Here are a few photos I shot of our Memorial weekend wedding held in Angels Camp, CA.  I had the pleasure of doing Nadine's sister's wedding flowers this past Summer, and Nadine's this Summer!  Exciting times!  Here's a sampling:

 

 

Grace Vineyards is a wonderful new venue located in Galt, CA.  Overlooking manicured green lawns with a beautiful colonial home, Grace Vineyards is a beautiful backdrop for any wedding.  I recently had the opportunity to provide some florals for a photo shoot at their opening debut.

Photography:  Andrea's Images

Catering: Fresh and Quick 

Venue:  Arden Hills Resort, Sacramento, CA

Flowers: Botanica Floral Designs

Photographer: Huy Phan Photography

Music: Randy with Premier Entertainment

Linens: Mimi & Company

Invitations & Programs: Botanica Invites

Congratulations to Nicole & Raymond!  Even with the unexpected rain, this wedding was absolutely gorgeous!  Nicole and Raymond's color palette included a striking teal color for their linens, complimented by deep red roses of the 'Black Magic' and 'Black Bacara' varieties.  Accents of gold and silver tower vases along with gold chivari chairs simply said elegance.  A timeline of events was set at each charger wrapped in the teal napkins.  

The ceremony took place at the courtyard Villa at Arden Hills Resort.  Following the ceremony, guests moved to the reception held in the Heritage room where a dramatic atmosphere was created with the decor and awesome lighting provided by Premier Entertainment.  

Here are a few photos of some of the beautiful decor:

 

This past Sunday, I was fortunate enough to work with the very talented girls of Definition Beauty: Wendi Labban & Leslie Domingo.  These girls do just amazing make-up, and they are the sweetest!  Beth Anderson of Evocative Salon: Anderson Hair Designs out of Roseville created the hair styles which were gorgeous.  

So what was the occasion?  The annual Global Hair and Beauty Expo was held at the Sacramento Convention Center where stylists and artists from around the world attended to see classes and view new products.  I had a chance to walk around and was impressed with the neat styles! 

When I see other wedding vendors such as Wendi, Leslie and Beth actually teaching classes to other professionals it shows they have a passion, and they are definitely looked highly upon by others in their own business.  Congrats on a wonderful show!

The following photos are of some of the beautiful models and the bouquets we designed for their look.  Carmen Salazar of Carmen Salazar Photography captured the girls and their bouquets just beautifully!  

      

      

      

                                                                                                                            

     

    

 

 

If you happened to miss us at Cal Expo this past weekend, you missed out! Though the rain persisted, we had a great time meeting all of the wonderful brides to be.  

If you weren't able to make it, or missed us, here's some great photos taken by the talented Gino Creglia.  

   

      

   

This weekend we will be at the Dream Wedding Show in Sacramento!  We will have an awesome booth with great designs and fun ideas.  We are also going to be offering some great specials & raffle prizes available for one day only!  Come check it out, if you are a bride in need of vendors still, here's your chance to book the rest of your vendors in one location!

When:  Sunday, March 1, 2009  Doors open at 9:45 am for the first fashion show.  Vendor exhibits are open from 11 am - 4 pm

Where:  Cal Expo, Sacramento, CA

 

 

Just like the fashion industry, interior design field and anything else retail, the floral & wedding industry has predictions of trending.  It is not a mere coincidence that certain colors or designs all show up at the same time.  So, we thought we would share with you some of the hottest trends in the floral industry to incorporate into your wedding day.  

As far as color trending goes, there are predictions made with the floral industry.  These predictions are made by the American Floral Trends Forecast, a division within the California Cut Flower Commission. This board specifically outlines the  different color palettes & flowers which will be popular for two year increments.  You can visit there prediction website at : The California Cut Flower Commission.  While I do see certain color choices having more of a presence especially the purples as well as peach, I really believe that brides choose their colors based on what their personality draws them to.  As far as trending, we are starting to see more interesting color combinations arise such as teal paired with red or cornflower blue paired with peach.  With tough economic times, we also see that people tend to gravitate to comforting colors that bring you back to nature such as greens, yellows, and oranges.  We are seeing a lot of these colors play out for the 2009 year as well. 

For ceremony design, we are seeing a lot of decor and drama brought to the aisle way.  Instead of scattering petals down the aisle, we are seeing them laid down in flourished designs or faded from a lighter shade variety or rose to a darker shade variety of rose.  Outdoor weddings are incorporating shepherd’s hooks with pomanders or kissing balls lined down the aisle.  Indoor ceremonies, are featuring an aisle lined with a variety of clear glass vases filled with water, floating candles and blooms to add romance.  

