Years ago, I saw a wedding featured on television where the bride had an art background and used paper as a primary element in her work. So, when planning her wedding, she decided to incorporate her love of paper throughout the ceremony. From her bouquet, to the centerpieces, to decor, she had everything festooned with her paper creations. It was amazing and I thought, “That’s something I would love to have!”

Well, flash forward to me making handmade Japanese paddle fan programs for a friend’s wedding that reduced me to tears in the process and left me with permanent scars on my hands and my DIY dream went out the door! (Although, the programs did turn out beautifully if I do say so myself.) Fortunately, there are talented people like Chantal of Dragonfly Expression to help with such a handmade vision without the DIY disasters.

With customized styles and colors, there’s almost no end to the options that Chantal could create for a paper-laden scheme. From place card holders to table numbers, centerpieces to bridal bouquets, you can have a complete scheme tailored to your paper-loving specifications. No tissues or band-aids required!

As I sit at my desk, fingerless-gloved hands clutching a hot cup of tea, I just can’t get over that it is still winter. Hasn’t it be winter forever? I’m tired of layering and waterproof boots (but seriously, how cute are Hunter boots?). I want sun. I want cocktails. I want a few lazy, do-nothing days that aren’t ruined by unexpected errands and rainy weather. Don’t you?

Wyndham Resorts is giving away a vacation that is the perfect for what ails us. Just imagine: 7 blessed days in Daytona Beach, floating down the hotel’s lazy river and laughing at all the cold people back home (you know you would). The Wyndham Ocean Walk resort is right next door to a variety of restaurants and fun shopping in the event that you actually want to leave their gorgeous pools.

To enter, click here.

Kelsey and Jeff’s shoot is the perfect example of a wintertime engagement session: cozy, just ever-so-slightly moody, and very relaxed. Ashley Dru took them around Goshen, Indiana for a little small town charm (it is also where Kelsey and Jeff met). An added bonus: the park you see at the end of the session is where they went on their first date. Adorable!

Married life is different than single life.

…There might be a few of you out there wondering if it has truly taken me seven months (and three days. Not that I’m keeping track or anything.) to realize this. Don’t worry, it hasn’t!

There’s also the whole “I’m writing, not talking, and you probably can’t entirely decipher my tone of voice” thing going on right now – and just to clarify, that whole first sentence should probably be surrounded by smiley faces and exclamation points. Because the ways in which married life is different from single life are just. That. Wonderful.

The reason this is all coming up now is that Shayne and I have been met with some pretty potentially life-changing opportunities in the past several weeks: namely in the form of some new and exciting job offers! Which is exciting and challenging and definitely meant that the two of us have spent some quality time at our dinner table over the past week with our heads together, writing ever-growing lists of pros and cons. It also meant that we were motivated to really discuss some important things – like what is important to us as people, where we are in our lives, and where we want to be in the future (I picked a beach in Hawaii, by the way. Shayne didn’t seem to think I was serious.).

It struck me though, as we looked at our options and read through our lists, that this process and this particular decision would have looked a ton different if it had just been me making them. If I’d been a single gal, with two roads in front of me and no “wrong” choice to make, who knows what the outcome might have been?

But I’m not, and the fact that I’m married (that we’re married) struck a whole new chord when I realized that instead of this decision being about me and my wants and needs, it got to be about us. What decision best supports who we are? Which choice takes us where we want to be in one year? Five years? Ten years? What will provide us with factors X, Y and Z and what will give us A, B, C?

Being a we in this situation was incredible. This was probably the first real, big, life decision that Shayne and I have made together and it was almost exhilarating (although, like most of the large decisions I’ve come across, certainly difficult!) getting to take a step towards what we want, together, from our lives. No more “just me” for this girl, and I couldn’t be more thrilled.

And, you know what? Together, I think we made the right choice.

