January 9, 2011
I finally off-loaded the last of our fall 2010 weddings from le snazzy camera onto the laptop, so let the photos commence! These are two pretty details of the bouquet featured in our last post. I love the light and the feathery maidenhair ferns that edge the bouquet…
Bouquet detail - dahlias and hellebore. Petalena, 2010.
Bouquet detail. Petalena, 2010.
January 5, 2011
Just a few lovely photos by Ciras Photography from a wedding we did in October with a great couple who wanted elegantly organic wedding flowers at the Warren Center in Massachusetts. With a color palette of purples, green, and silver – we were able to pull in a lot of gorgeous purple blooms and green foliage to create the design.
Bouquets of burgundy, pinks, and purples. Photo by Ciras Photography.
Our bride’s bouquet was lovely affair with large purple dahlias and hydrangea for the big flower forms, and lovely French ranunculus with fantastic green tufts at their centers. Hellebore, a favorite bloom of ours, comes back into season in the fall and we love using it for it’s pretty arching shape that lends a looser or natural look to a bouquet. Purple-pink astrantia is another very petite and unique bloom, reminds me a bit of allium, with its slightly spiky and sculptural look that is great for texture.
Groom's Boutonniere. Photo by Ciras Photography.
A boutonniere for the groom (above) was just a perfect little pom-pom style dahlia paired scented geranium foliage and a fiddlehead.
Bridesmaid and Bouquets. Photography by Ciras Photography.
Bouquets for the bridesmaids were smaller scale than the brides with a bit less of the deep pink touches, and bit more of the purples. The tonal purple bouquets against the deep pewter color of the dresses was striking and dramatic.
For the ceremony, we dressed up a white garden trellis with pears, persimmons, amaranthus, and hydrangea in tonal purple, ochre, and green hues.
Ceremony Arch. Photo by Ciras Photography.
Photo by Ciras Photography.
The reception, inside the Warren Center, was festive and colorful with napkins in purple and green, gorgeous table numbers, and our flowers too.
Table Flowers and Card. Photo by Ciras Photography.
Table numbers. Photography by Ciras Photography.
Our heartfelt thanks to Joyce and Andrew for having us help create such a special day for them, congratulations!
Thanks to Ciras Photography for sharing all their wonderful photos with us!
December 28, 2010
Great news at Petalena as 2010 draws to close and we say a grand helllooo to 2011! One of our lovely weddings from last May is featured in the Spring/Summer 2011 The Knot Boston magazine. To say we’re thrilled is putting mildly!
The Knot Boston - Spring/Summer 2011 Issue
This was a lovely wedding, oh sigh, Apryl and I first fell in love with the Commander’s Mansion in Watertown, the most dream-tastic place ever for those of us that love historic places, grand spaces, and imaginings of the lives that were lived there.
The photo by Krista Guenin of the bride’s bouquet reminds me of how lovely, soft, and romantic it was. Layers of petal-ness with cameo blush peonies, white ranunculus, and petite little sweet peas. It was so elegant and harmonious with the Vera Wang gown our bride wore. The reception featured soft tonal peaches and apricots with bursts of coral that made everything just hum.
To see more pictures of the flowers, peruse our post from the spring.
Professional photography by Krista Guenin
December 21, 2010
We love lush, pretty, tumbling flowery things here at Petalena (and maybe just a little bit over the top flowery gorgeousness too!). But we also like to mix things up, creating other styles for clients who are looking for something a bit more ’rounded’ or contemporary like this fun wedding we did for a wonderful couple for their late summer wedding in Boston.
Bride's Bouquet. Photo by Tara Morris of Hitched Studios.
For our bride, we did a bouquet of tonal pinks using about five varieties of garden roses and a few dahlias for a very pretty and rounded look. The mounted rose bouquet style can risk looking too monotonous so we like to vary the scale of the flowers used to create a dome shape. This keeps the style from feeling unnaturally ‘too perfect.’
Bridsmaid Bouquets. Photo by Tara Morris of Hitched Studios.
Bridesmaid bouquets were a bit smaller in scale and were a bit paler with more additions of pale cameo pink roses. Pretty, pretty.
Centerpieces for the Trustee Ballroom at Boston University where slightly on the petite side and rounded in shape with the use of waterlily style dahlias, dianthus and carnations, and garden roses. Completely bright, festive, and fun!
Table Design of Pinks. Photo by Tara Morris of Hitched Studios.
Carnations have received a bad rap but mixed in together in a tonal way with other rounded floral shapes, they are absolutely fantastic. Who doesn’t love a ruffle-y edged flower that smells fantastic and lasts for weeks?
Stay tuned on carnations and other super rounded flower forms, this might be a perfect topic for a July or August Flower Class with Petalena!
(Plus, I have a bit of soft spot for carnations since my grandmother used the most wonderful carnation-scented soap by Roger & Gallet.)
Thank you to James and Nicole for having us be part of your special day.
And, additional thanks to Tara Morris of Hitched Studios for the beautiful photos!
