Summer Weddings for Two Sisters

What a busy summer for the Dannels family! Catie and Calli both got married, one in July and one in August. I was lucky enough to be the florist for both and enjoyed seeing their different visions come to life.

Catie and her bridesmaids- Photos by Steele House Photography

Calli and her bridesmaids- Photos by Grassroots Studio

Can you see the difference in styles? Catie wanted lilies and roses in white and burgundy with blue accents, and a beautiful cascading bouquet. Calli’s colors were rust and orange with dried elements and her bouquet had a free-flowing, organic feel.

Some of the flowers I used in Catie’s bouquet were white lily, burgundy spray rose, alstromeria, Polar Star rose, astrantia and blue thistle. Calli’s bouquet had Coffee Break rose, Sahara spray rose, white scabiosa, chocolate cosmos, pampas and bunnytail grass.

And finally, I love the tiny details a photographer captures. These are the moments of your wedding you want to remember.

October Wedding in Loose Park

When I blog about one of my weddings, I always make notes first about special things I want to include. Every wedding I do is special to me, and there are always little details that stand out. This wedding was no exception!

Jessica and Tyson were married on October 23, 2021 in one of my favorite places, Loose Park in Kansas City, Missouri. In fact I considered this whole area my neighborhood at one time. I worked just blocks away as a chemist for MRI Global. I played in Loose Park on weekends with my husband because it was free entertainment and we had no money! The reception at the Grand Street Cafe was next door to my favorite chocolate malt place, Winsteads. So many memories!

(All photographs are by A.Lane Photography)

But that’s only one of the special things about this wedding. For instance, I have known the groom’s family for a very long time. Like way back. And I know the bride’s sister because I did her wedding as well! These are the things that bring a wedding story together for me. It really inspires me to create a floral vision when I have so many little stories and memories to piece together about a couple.

Flower girl with crown

Hand-tied cascade bridal bouquet

Groom's Boutonniere

Bridesmaids' bouquets with hydrangea and eucalyptus

The bride wanted a big flowy bouquet, all white with lots of greenery. I used white roses and ranunculus, snapdragons, stock and hydrangea, with several types of eucalyptus including seeded. There was a pretty severe flower shortage in 2021, especially with white flowers, but with enough perseverance I was able to get most of what I wanted to use.

The sweetest thing Jessica told me during our consultation was that she wanted her bridesmaids’ bouquets to feel special and look bigger, not small and unimportant. I don’t usually hear that from brides, and I think you can tell by this picture that the outcome was stunning!

Another picture of Jessica’s bouquet so you can see the hand-tied cascade. Also her dress was so beautiful!

Sisters!

The Kansas City Skyline and all the wedding PARTY vibes

So romantic! The couple wanted their wedding to be simple, elegant and classic and I think this picture sums it all up nicely. Jessica and Tyson, thank you so much for asking me to be your wedding florist, and best wishes for many happy married years.

How It's Made- Wedding Flowers Edition

I wonder if you’ve wondered what goes on in my floral studio the week before a wedding? I thought I would share some photos that explain my job as a wedding florist and give you some insight into what happens behind the scenes. Never a dull moment!

It starts out pretty calm. My studio is relatively clean and organized. The trash is empty and the flower buckets are all clean. I love this feeling. This is Monday. 

On Tuesday I pre-fill all the buckets with water and flower food so I am ready for flower delivery on Wednesday. I also check all my supplies- tape, wire, floral glue, ribbon, vases. I will not have time to run to town and purchase these things anytime later this week!

Wednesday is the big day! My wholesaler delivers all the flowers I spent so much time choosing for your wedding, and puts them in my cooler. The next step for me is to make sure I got everything I ordered, in the right colors and quantities. Seems like that should not be a problem, but I work with Mother Nature. Sometimes flowers are smaller than I expected due to extreme weather where they were grown. Sometimes the wholesaler will substitute for something else that may be way too pink when I needed blush. Sometimes the flowers looked fine in their protective wrap but are in bad condition when I open them up. Luckily I work with some great growers and wholesalers that help me get everything I need even if they have to come back on Thursday!

