Since I recently got
hitched, and have all the photos from the big day, I launched a weekly series sharing my favorite images and memories, and a few tips and resources
along the way. If you're planning a wedding, make sure to check out "The
Credits" at the end. Enjoy!
My vision for our wedding day florals was that the blooms
look fresh-picked and organic, and reflect our pastel color palette of
lavender, sage, peach and blush. We accomplished that vision with a mix of DIY projects
and the help of Hannah Sampson of Modern Bouquet.
I love the romantic look of dahlias and was set on having
them in the bouquets and on the tables at the wedding. However, I quickly
learned upon meeting with several San Diego florists that our May 18 wedding
was very, very early in the season
for dahlias and that it might not be possible to get them—especially the large,
fluffy café au lait variety—or at least not ones that looked any good. Some told
me it was impossible, and the picky determined bride in me simply wouldn’t
accept that. Hannah was more positive and optimistic about our prospects and promised to do everything in her
power to get dahlias at my wedding. And that’s why we hired her :)
For our big day, Hannah created the bouquets, boutonnieres and my flower crown, decorated the ceremony arch and placed theme flowers and foliages in gathered vessels on our tables. She also made a eucalyptus collar for our “flower dog,” Cali, and gussied up our wedding cake with a few spare blooms.
Our florals included dahlias, peonies, garden roses, astilbe, scabiosa, Queen Anne’s lace, larkspur, lavender and eucalyptus leaves.
The DIY part came into play with our ceremony florals,
centerpieces and favors. While we had looked into renting a rustic arch, we
decided to cut costs by having my father build us a simple birch arch. A
retired mechanical and draft engineer, I knew he could handle the project but
the final product was even more beautiful and stunning than I anticipated, especially once
strewn with flowers and leafy vines.
I sent him this how-to from A Practical Wedding (as well as
an inspiration photo for the wood box base), my mother purchased birch poles on
Etsy, and my dad went to work. We absolutely loved the look of the arch and it
was so special to know we were getting married under something made personally
for us by my father. In the end, it was so much better than renting.
My mom also purchased the lavender plants that flanked the
aisle and filled the base of the arch.
As another cost-saving measure, and to achieve that rustic,
boho aesthetic we were striving for, GT and I made our own centerpieces. In the
months leading up to the wedding, we saved bottles of all kinds (mostly wine
and beer bottles) that GT then wrapped with jute. We purchased wood slices from
Michael’s to serve as the foundation of our centerpieces, and we scooped up mercury
glass votives from the craft store, too. The table numbers were a find from a flea market in Escondido. Hannah filled our collected vessels with flowers and
we supplied the large potted succulents, purchased from the same vendor we
tapped for our escorts/favors.
Despite my black-thumb, I knew from the beginning that I
wanted succulents incorporated into our day. (My first pin on Pinterest was of
a table full of succulent favors!). They fit the organic feel of our wedding
perfectly and were the “sage” in our color palette. Before even getting engaged
I had favorited a succulent seller on Etsy who lives in San Diego and I was so
happy to use her for our big day. Heather was local, had hundreds of gorgeous
succulents that I was able to hand select one afternoon in her greenhouse (it was my heaven), and
she was just an absolute pleasure to work with. We ended up purchasing cute
white pails from her as well for potting our escorts/favors.
I was careful to choose succulents that were dusty shades of green, with hints of pink and purple. We found the three-tiered shelf for the succulents on Craigslist for $25
and GT painted it a soft shade of lavender. I purchased the paper pennant flags on Etsy, adhered each one to a toothpick and handwrote our guests’ names and
table numbers before sticking them into the potted succulents.
It was quite a bit of work these DIY elements, but it made
our day feel unique and personal to us. I like to think our guests still have
their little succulents, sitting on a windowsill growing in the sun. We still
have our ceremony arch and one day I hope we’ll have a garden where we can
permanently install it, another beautiful reminder of our wedding day.
Up Next Week: The Dessert Bar! Yum.
THE CREDITS
FLORALS: Modern Bouquet
SUCCULENT ESCORTS/FAVORS: Large & small succulents and small white pails from Succulents Galore | Lilac & Blush Pennant Flags from Elite Paperie
BRIDE'S DRESS: Theia Wedding Dress and Untamed Petals Aimee Sash, both from Lovely Bride in Los Angeles
WEDDING CAKE: Twiggs Bakery
RINGS: White Gold Engagement Ring and Custom Rose Gold Wedding Band by Ben Bridge | Men's Hammered Recycled Sterling Silver Wedding Band with Black Diamond by Point No Point Studio
VENUE: Martin Johnson House
PHOTOGRAPHY: heidi-o-photo
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