Floral Design By Jacqueline Ahne's Blog

Planning

floraldesignbyjacquelineahne — Sat, 10 Dec 2011 19:12:43 +0000

There are SO many details when planning a wedding. It can be overwhelming, but I am here to help! When planning the flowers with a bride I like to make it as easy as possible and that all starts with the consultation.

There are a few things I suggest the couple had decided BEFORE we meet for the consultation:

First, a wedding date. The wedding date can determine many things when it comes to flowers. Certain flowers have a very short season and the cost can vary with in that season. A great example of this is the Anemone. They are mainly available beginning in December and through May. I have seen them in limited available right now and they are about $2.50 a stem. When they are more readily available and at their peak season they will be closer to $1.75 a stem. Also flowers prices can be higher around certain holidays. The most noted one is Valentine’s Day. Roses increase starting February 1^st and will return to normal prices after Valentine’s Day. But they are not the only flower to increase in price.

Second is a wedding location. Living in southern California we are SO lucky to have pretty much any type of venue we can imagine! From the beautiful beach view to the vineyard weddings there are MANY options. The surrounds at the wedding play a huge part in the look of the wedding. For instance tropical flowers are perfect for a beach wedding. Anthiriums, orchids, ginger remind me of Hawaii and the natural beauty of being on the beach. When placing those same flowers inside a very romantic ballroom they can feel out of place. With that said the tropical flowers can be accents in more romantic mixes and look amazing! For instance the arrangement below has the very topical anthirums mix with more of the classic flowers and would add a wonder unique touch on for a ballroom reception!

About the consultation:

Consultations typically last about 30-90 minutes and cover all of the floral details from the bouquets to the centerpieces and everything in between. If you have pictures that you are drawn to bring those along so I can get a better scene of your inspiration or you can peruse my books for inspiration as well.

I like to meet at Starbucks (…slightly to contribute to my addiction to their iced tea lemonade…) and I have a list of my preferred locations. I choose the locations to be close to freeways therefore easy to get to. If you would like the list, I can send it your way!

I have a form that I fill out with the Bride at the consultation which includes the numbers of bouquets, styles, colors and flowers. The numbers can be tweaked if you have more or less tables or add bridesmaids.

After the consultation:

You will receive the quote within 3 business days after the consultation. It will have the details we discussed including pictures from your inspiration and/or pictures of the flower types we discussed. I speak a foreign language I like to call “Flowerdorkism” so I want to make myself as easy to understand as possible! I include a price range for most of the pieces with approximant sizes that way if you decide you would prefer one size over the other you have a comparison in cost. When we sit down for the consultation I do not require a budget but it is helpful so I can make sure what we discuss is within reach.

Since I accept a limited amount of bookings per month, I do book dates first come first serve. After you receive the quote your date is reserved for you for two weeks. If you have not made a decision within these two weeks the quote prices are still good however I may book another wedding on your date. Summer months fill up the quickest and I highly suggest as soon as you know you would like to move forward you contact me. To reserve your wedding date I require a signed contract and a nonrefundable deposit.

Huntington Beach High School Tennis Banquet

floraldesignbyjacquelineahne — Sat, 10 Dec 2011 16:36:12 +0000

I had the pleaser of working with Huntington Beach High School for their tennis banquet. The event was held at Sea Cliff Country Club in Huntington Beach.

We wanted to play up the orange and black for the school colors and bring in a touch of the tennis theme. There was a single tennis ball placed inside the vase with the orange with black centered gerbera daisies and “smoke bush” (I know that is a wrong term but I have always called it that since one of my wholesalers called it that). I really like how they turned out!!

MOLAA Event

floraldesignbyjacquelineahne — Fri, 09 Dec 2011 22:34:57 +0000

I like to consider myself and artist. After all flowers are amazing elements to create art out of! When I create a stylized arrangement I truly look at each stem and am inspired by the flower. It tells me what angle to use and can completely change my vision. I had always been into art. When I went to Paris a few years ago I spent most of the time wondering aimlessly except with I was in museums, my favorite being the Picasso museum. It was SO inspiring to me and I loved every minute!

