Rita and Hayden’s wedding was the first wedding of the 2011 year, and it has finally made it on the blog!  As many of you may or may not know, we are go-go-go all year long with weddings, so when things finally begin to slow down over the Winter months, we begin to reflect back on the year, get in touch with photographers who magically captured the beauty of each event, and we start to share all of the exciting designs from the year with you!

This wedding was so beautiful, classy and timeless.  Rita was such a pleasure to work with; she was absolutely a sweetheart, and was lovely to collaborate on this wedding with, along with the girls of Fearon May Events.  Rita and Hayden were married at The Sutter Club in downtown Sacramento, a beautiful historical building that has so much character and beautiful touches! The Studio took all of the  images you see displayed on our blog, so please enjoy!

Rita’s bouquet was designed with all miniature calla lilies.  She was looking for a simple, classic look, and this was the perfect choice for her to carry.

The ceremony took place indoors underneath the doorway of two rooms adjoining.  Both Hayden and Rita’s closest family and friends surrounded them on all sides to be a part of the beautiful ceremony.  Crystals and pomanders hung from the doorway draped down over the couple during the ceremony.

With long banquet tables for guest seating, we varied tall and short centerpieces throughout the room.  Tall silver candelabras with white and red flowers were spaced evenly throughout the room with red votives and shorter versioned centerpieces.  Flowers used included white hydrangea, red anemones, and red ranunculus.

Tall silver candelabras from our inventory with crystals make for the perfect height addition to your tables.

Square silver vases were used for the short tables to save room on the banquet tables.  Red glass votives were the perfect ‘pop’ of color to the tables.

Smaller centerpieces for guest tables with white and red flowers.

I am hoping to have more lovely content to share with you all as we get more images in from events from the 2011 year, so stay tuned and hold tight for some amazing posts to come!

Location: The Sutter Club Photographer: Amy with the The Studio

Wedding Planner: Fearon May Events Photobooth: Rocket Booths

Cigar Roller: Casillas Cigars Personalized Napkins & Matches: The Knot

Place Cards, Sign and table names: Bella Vita Invitations

Florist: Botanica Floral Design

Amanda and Alex celebrated their wedding day with their close family and friends at the Old Sugar Mill this September.  It was such a pleasure and honor to work with such a sweet person!  Working with Aimee of 2Chic Events and Design, Amanda’s day came together beautifully! I think you’ll just love this modern purple-inspired wedding!  Special thanks to Jessica of Stout Photography for the gorgeous images!

You might remember Amanda’s bouquet from an early photograph I captured…

The bridesmaid’s wore beautiful orchid purple dresses.

The couple married under the arch in the back of the Old Sugar Mill.  A chandelier from The Find Rentals hung in the center of the arch.  Floral accents were placed on the arch to add some additional color.

Uplighting of purples from SJ’s Disc Jockey added a fun element to the room.

Centerpieces were created in all white glass containers with purple, magenta and green florals. Magenta crushed linens were used for the tables.

What do you think?  Do you love this look?

Photography: Stout Photography | Event Design & Planning: 2Chic Events & Design | Floral Design: Botanica Floral Designs | Cake:  Sweet Cakes by Rebecca | Linens: Mimi & Co Couture Linens | DJ/MC/Lighting: SJ’s Disc Jockey | Centerpiece Vases & Chandelier Rental: The Find | Makeup Artistry: Christi Reynolds

If you love a soft, dreamy look for your wedding, you might just be in love after seeing this styled inspirational shoot!  The overall design and idea behind this shoot was to make a ‘fantasy-like’ day.  With tulle ‘poof balls’ and hanging umbrellas… this is just the beginning!

Featured on Ruffled blog, one of my favorite places to point brides to for inspiration, the details are just so opulent!  We worked alongside Coquette Events who brought all of the details and day of planning together for these dreamy photos taken by Tinywater Photography.

Typically, tulle isn’t the most err.. modern element we see in weddings these days; however, en masse, it can make a dramatic and romantic look!  We also hung these tulle balls with the umbrellas (from fishing line) to add color above our dessert station.

The flowers for the bridal bouquet consisted of dahlias, lisianthus, brunia & ranunculus to name a few.  The overall look is texture rich and whimsical.

