The Backyard Gardener

Simple & Eclectic Wedding

2012-02-01T14:26:00.000-08:00

Meet Nicole & Duane. Are they not a super cute couple!

Nicole & Duane were married at Lairmont Manor in Bellingham last summer. Nicole wanted simple & eclectic floral & decor for their wedding. I absolutely loved designing her flowers, I too love this look!

All photos are by the super talented Sergio, from Sergio Mottola Photography in Tacoma, Washington. Nicole & Duane's wedding pictures are absolutely amazing. I am only posting a tiny portion of the floral detail shots he took. These pictures are beautiful, but when you see the rest of the Nicole & Duane's album you really get a feel of Sergio's unique photography style. If your looking for a photographer for your wedding, definitely check him out!

Nicole & her "gang" of bridesmaids behind her! Yes, 8 of them!

Four bridesmaids carried mixed bouquets of dusty miller, astilbe, babies breath & white scabiosa. The other four bridesmaids carried a bouquet of just babies breath that your see below.

Nicole's bouquet had white garden roses, babies breath, dusty miller & blue-grey sedums.

Their reception was filled with containers that Nicole either bought new or found at antique stores to achieve an eclectic look. Each dinner table had a different collection of items. Simple arrangements & only five types of flowers were used throughout the reception to make everything tie in together & flow well.

Congratulations again Nicole & Duane!

Thank you Sergio Mottola Photography for the beautiful, fun & unique pictures! http://www.sergiomottola.com/

Jake & Lauren Locker

2011-12-20T14:41:00.000-08:00

What fun & such an honor to be part of Jake & Lauren Locker's wedding. These gorgeous images were shared with me from Fleming Photography Studio in Lynden.

My snapshots from the wedding can be viewed on this link: http://www.thebackyardgardenerkz.blogspot.com/2011/07/7311-lauren-jake.html

12/16/11 - Marta & Jeff

2011-12-18T21:18:00.000-08:00

Jeff & Marta had a winter themed wedding. White, silver, purple & black was the color theme. Above is the beautiful bride standing at her aisle entrance. I babysat Marta years & years ago so it was fun to be part of planning & designing her wedding flowers. Below is one of her sisters Katrina. Bridesmaids carried white roses, hydrangea, lisianthus & dusty miller bouquets.

The ceremony.Manzanita branches were set on my metal stands for the ceremony then transferred to the reception and used as some of the centerpieces. The copper wire you see are fairy lights that were turned on right before the guests arrived.

Guests were welcomed into the reception at The Reserve with a beautiful pine garland & Marta's silver vase arrangements. Tall centerpieces

Low centerpieces.

Congratulations Jeff & Marta!

11/26/11 - Yolanda & Ted

2011-12-14T21:49:00.000-08:00

Yoli & Ted's wedding was so much fun to be part of! Another Libolt wedding & they are all so fun! Here are just a few pictures last minute we remembered to take. Many fun details about this wedding, just didn't capture everything. Details not seen are cultural details from both Yoli & Ted. A little bit of Mexico + a little bit of Scotland + add a woodland, elegant, winter feel, + music & food = one good time! Guests were seated at the dinner tables for the ceremony as space is tight at the Bellingham Ferry Terminal. I love this option for tight spaces and it can be a very elegant option as well.

Half of the tables had tall centerpieces, & the other half low centerpieces. Lots of thistle was incorporated into this wedding. Did you know it's Scotland's state flower?

This beautiful grapevine floral chandelier kept awake the night before the wedding, praying it would turn out! It then kept me up the night of the wedding, praying it would stay up!

Congratulations Yoli & Ted!

11/18/11 - Dave & Shannon

2011-12-14T21:26:00.000-08:00

Oh how I love fall arrangements. Texture, color & beautiful foliages! What was more exciting about this wedding was making a new friend who might be in my neighborhood in 2012! Thank you Shannon for letting me use wheat, millet, lotus pods, apples, fall leaves & lots of flowers! Congratulations Dave & Shannon!

Close up of the bridal bouquet.

Moss ring bearer pillow...loved it!

Bridesmaid's bouquet

Fall twist on a curly willow arch. Originally was going to use vine maple leaves, but a windstorm took care of that! "Plan B" was cutting the last of the japanese maple branches hanging on to these beautiful yellow leaves. For me, I find it funny that when my first plan falls through, I always like replacements better.

9/24/2011 - Sarah & Jared

2011-09-27T09:48:00.000-07:00

Congratulations to Sarah & Jared who were married last weekend at Semiahmoo Resorts!

The ceremony took place on the docks outside the Pierside Room of which the reception was set up in.

All of their arrangements were a combination of hydrangea, dahlias, stock & garden roses, spray roses & lisianthus! Each table in the Pierside Room was a combination of flowers & candles. I'm sure the room was beautiful with all the candles that evening!

9/17/2011 - Kristen & Jesse

2011-09-27T08:44:00.000-07:00

After meeting with Kristen at our first consultation, I was so excited for their wedding. When she told me she wanted somewhat of a Tuscan/wine theme, I instantly started thinking about all the weddings I've seen online taking place in California vineyards. I've always thought those weddings were beautiful & finally I was able to design flowers for a wedding at a vineyard too!

The wedding & ceremony took place at Samson Estates Winery near Lynden.

Kristen's bouquet had a mixture of white hydrangea, dahlias, eggplant mini calla lilies, mini cymbidium orchids & a couple varieties of lavender roses.

How cute are all these blond bridesmaids! I love their jewelry too! Their bouquets were made up of roses, dahlias, freesia & hypericum berry.

The aisle arrangements doubled as some of the centerpieces for the reception. The boxes were filled with an assortment of flowers in all shades of purple.

The vases also were used for the centerpieces at the reception.

Being a windy location, a unity candle would definitely not work (rarely does in outdoor ceremonies). Instead, the bride & groom wrote each other letters. Above is the wood box the letters were in along with a bottle of wine from the winery of which I'm sure they'll drink on an upcoming anniversary!
Congratulations Kristen & Jesse!

7/17/11 - Shari & Trent

2011-07-17T20:51:00.000-07:00

Today it rained & rained & rained! But despite the rain & how soaking wet we got setting up the flowers, I still had a lot of fun. I was told the rain didn't dampen the mood at the ceremony either. Which doesn't surprise me knowing the bride & her family. Such a fun group! I can't wait to see the professional pictures from Evantide Photography to see all of Lairmont Manor's white umbrellas being used during the ceremony. I'm sure it made for some sweet pictures!

Congratulations Shari & Trent! Thank you so much for choosing me as your florist & allowing me to design the flowers for yet another Heeringa wedding!!

Bride's bouquet with mini gerber daisies, garden spray roses, freesia, billy balls, bouvardia, sage, scented geranium & succulents. The stems were wrapped in ivory double face satin ribbon & rhinestone trimming.

The reception under the tents at Lairmont Manor had both tall & low centerpieces. Two beautiful "floral chandeliers" filled with greenery & snapdragons.

The sweetheart table which will have the addition of the bride's bouquet at the reception in the center.

The low centerpieces were in groupings of jars, milk glasses & bottles. These set on records as the Groom business in Vancouver, B.C. is called Lotusland Electronics and Music. He sells vintage turntables, receivers, amps, records, musical instruments & other items too. So the records are a perfect personal touch!

The ceremony in the courtyard by the fountain had a cluster of flowers on the chairs down the center aisle & a cluster of gerber daisies along the back row of chairs. The flowers added much needed pop of color on cloudy rainy day. Two Ginkgo trees were at the front...one of my favorite trees! Shari used some ginkgo leaf details on some of the decor at the reception to tie everything together.

7/9/11 - Julie & Sam

2011-07-10T15:59:00.001-07:00

Julie & Sam's wedding was at Semiahmoo Resort in Blaine. I love how the flowers turned out! The colors, the fun wine cork details & all the other details Julie & her family/friends did as well for the wedding. It was a beautiful day to be out by the water. These are just a few pictures of this great wedding taken by Hana, the intern for the past two weekends. Thanks Hana!

7/9/11 Sabrina's Bouquet

2011-07-10T15:46:00.001-07:00

Sabrina hired me to design her bridal bouquet along with her Jr. Bride's bouquet. I always love this fun color combination. Obviously other bride's do too because I do it every year!

7/5/11 - Nicole & Duane

2011-07-10T15:04:00.000-07:00

Nicole & Duane live in Colorado, but chose Lairmont Manor in Bellingham for their wedding & reception largely due to several of Nicole's family living in British Columbia. Nicole & I planned her decor via several emails & phone conversations. Below is just a glimpse of the wedding & decor while we were there setting up. I love the way the decor turned out & the eclectic feel everything had, but can't wait to see the professional pictures to see the addition of the bamboo chairs & final details added by the coordinator from Added Details. You'll have to wait to see the professional photos to see the rest!