When I was asked to be part of this event at MOLAA (Museum of Latin American Art) I of course accepted. Every summer MOLAA has a summer camp for students to come and learn Spanish as well as about the Latin American cultures. They are taught about different artist and even get to create art themselves! The event was to raise scholarships for the children in the neighborhood to join. It is a great program and I am happy to support them!

The event was held at the museum (which also has some BEAUTIFUL weddings!) in the courtyard. The back wall is a vibrant color and there is succulents planted around the perimeter. I did a mix of styles including succulent planters and clusters of budvases. We also included feathers in all of the arrangements to tie in with the theme of the event. Some of the succulents were placed in metal tins and clustered together for a larger impact while others were in a single black wooden box.

For the fresh flowers I had a lot of fun!

Most of the fresh flower tables had multiple budvases on with “mono-floral” arrangements. This form of color blocking created a bright and interesting look.

There were also a few tables with single arrangements.

It was a wonderful event to be a part of and I look forward to participating in it again! It is a great cause and I always enjoy the wonderful people I met!

Here is the link for MOLAA, it is a great place to visit if you have a chance! http://www.molaa.com/

Red and White Wedding Flowers

floraldesignbyjacquelineahne — Fri, 09 Dec 2011 21:30:55 +0000

Time sure is flying by! I cannot believe how fast 2011 has gone. I still have SO many beautiful weddings to share! This wedding was for a wonderful couple that I had the pleasure of working with back in May.

The wedding colors were red and white with touches of black. I love the bride’s bouquet since we played with textures! Yes I am obsessed with texture! We used, roses, hypericum berries, anemones, gerbera daisies, cox comb and touches of white dendrobium orchids.

One of the pictures I snapped before heading off for delivery…

The bridesmaids carried a mix of white and red gerbera daisies with white roses.

(One of the pictures I snapped before heading off for delivery…)

For the flowers to wear there were many different styles so it is best just to show them! We used black tape to cover the stems to bring a touch of the color as well as bring in the elegance.

Some of the pictures I snapped before heading off for delivery…

For the flower girl, how cute is this crown?!?! The spray roses are accented with hypericum berries and Italian ruscus with a satin bow at the back. She also carried a white basket filled with petals that she tossed down the aisle. A satin band and bow were added to the basket for a uniform look.

Some of the pictures I snapped before heading off for delivery…

The couple had a beautiful dramatic aisle way with a classic white runner. We placed two pillars at the back of the aisle with a lush arrangement of flowers in a black box. A few of the chairs were accented with clusters of gerbera daisies to add a splash of color and life. At the front of the aisle an arch was accented with red flowers and red wired tulle.

One of the pictures I snapped…

The reception was a traditional Vietnamese dinner. Because there was a large “Lazy Susan” in the center of the table that would be filled with food the couple thought it would be best not to have an overwhelming centerpiece. I completely agreed! The last thing we wanted was to have the flowers interfering with the dinner! A low dish was filled with a topiary inspired centerpiece made from gerbera daisies and roses accented with rocks and folded leaves. They were just the right amount of color on each table and worked perfectly!

For the head table the aisle pieces were reused as well as the pillars added to each side. The bride’s bouquet was placed in the center for the final touch! Who would not LOVE this sweetheart table!!

It was such a pleasure to work with this couple and I can tell they are going to have a wonderful life together! They seemed to be a great compliment and completely in love! Thank you for me be part of your day.

Pam and Jeremy’s Wedding Pictures! By Brian Hawkins Photography

floraldesignbyjacquelineahne — Fri, 18 Nov 2011 15:34:35 +0000

I loved Pam and Jeremy’s wedding! It was great to work with the couple and I also really enjoyed talking to other vendors. I received some of the pictures from Brian at Brian Hawkins Photography this week and I just HAD to share!! They turned out amazing and I am SO excited for them. The flowers look amazing (of course ) and Pam and Jeremy look so happy.

