National Park Wedding PhotographyWith 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
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Horizontal Bridal BouquetsToday 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:
 Is a horizontal bouquet shape right for me?! Here are three points to consider before committing!
 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 4 Huge Mistakes Brides should Avoid when Selecting Vendors on Social Media
Thanks to sources likeInstagram, Facebook, and Pinterest, finding and booking your wedding vendors should be easier and more convenient than ever right?! False. Brides and wedding professionals alike are finding that there are many pitfalls and downsides to searching out vendors on social media and through hashtag searches. An informal poll of local leading Utah wedding vendors revealed the 4 main mistakes every bride is making when researching vendors online.
1. Obsessing over Feed Aesthetics
The #1 comment I hear from a bride is, “I’m obsessed with her work!” Brides looking for vendors simply hop on Instagram and search hashtags like #utahweddingflorist or #utahweddingflowers. They’re instantly bombarded with thousands of gorgeous images from vendors all across the state! Soon they start to notice that they keep liking images from the same 10 accounts, and they’re sucked down the rabbit hole of beautiful imagery, marketing, and pinning and emerge truly obsessed with that person’s work. They come to believe that they HAVE to have it or their wedding will be nothing.
Unfortunately, one good image doesn’t guarantee a gorgeous wedding. Feeds are “Best of” highlight reels, and too many brides make massive assumptions about the quality and professionalism of their wedding vendors because they have a feed full of eye candy. It’s not a bad thing to love someone’s feed, but once you find a vendor you think may be a good fit, you need to do more than obsess over their best. You need to head to their websites or blogs and research full galleries from real weddings. You’ll want to look and see if they have the experience and tools to work around your wedding parameters. Do their images still look incredible in harsh or low light? Can that florist also bust out 20 centerpieces and a ceremony installation, or is she just good at creating a bouquet? Social media hasn’t taken away the need to research and find someone that will be 100% from start to finish.
We also see this problem in reverse. Many talented, experienced vendors don’t need to invest the time and effort necessary to create the perfect social media feed. They’ve built a solid clientele and market through other avenues. They may post an occasional cell-phone shot of a bouquet, but it’s hardly editorial quality. These incredible designers get passed over because brides AREN’T obsessing over their feeds. Instead, they’re judging based on the lack of aesthetics in a vendor’s feed and passing over real talent. It’s more important to go to their websites, dig in, and do your research.
2. Size of Following Assumptions
Ever heard a phrase like ‘bandwagon’ or ‘mob mentality’? Even if you don’t consciously acknowledge it, high amounts of followers, likes, reposts, or chatter about a certain person’s Instagram feed is impressive. You’ve been mesmerized and sold on a person’s branding and often make wild assumptions because of it. 
The biggest complaint from wedding vendors is that too many brides make pricing and skill level assumptions based on the size of a vendor’s following, but a following is not always an accurate way to judge price, experience, or professionalism. If you’ve ever found yourself saying, “Oh I love his/her work but he/she is so popular I could never afford them.” then you have fallen victim to these same assumptions. There are many, many factors that go into size of following, and none of them include pricing. Big name Instagram accounts often bemoan that brides think they are now somehow unattainable.
Or vice versa, someone like me with a more modest following is often judged as a discount wedding vendor. I’m frequently approached by brides who will “allow me to do their wedding for free in exchange for exposure”. Yes. You read that right. Because I don’t have a 10k+ following on Instagram, I shouldn’t be paid for my work, despite 14 years of education and experience in designing wedding flowers.
We all know logically that social media makes it effortless for everyone to create false assumptions about a person or business, but don’t let those assumptions keep you from creating your dream wedding. Go to a vendor’s website and request pricing info, ask how long they’ve been in the industry, or get referrals from friends who have actually gone through the design process with them so that you know what to expect.
3. Shortcuts with Mass DM’s Another common complaint from brides is that social media introduces them to so many vendors that they are overwhelmed and can’t choose. Wedding planning already requires a million decisions, and the internet has just opened up another can of worms. Instead of just going to your local main street florist, you’ve now found 100 other florists to choose from. How will a bride decide?! 
I can tell you that the most common method of sending mass DM’s to 15 florists at a time and asking them to quote you a price from a Pinterest picture you love is not the way to go about it. Most vendors need and/or require a sit-down consultation to design your wedding before getting you an accurate price. You may not realize your image is way out of your budget...circle arches anyone?! They respond with a quote based off of the image you sent and it's higher than you wanted, so you cross them off your list. but you’re not giving them the chance to have a face-to-face design consultation where they show you how to sub, what to prioritize, and where to cut in order to get the look and style you want in the price range you need. Being able to e-mail or message someone does not replace the need to meet in person and pound out all the details, but it is a great way to just check really fast and see if they even have your date available before you start the design process with them!