Congratulations Nicole & Duane!

7/3/11 Lauren & Jake

2011-07-09T21:38:00.001-07:00

I am so grateful to have had the chance to be part of Lauren & Jake's wedding. I enjoyed getting to know Lauren & meeting with her, her mom & mother in-law. Such great families & Lauren's genuine sweet personality made this wedding incredibly fun. Below are a few images from the day, taken with my camera...but I can't wait to get photos from the photographers, Fleming Photography to post. Then you'll see how really pretty the wedding was & how great the bridal party, bride & groom looked.

Congratulations Lauren & Jake! Thank you for choosing me to design your flowers!

7/1/11 Julie & Matthew

2011-07-01T21:28:00.000-07:00

I have a busy wedding weekend & all the weddings are so different & beautiful. Julie & Matthew's wedding has a beautiful bright color pallet with some "bling" details :) The sun finally decided to come out today making for a beautiful wedding at Sonlight CRC in Lynden & a perfect night for an outdoor reception at Homestead Farms also in Lynden. Thank you Julie for letting me design your flowers! We had lots of fun working with the beautiful flowers...especially the raspberry colored roses & garden roses.

The Bride's bouquet consisted of raspberry colored garden roses, hot pink spray roses, red roses, goeditia & stock.

One of the five bridesmaid bouquets. (Check out that background...just a small section of the church's landscape I designed about 5 years ago. Always fun to see how much the plants have grown.)

Stylized Photo Shoot with theSNAPsisters

2011-05-23T11:44:00.001-07:00

Earlier this spring I was contacted by the SNAPsisters to see if I would collaborate with them for a stylized photo shoot with a 1970's theme. I was eager to participate & I absolutely loved how the pictures turned out! Their photography is absolutely beautiful...and the model...Miranda was stunning! I had so much fun doing some floral designs that were different from what I am used to with most wedding florals. Inspired by the 70's & what was popular then, this was what I thought bride's today might like. Enjoy!

Thank you for viewing!

Thinking Outside the Box

2011-05-21T22:43:00.000-07:00

Think outside the box when it comes to personal flowers for your wedding. Below are some recent designs I have done that could be done in so many different flower combinations. They are not new ideas, but ones people don't usually think of. Be inspired! I would love to create something unique for an upcoming wedding!

Pictures courtesy of the SNAPsisters

Floral ring for the bride or an alternative to the traditional corsages for women.

(photo by The Backyard Gardener)

A beautiful wristlett corsage with one single large bloom instead of the traditional mixed flowers.

Dainty floral head wreath

Large floral head wreath

Over sized, European head wreath

5/21/2011 Kayleah & Nick

2011-05-21T21:53:00.000-07:00

After a beautiful week of finally nice weather, I was so sad to see rain this morning. This couple is so sweet, I really wanted everything to be perfect for them! Despite the weather, I know this couple & their families made the best of it & enjoyed the day. Congratulations Kayleah & Nick!

"Thank you so much! What a lovely job you did & it looked great. Thanks for making Kayleah's wedding a great memeory!" Linda (Mother of Bride)

8/7/10 McKenzie & Kevin

2011-05-03T14:36:00.000-07:00

More amazing photos by Amy Parson's Photography. Comments welcome!

How did she do it? How did the photograher make both rain & a tractor look romantic? The talented Amy Parsons can do anything!

This looks like the happy ending in an old movie...doesn't it?

Love these girls' good attitude for all the rain they endured during photos!

Believe it or not, this was a DIY centerpiece by the Bride!

Cake made for the bride & groom by their Aunt Renee.

You can see more photos from my original post last summer here.

7/18/2010 Sarah & Jacob

2011-05-03T14:07:00.000-07:00

I continue to get beautiful images from my 2010 wedding season. Thank you Amy Parsons for these beautiful images of Sarah & Jacob's wedding!

Sarah's Grandmother's Broach was her something old. We incorporated it as part of her stem wrap on her bouquet.

Beta fish incorporated into the centerpieces.

Seattle Bride Magazine

2011-03-09T09:56:00.000-08:00

It's always fun to see weddings I was a vendor in pictured in magazines! This is the current spring/summer 2011 edition of Seattle Bride Magazine.

Since it is hard to see the photo I scanned, here is a more clear picture of the happy bridal party..except the little flower girl who must be done with having her picture taken! I think she is more interested in looking down at her flowers.

7/18/10 Tasha & Deiby

2011-02-09T14:09:00.000-08:00

All images below courtesy of Tiffany Burke Photography. Tiffany is such a talented photographer!

'Orange Unique' roses, white mini calla lilies, white hydrangea & green mini cymbidium orchids made up the bride's bouquet

Green pomanders or kissing balls, were attached to the chairs down the aisle for the ceremony. They were then transferred indoors to the dance area & used on the mantle after the ceremony.

"So many people commented on the gorgeous flowers, and they were wonderful. You did a beautiful job and we really enjoyed working with you." - Judy (Mother of Bride)

Photos by http://www.tiffanyburkephotography.com/

10/10/10 Sofie & Dayne

2011-02-09T13:48:00.000-08:00

These are some really fun photos I received from Tiffany Burke Photography. I love how she took so many creative photographs of the bridal bouquet & bridesmaids. If the flower pictures are this fun, I'm sure Sofie & Dayn have an AMAZING photo album!

"Thank you again for all your wonderful work. The flowers were PERFECT!" - Sofie

6/5/2010 Ryan & Gretchen

2011-02-08T13:05:00.000-08:00

I've been getting some beautiful images lately from photographers as I am working on updating my website with new photos. I am always appreciative of many photographers generosity!

Gretchen & Ryan's wedding was located at Evergreen Gardens last June. The type of flowers & greenery chosen for their flowers added to the garden feel they wanted for their wedding. They grew lots of herbs that we used for some of the centerpieces & placed in random locations. It turned out to be such a fun wedding to work on.

These beautiful images were taken by the bride & grooms relative! All images courtesy of Timothy at luskSHOT Photography. Thanks Timothy!

"What a pleasure to have you arrange our flowers on our special day! Everything looked wonderful - from the ceremony jars to my bouquet. We received countless comments on how beautiful the flowers were. Thank you for all your hard work!"

Gretchen & Ryan

8/22/10 Dan & Leea

2011-02-03T14:57:00.000-08:00

A few more images to share with you from Dan & Leea's wedding. An article was recently published about their wedding in Northsound Couture Magazine. These are beautiful images of their wedding courtesy of Stephanie Stremler Photography.

Leea was a lot of fun to work with and has such a sweet & genuine personality. She has a huge love for flowers & from the get go she had a clear vision of how she wanted her wedding flowers. I enjoyed working with her to achieve her vision. She recently sent me a thank you card.

"Kim, Thank you so much for all your hard work with the flowers. They were absolutely beautiful!

I will recommend you every chance I get, your work is truely amazing!

Thank you for all your help."

What a cute idea to shoot rose petals in the air with rose cannons!

Beautiful cake by Mechealle's Cakes. This picture was one of the two covers of the current issue of Northsound Couture Magazine.

9/26/10 Katherine & Jonathan

2011-02-02T12:41:00.001-08:00

Another early fall wedding at Lairmont Manor. The bright apricot colored flowers looked beautiful on the grounds & really "popped", despite the clouds & drizzly rain. Katherine & Jonathan's color scheme consisted of brown, apricot, white & accents of bright green.

Professional pictures provided by Martin, a local photographer. Look for more of his work on his website: Photos by Martin.

White mini calla lilies, green mini cymbidium orchids, apricot colored dahlias &roses. A touch of seeded eucalyptus & sage added the blueish green foliage for Katherine's bridal bouquet.

Single white mini calla lilly, light pink/peach spray roses, green hypericum berry & a touch of fragrant rosemary for greenery.

Don't these bouquets look great with the chocolate brown dresses! I love this photograph too!! Bridesmaids carried a smaller version of the bride's bouquet only with white hydrangea instead of the mini calla lilies.

All of the dahlias for this wedding I picked at a local dahlia farm just a mile from my shop. I always enjoy trucking around the 5 acres to find the perfect dahlia variety to use. For Katherine's aisle, I made small clusters of bright apricot dahlias, green hypericum berry & seeded eucalyptus. I then attached them to a few of the chairs down the aisle. Above & below pictures are a work in progress. The final product had brown ribbon trailing down to cover my mechanics of the bouquets & to bring in the brown accent color into the ceremony flowers.

