Irish wedding in Emporia, Kansas

October 19, 2019

The wedding of Kait Duran and Dan Minihan happened on a beautiful fall day in October. I met with Kait for coffee on a cold day in February to discuss wedding flowers and her beautiful wedding. She had an idea of colors and knew that she did not want any roses! The reception at the Clint Bowyer Building in Emporia would be decorated to celebrate the families’ Irish heritage with shamrock plants on every table, grown especially for the wedding. 

The ceremony was held at Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Emporia, KS and the only decoration Kait wanted was simple bundles of mixed eucalyptus hand-tied with plum satin ribbon.  We tied these to the end of each pew down the church aisle.

The details in this wedding made it magical. We used Bells of Ireland in the bouquets and the groom’s boutonniere. 

Bride’s bouquet with dahlias, queen anne’s lace, astrantia and bells of Ireland

There was a gold cross charm tied to the bride’s bouquet that was a family heirloom from Ireland and over 100 years old. This cross has been tied to every bride’s bouquet in the family over the years. And using no roses was a challenge I accepted happily- it was fun to think outside the wedding box- using flowers like dahlias, chocolate Queen Anne’s Lace, astrantia, and button mums.

“Originally I didn’t want flowers for my wedding but was convinced I needed them. After searching around and asking friends I found Clover and Honey. Not only was Jennifer friendly and professional but she really knows her stuff! The day of my wedding when she delivered my flowers I almost cried with how beautiful they were! I was blown away that I could go from not wanting flowers at all to not wanting to put them down! Thank you, Jennifer for showing me the beauty of flowers!” Kait Minihan

Kait’s reaction to her bouquet is why I love what I do.  I am thrilled that my passion for flowers comes through in my work. And I am humbled to know I can make my brides’ wedding dreams come true!

All photos by Swander Photography

My Wedding- August 10, 2019- Eskridge, KS

This is my wedding- my story. On August 10, 2019, I married a man I love very much and it was a wonderful day filled with all the people I love most. Many of you know that my last ten years have been a journey I didn’t plan. But that’s life and we all have stories. The smiles in these pictures represent everything good about unexpected journeys, and being able to accept, adjust and move forward. And a special thank you to our daughter-in-law, Hannah Kraus, for capturing everything perfect about this day in photos. @hannahkrausphotography

I know I’m a florist and you would think flowers would be an important part of my day but….. I was just too lazy and honestly more interested in the food and wedding cake! I did make myself a bouquet of my favorite flower-Stock, in three colors. And I decorated our historic park bandstand with Smilax which was super fun to work with!

Martha, Larkin, Nora, Hannah, Connor, Warren, Jennifer, Maryann, Ellie, Zeb, Erica, and Ryan

Two of my favorite quotes and ones that I think about often. ““What lies behind us, and what lies before us are but tiny matters compared to what lies within us.” —Ralph Waldo Emerson. and “Grow old along with me! The best is yet to be.”- Robert Browning.

The food was amazing. Amy and Lucas Moody. @forkluvsspoon

It was a really hot day in August and we had fun anyway! With all of our friends, amazing food, and yes, yard games including volleyball, we celebrated everything great about finding the person you love.

Wedding Flowers at The Brownstone, Topeka, Kansas →

June began with a beautiful summer Sunday wedding at The Brownstone in Topeka, Kansas. The bride and groom had a long distance relationship- from Mississippi to South Africa! and chose Topeka as the destination since it was close to her hometown. There was so much joy in the air as we set up, so many family members and friends excited to see Rachel and Reece get married.

Ceremony Arch with all white flowers and mixed greenery

The pictures above from Megan Hein Photography capture the simple elegance of this wedding. White, ivory and cream roses with blue thistle, waxflower and large mums. Also mixed eucalyptus with silver dollar, baby blue and gunni.

Brides’ Bouquet

Dusty Blues and Greens

The picture above is one I took before the ceremony. Flowers featured are roses, stock, thistle, caspia, willow eucalyptus, gunni eucalyptus, and waxflower.

You don’t have to obsess over every detail to have a beautiful wedding!…with a few inspiration photos, an understanding of the overall wedding style and some freedom to create, I’m happy to run with an idea and bring it to life!

How do you want your wedding day to feel? Start with the feeling and build your plans from there.

