If you're anything like me, then the urge to wander is strong. There's a gaping hole in my heart that only a little wanderlust can fill. New places, new scenes, new food, and new faces make my heart happy, especially when it's a beautiful Utah wedding or bridal session happening in Zion National Park.

The majestic Utah mountain scenery makes for the most epic wedding backdrops! And there's just something about those red rocks that make a wedding dress really pop. Stops my heart every time.

I feel like no matter how many times I come down here I never see the same thing twice. It's the perfect place to walk away from everything I've been hanging onto, and find something new. One of my goals for this bouquet was to branch out a little and pick a flower I don't normally work with. That way, instead of hanging onto my good ole' standbyes, I could stretch a little.

I considered lots of different flowers, and ultimately ended up selecting mini gerbera daisies. These were super popular circa 2000 and then haven't been seen since, so naturally I was dying to see if there was a way to update the gerbera daisy into something that fit the trend of  loose, asymmetrical bouquets with neutral tones.

I feel like the mini gerb was the perfect statement piece for my Utah bride! It's creamy white color is soft and romantic, but it's texture gives it that 'WOW' factor. I paired it with dried protea and hypericum berry, and then fresh quicksand roses, stock, and scabiosa pods. And because the white gerbera daisy bridal bouquet is designed in a grouping to one side, it draws the eye off to the right and adds to the dimension of an asymmetrical wedding bouquet.

So take some time today to wander away from where you've been and start exploring where you want to be! You many find some fresh, new inspiration!

Vendors
Photo:
@hannaheliseeee

Florals:
The Pear Blossom
@emily_pearblossomwww.thepearblossom.com/

Bride and Groom:
Riley and Chelsey White

Dress Shop:
Harlow Brides
@harlowbrides

Dress Designer:
Modest by Mon Cheri
@modestbymoncheri

Wedding Make-up
@makeup_bykatina

Wedding Hair
@amyupdodesign

With Utah being home to the Mighty 5 national parks and then 40+ state parks, Utah brides have some incredible views to choose from when selecting a location for their wedding photography and more and more couples are opting to use their photo shotos as a chance to get out there, explore, and create amazing memories of not just their wedding day, but all the important moments leading up to it.

This photoshoot took place at Dead Horse Point State Park where the bride and groom got to spend a cool, breezy afternoon in November hiking and exploring as they waited for the optimal lighting for their photos. And when the time was right, it was magical!

I love how the breeze is playing with her wedding dress and the velvet ribbons on the bridal bouquet. It adds so much life and movement to the photo!

And you guys know how much I love my flowers to be a perfect balance of romance and wild. Maybe it isn't as noticeable to my clients but as a Utah Wedding Florist, the look and style my clients ask me to create is very different than what is currently trending for East Coast brides. Utah Brides are putting an emphasis on arrangements that intertwine with the native environment around them, creating overall a more organic, natural feel to their wedding flowers. And this I like...a lot :)

This autumn bridal bouquet features neutral tones of cream and blush with pops of burgundy and burnt orange (because how much do we love that burgundy tux from my guys at DC Tuxedos!) I used Quicksand roses, Majolica spray roses, burgundy spray roses, safari sunset, burgundy snapdragons, burgundy amaranthus, orange wax flower, broomcorn, privet berry, and pussy willow. This was finished off with Italian ruscus, silver dollar eucalyptus, and grevillea (which is my go-to foliage for autumn or desert bridal bouquets). I'm a little sad one of the pussy willows broke and is pointing the wrong way...also let's not talk about how she's holding the bouquet backwards in a lot of her photos. I can only explain which side is the "front" of the bouquet so many times :( 

Not sure how to plan a traditional wedding when the mountains are calling? Check out this post here for all the tips and tricks to exploring the wilds of Utah with your fiancee while not sacrficing those time-honored traditions with loved ones. Reach out and we'll chat about how you can have the flowers you love on your adventure WITHOUT paying travel fees and other expenses! And don't forget to connect with me on Instagram! There's always some snarky fun happening there :) And maybe a Giveaway every now and then...