If you look closely you can see how wet the chairs were...hence the bad hair :)

9/25/10 Serena & Taylor

2011-01-31T20:20:00.000-08:00

Fall is my favorite season here in the Pacific Northwest which is probably why I love fall weddings! This small wedding at Lairmont Manor included all the rich fall colors. Red, burgundy, oranges, purple...OH, I can't wait to start meeting soon with some of my Fall 2011 brides! For Serena & Taylor's wedding dahlias, roses, & hydrangeas were the main flowers. There were touches of fall nandina foliage, mini cymbidium orchids & fern curls as well.

These beautiful photographs are from Kristen Honeycutt Photographer. They are amazing photos. Thanks Kristen!

The aisle in the courtyard at Lairmont Manor consisted of small clusters of dahlias & a light touch of red rose petals.

Calla lilies, dahlias, roses, mini cymbidium orchids, fern curls, aranda orchids and a touch of pittosporum greenry made up Serena's fall bridal bouquet.

Northsound Couture Weddings

2011-01-21T08:30:00.000-08:00

I am thankful Stephanie from Stephanie Stremler Photography submitted photos from Dan & Leeah's wedding last summer to Northsound Couture Weddings magazine. I am excited to finally see them published & in print! I am very happy to see so many of the florals displayed on the pages. You can read the article online http://www.coutureweddingsmag.com/nsbandg_rw.html#

I also noticed in the magazine that Leeah's bouquet was pictured on the same page as a Vera Wang gown & Nordstrom items.

One add by Homestead Golf & Country Club also included a bride from last summer as well! Look at the add on the bottom.

2010 was a great year & I'm looking forward to my 2011 weddings!

Classic Look

2011-01-10T15:48:00.000-08:00

Although this wedding was last summer, I never did get around to posting the professional pictures on this blog. The amazing photographs are from Ean Perkins Photography located in Oregon. In the ten years I have been running my own floral design business, red floral arrangements & white floral arrangements NEVER go out of style. Truly a classic look. I had so many fun weddings in 2010, this was one of them!

Pumpkin Centerpiece

2010-10-17T14:15:00.000-07:00

Here is a really easy centerpiece ANYONE can do themselves. I saw this idea recently on Better Homes & Garden's website. I had leftover orange daisy mums from an event & thought this would be a fun way to use them for a party I hosted at my home. I expect this centerpiece to last 3-4 days. Pictures shown are on day 2.

Step 1: find a small pumpkin in a shape that you like

Step 2: Cut the daisy mums right a the base of the bloom ( I used approx. 7 stems of daisy mums)

Step 3: Hot glue to the pumpkin

That's it! Really easy. This project took me 6-8 minutes. I used a glue pan so I think using a glue gun might make the project take a little bit longer.

If you try this project, email me pictures. I'd love to see how yours turn out!

10/10/10

2010-10-12T14:18:00.001-07:00

With lots of rain predicted & flood warnings, Sunday's 10/10/10 wedding turned out to be a beautiful sunny day! Yeah! I can't wait to see the photos from Tiffany Burke Photography. Congratulations Sofie & Dayn! Thank you for letting me design the flowers for your fall wedding.

Bride's bouquet with fall viburnum leaves, dahlias, trachillium, chocolate cosmos, leonidas roses, hypericum berry & bells of ireland.

I was able to make up 4 of these big arrangements! Beautiful & well worth the sore muscles the next day from hauling them up the stairs.

Centerpieces doubled as the aisle arrangements. Dahlias, mums, ornamental kale, wheat, pinecones, nandina & smoke bush.

Rick & Meg

2010-10-04T14:54:00.001-07:00

Rick & Meg's wedding this past weekend was a treat for me. I enjoy working with green flowers & this wedding had so many different kinds of them. When I first met Meghann, a beautiful red head, there was no surprise that she wanted a lot of green flowers. What red head doesn't like green! They chose a Vintage, Irish Pub theme for their wedding largely because of the ceremony & reception location at Broadway Hall in Bellingham.

I first met Meghann & her friend Danielle of Added Details at a wedding two years ago. So it was fun for me to get to know both of them a little more throughout the planning of Meg's wedding. Congratulations Rick & Meghann! It was an honor to be part of your wedding day.

The front and back side of the bride's bouquet. The flowers were a mix of white hydrangea, green button mums, green trachillium, green hypericum berry, white lisianthus, white ornithagolum arabicum with the black centers & green tea roses. The back of the bouquet had one yellow rose in memory of Meg's father & one stem of yellow spray roses in memory of her grandmother of whom recently passed away.

One of the several bridesmaids' bouquets. White hydrangea, green hypericum berry, green trachillium, green button mums, green spider mums & white ornithagolum.

One of the flower girls' kissing balls. These were made of light green mini carnations.

The piano arrangement set on a vintage linen.

The picture above and below shows how the bride added simple yarn to the glass votives. A great detail that added a vintage feel.

The entrance into Broadway Hall. Guests were greeted by a great fireplace and a small table with the guestbook.

Guestbook table display.

Close up of the guestbook table arrangement that was designed in Meg's grandmother's vintage green glass vase.

Simple ceremony arrangements in my large floor urns.

Two styles of centerpieces. One with green spider mums & curly willow. The other just a simple large green hydrangea.

Katherine & Jonathan

2010-09-27T16:28:00.000-07:00

Despite the drizzle, yesterday's wedding at Lairmont Manor in Bellingham was beautiful. Katherine & Jonathan were good sports and kept the wedding outside in the beautiful courtyard where the colors really popped with the neighborhood trees in the backdrop. Congratulations you two!

Bride's Bouquet & one of the Bridesmaids' bouquets. Despite how they look in the pictures, the bridesmaids' bouquets with the brown ribbon really were smaller than the bride's bouquet!

Apricot roses, white hydrangea, green mini cymbidium orchids, dahlias, sage & seeded eucalyptus.

The ceremony in the fountain courtyard

Close up of one of the aisle arrangements.

Fall At Lairmont Manor

2010-09-27T16:05:00.000-07:00

We had a little bit of a break from the fall rain for this beautiful wedding at Lairmont Manor in Bellingham. The wind blew really hard....but can't complain about the 73+ degrees & sun for this outdoor ceremony & reception! A very beautiful & sincerely sweet bride, groom & families made this wedding fun for me. Congratulations Serena & Taylor!

Brides Bouquet

Close up of the Bride's Bouquet with Mango Mini Calla Lilies, Chocolate Mini Cymbidium Orchids, orange Aranda Orchids, Mikasa Spray Roses, Asst. Dahlias & Fern Curls.

Bride & flower girl bouquets.

Simple ceremony arrangements down the aisle

Asstorted dahlias floating in the fountain

Three different centerpiece styles on dinner tables.

Evan & Carrie

2010-09-17T12:06:00.000-07:00

Today I received some beautiful images from Seattle photographers Joe + Jill Photography They shared these beautiful images from Evan & Carries wedding this summer. They have some images on their blog as well from the rest of the wedding day that are definitely worth looking at too. Their images are artwork! Thanks Jill for these images!

Orange! Part 2

2010-09-16T15:28:00.000-07:00

It's always a wonderful surprise to open my email & see beautiful images of a wedding I just designed flowers for. These pictures are courtesy of Tyler Mitchell. Thanks Tyler!

Tyler Mitchell www.TMitchellPhoto.com

Orange!

2010-09-05T20:30:00.001-07:00

If you like the color orange, then that means you're a creative person. Maybe that is why I LOVE working with orange flowers. I was so excited when Melissa met with me & told me she wanted orange flowers. I probably had a huge smile on my face. Melissa & Kalen are an adorable couple & I had so much fun meeting with them & designing their flowers. Congratulations you guys!

Bridal bouquet of pin cushion protea, roses, mozart mini calla lillies, mini gerber daisies,

dahlias & sage.

Flower girl pomander

Ring Bearer's pillow (not the real rings attached!)

I had to leave the ceremony flowers in the holding bay at the Golf & Country Club since they had to close down part of the golf couse a couple hours later for the ceremony. The two arrangements were for the front of the ceremony site & the box held orange rose petals that they then scattered down the sides of the aisle.

Dark Red + Truffle Brown + Bronze....Oh so rich & elegant!

2010-09-05T18:57:00.000-07:00

This small wedding was a treat for me! The brides vision was elegant & rich with color. Natasha wanted simple bouquets of red dahlias. So I started off working on this wedding by heading to a local dahlia farm to pick 200+ stems of blood red dahlias. Congratulations Natasha & Howard!

Bride's bouquet had the addition of burgundy mini gerber daisies.