Bouquet style is heavily still of the hand-tied style nature, but in Europe, the cascade and waterfall are having a huge comeback - of course with a modern and chic twist.  Flowers used in bridal bouquets are becoming more and more interesting.  Incorporating seasonal rare flowers into bride’s bouquets allows for a bride to have a truly unique floral accessory.  Bling, beading and decorative botanical items will continue to show their presence to tie in the bridal gown and hard to find floral colors (such as Tiffany blue).

With centerpiece designs, we will continue to see various trending:

• The mixing of different styles of centerpieces to add interest and get guests moving throughout the room.

• Tall centerpieces with floral displays.

• Centerpieces with cut fruits, vegetables and other botanical items.

• Tall branches dressed up with bling hanging votives and accented with blooms.

• For a modern twist, we will see lighting incorporated into centerpieces. 

• Expect to see lampshades atop of clear vases for centerpiece design or larger than life lampshades hanging over dance floors.  Lampshades will replace chinese lanterns, these will be used in mod colors, fun designs and textures.

• Tall centerpieces will have orchid “lei like” drippies, I call them which will cascade down from branches, floral sprays and atop ceremony sites.

• Composite centerpieces will continue to have an influence.  Grouping vases filled with blooms, water and floating candles can create romance or a modern feel depending on how arranged.

Of course there are many, many more wonderful things to expect.  So, keep your eye out, we’ll inform you when we discover something interesting!

 

Planning on doing your own wedding flowers?  Well, listen closely... we've got some information you may be interested in.  

Though my first recommendation is to hire a professional when it comes to something as memorable and large as your wedding, there are always those daring brides who would prefer to try their hand at floral designing, and possibly save a few bucks.  Here are some reminders to keep in mind, and ways in which you can utilize our help and services while still saving cash and doing it yourself:

Don't order your flowers online!  Sure, you may see a great deal, but there is no guarantee as to what is going to show up on your doorstep.  And, just days away from your wedding, no bride needs the stress of trying to figure out Plan B with such short time. Wilted flowers, wrong colors, point is, just don't risk it!  

Do your research:  Being in the floral industry for over ten years, there is much knowledge and learning that I have acquired about the availability of certain flowers as well as varietal colors.  By hiring a professional, you are able to tap into this wealth of knowledge and find out what you really can get, and what colors they come in.  

The behind the scenes stuff:  Remember, your flowers come in bulk and uncleaned, that means you will be stuck cleaning roses to guarantee your flowers will stay fresh.  Also, certain flowers must be wired properly, and there is a lot of mechanical issues to keeping centerpieces and bouquets together.  There are too many horror stories of wedding flowers gone wrong, falling apart and brides sorry that they let their so-called "friend" do their florals.  A professional who has been properly trained in floral design can ensure that their designs will up-hold and will not fail.

Another huge obstacle if you are doing your own flowers is not knowing how much to order.  You don't want to be stuck in the tough situation where you haven't ordered enough flowers.  With these dilemmas to keep in mind, we may have the perfect solution for you...

At Botanica Floral Designs, you can take advantage of our design consulting where we can assist you with these items.  We set-up a consultation where we go over what it is you are looking for, what types of designs are the most "do-able" for the starter designer, and how to accomplish the desired look.  We can then order your flowers for you, ensuring the correct colors and numbers arrive, and you pick-up the materials to design.  By utilizing this service, the responsibility is on us to ensure that all of the correct materials arrive in a usable state, and in the correct colors.  We even give discounted pricing for bulk orders for our clients!  Visit our website to view more information!  

Remember, your wedding day is such as memorable moment, not to mention your flowers will be in all of your photos.  If you don't hire a professional florist to design your flowers and walk you through the process, remember, we are here, and can help. Contact us to set-up a consultation where we can assist you through the selection process and what you may need if you are planning on doing your wedding "DIY."

 

Candles are a great way to add romance to any reception! Often times, reception rooms can turn dull due to the lack of lighting, but candles give us that needed light and romantic feel!
In addition to candles for your reception, a new trend is to line the aisle of your ceremony with hurricanes featuring lit candles. Imagine this in a dim lit room, talk about drama! This year we are seeing floating candles, colored candles, textured, and the list goes on! But, one of the greatest new inventions is battery operated candles. Is there anyone out there who can't have open flames in their venue? Well, here is your answer! Coming in array of colors and lasting up to forty hours, these are a great alternative and in some cases much better than the real thing! One of the greatest features of these battery operated lights are that they come in hot colors, but these can also be submerged in water as well! This gives a great effect and adds a touch that guests will be raving about for years to come! Expect to see brides creating a "lounge" feel to the reception by adding color to centerpieces and an unexpected twist to the traditional candle!