What happened in Waco.... →

I just got back from the Team Flower conference in Waco Texas. I signed up in November for what I thought would be a warm spring vacation where I could learn more about wedding floral design. I was wrong twice! Waco had record-breaking cold temperatures last week with lows in the 20s, and I learned much more than floral design!

Ceremony Back Drop

This was a three-day conference and I arrived late. My plan was to drive the eight hours on Sunday, but Kansas had to have one last winter blizzard so I left Monday instead. The first session I attended that afternoon was Large Scale Installations by @bowsandarrows. I watched them install this entire ceremony back drop in 30 minutes!

Poppies and Ranunculus

I also attended sessions on Creativity, Flower Farming, Client Communication, Embracing Change, Hiring and Managing a Team, and Art and Creativity. There were 250 retail florists, studio florists and flower farmers in attendance. 

The last day of the conference we walked in to this amazing flower bar. Buckets and buckets of the most beautiful flowers I have ever seen all in one place! This session was about a non-profit organization called Full Bloom @thefull_bloom. They come in after your wedding or event and repurpose all the leftover flowers into vase arrangements for hospitals and care facilities. We made over 300 arrangements to be delivered in Waco and it felt so good to be a part of something like this.

Poppies and Ranunculus

Anemone

Arrangements ready to be delivered

The final event was a design competition by 17 participants who volunteered to share their talents. The shapes, textures, use of colors and design principles were inspiring to say the least.

So what did I learn besides floral design? I learned that I do things differently than a typical retail florist shop and so do the other 249 people who attended the conference. I learned that I am part of a movement among florists to be more intentional about our love of flowers and more attentive to our customers. I like being different and following my heart when it comes to designing. I love following all the old-school design principles and mechanics, but I can do that with tons of energy and creativity in a sustainable way. I love what I do and now I embrace being different!

My Values:

I will always make your wedding flowers customized to you. I will double-check every detail, your likes and dislikes, things that are important to you, to make sure what I deliver is perfect.

I will stay true to my style- natural, garden, organic, original. 

I will recycle, re-use, and reduce waste when possible, and use all resources wisely.

I will use local flowers when possible, and always include something from my garden in your bouquet- a blessing from me to you.

I won’t do any weddings that aren’t a fit for me personally.

I love teaching about flowers- design classes, plant names, color choices, blogs.

I will obsess about flower choices for your beautiful wedding.

And of course I shopped all things Magnolia while I was in Waco!

Corsages and Boutonnieres- Do we need them?

Do we need corsages and boutonnieres for anyone in our wedding party? Remind me again what they are? And why is boutonniere so hard to spell?

What are boutonnieres and corsages?

A corsage is a small bundle of flowers that is pinned to the lapel of a woman's clothing or tied around her wrist. Taken from the French word for buttonhole, the boutonniere is a small, single flower or the grouping of two or three flowers worn on the lapel of the groom or the other men in the ceremony.

Who wears them?

Traditionally everyone in your wedding party wears or carries flowers, but you are free to make your choices on this one. In most weddings I’ve done, groom and groomsmen wear boutonnieres that match what the bride and bridesmaids are carrying. Beyond that, there are lots of options. Most couples either don’t know the full count yet of what they will need or haven’t even thought about this question.

Here are some things to think about. Corsages and boutonnieres are a way to honor important people in your life. If your families and friends don’t really know each other, and they see someone at the reception wearing a corsage or boutonniere, then they know immediately that person is someone special to you.

Personal flowers, like corsages and boutonnieres, are a way to identify the people guiding the service, i.e. ushers. At large weddings, it’s nice to know who to ask for information. Other personal flowers could be flower crowns for flower girls or tiny boutonnieres for the ring bearers.

So groom, groomsmen, ushers. Who else? Most importantly- moms! They do so much work to help plan your wedding and their only reward is a beautiful corsage! Also grandmothers, fathers, grandfathers, readers, musicians, candle lighters, hostesses, personal attendants, officiants……. you get the idea. Anyone you want to honor and recognize.

With so many important people, where do you draw the line? Totally your choice. There is no right or wrong. While I enjoy making corsages and boutonnieres, they are a lot of work. Kind of like tiny little flower arrangements that take a lot of abuse through the day, and need to be sturdy enough to last. I love the creativity of them and definitely try to put some character into each one, thinking specifically about who I am making it for.