A total of Eight Bridesmaids carried these dahlia bouquets!Two of the below ceremony arrangements set on the ground in front of an arbor with a thick carpet of red rose petals down the aisle.

A close up of the bride's handiwork for the table centerpieces. Nice job Natasha!

I always suggest colored linens to brides if it works in their budget. Here is proof why! Absolutely beautiful, the color is amazing and just wouldn't be the same with white linens. A very rich & elegant look.

Outdoor Garden Wedding

2010-08-24T10:31:00.000-07:00

I have absolutely loved my 2010 brides! This year has been about color & some elegant modern touches. This is one wedding that have been looking forward to since I first sat down with the bride, Leea. It has so many of my favorite things: flower types & combination, lots of bright colors, crystals, kissing balls, rose petals, outdoor location...just to name a few.

Congratulations Dan & Leea! I enjoyed designing your flowers to create the setting you had been dreaming about for so long!

Bride's bouquet with roses, mini calla lilies, freesia, dahlias, hydrangea & burpleurum.

Bridesmaids' bouquets....mini versions of the bridal bouquet only with green button mums replacing the hydrangea.

The ceremony at Evergreen Gardens. I designed flowers to put on Evergreen Garden's Arbor & shepherd poles.

I have been waiting for a couple years to do something creative with rose petals down the aisle. Thank you Leea!

Large arrangement in my urns. Close up of one of the kissing balls down the aisle.

Thank you unknown bride who was married the day before at Evergreen Gardens & left behind these beautiful arrangements! I added pink, orange, yellow & green flowers to these white oriental lilies. With Leea's colors added, they looked like they were part of the plan all along!

Both tall & short centerpieces were used on the dining tables. Tall silver candelabras with crystal strands added.

Lower centerpieces in mint julep cups. Hydrangea, dahlias, roses, mini gerber daisies, button mums & burpleurum.

Calla Lilly Flower Theme

2010-08-17T21:27:00.000-07:00

The floral arrangements for this wedding were simple with mainly just calla lilies. Simple, elegant & classic is how I would describe them. I didn't get to see Michelle, the bride, that day but her parents were beaming & so happy when I met them with flowers for them to transport to Everett for the ceremony. I'm sure Michelle was more exited & beautiful bride! I can't wait to see some of the pictures Rachel Bayne took of the wedding day. Truly an adorable couple & I wish them the best as husband & wife!

Bride's bouquet of stacked calla lilies

Bridesmaid bouquet with calla lilies, roses, wax flower & seeded eucalyptus

One of the large ceremony arrangements

Only Four elevator rides to the banquet hall...not bad!

Banquet Hall

Centerpiece

Rain, Rain Go Away

2010-08-08T19:49:00.000-07:00

Rain, Rain Go Away, don't you know there is a wedding today? Well, it didn't go away....but this outdoor wedding was still fun. (If you look close, you can actually see the rain pouring off the tent in the above picture.)

This wedding was full of gerber daisies and bright colors. You couldn't help but be cheerful. It was so much fun for me to design flower for yet another Roorda wedding. Congratulations Kevin & McKenzie! Thank you for letting me be part of your special day!

I love these bright cheerful colors. I can't wait to work with a similar palette again in a couple weeks.

My new favorite orange rose for the summer....Orange Unique. Each water tube was wrapped in green wire.

Also a new favorite rose....High & Mighty Looks like a garden rose!

This month has been full of weddings where the families have been tackling some DIY projects with the decor. This wedding was another example of it. I gave the bride a picture with this idea for the aisle. McKenzie gave it to her Aunt Renee & this was the final product. LOVE IT!

The bride's family also tackled the centerpieces. I'm always a fan of the wheat grass! They turned out great.

Watermelon Pink, Mango Orange, Cantaloupe, Lime Green

2010-07-31T22:29:00.000-07:00

Today's wedding was absolutely beautiful! I loved the flower combination, the bright colors, the family & their hard work. I could have been part of the DIY network this weekend with my weddings! Each wedding the families did a lot of "do it yourself" projects & did an excellent job. I'm afraid my pictures don't do this wedding justice...but trust me, it was great!

The happy couple. Congratulations Sarah & Bobby!

Bridesmaids' bouquets. Hot pink roses, peach spray roses, orange mini calla lillies, dahlias, burpleurum, & green hydrangea.

I created this bridge arrangement with my black arbor I rent out. I just took out the arch piece & used the side columns with a board across the top.

Unity Candle Arrangement

Side candle arrangement

Close up of 'Hot Shot' orange mini calla lilly

The bride rented my large cylinder vases & added the candles & reindeer moss herself for down the aisle.

I'm really excited about these new stands I purchased to rent out. They can used so many different ways! After the ceremony, these were transferred to the reception & placed on the buffet tables.

I don't think I want to know how long it took to hang all these lanterns! It looked great though!The family did a great job turning this tent into a fun atmosphere for the reception.

Some details done by the Bride & her mom

There were potted plants & annuals everywhere in the yard for the reception. The bright colors, flowers & natural surroundings of this location made it fun for us to set up. Truly a fun day.

Western Theme Wedding

2010-07-31T21:23:00.000-07:00

This was by far my favorite Western Theme wedding. This family outdid themselves with all their DIY projects! I'm sure all the guests enjoyed the atmosphere that was created with all the little details. I helped a little bit with ideas, but the bride & her family expanded upon them, came up with their own & created one impressive event!

The arbor & split rail style fence built by the groom.

Unity candle set on a whiskey barrel rented from Lynn Barron Designs.

The beautiful & happy bride Janelle. Her bouquet with casablance lillies, Vendella Roses, Isle spray roses, eggplant mini calla lillies, chocolate cosmos, blue hydrangea & white stephanotis with a crystal inside.

Bridesmaids' bouquets with copper wire on stems.

NOW FOR THE "DIY" PROJECTS....I LOVED THEM SO MUCH & THOUGHT THEY WOULD BE GREAT INSPIRATION FOR SOME ONE ELSE.

I thought this was an old wagon...just found out, that the father of the bride built this one week before the wedding! The wagon was used for the gifts. Yes that is tumble weed by the front wheel!Centerpieces, also made by the bride & groom.

Lairmont Manor

2010-07-19T09:00:00.000-07:00

Ohhh, I always love weddings at Lairmont Manor! Yesterday I had a small wedding that I set up there for the neatest family! The bride from the San Juan Islands, & groom from Costa Rica!

The Bride's mom promised to send me some pictures so I could see the final product after all the other vendors set up. I'll post those when I get them! Congratulations Tasha & Deiby, you had a beautiful day for your destination wedding.

The ceremony site in the courtyard by the fountain. Since it was a windy day, rose petals were added to the aisle right before the ceremony. Pomanders on aisle made of green button mums.

Brides' bouquet with white hydrangea, white mini calla lilies, green mini cymbidium orchids & apricot roses. Stem of the bouquet wrapped in ivory lace.

Reception under the tent. Centerpieces in a 5x5 cube vase with limes inside. Mmmm, when you smelled these centerpieces, you only smelled the limes!

Beau Lodge

2010-07-19T08:44:00.001-07:00

Yesterday I set up for the first time, a wedding at Beau Lodge. I loved the location & all the natural beauty there. The bride asked for unique flower arrangements, & I think I accomplished that! Since I arrived early in the AM, most things were not yet set up....so here are just a few pictures.

Sarah's bouquet had hydrangea, bells of ireland, millet, celosia, burpleurum, sweetpeas & lisianthus.

The antique Broach belonged to Sarah's Grandmother

Bridesmaids' bouquets had dyed duck feathers & pretty stem wrap.

Ceremony curly willow arbor.

Congratulations Sarah & Jacob! I enjoyed getting to know you better Sarah as you helped me set up last weekends' weddings. You were great help!

Organization & Good Vendors a Must!

2010-07-14T22:34:00.000-07:00

What will always stick out in my mind about this cute couple's wedding is the rush & craziness of not only myself, but all the other reception vendors hectically getting things set up in only 1.5 hours! Surprisingly throughout all fast paced setup, I only noticed how organized everyone & everything seemed to be. First, the bride was super organized, second a great coordinator (Daniel from Added Details)& everyone else, including me of course, made this reception look fabulous!

Bridal Bouquet

Flower girls' pomanders

The reception setup

Some details

Beautiful cupcake display by Katie's cupcakes

Congratulations Jessica & Collin! I peeked at your ceremony in the garden from above at Boundary Bay Brewery everything seemed wonderful!

My husband was kind enough to help set up at this reception. When we finished we walked across the street & had dinner at Boundary Bay Brewery. Afterwards we headed to a nearby park & this is how we ended our "work date". Peaceful.