So you’re engaged! Now what? Celebrate your future with family and friends at your Green Engagement Event! Find unique and beautiful vintage champagne flutes from local shops and tag sales. Fill them with some lovely bubbly and toast to your love with organic champagne or crisp prosecco poured over ice or homemade fruit pops!

Keep your décor simple and seasonal. Use local fresh fruit and flowers to create effortlessly elegant tablescapes. Any forgotten books in your home?

Hollow them out and place a plant inside! This unique effect creates a whimsical pot and adds a touch of natural beauty to any room or tablescape.

If you are planning a brunch celebration, make bite-sized French toast and croque monsieurs to cut back on waste. Take reducing waste a step further by sending your invitations to guests on personalized tea bags that they can enjoy later!

When Laurel McConnell sent me this wedding, I practically squealed when I saw the details. From the bobblehead cake toppers to the fun wedding favors, I was hooked. Kristen and Jason are originally from Seattle, but recently moved to London, so this wedding is infused with not only beautiful Northwest elements, but also plenty of British accents to celebrate their new UK life. What a perfect way to start the week!

I’d love to hear about your vision for the day…

I wanted the day to be fun for everyone involved and was looking for a down to earth but classy wedding that incorporated our personalities. We are both Seattle natives but are living in London so we wanted to make sure there was a little bit of London incorporated into the wedding. We hired a London taxi to take me to the ceremony and for the party favours we gave velum envelopes with scratch tickets and a 2 pence coin to scratch them. I stamped a crown and wrote on all of the party favours – For richer or poorer… Unfortunately, I don’t think anyone won anything except my cousin from Belfast who went around the reception and asked everyone if she could have their coin as she could bring them home and spend them! We also had a few traditional aspects including the cake knife which has been in my family for over 100 years, my grandmother’s handkerchief that was wrapped around my bouquet and an antique English coin tucked into my dress from a friend in England.

Did your wedding location hold a specific significance to you?

We both love the mountains and the water and wanted a venue with a view of both. I am in marketing and do a lot of events in hotel ballrooms so I definitely didn’t want that. We looked at a lot of loft options in Seattle and one day on a bike ride we ended up at Golden Gardens and knew we found our dream location. The only challenge was that they only released the venue one year ahead of time and it was on a first come, first serve basis so I made my fiancé camp outside the Seattle Parks and Recreation offices on the day the dates in August were released so we could get the day we wanted. We arrived at 2am and slept on the sidewalk until the office opened at 8am. We were the first in line and got the date we wanted!

What was the most meaningful part of your day?

Having our family and friends in one place, together!

Did anything funny or out of the ordinary happen?

My cousins were sailing up from San Francisco and unfortunately had engine problems so they didn’t make it for the wedding but they tracked the whole thing through the Facebook updates from the guests – practically in real time!

Tell us details of the events surrounding the wedding.

We had a great rehearsal dinner and the day after the wedding we had a picnic in the park for a more casual and relaxed get together for our family and friends from out of town. Jason had two bachelor parties – one in Vegas and a Buck’s night in England. I had three bachelorette parties – one in Seattle, one in Warsaw, Poland and a Hen’s night in London.

How did you know your partner was “the one”?

The first time we went out (10+ years before we got married) I don’t think either of us would have ever thought we would eventually get married. After the first date, we went our separate ways but have a lot of mutual friends and our paths crossed again several years later. We began dating and I knew he was the one when I realised he had become my best friend and we really complemented each other.

Any advice you’d give new brides who are just getting started?

I have the same advise as I received. Enjoy the day because it goes too fast and plan a wedding that will make you happy, not everyone else (except your fiancé of course).