Please let me know if I can help you plan your beautiful wedding flowers. My favorite part of the process is meeting you and discussing all the little details!

How to spell boutonniere- one t, two n’s, one r, lots of vowels.

Jenn’s Portrait Photography

Kristen Golden Photography

Where the magic begins.... →

Have you ever considered the idea that wedding flowers are a crop? They are grown in huge fields all over the world just for your bouquet. Holland, Ecuador, California, Japan, Alaska, Colombia and Kansas. Even in my backyard! As I have mentioned here before I love the idea of adding something I’ve grown to every bouquet, just a little blessing from me to you for a happy life. 

This year adding my own flowers has become a big challenge. I moved last fall from my house with very established cut flower gardens and a beautiful variety of shrubs for unique greenery. My new house sadly has no flowers! (I know right?) So this spring on days when it was warm enough, I started planting all the things I love and miss. Hopefully at this time next year my yard will be filled with blooms. 

Here are a few of my favorites things and a couple of surprises:

Eucalyptus- favorite wedding varieties are seeded, silver dollar or Gunni

Citronella- Not only does it smell like lemons, I love the cut-leaf foliage

Scabiosa or pincushion flower- it comes in so many great sizes and colors

Astilbe- there are two tiny little buds showing. This is a fluffy filler that comes in white, pale pink and red

Zebra Mallow- just another sweet little purple flower

Dusty Miller- who doesn't love pale gray fuzzy foliage?

Heuchera- a foliage plant in many beautiful colors with dark veins

A skink- not what I wanted to see but I've been told they eat bugs. So I guess we'll be friends.

Tree Frog- my other friend

Nora's first day as a freelance gardener/florist. Not a bad start- she only ate one leaf!

So wish me luck, sunny skies and weekly rain! I can't wait to have blooming flowers at my fingertips when it's time to work on your beautiful wedding.

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!

I am a Flower Nerd (and you can be one too!) →

I really do love flowers. I grew up vegetable gardening with my dad and flower gardening with my mom. I got my college degree in biology. I volunteer as an Extension Master Gardener in my community. I pride myself on knowing the names of everything I grow and use in my bouquets. I know how each plant grows and where they grow best. I might even know the Latin name. I am a Flower Nerd and I am proud of that!

But not everyone is like me. When it is time to think about wedding flowers do you know the names of flowers you love? Or just know how you want your bouquet to look? Today I want to help you be a Flower Nerd so when you have that consultation with your wedding florist you will both be on the same page. Win, Win!

The flowers you most likely see on Pinterest are what a florist might refer to as premium flowers. They are most beautiful in their own season (i.e. peonies in May), sometimes difficult to acquire, and always more beautiful than everyday flowers. Yes they are slightly more expensive than what you would spend on yourself normally, but this is your wedding. Your goal is to only do this thing once, so feel free to splurge just this one time. 

Ranunculus  This is a beautiful flower with many layered petals and it comes in several colors- pinks, orange, yellow, purple, variegated and more. Ranunculus are at their best from January to May. They are available most of the year except the hottest months of the summer (end of July, August & September) when some varieties become difficult to obtain.

Anemone  This is the flower that looks a little like a poppy and has a contrasting center. The most popular color is crisp white with a black center, but other colors include bright red, pink, magenta, purple, and blue. Anemones are typically in season from October through May.  

Garden Rose  These beautiful flowers look nothing like the standard rose you normally see. Their ruffled layers make them a perfect substitute for peonies and they have a lovely rose scent. David Austin in England is a famous breeder of these roses which have the character and fragrance of old garden roses and the colors that brides love today. Peach, pinks, blush, coral, pale yellow, cream, reds and white- so many options and all incredibly beautiful. And they are available almost any time of the year!

Other flowers I love to include in bridal bouquets are things that add texture. You know from my photos that my bouquets are never boring. There are flowers like scabiosa, astilbe, thistle, stock, dahlias and celosia that add depth, color and character. If you look closely at the bouquets in these photos you will see herbs and berries like fennel, elderberry and blackberry, all from my garden. I always add something that I have grown to your bouquet as an added blessing from me to you. 

There is so much joy in flowers, and for me part of the joy is getting to know each flower personally. I hope I have encouraged you to learn a little more about what you want in your bouquet, or maybe even to start your own flower garden, so you can be a Flower Nerd like me!

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!