My Dream Colors

2010-07-14T22:00:00.000-07:00

I have been wanting to do this color combination for nine years! Finally, I was able to sell this color combination. When I suggested it to Carrie, she never hesitated; she loved it as soon as I suggested it. So from then on I called her my dream bride. Now that I have some pictures of this combination, I hope I can do it again in the near future!

Roses, calla lilies, scabiosa, sweet peas & mokara orchids.

Wristletts for the Mothers

Rehearsal dinner arrangements purchased by the Mother of the Groom. These were used again at the wedding reception mixed among the other centerpieces.

Guests were greeted at the entrance to the church with these floral monogram letters of all dark purple carnations.

Reception centerpieces

Stock, hydrangea, roses, scabiousa, lisianthus, seeded eucalyptus, scented geranium foliage.

Roses, Lisianthus, hydrangea, scabiosa, scented geranium foliage, sweet peas & cymbidium orchids!

Buffet arrangement

Congratulations Carrie & Evan. I enjoyed everything about your wedding!

6/26/10

2010-06-27T21:24:00.000-07:00

Just wanted to share a couple images from a wedding this weekend. I'll post more pictures later. The bride, Chelsea, has such a truly sweet personality, I think the flowers represent her well! Mostly white flowers with touches of soft pink & chartreuse green at the ceremony....white, chartreuse green, shades of pink at the reception.

All arrangements at the ceremony had a garden feel to them. This tied in nicely with the reception flowers at Evergreen Gardens.

Flowers are on my black metal arbor & matching stands.
I searched everywhere to find containers that would fit on this tiny window ledge. I was so excited when I found them because not only did they fit in the window, they were black also! Black details were incorporated throughout the wedding.

Elegance, Romance, Candle Light!

2010-06-27T20:45:00.000-07:00

Not only did this wedding have all that (elegance, romance, candle light), it also had some great modern elements as well. Unfortunately I did not have time to photograph them, so I'll have to post more pictures later when I get them from the photographer, Ean Perkins.

I had so much fun working with this family again as now it was their daughter's turn to get married. Kylee & Darrel chose Evergreen Gardens for their ceremony site & the Ferndale Event Center for their reception. Everything went great, looked great....only if I could have calmed the wind! Oh well, I'd rather have the wind instead of the rain or 80+ degrees for this garden ceremony.

Congratulations you guys! I loved working on your flowers. Thank you for letting me be part of your special day.

Red Rose petals were added on the stage right before the ceremony. The wind that day did not allow for me to put them down when we were setting up. More red rose petals were added down the side of the aisles right before the ceremony. This must have looked beautiful for the ceremony with the candles lit, red rose petals...elegant!

One of the centerpieces in my silver candle holders.One of the other centerpieces in my tall silver candelabras, with out the branches on the candelabra.Close up of the orchids on the 5' metal trees placed on the buffet tables.

Orchids added to the crystal curtain behind the head table.

Outdoor Garden Wedding

2010-06-06T13:07:00.000-07:00

This weekend I was able to set up a small wedding at my favorite outdoor location near my home, Evergreen Gardens. The colors of the floral arrangements at this wedding really grabbed your attention & looked beautiful with all the natural beauty the surrounding gardens provide.

Working with the Bride, Gretchen, was a treat for me! We both have a love and appreciation for plants which I think is the main reason her wedding was so much fun for me. She was knowledgeable about flowers, very organized, & willing to let me use my judgement on her flowers.

Congratulations Gretchen & Ryan! You had a beautiful June wedding. I plan on visiting you at work Gretchen next time I need some plants for my yard!

Half of the centerpieces were a collection of glass jars the bride collected. I incorporated simple groupings of flowers in them & set them on a "tree cookie" the bride & groom made. Each centerpiece was just a little bit different. The rest of the centerpieces were groupings of herbs the couple grew. These also were placed on tree cookies.

The aisle for the ceremony consisted of simple arrangements in mason jars. Each arrangement hung from a shepherd hook.

Closeup of one of the arrangements: Orange Tulips, Burgundy Peony, Bupleurum, Alstro., & Huck greenery.

Cash P. Benefit

2010-05-23T09:36:00.000-07:00

My 4 year old son & I pray nightly for 19 month old Cash Parriera. That God will perform a miracle of healing on this small boy. I know God has great plans for him & his family, no matter what the outcome may be.

It was amazing to be part of such a big event. About 600 people showed up to the benefit for 19 month old Cash Parriera. My auction number was 551 and several people showed up after us! It was an amazing night where $1000s of dollars were raised for this family. What a great & giving community we have here in the Lynden area!

Isn't Cash just the cutest boy with those dark brown eyes?! I donated 50+ centerpieces that each had a couple pictures of Cash in them. His aunt had the idea of adding the pictures. I love the thought that the people who purchased the centerpieces & took them home that night, now have great pictures of Cash to remind them to pray for him, his family, & his doctors. There were great photos everywhere at the event of Cash & his family...and I expected that! After all he is the son of a photographer from The SnapSisters! Jamie Valenta took the above adorable picture of one of the centerpieces. This picture of Cash P. was my favorite of all the pictures there. Good eye Jamie...the colors in the picture of Cash are repeated (by accident) in the color of the gerber daisy and the dragon fly.

My mother-in-law also sent me some pictures of the wheat grass centerpiece she purchased at the benefit. Growing the wheat grass in the pots was a lot of fun & I hope I can do it again for a future bride. Or, I can give anyone tips on how to grow it if they want to tackle this project themselves for one of their events.

Spring at the Crysalis

2010-05-17T09:09:00.000-07:00

This past weekend I worked on a wedding at The Crysalis Inn & Spa in Bellingham. I had beautiful weather & some amazing fragrant flowers to work with. I had so much fun with the location, the flowers, & most of all working with the bride & groom. Congratulations Toby & Dan!

Peonies, Freesia, Lilly of the Valley, Rannunculus, Tulips & Oriental Lilies were the main flowers. We were hoping to get some lilacs too, but the early spring & wonderful warm weather made us miss out on that by just one week! However, even with out the lilacs, these arrangements were still packed full of spring flowers & lots of fragrance.

Both the ceremony arrangements above & the mantle arrangement shown below at the reception had Fairy Lights incorporated into them. A request the bride made for these LED lights after she saw them online. Once the ceremony arrangements were taken indoors, then the lights were more visible.

A submersable LED light was also incorporated into each of the centerpieces to add more dramatic lighting for the evening reception.

A closeup of one of the simple, elegant & modern centerpieces. Perfect size for the small dining tables.

2010 Bellingham Bridal Show

2010-01-11T21:29:00.000-08:00

This was the first year I had a booth at the Bellingham Bridal show. It was a lot of fun & very exhausting! We talked to lots & lots of brides, bridesmaids, mothers & even some brave grooms!

One of my favorites in the lower right hand corner. A ring bearer pillow made of kermit button mums. I handed this to lots of people at the show, to see how surprisingly light it was.
I displayed a few of my rental items in the booth, along with some great florals in bright, bold colors. The favorite seemed to be the metal trees I rent out. I decorated it with lots of candle light, crystals & a few green mini cymbidium orchids. These trees are always fun for me, since the possibilities of decorating them is endless.
I wanted to include one of my favorite calla lilies in an eggplant shade. Not many people realize how many colors they are available in. I can't tell you how many people had to touch them to make sure they were real!
White flowers for the bride's bouquet is always popular, so I wanted to include one of these too. I love details so I included this super cute bracelet on the stem wrap. Teardrop bouquets have been really popular with my brides over the past couple years. I had a lot of brides at the show hold this bouquet.

A tropical bouquet of mini cymbidium orchids & aranda orchids. I have hydra gel crystals in the vase with a submersible LED light.

Table candelabra arrangement. (Table candelabras are another one of my rental items)

Summer Garden Wedding

2009-10-14T13:58:00.000-07:00

I was so excited to get these images in the mail, I had to post them right away. This was one of my favorite summer weddings this year. Enjoy!

Amazing cake by Meachelle DeVries!

Bride's Bouquet with a vintage detail

Ceremony in the yard of the bride's parents

Proud parents
Bridesmaid

Such cuties!

Sadie! Don't eat it!

Beautiful Picture of one of the Flowergirls with her Halo and Bouquet

Beautiful Bride

9/19/09

2009-09-20T22:00:00.000-07:00

I had been looking forward to this wedding for quite some time. Finally, I got to work with the dark purple, lavender, white & magenta flowers. The bride picked out beautiful colors, I can't wait to see their pictures on Artiem Photography's website. They were much prettier than these pictures show...but you get the basic idea.

Congratulations Ashly & Troy - I enjoyed working with you Ashly!