Vendors:

Photographer: Laurel McConnell Photography
Event Planner:  Very Important Events
Hair Stylist:  Salon Maison
Caterer:  City Catering Company
Floral Designer:  Bella Rugosa
Reception Venue:  Golden Gardens Park Bathhouse
Dress Store:  A Princess Bride
Dress Designer:  Pronovias of Barcelona
DJ:  Wave Link Music, Inc.
Jewelry:  Foxfire Jewelers
Groom’s Attire:  Joseph A Banks
Groomsmen’s Attire: Joseph A Banks
Bridesmaid’s Attire: David’s Bridal
Bakery:  Hoffman’s Fine Cakes and Pastries
Taxi: British Motor Coach

 The Dessy Group

Let’s face it, picking out the bridesmaid dresses can be some pretty treacherous territory. (Honestly, my sister should have thought to ask for assistance when she got married. Not good. Poor girls.) And, you give one quick Google search for bad bridesmaid dresses? Well, let’s hope that history doesn’t repeat itself.

Fortunately, there are plenty of beautiful options around to avoid severing any friendships or family ties. So as we head into the weekend, here’s a small sampling of some lovely offerings that may help you in dreaming up your perfect bridesmaid look while avoiding any nightmarish moments.

Ivy & Aster

Amsale

J.Crew

BHLDN

Megan and Justin’s wedding is full of DIY details completed by their great family and friends. Megan chose a netutral (taupe) for her bridesmaid dresses and then added pops of orange, including her very cute shoes. Thank you to Katherine Salvatori for sending us this very sweet wedding. Happy Friday! 

Vendors:

Photography: Katherine Salvatori Photography

Invitations: Magnet Street

Venue: Upland Community Church

Tiny Succulent Favors

These tiny favors are darling as little favors! They cost around 1.00 each.

Supplies:

succulent starts

scissors

brown paper

string

tags

pen

container to display them in

Steps:

1. Cut the plastic pots so each succulent is separate (keep it in its own plastic pot).

2. Cut the paper about 5″ by 10 ”

3. Wrap the paper around the pot (you can line with plastic if you want to but succulents are fine left dry for several days).

4. Tie with string and add a tag with the guest’s name.

Buy it:

Any of the florists or wedding planners in the mywedding.com directory can help you!

Erin and Jamie will be getting married this summer in Cape Cod, but for their e-session they took Allison Maginn to Manhattan Beach, CA. This couple is so freaking cute, I can’t even stand it. And I am pretty sure that I need Erin’s red flats in my closet as soon as possible!

This wedding from MNC Photography is the perfect little something lovely for the day after Valentine’s. Stephanie and Brian’s ceremony and reception is elegant, warm, and classic. And how perfect that they met at Love Field? Read on to hear Stephanie’s vision for this very special day.

I’d love to hear about any specific details you incorporated into your vision…. 

I didn’t really have a theme except that the wedding was being held in January. I envisioned something elegant but simple.  I really like jewel colors like cobalt blue (color of bridesmaids dresses and my shoes) so I used that with a lot of white and silver to get a crisp wintery feel. For favors, I wanted to incorporate how we met into them. We met in a Southwest Airlines airport (Love Field Airport in Dallas) so I was able to get little bags of pretzels and peanuts from Southwest that they give their customers on flights, and we gave those to our guests with a little message.

Did your wedding location hold a specific significance to you? 

We got married at St. Michael the Archangel Church, which is where Brian’s parents got married as well as his brother and sister in law. We wanted to follow tradition and we loved the church. 

 What was the most meaningful part of your day? 

One was when I first saw Brian as my father started walking me down the aisle and I saw him trying not to cry. Also dancing with Brian during our first dance was special since it was a moment I got to experience just with him.

Did anything funny or out of the ordinary happen? 

About 5 minutes before the ceremony, I realized I had forgotten my veil at the hotel where the bridesmaids and I got ready. Rather than fret, I just said oh well, It’s not keeping me from getting married today!

Tell us details of the events surrounding the wedding.  

We held the rehearsal dinner at The Lodge at Grant’s Trail which was catered by Orlando’s. Between the ceremony and reception, a party bus took the wedding party around to take pictures. One place in particular was outside the zoo where the cast iron sculptures are located. We got engaged at the zoo right before Christmas under the light displays, so the zoo was special for us.

How did you know your partner was “the one”? 

