The Comforts of Home

Welcome to Katie & Bragi's wedding!
From the very beginning, Katie had a vision that her wedding would be 'earthy, rustic, natural and personal'. She chose to have her wedding at her sister's house which made it even more special. On our first site visitation, I was just in awe of the house - it was heavily fortressed by trees and calmed with the soothing sounds of a waterfall that trickled into a stream that ran along the center of the yard. If I didn't know any better, I would have thought I was at some mountain resort - not in the heart of Los Angeles!

The ceremony took place underneath a tree where we strung mason jars filled with floating flowers:

The bridal bouquet consisted of anemones, veronica, daffodil, sweet pea, freesia, wheat stalks, finished with camelia and hosta leaves. We created bridesmaid bouquets of green blooms using helebores, succulents, viburnum, and bits of bupleurum. We wrapped the stems using galax and leather twine.


Katie's nephew served as the ringbearer - his piercing blue eyes and slightly askew bowtie gives this fellow such character! He held a bird's nest with mood moss and a succulent. More leather twine held the (fake) rings.


The boutonnieres were succulents with hypericum, curly willow, silver dollar eucalyptus and dogwood, complete with Bragi's own personal touch:

I find that I can't continue without singing the praises of Lindsey and April from Sweet Monday Photography. They captured everything so well with a quality that is, well...sweet. These two gals are just down to earth and personable & I can see why Katie chose them for her wedding. Their bio states that they once drove to six places looking for pie - something Kendra and I can instantly relate to! :)

Apparently they blogged right before the wedding about wanting to get a picture of moss initials. Coincidentally, we did moss letters with succulents and manzanita branches to greet guests as they entered:

The couple looking blithe and happy. Katie made such a beautiful bride!

Katie wanted the flowers to have a just-gathered-from the garden effect using blooms that weren't formal or rigid. Mason jars lined the center of the table along with vases of candles. Each candle was accented with pine cones, sword fern, wheat stalks, coffee beans or curly willow loops.


The rustic wooden tables are from Classic Party Rentals, along with the chargers and cube salt & pepper shakers. Please note that the following subpar quality pics are NOT from Sweet Monday but from my beloved blackberry phone...tweaked using picnik.com!

*Centerpieces consisted of freesia, mums, Star of Bethlehem, bouvardia, ranunculus, bupleurum, and honeysuckle vines.

The table cards were designed and printed by the bride as she is a talented graphic designer. Check out her site www.beodesigns.com. Throughout the wedding, Katie tied everything together with her personal touches, down to a cake topper of pine cones she found from her engagement at a ski resort!


Katie really understood that when you incorporate these kinds of special details, you guests will only know you better as a couple. That is a true celebration of a wedding! Congratulations to Katie & Bragi :)

Ask & You Shall Receive!

Tianyi from Tiselle graciously sent us pictures of Trishia & Jason's invites. Aren't they incredible?!


Accept an invitation like this, and expect an event no less!

The details on this box were nothing short of amazing. Tianyi spent hours gluing on those itty bitty crystals:


And the finishing touch:


There's just this charm about everything that Tianyi creates. Her business cards alone are works of art - I have it posted on my wall at home! Now she's going to think I'm creepy. haha

Check out Tianyi's blog to get the latest happenings of Tiselle! She will be heading to the National Stationary Show in New York this year. Did we mention that Tiselle is also eco friendly? Their committment is to "subsidize 75% of the electrical powers at our shop with solar panels thus reducing our carbon footprint. Our products are made with a combination of FSC certified 100% cotton paper sans chlorine bleach or 100% post consumer paper."

If you couldn't already tell, we're big fans and know that you will be too! :)

Wedding Extravaganza at the Westlake Four Seasons

It was deliciously toasty at the Four Seasons in Westlake Village this weekend. While it was blistering hot outside, you wouldn't have known it from standing in the center of the transformed ballroom (on a round custom dancefloor, no less!). Swagged in panels of chiffon with uplights, the venue was cool, hip, chic, and just all around magical.

(picture courtesy of Joshua Yeh : jcy3@inside.artcenter.edu)

Everyone that helped pull this look together was amazing. While certain details and elements will always stand out, vendors must depend on each other to bring out the best of what we do. Linen needs flowers needs lighting needs photographer needs venue needs bride & groom. And who puts that all together? The coordinator!

Enter: Kelley Gin from Picture Perfect Events. Although Kelley is my very good friend, I'm being objective when I say she is one of the best coordinators around. You wouldn't have guessed all the behind the scenes hurdles that went down but was never seen because Kelley rolled with the punches and pulled it off. Weddings are unpredictable...that's why you need a coordinator!

We also got to work with Ryan Phillips, with whom we've had a secret adoration for ever since seeing his Eucalyptus Lane wedding series. Swoooooooon. We are excited to see when his pictures come in! :D

Wildflower Linens provided luxurious matte satin cashmere linens with a 'Victoria Nude' overlay. We did a variation of high centerpieces:

*hydrangea, lilac, hyacinth, roses, dahlias, tulips, and calla lilies in shades of eggplant, purple, mauve, fuchsia, and deep dark reds with crystal swags

Our low centerpieces were a series of silk wrapped boxes filled the same assortment of flowers and crystal accents. Small glass vases of 'Schwarzwalder' calla lilies surrounded the breakaway set:


G2 Audio and Lighting set the mood with their fantastic lighting and Royal Events was responsible for creating the cool blank canvas with their drapery. When we got there at the end of the night to pick up our rentals, people were still hitting the dance floor to the diggable beats of DJ Orbit.