Designing with flowers

Red roses

Eucalyptus greenery

Thursday and Friday are my work days. I need to prioritize from your order what can be made two days before the wedding and what will need to be made the day before. In general, bouquets are made Thursday because I want them to have the very best flowers from each bunch, and because they are stored in vases with water so they will last longer. Boutonnieres and corsages need to be made on Friday because they do not have a water source. 

As you can see by these photos, it’s at this point my whole studio looks like a flower explosion. I’m not neat or careful about where the stems and leaves end up. I have little piles of greenery and flowers everywhere, and I’m constantly moving buckets of flowers in and out of the cooler. Controlled chaos.

When I have the bride’s bouquet done, I “try it on”.  If you look you can see my arm in this photo. I stand in front of the mirror with it and look at it the way a photographer would, looking for holes or things that just don’t sit right.  

When the corsages and boutonnieres are done, they all get bagged and labeled. I have learned over the years to triple check everything I do. I get the names of everyone receiving flowers from the bride, make the labels, and check the list against the actual order, just to make sure nothing gets overlooked. 

And then it’s wedding day! For an average wedding, it takes about 45 minutes to load my vehicle. The bouquets are in vases loaded in special crates. Everything else is packed strategically so nothing gets crushed. (It should be noted here that strategically packing a car is not my forte’ but I’m getting better!) In the summer, I have the AC on full blast. In the winter, I have to make sure everything is covered in plastic. And then I drive like my grandma the whole way to the wedding! I am always so happy and relieved to empty my vehicle and get positive feedback on my work. The anxiety that has built up over the last week is all gone when the bride tells me how much she loves her bouquet.

Here are the top five things that motivate me during wedding week:

1.) Country Music on Alexa while I work. (Weirdly this is the only time in my life that I listen to country music).

2.) LaCroix

3.) Dot’s Pretzels

4.) Friends that help me on big weddings. (It’s lonely working alone).

5.) The music I’ve been listening to as I deliver the flowers: Jason Mraz, Classic Rock, and Hamilton the musical!

I really love wedding flowers! Please refer me to all your friends- wedding weekends are filling up for 2022!

Makenzie and Jordan at the Historic Post Office

May 1, 2021

Makenzie Harder and Jordan Turner were married on a beautiful spring day in May, exactly 364 days after they originally planned to be married. The venue changed, the guest list changed, the floral order changed slightly, and I’m sure there were many other things I don’t even know about. Like other couples who needed to change their wedding date in 2020, these two had to make adjustments. But through it all, from my perspective, they did it with much grace and compassion for the situation and the vendors they were working with. 

For me this wedding held many firsts. It was my first re-schedule from 2020. It was my first time doing a wedding at the beautiful Historic Post Office in Ottawa, Kansas. And it was the first time I have had to lean on friends and family to help me put a big wedding together, while I was with my husband in the hospital as he was having heart surgery. I couldn’t have done it without help! I didn’t want this couple to know my situation because I knew that could add stress to their perfect day. So from processing all the flowers for me, to designing centerpieces, to delivering and setting up with me, Alice, Gay and Maryann are the reason I was able to keep my anxiety at bay and deliver what I promised to Makenzie. Everything turned out perfectly, including my husband’s heart surgery, and I am so thankful for people I can rely on when things are crazy.

Makenzie’s dream was blush, navy, dusty blue, gray, elegant, formal, peonies and Gerber daisies. We met over coffee way back in 2019 and talked about her favorite flowers and the overall feeling of her wedding. She was one of those brides who trusted me from the beginning and that makes my job so easy.  She was truly a joy to work with. And as another first for me, she was the first bride in 10 years to email me the day after her wedding to tell me how much she loved her flowers!

