The Beautiful Days wedding season officially started this past weekend and what a fantastic beginning!!! After predictions and preparations for thunderstorms, rain and hail we ended up with a beautiful clear sky for a lush and romantic ceremony at the Camden Public Library followed by a perfect celebration at the fresh and fabulous Camden Harbour Inn. David Murray shot the wedding so I’ll save the details and whole story to pair with his sure to be stunning shots. For now take a sneak peek at some of the romantic and wild floral arrangements we created.
Archive for the ‘Flowers’ Category
And we’re off! First wedding of the season sneak peek….
Monday, June 7th, 2010
Seaside Photo Shoot
Wednesday, April 28th, 2010Back in February super talented photographer Brea McDonald contacted me about collaborating on a photo shoot. I of course jumped at the chance to work with her! She had a photo for inspiration that was a gorgeous, moody range of romantic blues and we started brainstorming from there. Sara O’Brian the lovely and amazingly inspired custom watercolor invitation and paper notions creator of Griffin-vites was part of the party too. Between the three of us we came up with the romantic yet melancholy story of a mermaid waiting for her sea captain to arrive for their wedding celebration. The scene was set on the beach where the table was made up of shipwrecked items that floated to the shore. Vintage silver, antique glasses and china, found objects, simple flowers accented with seaweed and a driftwood table top were just some of the elements that helped create an amazing vignette. The fantastic photos from Brea are coming soon. For now you can see the process of the design, set up and the shoot captured so wonderfully on film by Meg Simone. Special thanks to Ashley at Occasions Bridal for the stunning dress!
York Maine Wedding Expo
Tuesday, March 2nd, 2010A few weekends ago I was part of the Greater York Chamber of Commerce’s annual Wedding Expo. A lovely event for brides getting married in Southern Maine. I am always amazed at how many people flock to this area to tie the knot! It was alot of fun and a great excuse to play with flowers in the middle of winter!
I am LOVING the mussel shells with the hydrangeas, succulents and anemones! Perfect seaside colors with a contemporary twist! A few other lovely seaside blues and whites but a bit softer and romantic. The red amaryllis and red roses weren’t coming together until I added the yellow kangaroo paws and billy balls – HOT! I saw the pink protea and had to have it…fantastic combinations with the deep purple and pink mini callas, fluffy pink roses, jasmine vine, fiddle heads and dark burgundy ti leaf wraps. The classic white parrot tulips with ferns and hyacinth are given a vintage feel by arranging in a silver pitcher I’ve had for ages and the wonderful green and white bouquet that complements it is so fresh and sweet. And finally the butter yellow arrangement was inspired by a perfect little pear!
Extra special thanks to Geneve Hoffman for the great photos!!
Merry everything!
Thursday, December 31st, 2009Christmas is my favorite holiday! I plan menus, look forward to gatherings of friends and family and deck the halls. I am so pleased with the decorations from this year! Some gold and green, a little glitter, some gorgeous plants and alot of candles….
Some of my favorites…my glitter deer family and little birds hidden throughout the house, the gorgeous succulents, creamy poinsettias and rosemary topiaries, glowing, gold votives, our beautiful tree cut on a sunny winter morning just down the road, modern paper garlands and gorgeous candle lanterns made from fabulous paper from the fantastic Portsmouth shop Gus & Ruby , handmade wrapping paper by Wyatt, simple yet special gold ornaments scattered everywhere, lovely little green and spiky gourds, making my favorite treat – Whoopee Pies (with some crushed candy cane for good measure!), “The Nutcracker Suite”, “A Charlie Brown Christmas” and “James Brown Christmas Collection” playing all day everyday, the ivory burlap runner on my dining table, a warm fireplace, a pre christmas trip to the farmers market to stock up, my kitchen overflowing with homemade sweets and savories….but I truly get the most joy from having all my family around my dinner table for a feast after watching Wyatt and his three cousins eagerly and excitedly open presents… and my heart is full after seeing the huge smile on my husbands face on Christmas morning as he put on his skates to teach our son Wyatt how to skate for the first time on our pond. I think I’ll hold on to that moment and carry it with me into 2010…
Kerri & Patrick, Boothbay Harbor
Monday, November 9th, 2009
The summer has come and gone but Kerri and Patrick’s Boothbay Harbor wedding will always be the perfect summer day to look back on. After a dreary start to the summer the sun shone on Kerri and Pat and their guests for their gorgeous coastal Maine wedding celebration at the Spruce Point Inn. Even if it stormed, this day would have been flawless…Kerri is a natural beauty and sooo sweet and charming and has such wonderful taste and Patrick is one of the most easy going, sweetest grooms I have met! Pink and green prevailed and Kerri, her lovely mother Patti and I worked together to create an elegant, contemporary, chic and special day with all the trimmings…unique finds from Etsy, the button detail from Kerri’s grandmother’s wedding dress wrapped around her bouquet, the perfect hot pink shoes under a stunning gown, flip flops for tired feet, customized guest book with fantastic engagement portraits (Beth you rock!), pomegranate martinis with a twist, special family photos, fun napkin wraps, limes, limes and more limes, fresh wheat grass, elegant linens and sparklers for a festive end of the night send off. This was beyond a beautiful day and I am so proud and honored to have been a part of Kerri and Patrick’s wedding! Very special thanks to Beth Fitzgerald of Blush Imagery for the stunning photos!