One of the Bridesmaids' bouquets

Ceremony Flowers

Centerpieces before large arrangement on top

9/4/09 Wedding at Semiahmoo

2009-09-11T20:24:00.000-07:00

I enjoyed planning this herb themed wedding with the Bride & her family...of whom came all the way from Montana to get married at Semiahmoo. I used rosemary, sage, green mint, pineapple mint & scented geranium leaves! The flowers (and me), smelled sooo good! Look for more pictures later, these ones turned out really grainy.

Toss bouquet below Cocktail Table arrangements Head Table
Close up of one of the head table arrangements
Centerpieces
Close up of groomsman boutonierre

8/29/09 Wedding

2009-08-29T16:17:00.001-07:00

I enjoyed adding the "Bling" for Jessica in the gerber daisies. This was a very simple wedding, & I liked how the little details turned out. I am always surprised at how different each wedding turns out. Congratulations Klayton & Jessica!

A Bridesmaid's Bouquet.
Crystals were incorporated into the center of the gerber daisies & on the stem wrap.

Simple, yet detailed corsages. Each had a crystal in the center of the mini gerber diasy & lily grass was "looped" & tied on the stem secured by a pink corsage pin. Matching bouts. were done with black ribbon.

8/1/09 Wedding

2009-08-24T13:53:00.000-07:00

Nicole Medcalf of Medcalf Photography kindly gave me these images to post on my blog from Eric & Crissy's wedding earlier this month. In the last minute mad dash to get everything delivered & set up, I was not able to photograph any of the personal arrangements. So thank you Nicole! Now you can see some professional photographs of the wedding.

Gerber daisies & roses in the bridesmaids' bouquets.Hydrangea, mini call lilies, roses & freesia made up the lush bride's bouquet.

Ceremony at The Sacred Heart Church in Fairhaven.

Medcalf Photography
(360)-201-8010
http://www.medcalfphotography.net/

Garden Wedding

2009-08-23T21:00:00.000-07:00

I don't know where to begin with this wedding! We had so much fun setting up this wedding, when we were done...we didn't want to leave. I wish I could have been invisible & watched this whole day from the beginning to the end. The setting for the wedding was amazing. Allie chose to get married in front of the garden at her parents home in Ferndale. Allie chose cantelope as her main color and have accents of white and a soft touch of pink. When I saw my flowers come off the truck this week for Allie's wedding, the colors were perfect, some even an exact match to the bridesmaids' dresses. I couldn't wait to get started. Congratulations Josh & Allie! You had a beautiful wedding day. I enjoyed working with you.

Not shown are the mass tangerine orange & yellow rose petals that the wedding coordinator, Anne Rasmussen, added before the ceremony. Look for more pictures later to see the petals.Allie's dress had a vintage feel to it. I suggested the addition of a broach to her bouquet to carry on the vintage theme of her dress.Lynne from Lynne Baron Design provided this amazing broach.

8/23/09 Sunflower Wedding

2009-08-23T20:53:00.000-07:00

I didn't give myself enough time to photography todays wedding, but did manage to get a shot of one of the bridesmaid bouquets. Linda chose sunflowers as one of her main flowers & grew a lot of them herself in her garden to use in the ceremony & reception at Lairmont Manor. Hydrangea, lisianthus, yellow mini cymbidium orchids, petite sunflowers, rosemary & mint were used in the bridal party bouquets.

Garden Wedding

2009-08-02T21:37:00.000-07:00

Michelle & Ben chose Evergreen Gardens for their wedding location & reception. Michelle wanted her flowers to also have a garden feel to them. How did I do? I really love the colors Michelle chose, I can't wait to see how they look in her wedding pictures. Congratulations you guys! Thank you for letting me design your personal flowers.

Roses, mini cymbidium orchids, lisianthus, hypericum berry, scabiosa & seeded eucalyptus.

Calla lillies, freesia, mini cymbiduim orchids, roses & seeded eucalyptus.

A Trip Down Memory Lane

To photograph Michelle's bouquets, I decided they should be photographed in the garden. The backdrop is a pond that my husband & I built way back when I had just graduated from High School. Sorry, I'm not telling how many years ago that was! Lets just leave it at "way back". I have them setting on a bench that we also built together for one of my school projects when I was in college studying for my Landscape Design Degree. Wow how time has flown since then!

Red & Turquoise?

2009-08-02T21:23:00.000-07:00

Most people would never think to put Red & Aqua together for their wedding colors...right? But Crissy did & it turned out beautiful...see for yourself. Crissy's color scheme was inspired by a wedding she found online. What I loved most about this bride is that she wanted something unique, different, yet elegant. I've posted a few pictures, but the best part of the wedding, the bridal bouquet & the bridesmaids' bouquets I did not have time to photograph. That often happens in the dash to get flowers loaded & delivered. Look for them to be posted later when I can get pictures from the photographer.

Bright, bold red arrangements hung from every other pew in the church. Dahlias & mini gerber diasies made up these arrangements.Dramatic centerpieces on the head table. Submersible lights were used so the water in the vases would "glow". For someone who wants height & simple centerpieces on their tables at a lower cost...why not have orchids, calla lillies or other flower inside the vase with out an arrangement on the top.
James Storei Orchids

Hawaiian Theme Reception - 6/13/09

2009-07-22T13:53:00.000-07:00

Chuck & Jamie got married in Hawaii & had a beautiful Hawaiian themed reception last month in Bellingham at the Ferry Terminal. Jamie was a classmate of my husband, so it was really fun to sit down with her & help plan her reception decor. Jamie's attention to details is what made this reception look great. I'm also assuming that her details and the decor helped set the mood for what looked like a really fun reception. Congratulations you guys!

Some pictures below of the bridal/toss bouquet. Lorinda designed this bouquet while I was in the hospital having a baby!

I LOVE the variegated ti leaves around the rim of the bouquet. I have been wanting to do this for quite some time, finally the perfect event to do it!

Large Tropical Monstera leaves and blue water looked great in my tall vases. This is a bold, affordable & beautiful way to add height at a reception.One example of Jamie's attention to details.Jamie purchased dendrobium & cymbidium orchids from me for her & her friends to use in the centerpieces, on the buffet table, and to scatter throughout the reception. You can't go wrong using orchids, they are one of my favorite flowers.Just one more picture to show you how beautiful Jamie looked! Stephanie Stremler did a great job photographing the reception. There were so many beautiful shots to choose from! Thanks for sharing your pictures Jamie!

Yellow, Yellow, Yellow!

2009-06-09T12:18:00.000-07:00

While I'm at it, I'm going to post some other pictures I ended up not using on my website. These pictures are from The snapSiSTERS. I'm excited to have met these photographers & look forward to more weddings with them. These pictures are from Kevin & Kaylas's wedding. I loved working with yellow as the main color for this wedding.

Beautiful Shots

2009-06-09T12:10:00.000-07:00

In sorting through several pictures from 2008, these pictures from Clinton James Photography I ended up not using on my website. However, they are too awesome not to share. This wedding was from late last spring at Semiahmoo.

Sneek Peek

2009-06-09T12:01:00.000-07:00

I am currently working on some updates for my website. Here is a sneak peak of some pictures from Luke & Tori's wedding that will be posted on my website soon. Artiem Photography took these beautiful pictures. Updates to The Backyard Gardener's website should be finished by the end of this month.

Amy Parson's Photography

2009-06-02T15:20:00.000-07:00

The last three weddings that we have done recently, Amy Parson's has been the photographer. I've enjoyed getting to know her a little bit more each time I see her at yet another wedding. She has been very generous with sharing her pictures that you see on my website. Her artistic eye and knowledge of how to get that perfect shot is evident in her portfolio. Go to her blog to see pictures from Josh & Kaylee's wedding, Matt & Megan's wedding & Robert & Michelle's wedding. Her pictures show off the flowers better than anything I can post on this blog.

Amy Parsons Photography (website)
Amy Parsons (blog)

Robert & Michelle

2009-06-02T15:07:00.001-07:00

Michelle was a classmate of mine from High School & it was fun to catch up again with her. She has such a fun & bubbly personality, I think it reflected in her flowers. Her flowes...OOOH her flowers! First of all she chose a favorite color combination of mine. Second, she let me use one of my favorite flowers! Hot pink gloriosa lillies! They made the bouquets look so rich & elegant.

Catching Up!

2009-06-02T14:36:00.000-07:00

I've been so busy nesting at home, I have not spent any time updating my blog. I've forgotton to take my camera several times to recent weddings I have done the floral designs for, but I did manage to remember to take a few pictures at the most recent ones.