4. Not Knowing the Difference between a Styled Shoot and a Real Wedding
Welcome to the age of the internet where everything you see on there is real :) Oh wait. Sorry. That’s a lie, and one that confuses brides pretty quickly. Instagram and Pinterest set ridiculously unrealistic expectations because much of the wedding inspiration out there is staged. It’s totally faked my friends. It’s called a “Styled Shoot” and it’s where wedding vendors get together and create faux wedding inspiration for publication, to trial-run an idea before the big day, to create content during the slow season, network with other industry professionals (it’s like book club only 1,000 times more fun!) or just to stretch themselves artistically. 
I absolutely adore these shoots, but lately I’ve noticed a little problem. My brides can’t tell the difference between the magic of a styled shoot on a small scale in a controlled environment and a real wedding. They put those same over-the-top staged expectations on themselves and their wedding without realizing how much it would cost in reality, or that the vendor they selected may not have the experience or tools necessary to re-create that look.
Ask the vendors you’re researching to see examples of real weddings, not just small scale style shoots where they can create the perfect setting in a controlled environment. It may rain on your wedding day, so ask you photographer for images in inclement weather, or insist on seeing before and after shots of real women from your hair and makeup artist, etc.
Above all, remember that the convenience of finding possible wedding vendors does not replace researching them. You may feel stressed and overwhelmed vetting vendors for your wedding, but if you don’t have the time to research them, will you have the time to deal with the issues that blow up in your face on the biggest day of your life? Time spent really researching your wedding vendors is a worth-while investment into your peace of mind and enjoyment on your wedding day.
Vendors
Photographer: Photo by Ella @photobyella Florals: The Pear Blossom @emily_pearblossom Model: @chriselynmarie Dress: Bling It On Dress Rentals @blingitondressrentals Designing A Couture Wedding in Provo, UT
Let’s be honest here. Provo, Utah isn’t exactly known for being a mini Milan, Paris, London, or New York. When fashions and trends hit our scene, they’re literally 5 years behind Europe, and as they come over the Rocky Mountains and enter Utah County, they tend to take a little twist and become heavily adapted to our local culture and fashion scene.
A typical Utah wedding is cream, blush, and gold, with just a few pops of burgundy. Every bride is wearing a lace wedding dress of some variety, and has her hair down in loose, bohemian waves or curls. Admit it. You’ve been to this wedding a hundred times over the last five years :) It’s a lovely look, hence the reason it’s popular, but I worked with an amazing team to design a wedding that will prove to you that you can have an elegent, couture wedding right here in good ole’ Provo, UT. One that’s romantic, dramatic, and truly one-of-a-kind. You can also see this wedding inspiration featured on Utah Valley Bride!
The Venue The main source of inspiration for this shoot was this amazing artisan chocolatier shop named Taste. With an elegant black and antique gold exterior façade, an incredible interior design that can stand on its own as far as décor goes, in house artisan chocolates for guests to sample, and a fantastic menu, this is a dream venue for a small-town upscale wedding. Check the small town you live in, or one nearby! There may be a gorgeous historic building that will let you host an event! Ashley with Hawkeye Photography and I designed our tablescape featuring Taste's beautiful built in gold tufted benches, marble tables, ghost chiavari chairs, and cream and champagne linens and chair sashes. 
We’ve accented this with gold chargers, white gold-rimmed place settings, gold flatware, crystal stemware, a red accent goblet, and antique gold monogrammed trivets for the coffee cup. I love the neutrals and golds together with the pops of red and how it keeps the table stylish and classy.
To decorate each table, we’ve set out white pillar candles on mercury glass holders and small floral centerpieces and each place setting at the table has a bar of Taste’s artisan chocolate set out as their wedding favor.
Taste has a full menu to choose from, but we opted to highlight their absolutely divine artisan chocolates and this amazing charcuterie board filled with the most delectable meats, cheeses, nuts and fruit. To top it off they have something called “Sipping Chocolate” on their menu and when I tasted it, I basically swooned it was that good. I wish you could have seen us behind the scenes trying to put bits of bread and cheese or a spoonful of sipping chocolate into models’ mouths without spilling on raw silk because they’re wearing gowns that would cost me a glass full of unicorn tears and my firstborn child :)
The bars of artisan chocolate made exclusively at Taste were wrapped up as darling wedding favors or Thank You gifts for bridesmaids, vendors, etc.