Vendors:

Wedding Photography:
Ciara Spring
@ciara.spring

Wedding Flowers:
The Pear Blossom
@emily_pearblossom

Wedding Dress:
Elizabeth Cooper Design
@elizabethcooperdesign

Groom's Tux:
DC Tuxedos *One of my Preferred Vendors!
​@dctuxedos

Make-up Artist:
@makeupby_katina

Today is all about the horizontal bridal bouquet! This is a big trend we've been seeing in the wedding industry for the last couple of years and I'm totally crushing on it. You can go small and sweet like this bouquet here or it can be a show-stopper like this bouquet featured on Utah Valley Bride!

Things I love about a horizontal bridal bouquet for all my Utah brides:

1. Strong, linear movement and lines. If you're looking for drama, a horizontal bouquet is going to draw the eye across all your wedding images! I love how this bouquet shape pairs with wedding dresses that have an ultra sleek silhouettte like this dress by Anthony Gual.
2. Versatility: The horizontal-shaped bouquet can be very structured, classy, and traditional like the bouquet shown here, or it can be more organic, with sweeping, asymmetrical elements! A more flowing horizontal shape looks amazing with boho bridal gowns by Kite and Butterfly. 

Is a horizontal bouquet shape right for me?! Here are three points to consider before committing!

1. Can your florist create this style? The horizontal bouquet requires different mechanics and foundational work, both of which are difficult and require training and practice! If your florist hasn't ever made one before and you absolutely love their work, you may want to go with something they are more comfortable doing so that you get their very best work on your big day. Otherwise, you'll need to find a florist who can do this style. I'd recommend me :)
2. Has your photographer ever shot a session with a horizontal bouquet? Because of the strong linear elements and the directional nature of a horizontal bouquet, it's trickier to photograph than a traditional round or even cascading bouquet. Inexperienced photographers end up capturing a lot of edge and underside shots of your wedding flowers, leaving you with images full of stems instead of blossoms.
3. Are you going to be comfortable holding the bouquet? Most of my brides here in Utah County don't realize how awkward it is to hold and pose with a bouquet, but it's also totally uncomfortable to stand there in your wedding dress holding nothing. The models in magazines make it look so effortless! When compared to a round bouquet, the horizontal shape is even more awkward to navigate. It's like having  two extra elbows lol :)

But those concerns aside, if you love the style, then just a few tips and tricks will ensure that you get the very best images from your bridal session and wedding day!

Tip #1
Make sure you're holding your wedding flowers at the right level. Bouquets look very best when they're held in a relaxed grip a few inches below your belly button - at about the same level as your low-rise jeans! When your arms are dropped to that level, your elbows create negative space around your waistline and help define it. It also keeps your flowers from covering up the bodice of your dress! Brides tend to clutch flowers just under the bust which means that all the visual weight of your flowers, your dress bodice, your bust, the neckline of the dress, and your hairdo are all right there clumped together. You're going to look and feel heavier in all those images, so unless your photographer is directing a specific pose, relax those shoulders and drop the bouquet to just below the waist or hip level.

Tip #2
Get those beautiful blooms seen! Instead of holding the bouquet upright at a perpendicular angle to the ground, just ever so slightly tilt the top of the bouquet towards the photographer until the center of the bouquet and the focal point of the blooms are "looking" right at the photographer. No one cares about the edge or underside of your bouquet and you certainly don't want to see it in your images, so don't "show" that to your photographer. It's sub-conciously natural when you're doing your photo sessions, to tilt the bouquet so that you can see it, but all you'll get in your images later is the underside of a bouquet. By tilting the bouquet forward, you'll help your wedding photographer capture the flowers at their best angle and be able to remember your wedding flowers for years to come through those stunning images!

Tip #3
And last but not least, don't forget to interact with your flowers throughout the shoot! Everything will look and feel more natural if you do what natural comes to you. When I get a bouquet of flowers, the first thing I do is smell it! It always brings a smile to my face. I also love to touch the different petals and greenery. They all have unique textures and shapes. Be sure to do this with the hand wearing your wedding ring for some great detail shots. When I design bridal bouquets, I always try to make it a textural treasure hunt for the eyes to feast on, so be sure and take a moment to rove over the bouquet and find all the interesting little snippets I've hidden in there just for you!

And if you're looking to do a horizontal bridal bouquet for your wedding for sure Contact Us!

