Woodland Wedding At Nestldown Los Gatos / Placerville Lake Tahoe Wedding Flowers Florist

Woodland bouquet details - cymbidium orchid, raspberries, dahlia, spray roses, hypericum berry, and maidenhair fern

 We are well into autumn now, and my season has wrapped up, which means I now have time to post lovely weddings on the blog.  Ashley and Brandon were married in September, and she definitely had a woodland / bird style going on.  What I loved about their wedding style was the great details, yet things were understated, elegant, and very authentic.

Blue thistle, dahlias, spray roses, raspberries, and callas were details in her woodland wedding bouquet for her ceremony at Nestldown in Los Gatos

I worked with Ashley for a year on her bouquet....it started out as peach roses and safari sunset with hypericum berries, to emerge into a wonderful woodland bouquet.  Ashley gave me the freedom to create something beautiful....sometimes I can't be sure of what is at market, and I don't know until I actually order and then pick up the flowers.  She even decided to have me add some peach tulle, which you can see under the dahlia above, as a nod to her many years of ballet lessons.

Woodland wedding bouquet for Nestldown ceremony.

 My bouquets are very authentic....I do not try to create a perfect roundy-moundy Martha-style bouquet that has been quite in fashion for the past decade.  My bouquets are like the topography of the foothills I live in....there is always something interesting around every corner.  Here is Ashley's bouquet.

Woodland bridesmaid bouquet with pompon mums, naked petals, safari sunset, hypericum berries, and peach spray roses

Ashley had a small intimate wedding. She and Brandon both had just one attendant, who wore clothing of their choice to match the blue and green color theme.  Above is the Best Lady's bouquet - I just love that Ashley chose to call her a more modern name....

Brandon had a cymbidium orchid and blue thistle bout.

 I caught up with Ashley and Brandon at the top of the gravel road before they made their entrance.  Both look quite serious in these photos...they are listening to directions from someone...they're about to get married!  Brandon looks quite handsome, and the orchid perfectly matched his handsome blue shirt and patterned tie.

Ashley rocking her vintage woodland look!  Quite a gorgeous bride!

As a florist, I don't always get the best photos of my wedding couples....Ashley was just so gorgeous, this photo doesn't do her justice!  So we continued down the path to set up the ceremony decor, which were two of Ashley's metal candleholders of two different heights.  I loved that they weren't matchy-matchy.  She had me set them up at the back of the aisle.  Here's a tip...if you don't need ceremony markers (I call them markers, because really, there's no "altar") at the front - and she didn't because the arbor is so fantastic - consider putting flowers behind the last row of chairs, at the aisle.  All your guests will see them when they come in...

Woodland ceremony marker flowers

 I love this sweet photo of Ashley's dad helping put her train out...and I don't understand how Ashley walked down those many, steep stairs in heels!

Lovely bride at lovely Nestldown!

 Here's the lovely arbor and our lovely wedding couple...there's a pond with a fountain behind them, in full sunlight.  Guests sat in a lovely shaded woodland clearing.

Exchanging vows at Nestldown.

On to the reception!  Ashley developed her ideas for the reception with me over the year....she pretty much knew what she wanted, and I made suggestions on flowers and based on her thoughts and inspiration photos, I was able to recommend and carry out what she wanted for her tables and cake pedestal.

Rosemary and menu in napkin at each place.

Submerged wedding centerpieces of blue delphinium with floating candle; callas, and a ball candle with table number, all on a stained stump.  Not only were rose petals strewn about, but also hypericum berries, to add to the woodland feel.

I just love this ball candle in a short cylinder, with a wood table number...perfect!

There were lovely vegetarian appetizers at each table, for after the cocktail hour.

Wedding cake on unique cake pedestal of glass square vases with rose petals

The wedding reception was held at the lovely Hotel Los Gatos.  The hotel service and food was superb; my only complaint was that they booked the room right before her wedding, a couple of weeks before her wedding.  It was quite a challenge to set everything up.  When you book your wedding reception, make sure there is enough time for your florist, dj, and baker to set up (you really don't want your venue staff moving your cake...trust me!).  One hour is usually NOT enough time between events.  Don't forget that the venue has to clear the last event, set up for yours, and put fresh linens on before your florist and baker can set up.

I love to tuck flower heads in wherever I can!

The ceremony bouquet repurposed at the wedding reception buffet.

Details from the buffet table....

I love flower heads in votives or small containers.

A sweet bird-themed remembrance for guests to take home.

 Thank you Ashley & Brandon for letting me share your special day!  Best wishes on your journey through life together!