It’s all in the details when it comes to designing wedding flowers. The centerpieces were sitting on a slice of wood from a family farm. The dusty blue ribbons on the brides bouquet holding her grandmother’s rings. The simplicity of the cake flowers. And the ceremony arch built and stained by her father. (Professional photos by Adam Pane)

I can’t say enough about this beautiful venue. The lighting in the dining room was beautiful and the private courtyard with the big old tree was perfect for the ceremony. From the florist’s perspective delivering two carloads of heavy floral things, the back entry with just a few steps made everything so easy. And the staff was the best, great communication and helpful on wedding day.

I always take a picture of the bride’s bouquet on the same limestone rock near my flower garden, and I use no filters. It helps me to remember the true color of things for future weddings.

And here they are! Makenzie and Jordan, happily married in 2021! I’m sure they would agree it was worth the wait. Thank you for letting me be a part of your magical day!

Sisters in St. Louis

My sister’s sister-in-law got married in St. Louis on September 5, 2020 and I got to be the wedding florist! I was happy and honored to be a part of Mary Beth and James’ big day, but I was equally thrilled and excited to work , play and hang out with my sister Melissa who I hadn’t seen in months thanks to the pandemic.

When I said yes to this wedding, I knew I would have to find a place to purchase flowers and design in St. Louis since it is six hours from my studio. A huge thank you to the Baisch and Skinner home office for renting Melissa and me space to work, and allowing me to order and pick up all my flowers from them. They are my wholesaler at home as well, with a branch in Topeka. Always the very best customer service!

The wedding was held at St. Joan of Arc Catholic Church and the reception was at The Cedars Event Center. It was a joy to work with Mary Beth on all the details. After a year that created many challenges for everyone, especially the Abkemeier family, it was so nice to be able to help with this event that brought joy to such a nice family.

Mary Beth’s colors were shades of plum and lavender with pale yellow accents. We used lavender roses, plum callas, lisianthus, scabiosa, and ranunculus, along with yellow stock. Beautiful for a late summer/early fall wedding!

I just had to include this picture to prove we were in St. Louis! It was such a fun weekend spending time with my sister. Even though she’s not a florist, she has worked in the business and has the same love of flowers I do. It was hectic not working in my own studio and not knowing my way around the area, but Melissa and I even managed to find time for some takeout food and a glass of wine. Congratulations to Mary Beth and James and thank you so much for choosing me to be your florist!

Photos by Sarah Klump with White-Klump Photography

Wear a hat! My two cents about winter.

This is a picture of me wearing a winter hat. It’s a new concept for me. Until our Year of Pandemic happened, I really always tried to look my best every day. But then you know what happened- sweat pants, same t-shirt for several days unless I was on a Zoom call, then nicer shirt and same sweat pants. I picked up some great new habits though, like walking in my little town every day, meeting new dogs along the way, enjoying the sunshine on a deeper level. When cold weather came along, I knew I was going to need to make a new sunshine plan.

If I’m being honest, I’m one of those people that gets sad in the winter, even though I love snow and cold weather. And with the anxiety of 2020 I couldn’t let my sad days be worse than normal, so I decided to keep walking. I told myself if the temperature was above 40, no wind, and sun shining, I would go for a walk. Hard core commitment, I know.

This is the part about the hat. I have never been a hat person for so many reasons- smushed hair, static electricity, smushed hair. But if I’m going to keep walking on cold days, I’m going to need to wear a warm hat! And it turns out no one in my town of 500 people cares how I look when I pass by their house! I can even wear lime green with burgundy! This picture was taken on January 1, 2021 in a blizzard, not even 40 degrees!

So here’s to January, my birthday month, and hats! I wish the best that 2021 has to offer to each of you. And I hope if you got engaged, you will ask me to be a part of your best year ever! Happy New Year!

The light at the end of the tunnel!

