/cream flowers with touches of green. We are utilizing more unique containers and coming up with natural organic table settings.