Matt & Megan's wedding was a beautiful sunny day & had bright and cheerful flowers. High expectations from the Bride kept me on my toes, making sure every detail was perfect. I was happy with the end result, & thrilled when she said it was exactly what she had pictured!

These wood boxes built by the Bride's brother-in-law were one of my favorite details from Matt & Megan's wedding. (And the simplest detail!) The boxes were planted with grass ahead of time. I added the Gerber Daisies & put them in the windows at the church. After the ceremony, the boxes were re-used to decorate the stage at the reception where the head table was at.

I included this picture because this is a simple, easy & inexpensive way to add color down your ailse without spending a fortune! Can be done with almost any flower, gerber daisies just happended to be Megan's theme flower.

I stole this picture of the flower girl's pomander from Amy Parson's Blog. I hope that's OK Amy! It by far was much cuter than any picture I took that day. To see some more amazing pictures from Matt & Megan's wedding look at Amy Parson Photography's blog: http://amyparsons.wordpress.com/

Landscape with some modern elelements

2009-03-27T09:55:00.000-07:00

Some people don't know I design residential landscapes for people in my local area. I really enjoy working with homeowners & hopefully my passion for plants rubs off on some of them! Recently I've scaled back a lot on my landscape work with wedding business expanding, as well as my family. (Currently I am watching my belly expand!)

This week I finished up a landscape plan that was so much fun to create for a couple in Lynden. They wanted touches of some modern elements in their landscape plan. We did this through plant selections, hydrapressed slab pavers & gravels. They will be installing the landscape themselves, so I look forward to driving by their home & seeing things progress! Here is their landscape plan.

Hope of Spring

2009-03-13T18:50:00.000-07:00

The wedding that we set up today was such a cheerful wedding. The bride chose daffodils, an early spring flower as one of her main flowers. I'm sure all of their guests from the local area will have spring fever for the next week as we have still not seen spring....and it's March! Enjoy these pictures & if you're planning a wedding of your own, maybe you'll get some ideas.

Congratulations Kevin & Kayla! I really enjoyed designing your flowers & working with you.

Kissing Ball

Arrangements for the windows at the church. The bride's parents built them and grew the grass in them for the Bride & Groom. Tiny detail...notice the initials branded into the side of the container!

Reception at Lynden Fairgrounds Rotary Building

I love how the mantle turned out. Most people want candles and greenery on the mantle, so it was fun to do something a little bit different.

Closeup of the pomanders on the mantle.

They had lots of guests, so we broke up the mass of tables by doing a couple different centerpieces.

Simple, but very cute!

Dave & Shannon

2009-03-08T14:15:00.001-07:00

My cousin Dave & his beautiful wife Shannon got married this weekend. They lucked out and had great weather for their wedding & pictures. Shannon chose a classic color theme...white, black & red. You can never go wrong with these great colors.

Bride's Bouquet

Bridesmaids wore black dresses and carried a bouquet of white roses.
All white flowers on some of my black metal rental items. A white runner blanketed with real red rose petals completed the look for the ceremony. Candles in the windows also added to the romantic & elegant theme.
A close up of the unity candles.

Tracy's Elegant Wedding

2009-02-08T14:11:00.001-08:00

Photo by Clinton James Photography

This Picture shows my large cylinder vases which are available as a rental item.

The following pictures of Tracy's wedding were emailed to me from her sister Shara (see next post). Tracy chose elegant white & ivory flowers for her wedding with lots of crystal accents. Both Tracy & Shara are lucky to have a florist in their family! Their Aunt Sharron was also involved in Tracy's wedding. Sharron did all of Tracy's personal flowers along with taking care of the reception floral designs.

Tracy's Aunt Sharron did the floral design in this table candelabra. Tracy rented the table candelabras & the crystals hanging from them, from me. To see other items available to rent from The Backyard Gardener, click here.

To see some professional pictures from this wedding, view the below video of pictures taken by Clinton James Photography.

Billy & Shara's Fall Theme Wedding

2009-02-08T13:19:00.000-08:00

After seeing a recent post on my blog, a loyal blog fan sent me some pictures of both her wedding & her sister's wedding. Both Shara & Tracy's weddings were so fun to design the flowers for! Definitely both weddings last year ranked in my top favorites. They both have great taste & fun personalities. I tried my best to reflect this in their floral designs. Shara, from one photo nut to another...Thank you for sharing these gorgeous pictures!

Bridal bouquet & bridesmaids' bouquets
I lost track of counting the candles after 150! Very Romantic setting.

I have always loved the idea of fresh flowers on toasting flutes or glasses. Shara's was the first for me. Isn't this a great photo!

Fall theme carried out to the very end

I included this picture to show off what can be done in my tall square vases. The family rented the vases from me, then the bride's Aunt Sharron took care of the floral designs for the reception. Sharron's centerpieces turned out amazing.

ALL PICTURES SHOWN TAKEN BY AMY PARSON'S PHOTOGRAPHY

View this video to see more pictures from Shara & Billy's Wedding taken by Amy Parsons Photography. It's worth taking time to view!

Alissa's Bouquet

2009-02-06T17:08:00.000-08:00

Alissa had a winter wedding of mostly white flowers, accents of blues & of course winter greenery. Here is a couple pictures of her bouquet. To see more wedding pictures, go to the blog of Amy Parson's Photograpy .

Sean & Erin's Wedding

2009-02-06T09:13:00.000-08:00

I always enjoy receiving pictures! When I opened my email this morning I was so excited, I knew I needed to post them right away. These beautiful pictures were taken by James Taylor Photography. Thank you Erin for sharing your pictures!

To see some more of this couples wedding pictures from James Taylor, view the video below.

Quinn & Jean

2009-01-11T10:53:00.000-08:00

White flowers and crystal accents have been popular this winter! These are the bouquets Jean chose for her wedding day. Congratulations to a great couple!

Joey & Ashley

2009-01-11T10:44:00.000-08:00

Over the holidays, my nephew Joey married Ashley in their home. It was a small ceremony, but the bride still needs flowers...right!? This was my gift to Ashley for her special day. Congratulations you guys!

Casablanca Lilies, mini calla lilies, roses, cedar greenery & crystals where incorporated into Ashley's bouquet.

Romantic Elegance

2008-12-15T14:43:00.000-08:00

Romantic Elegance: Flowers, candles, crystals, rose petals....

I met with Tracy earlier this year to go over her wedding flowers. Ever since then, I had been looking forward to her wedding! She has great taste in flowers & wanted a truly romantic, elegant look for her wedding day. Tracy & Kurt's wedding ranked right up there with my favorite weddings this year. It was a fun ending for this years weddings. If I was a photographer, I'd say let the pictures of the flowers speak for themselves. However, I'm not a photographer, so you'll just have to trust me when I say, "It took my breath away".

Inside the sanctuary Front Stage

Strands of crystals were uplighted for the ceremony.
Vase arrangment with orchids showing in the glass vase. Candles, rose petals, & scattered crystals were on the glass.

Candelabra Arrangment
Close up of the flower ring around the crystal Unity Candles
Pew Arrangement with Crystals
Arrangements in the windows with candles. Looked beatiful when dark outside and candles lit!
Fresh wreaths of hydrangea on the doors leading to the sanctuary & guest book table arrangement

Back side of the guestbook arrangment with more crystals!

Sean & Erin

2008-11-17T16:14:00.000-08:00

Sean & Erin's wedding was so much fun to design the flowers for. She chose shades of orange for her flowers...one of my favorites! I couldn't help but be excited for her wedding to come. I had a chance to take a few photos, but the batteries on my camera went dead by the time I wanted to take pictures of the corsages, boutonnieres & the reception. Once I get pictures from the photographer, James Taylor, I will post more pictures. Then, maybe you'll see how fun everything turned out to be!

One of the Bridesmaid's Bouquets with calla lilies, roses, seeded eucalyptus & bronze ribbon.

Bride's Bouquet with calla lilies, roses, seeded eucalyptus & copper ribbon.
My attempt of taking a picture of the ceremony. Hey, I'm not a photographer! Down the aisle were kissing balls..one of our favorites! Lorinda did a great job on them.

Fiesta Wedding

2008-10-12T09:52:00.000-07:00

Vince & Kristi's Wedding was so much fun to be part of! They hired me to also be their onsite florist. Vince & Kristi's wedding was definately not traditional. It completely reflected thier personalities....and wow, it was great! You could see that all of the guests were enjoying themselves.

They wanted every guest to have a single stem flower during the ceremony. After the ceremony the flowers were collected & I put them into the centerpieces that I had already mocked up with greenery & limes, lemons & oranges. Other than the Fiesta theme, they incorporated a flower theme. Around the world flowers are a symbol of love. They shared their love with their guests, and in return the guests witnessed Vince & Kristi's love for eachother during the ceremony.