Flowers & Design by Petalena
(Soap by Roger & Gallet!)
December 6, 2010
Purple-burgundy jewel tones might be our new favorite color palette. It’s rich and gorgeous.
Bride's Bouquet. Petalena, 2010.
Here is our bridal bouquet, bright and dramatic all at the same time (thanks to those gorgeous light purple and white tipped dahlias!). Dark purple clematis and burgundy dahlias, were a few of the other flowers…love, love, love.
Bouquet, with a bit of the handle detail. Petalena, 2010.
I love how ethereal all the clematis buds make the bouquet look. Note the silver silk wrapped with crushed purple velvet. Yummy.
Bridesmaid Bouquet. Petalena, 2010.
And the bridesmaid bouquet too – a bit more dark purple and a bit smaller, but we loved this one too.
We’ll continue our post on this wedding with a part two shortly on the reception!
Photos and Florals by Petalena
November 9, 2010
Apryl and I were had a wonderful time working with our long-distance couple, Lisa and Corinne, on their wedding flowers for a ceremony and reception at Gore Place in Waltham this fall. Both women had a strong vision for their New England wedding, replete with vintage touches – many of which the couple found and collected themselves! All the gorgeous photos are from Clayton Austin, a wonderful and unique photographer. Thank you Clayton!
The Carriage House at Gore Place. Photo by Clayton Austin, 2010.
Left: On the steps of Gore Place. Right: Bride's Boutonniere. Photo by Clayton Austin, 2010.
One of our brides ordered a silk boutonniere from Etsy, which well,… let’s just say it didn’t turn out how she wanted it to. So we made her a little bout on the spot with a chocolate cosmos, wheat, and China berries! It is moments like that when we really love what we do, being on site, working with our clients, pitching in on even something small but means a lot on a major life day like a wedding.
Bride's Bouquet. Photo by Clayton Austin, 2010.
Our other bride had a romantic and rustic bouquet with trailing wheat, burgundy dahlias, chocolate cosmos, burgundy cymbidium orchids, and touches of soft ‘Majolika’ roses.
Ceremony in the Garden. Photo by Clayton Austin, 2010.
Onto the ceremony! Incredible personal and vintage touches that the couple brought to the event made the whole day special and really unique. Antique tins and books found on Ebay, cool old boxes and vintage cameras.
Table Flowers by Petalena. Photo by Clayton Austin, 2010.
Love these two photos (above) by Clayton with our containers filled with gorgeous local dahlias in soft yellows, reds, burgundies, and orange, loosely and organically arranged for a feeling of informality. Tufts of astilbe and wheat added a bit of fall flair and texture.
Left: Sweetheart Table. Right: Table Cards. Photos by Clayton Austin, 2010.
Flower and Peg Game, details. Photos by Clayton Austin, 2010.
More dahlias, it’s been such a dicey season for them, we were psyched to get some truly gorgeous ones!
Card Box and Table Flowers. Photo by Clayton Austin, 2010.
The tables were sprinkled with local Macintosh apples and green China berries for additional accent. Small but important touches like the burlap toppers, purchased by the brides on Etsy, really finished the look.
More pretty details and flowers. Photos by Clayton Austin, 2010.
Vintage inspired table numbers with flowers. Photo by Clayton Austin, 2010.
Our special thanks to Corinne and Lisa asking us to help make their day beautiful!
Wedding planner extraordinaire Jennifer Cox of Esq. Events saw to it that no detail was overlooked.
And of course none of the photos in this post would be possible if not for the gorgeous eye of Clayton Austin!
October 12, 2010
Wait, when are wildflowers not pretty? That was a bit of our inspiration in this bouquet from late August with color palette of plums, peaches, load and loads of pretty greens and touches of bright pink.
Bride’s Bouquet - we both just loved this bouquet, Apryl added Akebia vine for air movement, I think that add so much. Old fashioned scabiosa or pin-cushion flower for the dark colorful touches and of course the lovely Juliet garden rose that is regular fave.
Romantic late summer bride's bouquet. Petalena, 2010.
And another shot, because it’s too hard to pick just one pretty picture.
Bouquet, detail. Petalena, 2010.
Reception Flowers - we did a lovely theme of romantic garden flower surrounded with mercury glass candles and lanterns for the wedding which took place at Glen Magna Farm in Danver. Also the site of the Danvers Historical Society, this lovely old gentleman’s farm has the most beautiful gardens and property, perfect for a tent wedding.
Urn with Dutch hydrangea and garden roses. Petalena, 2010.
The color palette for the tent was a bit softer with antique blue-green hydrangea that picked up on the lovely steel color of the lines, touches of peach and lavender, and lots of green bits.
Flowers & House. Petalena, 2010.
I just liked this pretty photo of the table flowers with the lovely front porch at Glen Magna a bit blurry but lovely.
View of the Summer Tea House at Glen Magna. Petalena, 2010.
Pretty detail. Petalena, 2010.