I knew Brian was the one when he learned how to say “You are Beautiful” in sign language to show me on our first real date. I am hard of hearing. I wear a hearing aid on one ear and cochlear implant on the other. I don’t communicate primarily by sign language but will use it occasionally. Just seeing him make the effort blew me away. Ever since then I knew he would always be there for me and make me happy. 

Any advice you’d give new brides who are just getting started? 

Do one thing at a time. Don’t do what we did and get married and buy a house at the same time. Also go simple. No one remembers all the little details. And, if you’re not having an event planner, ask a relative or friend to be there for you for last minute emergencies and day of tasks.

Vendors:

Photographer:  MNC Photography
Venue:  Palladium St. Louis    
Dress:  Casablanca from Simply Elegant Bridal
Shoes: NinaShoes.com 
Accessories: Earrings made by Meg Jewelry
Groom and Groomsmen’s Attire:  Savvi Formal
Catering:  Butler’s Pantry
Flowers:  Flowers and Balloons, Etc. in Mascoutah, IL 
DJ: Jason from Millennium Productions. He was GREAT!!

Credits (clockwise, from top left):

Pretty in Pink with Butterfly Brooch

Lovely Pastels with Heart Locket

Assorted Roses Wrapped in Purple

Pink and Cream on Chair

Brights on Stone

Polka Dotted Cherry Tones

For Valentine’s Day, let’s go to Vegas! We’ll hang out in front of the Bellagio fountain and drink yard-long margaritas and then go get pedicures. Oh, it’s Tuesday and we have to work? Sigh. Okay, so instead let’s just enjoy and envy all the fun Erin and Jon had in Vegas.  Thanks to Chelsea Nicole for sharing!

Happy Valentine’s Day, Delightfully Engaged! I hope each and every one of you has a day filled with love and happy thoughts and lots and lots of chocolate. Flowers are good too (just as the roses sitting on my dresser as an early Valentine’s surprise)!

A few weeks ago I blogged about how excited I was getting about our very first Valentine’s Day…excitement that has not, by any means, lessened. I think we talked about what we wanted to do for Valentine’s Day at least seven different times last week (which, admittedly, would be a little bit late for any truly elaborate plans) and we finally came up with something that sounded absolutely perfect in the midst of our currently very busy lives (I’m sure each of you, planning away at your weddings, can relate!).

This year we’re having a homemade Valentine’s Day. Homemade, simple-as-pie decorations from paper hearts and string. Homemade cards and gifts – as long as you don’t count the gigantic Reese’s candy heart I picked up at the store for Shayne, who likes a little peanut butter with his chocolate. A homemade dinner of some fancy steaks we decided to use to spoil ourselves.

And, to top it all off, a fire in our little wood-burning stove, maybe a couple of candles in the dozens of 2 oz. mason jars we have hanging around post-wedding, and maybe a movie. On days like these I tend to push for old, black and white love stories (Casablanca will forever have a special place in my heart, although The Philadelphia Story is steadily climbing the charts), but I could be persuaded to turn on something closer to Gladiator if Shayne would prefer. It is, after all, Valentine’s Day!

We’ve discovered, in the past months of being married, that these stay-at-home dates are one of our favorite things to plan. The food, the “agenda,” the getting to sit and relax and enjoy every moment with each other – talking, laughing, sipping our wine and simply being together.

However you choose to celebrate, we hope that your day is an opportunity to be with the ones you love – and that, at some point, chocolate is involved!

Aubrey Joy Photography recently sent me this very pretty wedding and I am so grateful. This wedding is full of really inspirational, lovely details. I think the idea of the ring pillow in the cutout book is my very favorite (very creative!). Enjoy!