Small touches such as this textured pillow and the curl leaf flatware added to the opulence of this table display.  The linens… Wildflower linens, need I say more.  With a dusty blue tone and gold metallic detailing.  For reference it is called Gatsby Aqua… don’t you love that!

Photography:  Tinywater Photography | Event Coordinator: Coquette Events | Floral Design: Botanica Floral Designs | Desserts: Sugar & Spice Specialty Desserts | Video:  LoveSpun Handmade Films | Linens: Wildflower Linens | Tutus: The Little Pea | Masks: Tom Banwell | Models: Lauren & Alex from Exalt Model and Talent Agency, Kiera Shimamoto Tong | Wedding Dress: Miosa Couture | Shoes: Hey Lady Shoes by the Leung Twins | Cake Topper: Over the Top Studios by Amada Lebel | Silverware: Classic Party Rentals | Make-Up & Hair: Rona Basa, Luxe Image

Here’s a lovely little Fall Inspiration shoot to gear you up for this week’s holiday.  And, while you might not be spending your Thanksgiving outdoors, you’ve got to love the Fall color combination and woodland touches incorporated.  Special thanks to Carmen Salazar Photography for capturing these beautiful images!

A “runner” of mismatched and varied heights of log rounds were used as a tabletop for centerpieces, food and drinks.  The different heights and non-traditional table is quite fun, and really makes a statement.

I wanted to mix in a metallic element, so we utilized antique bronzed vessels filled with simple blooms of orange gerberas, sunflowers and foliages.

An antique tea kettle makes a perfect vessel for florals.  And, a grouping of grapes which sits a top this slab of wood is the perfect accent and doubles as a snack for your guests.

A wooden slab makes the perfect serving platter for this rustic outdoor affair.

I hope you all have a wonderful and safe Thanksgiving with your families.  There are so many wonderful things to be thankful for!

Fall is one of my favorite times of the year!  The leaves changing color… the cool weather… boots and leggings!  I also love Fall for the warm color palettes we get to utilize for wedding design and fun decor elements!

Here’s a quick inspirational look I pulled together in the studio this morning to share with you all!  I am LOVING these glass cloches we just added to our inventory.  Anything you place inside them becomes extra special and a focal point.

Here I’ve simply arranged some orange ilex berries, succulents and moss… Aged bronze candlesticks and containers are used for vessels.  These would be perfect for tabletop decor and vintage Fall centerpieces.

I’ve utilized vintage book rentals from Archive Vintage Rentals to add some height and a little “pop” of color with the teal.

I love the look of the book under the glass!

Clusterings of these arrangements and small vignettes would look lovely down the center of a long banquet table.

More books and succulents.  I love using succulents for wedding design.  Your guests and family can take them home and plant them in their garden to keep for years after your wedding.

Hope this post gets you a little in the Fall spirit!  Keep bundled up and check back later this week for more fun ideas!

There’s something I’ve learned with running and operating a small business such as Botanica Floral Designs… it’s not possible to do it all yourself & you’ve got to have a team {or small army} as I call it to make things happen and to be successful.  I am extremely fortunate to have a great group of people working along with me, and for that I am truly grateful!

With a creative business it is sometimes difficult to ‘give up the reigns’ so to speak and trust that others will carry out the same attention to detail and care with each task at hand as if I were to do it all myself.  Communication, consistency, positivity and an impeccable eye are all qualities we highly value and continue to work on with our team.  Our designers are continually growing, and it is encouraging and inspiring to see each of them grow and expand their eye for design.  After all, floral design is something you truly become better at with experience and practice.  As the season begins to slow down this year, I wanted to just say a big thank you to all of our team members & designers who are the driving force behind each of the events we work on.

Here are a few images of our team working and delivering events…

Countless hours designing centerpieces, bouquets, cleaning buckets, loading vans….

Even with long days, we’re all still smiling.  Feet may be hurting, but we’re smiling! : )

You can’t build an arch by yourself.  Helping hands are essential with large installations.

Recent Tahoe wedding… there’s always a dinner involved with a days worth of hard work!  It’s not the glam-ist of jobs.  A lot of hauling product in and out of locations, “glowing” aka sweating, and late night pick-ups.