The refreshing drink of choice to go with all this rich food was an ice-cold glass of strawberry mint lime Sprite. This was a super simple, DIY drink to freshen up a basic soda – just add a strawberry, two mint leaves, and a quarter of a lime – but it was a big hit all around. As someone who doesn’t drink alcohol, I love finding easy yet fancy, family-friendly drink options, so win win!
Because this is Utah and Utah loves its DIY-ness, I created a DIY chocolate-themed seating chart for weddings that have sit-down dinners. I used 3” raw silk ribbons, black chalkboard stickers, and gold chalk markers (all from JoAnn’s) to create a seating chart. Then, I filled vases with Lindor truffles and set gold table numbers (from Partyland) down into each vase. Finally, each separate ribbon seating chart was placed with its table, ready for guests to come up, find their names, grab a few chocolates, and head to their seats. Forget laser-etched seating charts, or charts of artistic modern calligraphy and give me all the chocolate seating chart ideas!
The Dress
Pam with Bitsy Bridal provided the perfect dress to go with our upscale venue; the couture, fit and flare, Anthony Gual gown “Erin” made from 100% raw silk. This dress felt like butter, my friends, and fit our model Cindy like a glove. The silhouette accented every beautiful curve in the most flattering ways and was breathtaking. 
I love the smooth, clean lines of the silhouette, and I can’t get over how gorgeous and luxurious that raw silk is. Every step and every movement was sheer beauty and grace. FYI to all my Utah brides: if you’re looking for something a little more couture than a fitted lace dress, Bitsy Bridal is one of my favorite shops!
I’m totally wishing I could pull of a dress like that, but with my pear shape and birthing hips that have now birthed three beautiful baby girls, there would be a little too much squeezed into the bottom, and not near enough to fill out the top. One can dream amiright?!?!
Hair and Make-up Artist (HMUA) To complete the bridal look, Julie from Blushing Blonde swept Cindy’s hair into an elegant chignon updo (and that’s all her hair people – no extensions necessary!) with just a few subtle tendrils framing her face.
Julie gave Cindy a formal “evening wear” look on make-up with a dramatic smokey-eye, but then contrasted that with a nude lip color. I love how this makes Cindy’s eyes full and gives them depth.
Bridesmaid Dresses
We love this stunning bridesmaid's dress from Ypsilon Dresses! Their Salt Lake formal-wear shop is filled with gorgeous gowns. For a truly chic, black-tie affair, go for one of these amazing black cut-out dresses. I love the sleek elegance of the silhouette and the beaded trim around all of the cutouts is absolutely increadible!
Tuxedos
Our groom has some serious smoke show vibes going with his tuxedo from DC Tuxedos, a Utah-county based tuxedo shop. We chose a deep charcoal tuxedo with black lapels and black piping, a black vest, and a sophisticated charcoal on black striped tie. 
Now if this were truly a traditional black tie affair, the groom would be in full black tuxedo/vest/tie, but I ended up falling in love with this tux at the tux shop and couldn’t resist putting my own little spin to “black tie”. It’s still very couture and very formal, but it’s not stuffy either.
We pulled in the true black tie tuxedo on our groomsman to match him to the bridesmaid. Our Groomsman is wearing a matte black tuxedo from DC Tuxedos with satin black lapel and piping, a satin black vest, and black tie. Black tuxes and bridesmaid dresses are the ultimate “black tie affair” attire, and will lend real elegance to an event if you’re going for the couture/luxury look. Plus, I have this little pet peeve about being able to pinpoint the groom amongst the groomsmen in wedding photos, which is almost impossible when they're all wearing matching tuxes, so keep that in mind when making your selection.
The Flowers
Nothing says dramatic, couture, and romance to me like deep red roses, but an all rose bouquet was soooo 2002. When I was designing these florals, I really wanted to find a fresh, modern way to design the classic red rose bouquet and I’m so so happy with the result. I took the red rose bouquet and added in burgundy peonies, protea, red snapdragons and alstromeria, and then accents of cream hypericum berry and curly willow to create a textural, romantic hand-tied bridal bouquet that feels luxurious, but also very natural. 
I rounded all of this out with this amazing greenery, grevelia! It’s the perfect touch of wood-nymph on these red wedding flowers. It did make me break out into a light rash on my arms as I was designing with it, and a few other designers have mentioned this as well; however, our model didn’t experience any of these issues while just holding the bouquet, but if you’re prone to plant-based allergic reactions, you may want to select something different. This bouquet would also look amazing with Italian ruscus, agonis, or honey myrtle and those would be more allergy-friendly options.