Vendors:

Photographer: Aubrey Joy Photography
Event Planner: New Sunrise Events
Reception Venue and Catering: Silverado Resort
Wedding Dress: Vera Wang
Cake: Le Gatueau Elegant
Invitations: Fourlittlelions Design

While some brides may be just fine with a groom’s cake that is a red velvet armadillo (if you don’t get this reference I must insist that you put Steel Magnolias on your Netflix queue–your life will be better because of it), others may want their husband’s favorite cake expressed in a subtler way. Here are a few ideas for delicious groom’s cakes that don’t involve sports teams, barbeques, or remote controls.

Credits (from top left):

Oreo “cake”

Malt ball cake

Chocolate tree cake

Chocolate biscuit cake

Berry cheesecake

Strawberry shortcake

I have had the pleasure of driving through Mount Shasta several times, and it is just as beautiful as You Look Nice Photography has captured. Kate and Martin’s wedding is lovely and elegant, filled with simple details with significance to the couple (check out their own crossword puzzle!). They were married at an old family friend’s ranch and the results are simply divine!

The story behind the wedding:

Martin and I met during law school, but didn’t begin dating until six months after graduation when we discovered our shared love of scrabble, chocolate, and travel (among other things). At the start we spent several long stretches apart. Martin is an elite hammer thrower and would spend much of his time in British Columbia training with his coach or in Europe during the summer competitive season. Eventually he decided to take a part-time job in Europe that would better fit with his training schedule. I followed him there and we have since settled into life as a working Swiss couple. Living abroad played a large role in our wedding. In addition to the ceremony itself, it was also a homecoming for us and therefore it was very important to us that our wedding weekend be fairly relaxed and allow us plenty of time with our family and friends. We were married in my hometown of Mount Shasta, California, at Spring Creek Ranch, the home of long-time friends of my family. We wanted to enjoy the natural beauty of the setting and have a relaxed, elegant wedding with vintage and DIY details.

What were your DIY projects?

Thankfully, as we planned much of the wedding while abroad, we have many wonderful friends family members who contributed their talents and time to help make our wedding day perfect. With the help of my sister and best friends, I dip-dyed and screen-printed the invitations and program covers. An architect friend also drew a pen, ink, and watercolor rendering of Spring Creek Ranch which was used on the program and as an envelope liner. For the tables, Martin and I collected glass yogurt jars for months before the wedding for votives, and my aunt made several hundred cotton napkins that we dip-dyed in shades of blue, lavender, and peach. We used simple white linens, kraft paper runners, and a mix of milk bottles and mason jars for hydrangeas and garden roses, all assembled by friends before the wedding. We also hung paper lanterns in the trees around the reception site. For favors we made luggage tags from vintage Swiss travel postcards (as we live in Zurich and Martin’s family is Swiss), and we also shared our favorite evening snack–chocolate and tea–carefully packaged in glassine envelopes by Martin’s mom. As much of the photography was taken between the ceremony and the reception, we also designed a crossword puzzle that entertained our guests until dinner was served. Thanks to our wonderful caterers, dinner was amazing, and everyone loved the miniature lemon and spun sugar angel food cakes baked by another friend. 

Did your wedding location hold a specific significance to you?

Spring Creek Ranch is owned by long-time friends, and former neighbors, of my (the bride’s) family. I often spent summer afternoons visiting our friends and swimming in the pool with my mom and sister. My sister and I always dreamed about getting married on the lawn by the creek. 

What was the most meaningful part of your day? 

Sharing our vows. With every other part of the ceremony so carefully considered and planned together, it was a wonderful surprise to first hear and share our vows with each other during the ceremony. 

All in all, our wedding was really everything we wanted it to be. The whole event was meaningful and beautiful, and really allowed us to celebrate our love for each other with all our friends and family.

Vendors:

Photographer: Ryan Wilcox, You Look Nice Today Photography
Venue: Spring Creek Ranch, Mount Shasta, California
Dress: Melissa Sweet, sash by Marisa
Shoes: Kate Spade
Bridesmaids’ Dresses: Banana Republic
Groom’s Attire: Armani Collezioni
Catering: 2 Good Cooking Chicks
Ceremony Flowers + Bouquets: Jamie of Petals, Mount Shasta
Musicians: Ashland Wedding Music
Invitations: DIY by bride. Calligraphy by Neither Snow.