We always find time for a hot chocolate break when the weather’s cold, or a conference in the cooler in the Summer.  Of course we also enjoy singing along with the radio, chatting about the craziest of subjects and laughing… a lot of laughing.

Thanks Ladies!  I appreciate all you do!

If your heart goes pitter-patter at the sight of anything vintage… as mine does… then you are going to be so excited to know that Archive Vintage Rentals has finally arrived here in Northern California!  I am thrilled to have been asked to join the team, and will be representing their amazing inventory here in the Northern California region.  From San Luis Obipso to Fresno, to Tahoe, to the San Francisco Bay, and Napa-Sonoma, we have all your vintage wedding needs and styling!  Unique statement furniture pieces such as sofas and settees, seating & table top pieces for up to 300+ guests… what’s a vintage bride not to love?

Here is just a few samples of our inventory, and what we have to offer:

Large furniture pieces for vignettes, vintage dessert tables, cake table accent pieces.

Vintage chandeliers to hang for your ceremony, from a tree, or over a focal table.  I love this one, but we have so many to choose from!

Vintage suitcases for rent and props to add to guest book tables.

Vintage window escort card displays.

Chairs to seat up to 300+ guests.  We love the eclectic look!  We also have church pews for outdoor ceremonies… so beautiful!

From tables, to chairs, to tabletop, we’ve got it all, and doesn’t it look beautiful!

A variety of tin cans, milk glass, silver pieces, & colored glass that can all be used as floral vessels and accent pieces.

And yes, we’ll even rent you an airstream!

If you are interested in discussing how we can help connect you with all of these beauties, give us a ring at 916-673-8650.  Not only will we help you select the perfect pieces, design a cocktail lounge area, but we can also come to your wedding and style it all for you as well!

This dramatic and richly colored bouquet was designed with purple and lavender stock, tulips, lisianthus and tulips.  I love the texture and depth created with these varying flowers.

There are some key differences between escort cards and place cards, and why you might need one or both for your wedding.

Escort Cards are utilized to direct guests to assigned tables.  I always suggest assigning tables for your guests as it alleviates any confusion as guests walk into the reception area, and where they should sit.  You can also pair up couples or singles who might enjoy each others company and make for a more enjoyable experience for your guests.  If you need to keep certain family members on opposing sides of the room, this also comes in handy.  Escort Cards can be created in a few different ways, but there is the tent card or flat card that can be displayed on a table, hanging from a tree, crystals, or placed within a design your guests can pick these up from.

These adorable black, white and red tent escort cards were created by Invitations Ink.

Billy Ball escort Cards placed in a grass tabletop

Another way you can assign tables is to write your guests’ names on a vintage window, chalkboard, or get a custom sign made that you can display on an easel.

Place cards on the other hand assign an actual seat at a particular table.  If you and your fiance have arranged a plated meal, this is necessary, especially when meal choices are an option for guests.  The caterer’s servers can be cued to whom might be eating steak by a rhinestone colored accent on the place cards.

I don’t recommend having place cards serve dual purposes as an escort card as well as place card as these can be easily lost or misplaced.

Another great option would be to have your favor serve as a place card and additional adornment to your table design.

Hopefully this little tip helps you understand the difference between place cards and escort cards.  If you have any wedding related questions you’d like answered, feel free to email me directly, and we can answer your question right here on the blog!  Email me at :  audrey@botanicafloraldesigns.com

Sharing a few photos from Ashly and Joe’s Newcastle Wedding Gardens wedding!  The wedding colors were in the peach to coral shades with a shabby feel to her containers and overall design.  Hope you enjoy just a few teasers!

For the ceremony, we hung large pomander balls of carnations, roses, moss and hanging amaranthus to add a nice bright “pop” of color to the ceremony arbor.

The bouquets featured soft tones with accents of peaches, corals and sage greens.

Ashly made these beautiful escort cards that were hung with miniature clothespins on a wrought iron trellis.

The shabby table centerpieces featured white-washed containers with an eclectic feel.  Small miniature birds, and table numbers created from spools with hand-stitching were the perfect accents.

Each guest took home fabric-wrapped jams with a jute accents.  So cute!