Metals Still Trending in Wedding Design / Alternative Wedding

This copper bracelet works well as a wrist corsage - the gift that keeps on giving!  I cut and patinaed the base; hand forged the wrist band; and added lots of luscious fire-polished crystals in what I call "Lake Tahoe blues" - that is, several shades of blue, green, yellow, and clear, as well as copper-colored crystals.

Metals have been trending in wedding design, and they are still holding strong.  Especially important this season are the metals which have taken the place of out-of-price-range gold: brass, copper, steel, nobium, and silver and German silver (both fine metals).  They might be finished by a bright polish to show their natural beauty, or may have a natural or other patina added; they might be painted, inked, or etched, to match your wedding colors.

Here are some copper lovelies that I have metalsmithed - I have cut from copper sheet, sanded, hammered, torched, soldered, and smithed especially for weddings.  I'm also showing some examples from other artists of what you might use in your wedding.

This copper and crystal beauty is for the offbeat, individual, and alternative wedding.  It can be used as a copper boutonniere or a copper corsage.  This one has fire polished crystals to match the natural patina on my hammered copper, but you can choose any color crystal you would like.  It has a pin back for easy wearing.

I hand cut the metal for this copper boutonniere, then took careful time to shape it into this slender bloom holder, soldered it and applied a natural patina, and added a pin back.  The silver solder does show, but that just adds to its authenticness and naturalness. 

Etching is another great technique that metalsmiths use to bring out your theme or personality.  The following two photos are by different artists, but both beautifully show the etching technique. I can etch whatever you might like.

Beautiful etching, which could be the basis for a bout or corsage, via Rebecca Ward

Your initial or monogram can be etched as shown, for a bouquet charm.  Or, imagine your initials or monogram on a square or rectangular piece of metal as a bout or corsage base. Via Intheloftdesigns on etsy.

Sola Wood Flower Wedding Bouquets

Sola wood flowers, which are sometimes called balsa wood flowers or tapioca wood flowers, have been very popular for wedding bouquets for my clients.  The sola wood flowers work well in rustic, vintage, romantic and alternative bouquets.  Enjoy my sola wood bouquets as well as sola wood corsages and boutonnieres.  Want one?  I'll custom make yours, just email me!  This posting is for Elizabeth, who loves sola wood flower bouquets and wants to see some different ways sola flowers can be used.  It really depends on my customer...as you can see below, some look vintage, some look rustic, and some look like wildflowers.  Maybe you'd like yours to look icy and cold for your winter Truckee wedding?

This was the sola wood bouquet that started it all.  Danielle was very vintage glam; forest/beach meets elegant glamour.  This sola wood bouquet features lambs ears, skeleton leaves, lavender, a burlap handle, and a black french wire bow.

Another view of Danielle's sola wood bouquet - a better view of the skeleton leaves and glass pearl accents.

Another hybrid sola wood and fresh flower bouquet.  This wedding felt like rustic glamour.  Sola wood flowers with dendrobium orchids, carnations, pompon mums, and rustic berries with some crystal and moss accents.

Sola wood rustic groom's bout.  Simply charming.

This bout is NOT sola wood, but you can see how well it compliments the rustic wedding above.

Also not sola wood, but wouldn't this collage corsage look terrific with a sola wood flower instead of the pompon mum?

A wildflower sola wood bouquet.  This bouquet is a hybrid, combining sola wood flowers (yes! in your colors!) with cool water lavender roses, lisianthus, verbena, agapanthus, dahlia, and lavender mini carns, with a bright green doily handle.

Here is the matching groom bout. Purple sola wood flower with a rhinestone accent, berries, and lavender mini carns.  Just perfect for a Rome Valley Vineyard wedding!

Vintage look sola wood flower bouquet.  This is the one I displayed at Celebrate Coloma Weddings!  This bouquet is completely non-fresh and alternative.  Sola wood flowers combine with dried rosebuds, natural shells, crystal bling, and a real copper flower with faux pearl center.  Movement is added by a truly vintage tulle collar that I've vintaged up.

A closer view of the vintage look sola wood flower bouquet.  Did I mention that the brass and faux pearl flower are vintage?

Even the underside of the bouquet is beautiful with meticulously hand-applied millinery leaves, and the handle is wrapped in an upcycled silk sari material and trim!  Gorgeous!

A corsage to match the vintage look sola wood flower bouquet - a sola wood collage corsage!  What is a collage corsage?  That's what I've named my special corsages that I treat like an art canvas.  This one has old-fashioned script on the background, and features millinery leaves, faux crystal accents, and dried rosebuds.  There is a pin attached to the back for easy pinning.