Featured Wedding at Crystal Springs Golf Course in Burlingame, CA

Anyone want some Citrus Crush with their gorgeous scenic view?
Bride Marjie and Groom Ethan sure did!



Check out this lovely ceremony set up with lanterns and lemon slices gracing the aisle. And the backdrop of the river and rolling hills created the perfect atmosphere for a romantic early evening ceremony.



Our lovely bride and groom decided to continue their lemon yellow theme into the reception with submerged yellow orchids and floating candles.


You gotta love these golden james story orchids


and these large cymbidium orchid blooms!


Here's the toss bouquet. Just a little teaser before we show you the bridal party flowers.


And what about this fabulous accent arrangement of more james story?

Our bride wanted something special for everyone in her bridal party.


Starting with the bride's bouquet. The addition of the yellow craspedia balls created such a great playful but elegant glow to her piece.


And don't you just love the wrap of ti leaves on her stems?! This is a great way to complete a bouquet from head to toe.


Each of her bridesmaids had white bouquets but with a little twist:


One with white ranunculus.


This one with gerbera daisies.


Gotta have one with white roses.


And this one with white tulips.


Here's a close up of the stem wrap for all bridesmaid bouquets.


These were the corresponding boutonnieres for the groom and groomsmen. Can you guess which boutonniere goes with which bouquet?


And instead of your traditional pin-on or wrist corsage for the mothers, Marjie wanted to give them mini bouquets. How cute are these?!


We love to personalize all our flowers for an additional touch. These boutonnieres went to the fathers, grandfathers and ringbearers.


And last but not least, white daisy pomander balls for the lovely flower girls.

The personal flowers were definitely the star of the evening!

Featured Wedding at The Grove In Anaheim, CA

Meet Mr and Mrs Park

and their well-themed Old Hollywood style wedding in a glam theater complete with a red carpet. Sound too good to be true? Well, it ain't as I had the pleasure of collaborating with David and Drexelle on some fun designs that captured their ideas in floral design.


With large curly willow and white orchid alter arrangements embracing the stage


and sparkling manzanita branch centerpieces showcased on each guest table, the glitz
resonated throughout the evening.


The colors they chose were deep red, gold and black to mirror the effect of the Academy Awards. White orchids and crystals were a must for this fabulous event.


With the bridesmaids dresses being gold, their bouquets included black bacara roses, black magic roses and deep red mokara orchids.


The bride glowed in all white with an uber elegant cascading bouquet of white phalaenopsis orchids accented with white dendrobium orchids.


The stage transformed for the reception with all eyes on the bridal party




and floral decor in classic white.


This couple put some great attention to detail including their own movie posters (created by Michika Photography) displayed in the cocktail area and movie tickets sent out as the invitations.


What a great play on Father of the Bride


and PS I love You!

The Grove in Anaheim was a great location to play out their theme. I was impressed with everything this venue included in their packages...even media and lighting (which were utilized so well in this wedding). Imagine you and your bridal party getting the red carpet treatment with a spotlight to show you all off walking down the aisle! Their photographer was Jim Kennedy who was a lot of fun work with. And if you really need a great DJ who's upbeat and keeps the party going, I highly recommend Andy Nation based on his performance that night.

Caring for Your Flowers at Home

Lately, I have been asked this question quite a bit: What is the best way to care for your cut flowers at home? There are actually some very simple tips to keep your fresh flowers for longer.

The first thing I do is cut the stems at least 1 to 2 inches at an angle. Sometimes the flowers that you purchase from the grocery store sit in the water for a while which causes the tips of the stem to breakdown, thus causing less water to be absorbed.

Second, strip away any excess leaves that you expect to sit in the water. The reason for doing this is to keep the decaying process to a minimum.

The third thing I like to do is allow the flowers to soak for about an hour before arranging them. I know that there are lots of interesting ideas like adding bleach, Sprite and sugar to the water. However, I say stick with that little floral food packet your grocery store bouquet comes with. Many have told me they just throw those things out but don't do it! These little packets are filled with goodies for your flowers so keep them happy.

After you arrange your flowers just the way you want them, here's where you can take it another step. Every few days, recut the stems to open up the "drinking straws" for your blooming beauties and they should last longer.

Oh, and need some tips for my fave retail places to shop for fresh flowers? Trader Joes has some seasonl grower bunches for low prices. Costco's roses are a great value for 2 dozen at about $16. And take advantage of your local farmer's markets. Many times, these fresh flower vendors have good deals. In my experience, if you go towards closing time everything gets discounted to sell off their inventory. And that goes for many of the vendors, not just the floral guys.

Featured Wedding at The Flood Mansion in San Francisco, CA

Welcome to the James Leary Flood Mansion in San Francisco.What a gorgeous location for a colorful Indian fusion wedding with traditional elements of red and gold played into the outdoor portion of the ceremony! Our bride and groom wanted the mandap draped with white chiffon fabric and decorated with deep red floral sprays.

We used black bacara roses, deep red dahlias and mokara orchids.


Jaimalas made of red mokara orchids and white dendrobium orchids were created for the bride and groom triple strands thick!


And these baskets were made out of fabric from a traditional Indian sari for the flower girl and boy.


Check out these larger arrangements created for the outdoor urns for the ceremony.


These were perfect versatile floral pieces which were also used for the cocktail area before guests entered the reception.


This place card table was a great introduction to the reception area as the themed colors change dramatically to fuchsia, mango, gold and lime green.


We had multiple arrangements varying in height, shape and colors including tall mutli-colored orchid spray arrangements


to low monochromatic floral pieces (pink roses, dahlias, orchids, upright amaranthus and lilies).


Here's a snapshot of the reception overview.



Let's not forget to mention the gorgeous view of the bay!




The cake table was dec'd out with a cool cake inspired by the Indian culture and reception colors.


You'll love the toss bouquet with varying textures and mango ribbon.


The bride and groom decided to have the boutonnieres worn during the reception rather than the ceremony. We love this presentation of the orange and white orchids.


And a lovely low modern arrangement for the head table.


This wedding was truly a feast for our Floral Senses!