This Devil’s Thumb Ranch wedding is absolutely stuffed full of fun details from the gorgeous tables to Cori’s sweet little cardigan. But I think my favorite is Cori’s beaming smile through the whole thing. I love it when brides radiate pure giddiness! Preston Utley was there to capture all of that unbridled joy in this great Colorado celebration!

What details did you incorporate into the vision for your wedding day?

When we started dating, Nate and I played a lot of board and card games together. He used to take me away every fall on a “supersecret getaway” where he would tell me what to pack and then take me somewhere for a surprise weekend. In 2010, we went to a small cabin in the woods in Steamboat Springs, CO. After a day of hot springs and hiking, we played Scrabble. As I dozed off on the couch, he rearranged the Scrabble letters to spell out “Will you marry me?”. To honor this engagement, we made our own favors out of vintage Scrabble tiles. They were little tins containing words having to do with love.

Though neither of us is religious, I was educated at a Quaker school and have held the basic tenets of that religion close to my heart. To honor this, in lieu of a guest book, Maura at Paper Guppy created a Quaker wedding scroll for us and we asked all assembled to witness our marriage by signing the document. It now hangs in our livingroom as a reminder of our day and of the family and friends we love.  

As far as vision for the day…. We wanted the outdoors to have a large part in our wedding and we wanted to ensure that it was a fun party for everyone in attendance. Our key goal was for people to enjoy themselves and I think, with the help of our amazing band and the incredible scenery, we succeeded!

Did your wedding location hold a specific significance to you?

We wanted to hold our wedding in Colorado, outside, and in the mountains, so that we could share this place we love with our friends and family.

What was the most meaningful part of your day?

There were many things. My little brother served as our officiant, and he wrote his own ceremony around the vows we had chosen. It was really special to have him be the person to bring Nate and I together in marriage.

When I was a very little girl, my dad and I had a favorite song, “Dancing on the Ceiling” by Lionel Richie. He would put the tape on and then lift me up, toss me into the rafters, and catch me on the way down, so I could literally dance on the ceiling. I surprised him by choosing this song for our father-daughter dance and I have never seen my dad dance like that! At one point, he actually threw his suit coat off into the audience!

Nate and I stayed in the same room for the weekend, so we were able to wake up and have a few minutes of quiet together before the craziness of our day began. It was really special to be able to take that time to just be quiet and calm for a little while together.  

My closest cousin, Carrie, gave me my “something borrowed & something blue” at the rehearsal dinner when, crying, she lent me a sapphire that her husband had given her on their first anniversary over twenty years ago. 

Though both sets of my grandparents passed many years ago, I was able to have my Grandma there through my earrings, which were made from her engagement ring diamonds, and my Memere through my “something old, new, borrowed, blue” where I had her religious medal of Saint Anne De Beaupre pinned to the bodice of my gown.

Did anything funny or out of the ordinary happen?

When we were in our early twenties, my best friend and maid of honor, Laura, and I were sitting around one day and made a bet. If I got married first, she had to lead the Funky Chicken at my wedding and, if she got married first, I would have to sing a medley of love songs at her wedding. As the first one to get married, I had largely forgotten about the bet until Laura’s toast. She told everyone about the bet and stated “I won’t be doing the Funky Chicken at your wedding….At least not alone.” The music started and most of the room leapt up in a Funky Chicken flash mob Laura had organized in the weeks preceding the wedding! The one time I cried all day was from laughing so hard at her funky chicken toast.

Tell us details of the events surrounding the wedding.

We chose to make a full weekend of it at the Ranch and nearly all of our out-of-town family and friends were able to arrive early to enjoy the activities Colorado has to offer. Nate’s parents threw a rehearsal dinner in the Timberline Room at the Ranch, providing an incredible view of the Continental Divide at sunset. In addition to the wedding, my parents hosted a late-night snack fest at Heck’s Tavern, which was sorely needed after all those hours of dancing and drinking, and a Sunday brunch at the Ranch House Restaurant on-site. It was awesome to have that chance to see everyone in a laid-back setting before we all departed for home.