Single stem Flowers I gave each guest.Women of course loved the idea of holding a flower during the ceremony. Several men too enjoyed it!Centerpieces with limes, oranges & lemons that I had prepared before the wedding.

The final product! We chose flowers & contrasting colors that reminded us of Mexico where the couple got engaged. Of course, we had to use sunflowers!

Fall Dream Wedding

2008-10-05T21:31:00.001-07:00

I had so much fun creating the floral designs for Shara & Billy's wedding! My crew & I really had our work cut out for us this weekend but the end result was worth it. My stress level this weekend was at minimum because we had so much fun designing the flowers for this amazing fall wedding.

The pots, urns & most of the pedestals you see in this picture are available to rent through The Backyard Gardener

Flower arrangements and potted plants in the foyer help set the atmosphere for the guests.

Instead of rose petals along the aisle, the bride wanted fall leaves. This was one of my favorite details. Also notice all the candles? They created an elegant and romantic atmosphere for the ceremony. I should mention there was over 100 candles! Unscented of course.

No area was left without flowers or candles! These arrangements looked really great in the church's stained glass windows.

I was so busy with this wedding I never got a shot of the bride's bouquet. (Atleast I remembered my camera! I quite often forget the camera.) However, I managed to get a picture of a bridesmaid's bouquet. To see the bride's bouquet, and some more amazing professional pictures of this wedding check out the blog of Amy Parsons Photography .

OK, the Landscape Designer in me couldn't resist posting this picture. I added vine maple branches & nandina foliage to all of the church's pots to help spruce up all of the entries. This is a simple way to spruce up your pots at home for the fall season.

9/20/08

2008-09-22T14:38:00.000-07:00

This past weekend I was able to set up a wedding at a beautiful outdoor location in the Ferndale/Lynden area...Evergreen Gardens. http://www.evergreengardensweddings.com/

Unfortunately it rained, but they have a wonderful covered area that the ceremony & reception could take place in. These images do not do the flowers justice, but they really did look great. The wedding flowers were mainly red & orange, with a touch of cobalt blue delphinium. The arbor below is Evergreen Garden's that I was able to incorporate the fresh flowers onto. The bride and groom had a small table that they set inside it to sign their marriage liscense.

The thing I enjoyed the most about this wedding, is that the the bride specifically wanted nothing to be exactly the same. The end result was really great, I wish I had thought to take pictures! The corsages & boutonierres were all different combinations of flowers in red & orange. Even the bridesmaid bouquets were each arranged slightly different. I definately would do this again.

Medcalf Photography

2008-09-16T23:05:00.000-07:00

Scroll down below a few entries & you'll see my photography skills of the same wedding. Professional pictures are always better!! Nicole Medcalf, http://www.medcalfphotography.net/ graciously emailed these pictures of Matt & Alisha's wedding. The bride emailed me the link to view her pictures and there was a lot of them!! Nicole had a lot of great shots. These show off just the flowers. Thanks Nicole for the great pictures.

Soft & Elegant

2008-09-13T14:38:00.000-07:00

Sarah Button and Bryn DeVries chose a soft, elegant color pallet for their wedding. We had lots of compliments on their colors as we set up their wedding at 3rd CRC in Lynden. Notice some of the details on the bouquet wraps!

Dahlias!

2008-09-02T21:35:00.001-07:00

This weekend was busy! Each wedding I did I used lots and lots of dahlias! One of my favorite flowers, the dahlias are in season and very affordable. Leela wanted all dahlias in her bouquet with a touch of stephanotis and greenery. You can't tell from my photograph, but the stephanotis all had a rhinestone in the center. Also, I incorporated rhinestones on the stem wrap of her bouquet. These small details sparkled great for her outdoor wedding in the apple orchard at Hovander Park.

Groom's boutonniere with rhinestone & silver wire details.

This picture Leela emailed me. Thanks Leela!

Memory Arrangement

2008-09-02T21:29:00.001-07:00

I often design arrangements for weddings where the bride & groom want remember loved ones who have passed away. I've done candles, single stem flowers, & arrangements most often. Sheri had a great idea for her memory arrangement: a single stem calla lily for each grandparent who had passed away. It was an elegant & tasteful touch to their ceremony.

Outdoor Elegance

2008-09-02T21:11:00.001-07:00

Alisha chose purple & bright green flowers for her wedding. The fun colors are bright and contrasting, yet they were really elegant for her outdoor wedding. The above picture is of her aisle. The hydrangea in the urns were very elegant. Right before the ceremony, a thick carpet of white rose petals were added. If Alisha sends me pictures, I will post them asap! I know it was a beautiful aisle!

The centerpieces were very fun to design. When you went to smell the flowers, you would get a yummy scent of the limes. Thank goodness there were only 12 centerpieces....I sliced 90 limes!!! FYI - These vases are one of my rental items.

This picture shows one of the bride & groom chairs.

Alisha chose to rent one of the 5' metal wedding trees. Shown on her tree are hydrangea, roses, cymbidium orchids, crystals & candles.

8/16/08

2008-08-16T16:33:00.000-07:00

Tory & Luke's Wedding was a beautiful summer wedding. Despite the heat, this wedding was a lot of fun to be part of. The colors, the style of the arrangements, & the location was very enjoyable. Thank you guys for choosing me to do your flowers! Congratulations!!

Groomsman holding a bridesmaid bouquet.

There were two styles of centerpieces. The low vases grouping pictured here. The tallest vase and the lowest vase are my rental items. (See rental items page on www.thebackyardgardener.net)

Tall vase centerpieces arranged with roses, dahlias, & snapdragons.

The tall vases are a new rental item now available.

Beautiful arrangement of gladiolas, aranda orchids, roses & dahlias.

Tory wanted these lanterns and kissing balls everywhere. They definitely helped create a fun atmosphere for the ceremony & reception.

Gerber daisy kissing ball.

This orange kissing ball or orange dahlias was my favorite. Lorinda made it....good job Lorinda!

Can you tell what flower this is? I love using carnations this way, you can't even tell that they are carnations.

8/9/08

2008-08-09T16:06:00.001-07:00

The color combination here is really beautiful. I loved the brides idea of mixing a soft, pale yellow with the blues. The flowers in these bouquets are light blue hydrangea, roses, mini calla lilies, & green mini cymbidium orchids.

8/8/08

2008-08-08T22:14:00.000-07:00

I enjoyed working on these beautiful flowers for Heather & Trevor's wedding. The mini cymbidium orchids were amazing, and I loved how they looked in the boutonnieres. They also looked really well combined with the roses, lisianthus & bouvardia. It was a beautiful combination for their outdoor ceremony. My pictures really don't do the flowers justice. Aaron from Evantide photography, http://www.evantidephotography.com did the photography for the wedding. Check out this great picture from his blog! http://evantidephotography.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2008/08/treatherday_0008-copy.jpg

"Rain Rain Go Away!"

2008-08-04T21:06:00.000-07:00

Jessica & Garret bravely chose a campground near Silver Lake to have their wedding ceremony & reception. It was a great idea, and after lots of rain, it turned out to be a beautiful afternoon & evening. WHEW! Jessica chose gerber daisies & roses to be her main flowers. The red, apricot & light pink flowers really popped out in the forest setting. Congratulations Jessica and Garret! I loved your location, and really thought it was great that your family and friends could stay at the campground and enjoy the weekend.

Woodland Wedding

2008-07-25T15:23:00.000-07:00

For Jessica's wedding she chose a "woodland" theme. For her aisle at the ceremony, moss was added in the vase to go along with the woodland theme. The front of the church was beautiful with trees, shrubs, moss, branches, logs...a truly woodland setting, only indoors. The bouquets had beautiful colors. The mini calla lilies, aranda orchids, and gloriosa lilies looked beautiful combined together.

Personality!

2008-07-22T12:52:00.001-07:00

I love it when I know that I have designed flowers that are a perfect match to the couple's personality. Kim's flowers were exactly that. Her fun personality showed through in several aspects of the wedding, even the flowers. She allowed me to use beautiful orange flowers: roses, aranda orchids (one of my favorites!), calla lilies, asiatic lilies... Kim even loved the idea of using ostrich drab feathers in the centerpieces. You can't tell from the picture below, but the centerpieces also had submersible lights in them. In the evening, the centerpieces "glowed", helping to create the fun atmosphere the couple desired for their 1950's/Jazz theme wedding. I really enjoyed designing the flowers for this couple. Congratulations Ed & Kim! Thank you for the beautiful pictures you emailed me! Evantide Photography

Stephanie Stremler Photography