It’s here! Pantone’s Color of the Year for 2021 and it is actually two colors. Illuminating which is a sunny yellow, and Ultimate Gray which needs no explanation. Pantone chooses colors late each year that will be trending in the coming year. According to this New York Times article these colors very clearly represent “the light at the end of the tunnel”. Maybe “A Tale of Two Years”? “Out with the old, in with the new”? The difference between 2020 and 2021?

Ultimate Gray and Illuminating

In my world of Kansas weddings, could this be the year of the sunflower?

Let me know what you think. Is yellow an option for your wedding? There are some beautiful natural yellow flowers that can be used as a soft contrast with many other colors. And honestly, gray and yellow are beautiful together. Click here for more bouquet photos with yellow accents.

Sarah and Branson at the Hartford Methodist Church

The wedding of Sarah Moyer and Branson Kocher was at the Hartford Methodist Church in Hartford Kansas on October 10, 2020. What a beautiful small town church! Old woodwork, stained glass windows and lots of wedding memories over the years I’m sure.

Thomas Felts Photography

And look at that dress! So classic, and the little details were stunning. Sarah made such a beautiful bride. Her flower request for her bouquet was burgundy dahlias and anything that went with them.

There were FOUR flower girls wearing flower crowns and dropping rose petals. Plumosus crowns with baby’s breath and pixie carnations in burgundy.

Sarah’s bouquet- a close up. There are Quicksand roses, blush anemone, astrantia, burgundy hypericum berries, spray roses and burgundy dahlias,

Sarah and Branson

I have so many connections with Sarah and her family. Her mother is a close friend of mine, we are all PEO sisters, and our families were a part of the same 4H club. I’ve said it before, but it is always a joy to work with a bride that I know. I pride myself on making the day extra special with my attention to detail, and that is so much easier when I have that personal connection.

Click here if you are interested in working with me!

Spring, is that you?

I admit I’ve been hibernating/hermitting for the last few weeks. Everything is strange and weird and different and I like things to stay the same. Not my best quality. All my 2020 customers are dealing with hard decisions every day and I don’t feel like I have any good advice or insight to share. Our whole floral industry is on hold- from the growers, to the shippers, to the wholesalers. No one knows the answers to any of the hard questions. So I just kept quiet. But then I decided to get some fresh air/fresh perspective and pull some weeds. And guess what? Spring came in the middle of a global pandemic! Some things do stay the same and I couldn’t be more grateful! So here are some pictures of better things to come, especially in my little flower garden world. These are all things I have used in your bouquets and will again for all my future brides. Happy Spring!

This one is new from late last summer and I can’t wait to use it. Stairway to Heaven- Jacob’s Ladder.

Sweet little fine foliage plant that turns silver gray as it grows into a mound- Silver Mound Artemisia.

I know it’s hard to tell but this shrub’s leaves will turn dark burgundy as they grow. The perfect bouquet accent for fall weddings.

This is a peony! I am so excited to watch this grow and bloom. One of my favorites!

Purple Hyacinth- I don’t get to use this flower very often as it blooms in early spring when I don’t have many weddings. But it blooms with many flowers on a stalk and smells heavenly.

And of course Tomato plants! I don’t have a huge garden anymore but I always plant at least a few tomatoes in my flower beds.

I know that to others these might just be pictures of dirt and leaves, but I see more. Gardening is a hopeful hobby. In my mind, I can always see the great things to come. So I walk through my spring flowers every day looking forward to what summer will bring. I am hopeful for summer and fall weddings and I will be ready to help you plan your wedding flowers, or make changes and updates when you need to. Hopeful, faithful, positive and optimistic. These are the words I use most when things are hard and they definitely apply to gardening and pandemics!

Rustic Boho Fall Wedding at Mill Creek Lodge in Alma, Kansas

The weather was absolutely perfect for an outdoor fall wedding. The setting was too. The wedding of Abby and Dayton Allen was held on October 19, 2019 at a beautifully restored barn/lodge venue on Mill Creek in Alma, Kansas. Abby’s idea for a rustic boho wedding was pulled together with vintage carpets, macrame, bolo ties, and fall colors including burgundy, blush, forest green, and burnt orange with lots of copper accents.

