Katharine’s Big Day :: The Flowers

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From the start, we’ve been up front about one thing: Katharine’s not a big flower fan. But will her wedding day feature flowers? Yes, in fact it will. Read on for the story behind her transformation from flower foe to flower fan!

From Katharine: The cat’s out of the bag: I’m not a flower child, and haven’t spent hours dreaming (or agonizing, as the case may be) about my wedding flowers. (There’s probably some sort of rehab or intense treatment for wedding editors like me, right?)

But don’t get me wrong: while I’m not a flower expert like my fellow editors, I did have a very clear picture of what kinds of flowers I wanted – and didn’t want – at my wedding. I’m a traditional bride, and traditional brides carry roses. Right? RIGHT. In true anti-bride fashion, I wasn’t going to carry just any rose, though: my roses would be white, and simple. No reds, no pinks, no full garden roses… you get the gist. White Akito roses, with a few spray roses thrown in if I was feeling extra crazy before the wedding.

What about my bridesmaids, you ask? Yes, you guessed it: my nine lovely attendants (of which Emily is one!) also would carry white roses. Fun times! In my defense and in addition to my being a traditionalist who sees white roses as the emblematic wedding flower, I genuinely was – and still am – convinced that an all-white palette would be striking against my maids’ black gowns. (I’m also marrying the sweetest color-blind boy you’ve ever met, so a black + white wedding is perfect, right?)

From Emily: As Katharine says, she basically started out with flower tunnel vision: white roses, white roses, and (just a few more) white roses. My first timid suggestion was that she might consider a mix of traditional roses, garden roses, and blown-out spray roses — all in white, of course. She said she would think about it. For months, though, it was all roses all the time, and I decided this wasn’t an avenue worth pursuing. Then one day last week, completely out of the blue, she sent me an email with the title “WEDDING FLOWER SHOCKER.”

From Katharine: I’m honestly not sure who was more shocked – me, the self-described anti-bride who forever and ever and always has insisted she would have an all-rose wedding, or Emily, my trusty right-hand maid who has endured my black + white obsession – but one day I decided there would be other flowers at my wedding. Other flowers, as in not roses. Other flowers, like tulips, and sweet peas, and hydrangeas, and baby’s breath and peonies! Not. Roses.

Before y’all go all wedding crazy on me, I want to reassure you that I, in fact, still will be carrying a traditional all-white bouquet filled with traditional Akito roses, spray roses and maybe, just maybe, a few garden roses for good measure. I’m, well, traditional like that. (My co-maids of honor, little sis Bissy and college friend Molly, will be carrying smaller versions of my bouquet.) But as for the other seven ladies, well, they’ll each be carrying something different! And not a single stem will be a rose.

Image credits, clockwise from top left: unknown, Amelia Lyon, personal photo, unknown, Altmix Photography, personal photo, unknown

After seeing a few beyond-gorgeous shots of mix-and-match bouquets (below), I knew that Emily had almost let me make a very, very grave mistake. To help break up the sea of black that will be my bridesmaids’ dresses, I’m going to pick individual blooms that remind me of each girl. (I’m saving my flower choices for the big day, but any guesses as to what I’ll be assigning Em?)

The catch: while I was willing to loosen my beyond-strict flower strictures, I wasn’t willing to budge on color. The bouquets still will be all-white (with very little greenery), but the seven unique blooms should add that subtle flair Emily’s been pushing me to consider for the past year.

Image credits, left to right: Karlin Connell, Trista Lerit via Southern Weddings (bouquets by The Treasured Petal)

Below are a few of the blooms I’m considering for my ladies: sweet peas, peonies, hydrangeas, tulips, ranunculus, garden roses, snapdragons and baby’s breath. What do you think?

Image credits: top row: unknown, second row: photos by Trista Lerit via Southern Weddings (bouquets by The Treasured Petal), third row, left to right: unknown, Leigh Miller via Southern Weddings, and The Knot

From Emily: Bouquets? Check. Moving on. Since Harvard’s chapel is historic and has pretty stringent guidelines about what can and can’t be used to decorate, the only ceremony decor will be two large clouds of baby’s breath flanking the altar. Easy peesy. Why baby’s breath? All the convincing Katharine needed was Emily + Nathan’s wedding from Leigh Miller, featured on SW back in September. Gorgeous, right?