I wish I had a picture of the letterpress invitations that Tianyi from Tiselle created. You will have to stay tuned for more pictures. It was an awesome day for an awesome couple! Congrats to Trishia and Jason!!

New Galleries!

We've been selfishly hoarding pictures from weddings we've done in the last 6 months but we have now unleashed them into our smugmug gallery!

Some of the pictures you might recognize from our recent blog posts. The others might give you some fun, new ideas for the event you're planning.

You'll find the galleries:

1. Calamigos Ranch - a fairytale wedding took place under the twinkling willow arch at the venue. Soft blues, lavendar, periwinkle, and accents of brown was the color scheme. We love working with Serena Grace because she always captures all the little details and presents them with such crispness and clarity - yet it's also very feminine.

2. Trump National - a hot pink infused wedding accented with turquoise and gold. It was a romantic wedding on the bluffs overlooking the Pacific ocean. We used peonies, cyclamen, ranunculus, roses, mini calla lilies, orchids in shades of raspberry, magenta, and fuchsia. Victor Sizemore always brings us images with an ethereal feel. Soft yet modern and classic!

3. St. Regis - we were in Dana Point yet again for a whimsical wedding, complete with flowering branches, a three tiered chandelier, and soft panels of fabric. The color palette was green, ivory, and cream. This was our first time working with Dennis Santirinala, who is also a fashion photographer. We also got to work with our good friend, Theresa Huang, who created all the gorgeous looks on the bride.

4. Orange County Museum of Art - playful elements set the tone for this fun and modern wedding at the OCMA. You'll find Lego people, square boxwood topiaries, mini apples, and carved lettering on boxes. John Partridge did an awesome job representing this couple!

5. Casa Del Mar -a relaxed wedding in a grand venue with ivory, cream and accents of blue and green. The ballroom in itself is stately with crystal chandeliers, ornamental moulding, and high ceilings, but Linda Lewis not only managed to capture the warmth of the couple and their awesome family, but also depicted a fresh, hip vibe at the reception.




Hope you enjoy!

Behind the Scenes: Wilshire United Methodist

On delivery days, a hurricane of stress ripples through our store and everything is in shambles - foliage on the floor, boxes everywhere, and empty vases haphazardly sitting on some ledge. We have a general rule to get to our appointed location 1/2 hour before arrival time, so we pack up our vans as carefully and quickly as possible. There's no looking back!

*Kendra's car

*euri's car

This past weekend was no different as we headed off to the Wilshire United Methodist Church for Esther & Daniel's wedding. We met Esther at our Great Bridal Expo show at the LAX Sheraton Hotel and hit it off instantly. Esther's vision of her wedding involved pink, pink, and more pink with an accent of espresso brown. We brought in branches, coffee beans, candles and crystals. And Hello Kitty :)

Esther and Daniel originally wanted fish in their centerpieces, but as the church didn't allow pets/animals, we had to go in a different direction. We created an ocean themed arrangement for the sign-in arrangement though, complete with sand, coral, and blooms that emulated starfish.


As a kid, I had a slight obsession with dollhouse furniture because of the meticulous detail that went into creating every piece. In the same way, I see boutonnieres as miniature bouquets and have a lot of fun putting them together. If only I could do this with dollhouse furniture. :S

*our pin-ons are always labeled for easy identification

*the groom's boutonniere: mini calla, berzillia berry, and stephanotis with pink swarovski crystal

For the ceremony, we brought in reversible vases with a layered arrangement atop with trailing crystals.:

*sweet clusters of roses, ranunculus spray roses, and bouvardia. The church provided the organza draping on the aisle. Always ask what your venue provides to help you save on budget!

The reception was held at the church's grand hall, where Gothic and Romanesque architecture provided the foundation for a classic reception.


Esther and Daniel had about 30 tables. She couldn't decide between the centerpiece options we provided for her so she chose them all! We recommend this more for large receptions because you get a good amount of variation of each option.

*the manzanita with cymbidium orchid blooms with birds & moss at the base

*the birds up close

*a center vase of coffee beans and pink candles surrounded by small vases of pink flowers

*the opposite of above with an even plane of 'Titanic' pink roses nestled in coffee beans. Surrounded by three cups of candles with submerged hydrangea

*a wooden tray with roses, ranunculus, lisianthus, and stock. Three vases were nestled within with floating candles

There was actually one more centerpiece but we didn't get a picture of it! hehehe

The reception was to be hosted buffet style and I have to say, the selection of food I saw on the table was overwhelming and crazy! Props to the staff at Grace Catering for bringing in such an array of food that smelled so good and looked so tasty. :)

*oh my...and this was just 1/8 of the shot!

And remember how I said we brought in Hello Kitty? Well here she is on the cake top...