For the bridesmaid – I created a bridesmaid bouquet of similar florals, just in a slightly smaller size, and for the groom and his best man, we have the classic red rose boutonniere. Very dashing and debonair if I do say so myself.
You’ll see more of these fabulous red florals in the table centerpieces. I love the look of lush centerpieces, but let’s be real here. Most brides don’t want to spend $300 per centerpiece (times 18 tables), and I do like the styled shoots I put together to be inspiration that a bride could actually achieve, so I went with a small, glass, bowl-shaped vase that’s low to the table (low enough for guests to easily see and talk over) and filled that with roses, snapdragons, alstromeria, and greenery. It’s the same luxurious color palette, but in a much more affordable size. A centerpiece like this could be in the $35-$50 range as opposed to the $150-$300 range.
One of the big floral focal points for this shoot was the wedding cake! I worked with Marcia from Sweet Cravings 12 to do the cakes on this shoot. She created the most stunning four-tier wedding cake and then I topped it off with a coordinating fresh flower topper, center section, and floral base. I can’t get enough of the drama here!
But, I’ll be honest, my very favorite part of this whole shoot was the red rose petal ceremony aisle installation. Taste has incredible stenciled wood flooring and it was just BEGGING to have red rose petals on it.
This is just a small-scale installation for inspiration only, but you guys, I’m seeing a whole long aisle of this rose petal ceremony aisle decoration. It would be absolutely fantastic. The red rose petal ceremony aisle is gorgeous as stand-a-lone décor, but then you add the bride in and my heart just stops! Red rose petals and raw silk were meant to get married together. Crossing my fingers a bride will want to do this someday!
Invites
Our invitation suite was provided by the lovely Jeneze Designs. We love her elegant, antique gold laser cut card and the touches of red and black in in the text along with black envelopes and the dramatic, rose red liner. 
Wedding Cake and Groom’s Cake
I was thrilled when Marcia with Sweet Cravings 12 reached out and wanted to collaborate on a wedding cake set-up together. She pulled together the most beautiful 4-tier, white fondant wedding cake with gum paste floral accents. We paired her incredible cake artistry with my florals to create an elegant confection designed to really wow! 
And because I love cake…and I REALLY love chocolate (I mean we’re doing this shoot at a chocolatier’s venue for cryin’ out loud) I created this triple chocolate brushstroke groom’s cake. The bottom tier is layers of dark chocolate cake with chocolate ganache and the top tier is milk chocolate cake with Nutella buttercream filling.
The outside is frosted in a watercolor-esque blend of dark, milk, and Nutella frosting and I love the shading it gives the cake. It’s also decorated in accents of gold leaf and adorned with semi-sweet and white chocolate brushstrokes and a darling laser-cut “Love” cake topper in golden script from Partyland. I was so excited when this cake was featured byUtah Valley Bride as one of the top cakes of 2017! See the feature here.
Soooo funny story about what was going to be an awesome brushstroke cake. The chocolate brushstrokes were supposed to extend up onto the top tier as well to complete the look. I spent FOREVER creating a bunch of these babies and then left them on the counter to cool…and guess what wasn’t there when the kids and I got back from errands?!?! Most of my brushstrokes. Because my husband ate them. The night before the shoot. Good thing I love him right?!?! 
Jewelry
Have you ever walked into a jewelry store and then walked out again with $25,000 worth of jewelry??? WITHOUT stealing it?! Me either. Until now. For the record…I’ve also never walked out of a jewelry store having stolen that much either :) but I know you'll love these jewelry details our bride is wearing! There's some serious bling from Tresor Jewelers. Her raw silk gown is adorned with diamond-studded necklace, bracelet, and earrings and our groom got in on the action with custom cuff-links and groom's ring.
The Send-Off
No wedding is complete without a send-off and get away car. I’ve seen pretty much every type of send off you guys can imagine. Rice, birdseed, confetti, biodegradable sugar rice, sparklers, bubbles…you name it, I’ve seen it. The bubbles and confetti are two of my faves, but nothing, and I mean nothing will ever have my heart like the drama and romance of a rose petal send off. 
They’re romantic, smell absolutely heavenly, and flutter down perfectly so they can be captured on photo or video (rice and birdseed are too heavy and fall too quickly :) These luscious red rose petals are expecially vivid! As a little budget hack, create your rose petal ceremony aisle and once your wedding ceremony is over and the venue is flipping the room, have them gather up the petals in baskets to save for the send-off toss. We did that at the shoot as a trial run and it worked like a charm.