Day-of coordination, flowers and design by Beautiful Days.
Taste of the Nation
Tuesday, July 28th, 2009This June Beautiful Days had the opportunity to decorate the VIP tent for Taste of the Nation benefit hosted by Share Our Strength Seacoast. The design direction was inspired by the gorgeous photography of Alexandra de Steiguer. We worked with black, white, and blues to capture the feeling of her dramatic shots of landscapes and weathered coast lines. The flower arrangements included lacquered black manzanita branches, white peonies and roses, silver dusty miller, blue sea holly and poppy pods. Mussel shells lined the flower vases - now every time I go to the beach with my son he thinks we are there to collect mussel shells! Edibles were also included in the taste table and the entry flowers – blackberries, artichokes, garlic scapes from the farmers market and kale, mizuna and blueberry bushes from my garden and yes I was picking these at ten pm, in the rain with a head lamp on! A sea of large paper lanterns in pale blue and white hovered over the guests who lounged in special adirondack chairs from Scott Masi of Chairman of the Board . The chairs were finished with custom silkscreened pillows that were designed and created with the talents and help of my neighbor Rachel of Schumacher Designs. Guests were treated to some fun with a great photo booth courtesy of Maine Photo Booth Company - I will admit that I did it four times – silly stuff! It was truly an honor to be part of such a fantastic fundraising and awareness effort for making sure no child in the United States is hungry. A very special thank you to Geneve Hoffman for as always creating beautiful photos and to all the volunteers who helped us out!
Emily & Matt, Laudholm Farm
Monday, July 6th, 2009I just can’t get away from pink and green and I love it! Growing up on the east coast I will admit that I had my brush with the classic preppy color combination and I wore my pink izod with the collar turned up with pride! But pink and green isn’t just for the preppy set – it is fresh, fun and classic! I have a wedding coming up in a few weeks where we are using a range of pinks and greens so I have the colors on my mind and am reflecting on the pink and green wedding I did last year.
Emily the bride knew just what she wanted – something sophisticated and contemporary while still being inviting and warm. Under the dining tent we created pink and green table arrangements running the length of the three long family style dining tables with creations of varying heights and scale with key lime and green apple accents and floating, pillar and votive candles. After dinner guests were led to the classic barn with the large entry framed by tulle draping lit by twinkle lights and the inside filled with pink and white paper lanterns. We added a few pink spot lights to the barn to get some more of the pink glow going. The results were stunning and a perfect place for cupcakes for dessert and dancing away the rest of the night.
Hosted by Laudholm Farm (one of favorite venues!), Emily and Matt’s celebration was beautifully captured by David Murray of David Murray Weddings and a fantastic feast was served by Kitchen Chicks Catering. All the details and day of coordination were handled with ease by the lovely Brooke Sheldon of Lilybrooke Events. Many thanks to David for providing the gorgeous photos!
Sarah & Randy part 2
Friday, June 19th, 2009Sarah and Randy’s flowers were so lovely that I had to post another round of photos! I also received some very generous and kind notes from Sarah and her mom that I thought I’d share those as well.
From Sarah – “The flowers were breathtaking. The bearded Iris was to die for…They are so gorgeous… I can’t tell you how many people commented on everything! You are extremely talented and gracious and I felt like you understood Randy, Olive and I from the very beginning. Thank you for working with us, thank you for your input, perspective and honesty. Thank you … for growing and using flowers … from your own garden. Everything looked like it was made with love – and in my opinion, that always makes things look better .”