Big copper mums, peach carnations, hanging amaranthus, pepperberry, orange waxflower and agonis were used to adorn a pumpkin for the entry.

The groom’s boutonniere was a single brown cymbidium orchid with waxflower and copper wire.

This might be my favorite part of the decor. Dayton built a rustic tepee frame for the ceremony backdrop and we added the florals. Pampas grass, rust, peach, and burnt orange flowers with lots of mixed greenery including agonis, ruscus, and silver dollar eucalyptus.

Why do the girls look way more serious than the boys? Good question that only the photographer may know the answer to! Aren’t these photos beautiful? All by the amazing Hannah Kraus Photography. And another favorite detail of Abby’s inspiration is the hoops for the bridesmaids with mixed greenery, fall flowers and succulents.

This beautiful bouquet checked all my boxes- garden style, lots of texture, vibrant color palette and interesting florals. I loved the way it turned out and think it captured Abby’s dream of a rustic boho wedding.

One more thing that made this wedding so very special- Dayton and Abby are family- and it was a joy and an honor to be the florist for their beautiful fall wedding. I wish them all the very best in their new life together.

If you are newly engaged and want to talk about pretty flowers with me for your 2020 wedding (or 2021!) just hit the Check My Date button at the top of this page! I have some AMAZING couples booked for the new year but I’m looking for some more! Are you one of those couples? I would love to get to know you and talk about your wedding. And if I was your florist and you are seeing this give me shout out if you loved your wedding flowers. Thank you so much!

7 Beautiful Wedding Backdrops →

If your wedding ceremony is in a church, the backdrop is already beautiful. Most churches are decorated with subtle colors, ornate crosses, altar tables, candles, etc. And sometimes churches do not allow you to add much to the altar area as far as backdrops and flowers. If this is true of your wedding just be happy that you can spend more money on flowers at your reception!

If your wedding is somewhere other than a church, you may need to provide a beautiful backdrop- something behind the two of you that will frame every picture. Here are 7 ideas that work both indoors and outside. 

Cali and Daniel Page, Photo by Jenna Edds Photography

Two vase arrangements of dahlias, eucalyptus and amaranthus on a narrow table with candles made the perfect simple backdrop in front of a rustic brick wall and windows. The view from these windows at the Lyon County History Center in Emporia, KS was definitely part of the backdrop for this wedding ceremony. 

Jenna and Justin Hill wedding, Mary Cramer Photography

Jenna and Justin Hill wedding, Mary Cramer Photography

This wedding had a backdrop both outside and inside at the Bowyer Building in Emporia, KS. The wooden planks with two open doors we decorated with Baby's Breath wreaths. And inside, the wooden ladder arbor with the hanging chandelier we draped with a garland made with asparagus fern and salal and a mixture of coral flowers and baby's breath.

Alex and Alex Medenciy wedding, Claire Ryser photographer

This is the perfect backdrop for your sweetheart table. The greenery garland with mixed berry flowers framing a lighted M, along with a gorgeous centerpiece of anemone, protea, blackberries, artichoke and carnations was perfect for the couple's Farmer's Market theme.

Melea and Kale Stone wedding, KHRogg Photography

This is a traditional backdrop that many churches will allow you to use and decorate. The candleabra is decorated with mixed greenery, white tulips, stock and roses.

Elizabeth and Kyle Terstriep wedding, Tracy Routh Photography

This formal wedding at Mildale Farm in Edgerton, KS was mostly Baby's Breath and pink roses. We used greenery garland covered in Baby's Breath for the wrought iron arch backdrop and it was the perfect frame for this happy couple!

Alex and Alex Medenciy wedding

This was such a fun challenge! This was the bride's vision of a floral curtain for the wedding ceremony in her family's barn. I used foraged branches from a maple tree, ruscus, and asparagus fern, then made strings of flowers using carnations, stock, and roses. The result was stunning. 