And a parting photograph of one of the table designs with the most beautiful sky-blue hydrangea. I’d love to sleep on a pillow made of those…
Our thanks and best wishes to Meredith and Brian!
September 8, 2010
We just finished up a wedding this weekend at the Charles Hotel in Harvard Square with a gorgeous jewel-toned palette. It might be the beginning of a beautiful obsession! Unsure what ‘jewel toned’ means, well visualize ruby, amethyst, sapphire, and emerald and you’re getting pretty close. Deep and bright colors, perfect for fall!
Jewel-Toned Bride's Bouquet. Petalena, 2010.
We included a lovely mix here of local soft green hydrangea, phalenopsis orchids, a few magenta mokara orchids, lisianthus buds, lavender roses, and deep dark pink ranunculas. I think the touch of deep blue delphinium is really what pulls this all together for that tonal range of color.
Bride's Bouquet. Petalena, 2010.
My lovely floral assistant Paula wore this beautiful deep blue top on the wedding day that just looked gorgeous next to the bouquet…makes you start thinking about how great less traditional bridal gowns could look in colors like this!
Bridesmaid Bouquets in Lavenders and Magentas. Petalena, 2010.
We designed the bridesmaid bouquets to be a bit more simple and smaller in scale. Our bride really wanted her bouquet to have the most color diversity so we kept these bouquets in the lavender and magenta range with touches of green and long trailing silver ribbon.
Centerpiece at the Charles Hotel. Petalena, 2010.
The centerpieces for the reception were elegant and contemporary featured the deep pink and burgundy hues of the overall color palette with cymbidium and mokara orchids. Each vessel was fitted with a floating candle for a romantic glow.
Burgundy Dahlia. Petalena, 2010.
We’re so looking forward to working with this color palette again!
Photos and Design by Petalena.
August 9, 2010
Such loveliness. Over the 4th of July weekend we did florals for a wonderful bride and groom – two very unique, creative, and cool individuals- who married at the MIT Chapel and celebrated afterwards at the always delicious Oleana in Cambridge.
Bride's Bouquet. Photo by Lisa Rigby Photography, 2010.
Bride’s bouquet, above, was a delight to create with full summer color of peach, deep pinks, lavenders, and garden greens. We were gorgeously lucky to still catch a few spring blossoms for Elizabeth’s bouquet like sweet peas, but also the mid-summer flowers like pom-pom dahlias, luscious garden roses. Jason’s boutonniere matched as well with bright pink “Bachelor Buttons” flowers and sprigs of “Lady’s Mantle” and fresh lavender.
Groom's Boutonniere. Photo by Lisa Rigby Photography, 2010.
The MIT Chapel is an incredible space, and if you haven’t seen it, you must. A beautiful, non-denominational chapel designed by the Finnish American architect and industrial designer Eero Saarinen.
Interior of the MIT Chapel. Photo courtesy of WikiCommons.
Onward to the ceremony at Oleana, where the incredible eye and talent of Lisa Rigby captured these amazing shots, that we will forever, forever love!
Bridesmaid Bouquet. Photo by Lisa Rigby Photography, 2010.
Bride's Bouquet at Oleana. Photo by Lisa Rigby Photography, 2010.
If you would like to see more of Lisa’s gorgeous work and her great post on this incrediblely unique and personal wedding, check it here. Many thanks again to Lisa for sharing her incredible work with us!
July 25, 2010
In putting together this blog post I’ve realized, we only have a handful of these cool temperature color palette weddings. The blues and purples has such a calming and refreshing quality to them. The day of this wedding was uber hot and soupy, I like to think it felt dreamy to come into a lovely cool air conditioned space and have these flowers and textures surround you!
Detail of Bride's Bouquet. Petalena, 2010.
I just love this detail of our bride’s bouquet – tons of peonies, white and lavender sweet peas, paired with ‘candy stripped’ phalenopsis orchids and purple orchids. We did lots of trailing ribbons and fastened the bride’s bouquet with a vintage pin Apryl discovered.
Detail of Tall Arrangement. Petalena, 2010.
Above is a pretty detail of the tall ‘over the head’ arrangements we did for half the tables. Each large arrangement was designed with long boughs of “Bridal Veil” white spirea, purple hydrangea, ivory peonies, purple ‘Mokara’ orchids, and touches of lavender lisanthus, and silver dusty miller foliage. We wanted the arrangements to feel breezy, light, and summery – not too heavy for this light, airy space in Danvers on the ocean.
View of Table Designs, High & Low. Petalena, 2010.
Half of the tables featured lower arrangements; we really like to do a combination of two or three different styles if there are a lot of tables. It gives the eye some variety and makes the space feel more dynamic.
Lower Table Design. Petalena, 2010.
The flowers for the low centerpieces were similar to what we worked with in the taller arrangement, but we cut each floral element a bit short to fit with the smaller overall scale. Loved, loved the dark purple lilacs tipped with white for these arrangements. I think the spirea added a lot, giving everything a flow-y, light feel.