From Sarah’s mom, Judy -” I have to tell you what an amazing job you did with (Sarah & Randy’s) flowers! I have never seen anything like your arrangements before. I was blown away with Sarah and Rebecca’s bouquets (bearded iris!!!) and then when we arrived at The Reading Room and I went to the dining room, I just stood there and said WOW. It was so spectacular. Everyone commented on how beautiful the arrangements looked. Thank you for making a very special day so gorgeous! ”
Lovely Sarah and her maid of honor and sister Rebecca. Photo by Shem Roose
Groom and best man boutonnieres. Photo by Shem Roose.
Making sure Lilo's flowers fit just right! Photo by Nick LaVecchia.
Rebecca couldn't ask for a better escort! Lilo took her job very seriously! Photo by Nick LaVecchia.
Close up of Sarah's bouquet. Hellebore, saracena lily, mimi callas, roses and hydrangea. Photo by Nick LaVecchia.
Sarah's bouquet. Photo by Nick LaVecchia.
Nothing better than candle light! Photo by Nick LaVecchia.
A very special thanks to the very talented photographers Nick LaVecchia and Shem Roose for sharing their photos!
Photo Shoot.
Friday, June 12th, 2009I am in need of a new head shot for my web site so I turned to my good friend and fantastic photographer Geneve Hoffman. Instead of the standard studio head shot we decided to create some “scenes” that hopefully express who I am and what Beautiful Days is all about. I packed up the car with flowers, cherries, champagne, tulle, paper lanterns and a picnic and my husband Daytes and our son Wyatt followed with one of our old cruiser bikes. Our first stop was Chauncey Creek Lobster Pier in Kittery Point. This is my favorite spot for fries and a lobster. The photos turned out bright, fun, a little whimsical, and very special…what more does someone need for a great celebration than a gorgeous setting , champagne (in a can!), lobster (rolls), cherries and blueberry pie (with extra whip cream please!). After Chauncey (and eating all the fries!) we headed down the road to Seapoint Beach….low tide, sun setting through the sea grass, the beach almost to ourselves….perfect! Our shoot definitely came together more organically on the beach and I was just so happy to have a picnic with my family and dear friend on a beautiful late spring evening.
I haven’t picked a shot yet so I welcome your vote!
Arranging flowers on site at Chauncey Creek. Sunflowers, proteas, oncidium orchids, calla lilies and wired orange cherries.
A festive paper lantern on a bamboo stake.
A little funky, a little modern....love the cherries!
Dinner!
With sunglasses?
Or without?
LOVE the colors and textures!
Hitting the beach - this is honestly not staged! This is how I am on site for every party - arms full and ready to put it all together!
My boys!
Geneve wanted to play around so I indulged her! The skirt is actually my prom dress which I just can't part with.
Our little family - just missing the dog.
It doesn't get any better than this!
Sarah & Randy
Sunday, June 7th, 2009This weekend I created beautiful wedding arrangements in a range of purples for Sarah and Randy. I adored Sarah as soon as met her! She is a warm, open and lovely person and she and Randy are a perfect pair.It was truly a pleasure to be a part of their wedding. The day was gorgeous and the York Harbor Reading Room was the perfect setting. Sarah wanted the flowers to be simple, elegant and unique and the results were very wonderful. I used allium, hydrangea, stock, tulips, flowering kale and blackberry and opal basil accents. There were a few surprises in the bride’s bouquet and on the head table – one being an absolutely stunning large deep purple bearded iris. I saw it last week at the greenhouses and had to have it!!! I’ll post the professional photos asap but wanted to share my shots right away. Enjoy!
Roses and blackberries. I hear the flower girl ate all the blackberries thru the night - love it!
Allium, flowering kale and opal basil accents that I've been growing since May.
Tulips with flowering kale leaf accents.
Stock, allium and opal basil.
Hydrangea and flower kale accents.
The head table.
The head table. The gorgeous iris with some hellebore and fresh oriental poppy pods picked from my garden.
The head table.
The brides bouquet. Hydrangea, roses, hellebore, mini callas, flowering kale, very special saracena lilly and the stunning bearded iris.
The maid of honor's bouquet. Flowering kale, stock and hellebore.