As you can see, you are only limited by your imagination when it comes to the perfect backdrop for your wedding. The options are endless! I would love to hear your ideas. It is my goal as your florist to bring your visions to life!

5 things to think about before your floral consultation

Sometimes wedding consultations become so routine for the professional that we forget this is probably the very first time you have planned a wedding! Everything is new to you and completely unknown, from flower costs to delivery details. The best way to get the most out of your wedding floral consultation is to gather a little information ahead of time. So let’s talk about five things you should know before you meet your florist!

March wedding with tulips, hellebore, scabiosa and roses in blush, cream and burgundy. Photo by K+H Rogg Photo

1.) The estimated size of your wedding. Your florist wants to know approximately how many guests will attend and how many will be in your bridal party.  These numbers give an idea of how many tables will be at the reception and how many personal flowers (bouquets, corsages, boutonnieres, etc.) will be needed.

2.) Your colors and the overall feel of your wedding. These things help us to start picturing what you are dreaming about for your beautiful wedding. Pinterest pictures of color palettes and favorite flowers/bouquets are also helpful. Is your theme Romantic or Modern? Vintage or Glamorous? Choosing flowers will be much easier with these details in mind.

3.) Who will be receiving flowers for your wedding? Of course there is the bride’s bouquet but what else? Flower crowns or bouquets for bridesmaids? Boutonnieres for groom and groomsmen? Think about who else you would like to honor with corsages or boutonnieres- moms, dads, grandparents, ushers, hostesses, attendants, flower girl, ring bearer? 

Connor and Hannah Kraus at Woodlawn Farms, Tecumseh KS. Garden bouquet of David Austin roses, stock, dahlia, scabiosa, and celosia designed by Jennifer Bennett. Photo by Hallie Sigwing Photography.

4.) Ceremony and Reception Flowers. There are two parts to most weddings- the ceremony and the reception- and flowers are used to decorate both. Aisle flowers or altar arrangements at the church? An arrangement with the guest book? Flower Arch for the backdrop? And centerpieces for the reception tables, buffet, bathroom, chairs? Flowers for the cake? You don’t need to know all these things before your consultation, but think about the options and bring pictures of both venues if possible.

Winter wedding reception with mixed greenery and candle light, Anderson Building, Emporia, KS. Photo by Holli B Photography

5.) What is your budget? No idea? Because you have never planned a wedding? That’s okay but it is helpful if you have done a little homework before we meet. Your flowers will generally be about 10-15% of your overall budget. My best advice is not to cut costs on your bouquet because it will be in every photo of you, and will probably be the photo sitting on your nightstand in 50 years, reminding you of your beautiful day.

Now you’re ready! Please contact me if you would like to meet to talk about flowers for your beautiful wedding. I can’t wait to see what you are dreaming!

Picking Wedding Colors

Do you know the 2018 Pantone color of the year? Ultra-violet! But what does this mean to you or your wedding? And what is Pantone Color anyway?

Lyon/Pachar Wedding, photo by jennsportraitphotography.com

Pantone Color is a color-matching system used primarily in the printing industry, as well as in the manufacture of paint, fabric and plastics. Each year the company holds secret meetings with representatives from around the world to choose a color of the year that reflects what's going on in the world. This year's color, Ultra Violet, wasn't chosen because it's regal, though it resembles a majestic shade. It was chosen to evoke a counterculture flair, a grab for originality, ingenuity and visionary thinking, according to Pantone Vice President Laurie Pressman.

So what does this have to do with your wedding? Everything and nothing. It will be high-lighted in all the newest blogs and magazines for brides, and everywhere you shop. But the color you choose for your wedding should be something you truly love. Choose a color that makes you happy, has a special meaning to both of you, or the color of your favorite flower. You will never regret making decisions with your heart instead of following the crowd on Pinterest or Pantone.

So what are your wedding colors? I would love to know what you decide!