Lauren and Andrew

When I was asked to design florals for Lauren and Andrew's wedding, I was beyond thrilled. During my initial conversation with Nadine, Lauren's mom and a fellow garden club member, friend and blog follower, she proposed a rather interesting idea. She asked if I might consider teaching a wedding workshop, where the bride, her maids, and the moms, would get their game on by designing some of the table arrangements. I was intrigued by the concept, and excited about the prospect of not only creating the wedding designs, but also coordinating a workshop, all in the name of fun.

When I finally had the opportunity to meet with Lauren a month later, we began the design process with a visit to the flower market, per her request. It was both fun and inspiring for me to see the market from the perspective of a client, and it gave me the opportunity to get to know Lauren a little better, and to see what types of colors and flowers she gravitated towards.

It would be safe to say that I fell instantly in love with Lauren's color palette. I am most at home when working with an analogous color theme, so this was a no-brainer. Picture ombré shades of coral, from the palest hint of blush to the deepest shade of poppy, coupled with a barn-like venue, and you will begin to visualize Lauren's country chic style.

Pinterest also came in handy for the purpose of sharing visuals, and helped us communicate more specifically about the aspects of the floral designs that Lauren liked. A picture is worth a thousand words, as they say, and since I am a visually-minded person, this works perfectly. After looking at Lauren's wedding board on Pinterest, I could see that she was partial to unique mixes of texture, paired with vibrant colors and warm, softer tones, with touches of copper, gold, and rustic elements. Her favorite flowers were garden roses, peonies, and dahlias.

Lauren and Andrew's wedding was held at Harrington Farm, in the Wachusett Mountain region of Massachusetts. The farm is notable for its mountainside setting, gorgeous views, and gardens. The barn's vaulted ceiling, post-and-beam construction, and oversized stone fireplace add to its New England charm.

In order to enhance the color of the bridesmaids' dresses, Lauren decided to have me create an all-white palette for their bouquets, with mixtures of hydrangea, mondial roses, wax flower, olive branch, seeded eucalyptus, football mums, baby's breath, hypericum berry, ranunculus, grevelia, and white satin ribbon.

A statement of color was reserved exclusively for the bridal bouquet. The Free Spirit roses, peach Juliet garden roses, passion flower vine, Queen Anne's lace, ranunculus, seeded eucalyptus, hypericum berry, protea, and a mix of coral satin ribbon and lace proved to be the perfect contrast against the backdrop of Lauren's beautifully embellished gown.

Let's talk for a minute about these absolutely gorgeous images, taken by photographer Jamie Ivins. I love his ability to capture the essence of Lauren and Andrew, through his playful approach. Visit Jamie's site, Jamie Ivins Photography, to view more of his amazing work.

I started writing this blog with the intention to share my love of design, my adventures in DIY projects, and my budding floral business. I've often wondered if anyone even read my posts, aside from the crazy web-crawlers and my family, so when I got the call from Nadine, and she began to explain how she and Lauren had been following my blog and admiring my work, it was so nice to hear that someone had been reading.

Lauren's desire to create a one-of-a-kind wedding was apparent from the get-go, and it was easy to fall in love with her enthusiasm. I want to express my sincere gratitude to the Ritchie family, for giving me the opportunity to design for their daughter Lauren's wedding, and for allowing me to be part of their special day.

Congratulations, Lauren and Andrew!!