Vendors
Photography
@rachelrrossphoto
Flowers
​@emily_pearblossom
Dress
​@sweetheartbridal
Tuxedo
@dctuxedos
Models
@kandie_ryan
@ken.j13

Living as a Utah wedding florist in a place where winter can last for over 6 months, I've become a total wimp about the cold. I wasn't always this way. As recently as two years ago, I ran year-round regardless of the weather. This year? I have a sparkly, new pass to our local rec center. That said, it was a weekend and we HAD to get out of the house. We were going a little stir crazy, so we took the girls out to see Bridal Veil Falls in Provo, UT all frozen over. It's a short 5 minute walk from the parking lot, so no biggie here,  but as you can see, one of them was spectacularly unimpressed.

While Jo-Jo here may not believe the sight was worth the bitter cold, I knew this would make a stunning backdrop for Utah bride Berkley and Conrad's first look session.

Conrad was able to walk up the trail and wait for Berkley out on the bridge overlooking the falls, while we helped Berkley get into her dress. It's always magic when a groom sees his bride for the first time!

Magical until your hands are purple with cold that is! It was a frigid 18 degrees Fahrenheit during this shoot, which I know is nothing to my follower from North Dakota, but to us desert brides Provo, you only go out in weather like this to ski or snowboard some of the best powder on earth.

I loved Berkley's color palette and style of bridal bouquet! We played with shades of mauve, burgundy, and navy using Amnesia roses, chocolate lisianthus, burgundy scabiosa, protea, safari sunset, thistle, and stock. This wedding bouquet has a loose, unstructured bohemian vibe with asymmetrical trailing greenery, and I love how the bare branches pull in that stark winter feel.

The real saving grace here is that Berkley and Conrad had two locations picked out, so we could jump in the car and defrost a little while we headed down to the Provo City Center Temple as a second location for a formal/bridal session before the actual day of temple wedding.

Some of you may think we're crazy, but if you were to ask Berkley and Conrad if it was worth it the answer would be an emphatic "YES!" They would do it all again in a heartbeat. Love these guys and their sense of adventure and enthusiasm. It's going to make for the best wedding day!

As always, so much amazing talent goes into creating and pulling off a wedding day and it definitely takes a village. These vendors helped create Berkley's frozen waterfall bridal shoot and are absolutely some of the best in their fields! I love working with each and every one of them!

Photography:
Hawkeye Photography
@hawkeyephotobyashley

Florals:
The Pear Blossom
@emily_pearblossom

Wedding Dress Rental:
Restoration Bridal
@restoration Bridal

HMUA:
Marisa Rose MPH
​@marisarosemph

If you’ve read this post then you know how much I love music! We listen to music at home, in the car, while we do chores…everywhere! I took music lessons all growing up, and now my own children enjoy piano lessons and dream of branching out to ukulele, harmonica, and voice lessons. Don’t ask about the harmonica lessons because I don’t get it either :)

So if you’re planning a wedding this year, it seemed fitting to compile a list of my top 5 favorite first dance songs. We’ve got a wide variety of genres, styles, and singers, so click the links and enjoy!

1. Perfect by Ed Sheeran
Let’s face it, this is #1 because we all know it’s going to be the top first dance song of 2018. Plus it's amazing. If you don't mind being on the bandwagon, just own it.

2. I Don’t Dance by Lee Brice
This song gets me every. single. time. 

3. Can’t Help Falling in Love: Cover by Haley Reinhart
All the love for this uh-freaking-mazing cover of a classic!

4. The Luckiest by Ben Folds
If you haven’t heard this song before, what rock have you been hiding under? 

5. I Won’t Give Up by Jason Mraz
Hate his hair but love this song. If you’ve already walked a long road together, this one might be for you!

And if you're not much of a music junkie, I hope you enjoyed the lovely peach, blush, and lavender wedding flower inspiration. This spring pageant-style bridal bouquet is still a favorite of mine!

Vendors
 
Photography
Rachel Reyes Photo
@rachelreyesphoto
 
Flowers
The Pear Blossom
@emily_pearblossom
​
Dress Designer
J. Noelle Designs
@jnoelle.design
 
Model
@xochilecole
 
MUA
Peacock Artistry
@peacock.artistry
 
Hair
The Tousled Turtle
@thetousledturtle
 
Studio
The Charcoal Loft
@thecharcoalloft