*with her Dear Daniel! They're made of foam board, carnations, pipe cleaners and clay

And no Fleuretica excursion is ever complete without a stop at some location that we wouldn't otherwise visit unless we were in the neighborhood. We had some time to kill so we visited Scoops, a little ice cream shop known for their intricate and unique flavors (goat cheese lavendar anyone?). It actually took 30 min to get there from the church, but we blame that on horrible LA traffic!

*kendra's Jim Beam Vanilla & Mocha ice cream cup

And that, in a nutshell, is how we do it. :D

A Few of My Favorite Things

A few years ago, when Fleuretica had just started, Victoria & David came to us for their wedding flowers. Last week, they came to us again and requested that we design a tablescape for their adorable daughter's birthday brunch! Victoria gave us free reign with the design, with her only stipulation that it was a {Cupcake and Candy} themed party. Not only were we delighted to be working with Vic & David again, but we were excited to put something fun and festive together. If you know Kendra or me, you'll know that this was something we'd probably do for our own kid...or ourselves. :)

The brunch was held at Maison Akira, a french/japanese fusion restaurant in the heart of the Pasadena Playhouse District. I have never eaten there but my brother swears they have the best champagne brunches on Sundays. I guess I have to check it out to see if he's right!

*doesn't it look quaint?

We started from the center of the table and made a cake using spider mums. Most floral supply stores should sell a foam cage on a cake stand, making this project really easy! Just submerge in water and plug in your choice of blooms. We reflexed a rose to emulate the piped whipped cream rosettes. We also added a paper flag garland around the cake stand to give it a whimsical touch (got the idea from Martha). Use any scraps you have lying around, or find cute cardstock or wrapping paper that goes with your color scheme. And don't worry about the patterns or colors not matching - the more the merrier (in this case anyway).

*Z is for Zoe, the birthday girl (that's not a 7....we raised the letter after taking the picture)

We also placed (empty) gift wrapped boxes on the table, adorned with satin bows and tulle.

Then we found little silicone baking cups at Michael's (our finds were pink and yellow flower shaped ones but they also have plain rounded and square ones). We filled them with a little wet foam and made floral cupcakes:

*we used button mums, hydrangea, alstromeria, spray roses and ranunculus. carnations work really well too!

Then we staggered glass vases in various shapes along the center of the table for the candy, using Smarties, Charm Pops, Hershey Chocolate bars, Nestle Crunch eggs, Jelly Beans, and my favorite, PEZ!

*Hello Kitty and My Melody were my absolute favorite growing up!

And putting all the elements together:

If you're feeling adventurous, this is definitely a project you can tackle for a party you're hosting. Most of the decor can be done way ahead of time, which will leave you time to focus on other things. For edible cupcakes (other than real ones) you can spear strawberries or blueberries on toothpicks and use dry foam instead. If you're feeling really resourceful, use greenery or succulents from your backyard to create different textures for the cupcakes. For a really fun touch, add balloons. LOTS of balloons. :)

We always love little projects like this. It was a refresher after a busy, double wedding weekend. We didn't take pictures from the weddings but will leave it to the pros to send us some soon. I'm looking forward to sharing with you a wedding we did at the Pacific Asia Musuem. Please stay tuned!

Jean & Austin

When Jean first came in for a consultation, my thought was "this girl's stylin'". As we got to talk a bit more, I found out that she went to FIDM, had a great sense of fashion, and she is a budding photographer. I knew right away that her wedding details were going to be no less than chic.

To begin with, here's one of many breathtaking engagement shots of Jean & Austin by Amelia Lyon:


With a shot like that, I knew there were high expectations for their wedding! You can find out the backstory to their engagment shots on Amelia's blog - be prepared to be 'wowed' some more!

Jean and I originally talked over incorporating black accents into the wedding but the idea was later expunged because black is a bad luck color in some chinese weddings (some say white is...it just depends on who you ask!). Jean honored the wishes of her family and we changed up the colors to blushes, medium pink, silver/grays, and ivory. And we snuck in some black accents here and there...sssh!

*Jean looking modelesque with a bouquet of peonies, ranunculus, freesia, edged with dusty miller

Something to note, the weather had been horrendous the days prior to the wedding. Heavy rainfall and cold temperatures do not make for a great wedding day! However, in the hours leading up to the ceremony, the sun made an appearance and it was a beautiful day!

*under magnolia trees at the Langham - Amelia has a great eye. The girls carried simple bouquets of ranunculus, finished with slate gray ribbon

*again, one of the best moments!

*a backdrop of crystal strings, dendrobium orchid strands, and threaded cymbidium orchids at the Branca Patio at Occidental College

*the happy couple

To see more pictures from this wedding, check out their slideshow!

Randoms:
1. We ran into Jean and Austin the next day at our Festival of Bride's Wedding Show (at the Langham). Jean was happy so we were happy!!
2. This was our second time working with gerber daisies, the first time being in January of this year! It's perfect for the pop of black, and like a carnation, can be elegant if used in the right way.

Jean & Austin: thanks for allowing us to be one of many to help you create a beautiful, romantic day! :)