I have an awesome job!

Photographer: http://www.brianhawkinsphotography.com/

Coordinator: Angela at http://loveandelegance.com/

Venue: Point Vicente Interpretive Center

You may recognize the pieces from my blog here: http://floraldesignbyjacquelineahne.wordpress.com/2011/10/29/billy-ball-wedding-flowers/

Brian’s are WAY better.

I love how he got pictures of the flowers all packaged up!

Unique Lush Fall Arrangement

floraldesignbyjacquelineahne — Sat, 12 Nov 2011 18:03:04 +0000

Some of my favorite arrangements are made from unique color combinations. This is one of my favorite arrangements from the past week. I love the unique combo of the cream and purple with the touch of light blue and the rich burgundy. The burgundy button mums, single purple and green kale, cream stock, light blue hydrangea and purple lissianthus is accented with navy berries and touched of bark. The footed square cream ceramic is the perfect vase for this unique arrangement.

Elegant Cake Accent

floraldesignbyjacquelineahne — Fri, 11 Nov 2011 15:56:20 +0000

As I was going through pictures I came across a wedding that I was honored to be part of last July. It was at the Reef in Long Beach. The colors were blue and white to complement the beautiful water views.

The cake was a three tiered square cake with a simple ribbon band on each layer.

I will share the rest of the wedding soon.

Newland Barn Spring Wedding

floraldesignbyjacquelineahne — Mon, 07 Nov 2011 15:30:28 +0000

Another wedding from earlier this year, I have a TON of them to post!

This wedding was at the Newland Barn in Huntington Beach. (http://www.huntingtonbeachca.gov/Residents/Parks_Facilities/rentals/newland_barn.cfm) The venue is a fun outdoor spot that would be perfect for a fun reception!

The bride was an easy going lady who let me give ideas and run with them to make the flowers perfect for her vision!

The Bride carried a classic bouquet made form white and blush mini calla lilies with a collar of Galax leaves. The handle was tightly wrapped in the black ribbon with a simple line of black pins.

The groom wore a classic boutonniere made from a white mini calla lily accented with dusty miller and a dark Galax leaf.

The Bridal party consisted of just a maid of honor and best man. The maid of honor carried pink tulips with the Galax collar while the best man wore a pink mini calla lily.

The Ceremony took place at the gazebo at the Newland Barn. Two pieces were designed on site to reach for the center of the opening and create an arch effect. Flowers included sweet William, tulips, Asiatic lilies, snap dragons and hydrangea.

The centerpieces were created in mint julep cups and filled with open lilies, tulips, hydrangea and dusty miller.

A perfect wedding for spring!

Sympathy

floraldesignbyjacquelineahne — Sat, 05 Nov 2011 16:31:31 +0000

Sympathy arrangements are a great way to personalize a memorial service. This service was for a woman who loved stargazers and red roses. This arrangement was for a table and made from deep red roses, stargazers, burgundy dahlia and pink sweet William.

The standing spray was more stylized. Equisetum was made into triangles to fill an empty space and create a unique element. Rolled ti leaves and palm berries are on the opposite side to balance and finish the line. Red roses and stargazer lilies are accented with safari sunset are the focal of the spray.

Flowers can help to honor the deceased and are a great way to honor the deceased.

Feminine Fall Traditional Arrangement

floraldesignbyjacquelineahne — Fri, 04 Nov 2011 16:00:14 +0000

I provide the flowers for a few hospitals and this was a special order for Orange Coast Memorial Medical Center for one of the staff members. I am constantly told by the volunteers that the staff members stop by the gift shop just to see the flowers each week! That is a great compliment to me!!

This arrangement was ordered to and they let me pick the colors and flowers that looked great. I picked lavender stock, pink lissianthus, pink/orange snap dragons, green hydrangea and burgundy ti leaves. The colors are perfect for fall yet still feminine and cheerful. I also LOVE all the textures!