Any advice you’d give new brides who are just getting started?

I have never considered myself to be a wedding sort of girl and, left to my own devices, I never would have been able to put together what I realize now was my dream wedding. Hiring a wedding planner was the single best decision and the best expenditure we made.

Vendors:

Photographer: Preston UtleyPhotography
Venue and Catering: Devil’s Thumb Ranch
Dress: Sassi Holford, purchased at Little White Dress Shop in Denver, CO
Shoes: Kate Spade
Accessories: Paris by Debra Moreland (hairpiece and earrings); the other earrings were my grandmother’s
Maid of Honor’s Attire: Priscilla of Boston
Event Planning & Flowers: Stacy Pisani at Alexan Events
Band: Soul X from Starkey Productions
Paperie: Paper Guppy
Videography: Shutterbliss Cinema

Handful of Heart Gloves from Yastikizi.

Needless to say, we here at mywedding love Valentine’s Day. I mean, it’s all about the love, right? And, what’s not to love about love? It’s lovely!

In fact, we’re such smitten kittens over the day of hearts that we’re even sharing the love over on facebook where you can enter to win a $200 Visa Gift Card! Play your [queen of hearts] cards right and you might just have a little extra to show yourself, er, um, I mean, your sweetheart a little extra love. Maybe one of these sweet Valentine’s offerings?

Now, what’s not to love about that?

Always something fun and festive (not to mention sparkly) at ban.do.

Get cozy with Ticket Kitchen’s Valentine Gift Pack.

What better excuse for getting your sweet on? Delicious Valentine’s treats from Williams-Sonoma!

Let cupid cast his little spell with little hearts galore! Find these cupcake toppers and heart garland at LBCpaper.

Feeling shy of commitment? Then get yourself a temporary Valentine-inspired tattoo! Super cute DIY temporary tattoo tutorial (Say that 10 times fast!) over on The Alison Show.

Wrap it up, I’ll take it! Cute crocheted bows would make anyone or anything a perfect little package. From Cornflower Blue Studio.

Fragrant Winter Bouquet

Consider making this romantic, fragrant bouquet for a winter wedding. It’s pretty easy to make (even with no floral experience!) and the cost comes in around $45. 

Flower recipe:

8 purple ranunculus (some buds and some open)

3 white ranunculus (some buds and some open)

3 white hyacinth in full bloom

3 stems of greenery( jasmine or salal will work)

8 stems of vining jasmine

2 stems of snowdrops

Supplies:

scissors

clippers

ribbon

vase

water

buckets

twine

vase

water

buckets

Steps:

1. Clean off the leaves from the bottom half of the stems.

2. Soak the flowers in water overnight or at least for a few hours before making your bouquet. Cold water works great for flowers like hyacinth or other bulbs.

3. Make sure you use clean clipper and buckets.

4. When ready to make your bouquet, take one stem of hyacinth, and two ranunculus and hold in one hand.

5. Add small bunches of flowers and greens. Turn the bouquet after you add each bunch.

6. Add bunches of jasmine to one edge and one other spot in the back.

7. Let some of the jasmine vines hang down into the stems. 

8. Make any adjustments and if you need to add anything just add it and then secure with another piece of twine.

9. Place in a vase and add a ribbon over the twine the morning of the wedding.

Tips: 

This arrangement has leaves where the stems are, so you’ll want to make it the night before or morning of. Keep in the fridge! Most of these flowers are available November-May. Remember, this is nature, so give or take a few on the recipe! Different flowers will be different sizes and you may need a few more or a few less. You may need to buy plants of jasmine and snowdrops as sometimes they can be difficult to find as cut flowers.

Buy it:

Any of the florists in the mywedding.com directory can help you!