Speaking of baby’s breath, it’s managed to make its way into the reception, as well! And this, ladies and gentlemen, was a feat. Katharine’s original plan was to set out elegant, multi-armed candelabra on long tables. And that was it. Lovely, simple, done? Not quite. Though she was not interested in suggestions of interspersed flower arrangements (even white roses!), single stems of blooms, or clustered smaller votives, she bit when I mused it might be lovely to weave garlands of baby’s breath down the center of the table, in between the candelabra. Lovely, simple, done!

Image credits, clockwise from top left: Marie Labbancz Photography, OC’s Finest Weddings, Weddingbee, I Do Declare, Nightingales, The Knot, Allegro Photography

From Katharine: With flowers settled, there really was only one question left to ponder: who would supply + style the blooms for my big day? Truth be told, I was more excited about this part than the actual flower planning process, because I knew exactly who I wanted to handle all my flower needs.

Remember our little trip to WaterColor last August? Did you happen to see the stunning + sophisticated blooms in that spread? Well I sure did, and I also remembered that the online-based Fifty Flowers was responsible for the SW floral gorgeousness. I’d heard of DIY brides who ordered their weddings flowers online and designed their own bouquets and arrangements, but wasn’t sure I qualified as a DIY gal. (I’m not, as Emily would tactfully affirm, the most crafty or creative gal in town!) But after working directly with owner Liza Atwood and her right-hand lady, publicist Lisa Waddington, to coordinate the flowers for our epic SW photo shoot, I was hooked on the idea of ordering flowers online and designing the arrangements from scratch. (Fifty Flower’s seemingly endless selection of blooms, and very reasonable prices, didn’t hurt either! A few SW readers even named FF their Best Wedding Fab Find in a recent SW contest.)

A quick email to Lisa, and we were well on our way to planning the perfect all-white palette for our September wedding. The only problem? With Fifty Flowers providing the stunning stems, who would be responsible for styling the blooms? (Hint: it sure isn’t going to be me! You can breathe a sigh of relief.)

Our Editor-in-Chief, Lara, is my floral designer!

From Lara: Yep, you are reading this right. I am doing Katharine’s wedding flowers. I am a professional. I used to design for this guy. I did flowers for my own company. I know what I am doing. Why am I drilling this point home? 1. I love Fifty Flowers. Their blooms are impeccable. Our Watercolor shoot was a dream. 2. I personally do not, however, like the idea of brides doing their own flowers for large weddings. Ladies, do not … I repeat … DO NOT attempt to do your own wedding flowers on your own wedding day unless you are really, really prepared! Trust me, on the morning of your wedding you’ll want to relax, not think about pruning rose thorns so your maids don’t get stabbed. Maybe have a friend do them. Maybe. I always advocate hiring professionals for any service, and your wedding flowers are one area you shouldn’t take chances with. Phew! OK, now that I have my disclaimer out of the way….

My hotel room will be set at a brisk 55 degrees farenheight all weekend. I will be solely responsible for the cooling bill at said hotel that month. I’m okay with that. Katharine is worth bringing a parka or two in my suitcase!

Katharine’s taste is classic, which means all the best blooms are in order. Her new love for baby’s breath, thanks to Emily, makes my little floral heart go pitter patter. We make a great team, no? One hates, one coerces, one creates! I’m genuinely honored to be doing this for Katharine and Kyle. What they’ve chosen is simple, yet purposeful and timeless. They’ll look back on their pictures in 20 years and still love these blooms.

To help ensure success and minimize stress, I’ve recruited a floral assistant who I’ve used before. Luckily, I am married to aforementioned assistant, so he enjoys our time together. He would not want me to mention to you that he knows the names of most flowers and more wedding terminology than most females. Oops.

What I’m most excited about with Katharine’s flowers are the personals. The bridal bouquet is always my favorite piece to craft. I love the idea of black ribbon and intricate wrapping around simple monochromatic blooms. Now if I can just keep myself from balling when I hand her that bouquet in her gorgeous gown. I will be a mess. Luckily, flowers happen to like extra water.

Up next? Cake! Yum.

Weigh in: What sort of flowers are you having at your wedding? Or do you not like flowers, either? (Katharine wants to start a support group.)

Previously:

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