Once your wedding guests have bid you a’dieu, it’s time to make your getaway, and nothing fit our couture bridal inspiration like this gorgeous limo that is available to rent from Antique Limo of Utah. Now let me be real here for just a sec and say that by the time you get to this detail in your wedding budget, renting a car may just be the fluff that isn’t going to happen that night. I would know. My hubby and I drove away in his magical 98’ Honda Accord and that seems to have set a nice practical, reliable, economical tone for our marriage. Did the sarcasm come across well there? I wasn't sure it would :)
But then we aren’t what I would call “car people”. Cars aren’t something we dream about, invest money into, or follow as a hobby. I do know there are loads of people out there who love cars like I love cake, and those are the people that may want to squeeze renting a luxury getaway car into their wedding budget. And if that’s so, I highly recommend looking into a Utah luxury rental car company that would be willing to incorporate using a luxury car in a portion of your formal photos. By the time you exit your reception it will most likely be dark and the images of you snuggled in the back of the car won’t be the quality you’re looking for, so get some images done with the car earlier! Then you can enjoy lovely memories like this!
If these heart-stopping images by Ashley with Hawkeye Photography and Kylie with Life Looks Photography weren't enough, Kylee with Kylee Kay Videography filmed the sweetest wedding video inspiration!
Artisan Wedding from Kylee Kay on Vimeo.
So for you lovely couples that enjoy the finer things in life, it is possible to do haute-couture in Utah! Below, you’ll find convenient shopping links to help you achieve this same look at your wedding, as well as a list of amazing vendors who have the talent and skill to pull off this type of wedding. Be sure and check them out!
Vendor Info
Photography: Hawkeye Photography www.ashleyhawkesphotography.com @hawkeyephotobyashley Second Shooter: Kylie Hoschouer http://www.lifelooksphotography.com/ @lifelooksphotography HMUA: Blushing Blonde www.blushingblonde.me @b.blondehmua Flowers: The Pear Blossom www.thepearblossom.com @emily_pearblossom Wedding Cake: Sweet Cravings @sweetcravings12 Groom’s Cake: The Pear Blossom www.thepearblossom.com @emily_pearblossom Venue: Taste www.havetaste.com @havetaste Dress: Bitsy Bridal www.bitsybridal.com @bitsybridal Dress Designer: “Erin” http://www.tullenewyork.com/ @antoniogual Bridesmaid Dresses: Ypsilon Dresses www.ypsilondresses.com @ypsilondresses Tuxes: DC Tuxedos http://www.dctuxedos.net @dctuxedos Invites: Jeneze Designs http://www.jeneze.com/ @jenezedesigns Jewelry: Tresor Jewelers https://www.tresorjewelers.com/ @tresorjewelers Vintage Car: http://antiquelimoofutah.com @antiquelimoofutah Videographer: Kylee Kay Videography @kyleekayvideography Tablescape: Hawkeye Photography www.ashleyhawkesphotography.com @hawkeyephotobyashley The Pear Blossom www.thepearblossom.com @emily_pearblossom Models: Bride: Cindy Perez Roberts @perlorene https://talentmg.com/talent/actors/cindy-perez/ Groom: Adam Colvin @colvinadam Groomsman: Riley White @chelseybriannewhite Bridesmaid: @athennacrosby A Bleak Mid-Winter Bridal Session
It's the middle of winter which means that right now, everyone is crossing their fingers and hoping against hope that those lovely white snowflakes will fall so that we're not in a draught come summer. Utah brides are rejoicing at the thought of stunning mountain bridals with romantic wisps of snow clinging to the tendrils of their softly elegant up-do's, but I know you my fair-winter weather friends! Come Valentine's Day, you'll be singing a different tune! You'll have had your fun of evergreens and pine boughs and blanket scarves and you'll just be trying to survive until spring.
Those formerly magical snow-covered woods now look a little bleak and dismal, but never fear...you can still have a lovely wintery wedding in January and February without it looking like a Christmas wedding! It's all in pulling on the native color palettes and foliage around you and even though the earth isn't as lush and bounteous in the winter and she is in the spring and summer, there's still so many lovely options.
I worked with Utah Bride Blog to design this lovely mid-winter wedding inpsiration. I wanted to mimic the natural winter landscape for my inspiration. Many brides worry that there won't be any wedding flowers available when they set a winter wedding date, but that simply isn't true! My heart was drawn to the frost and snow covered woods and the organic winter color palette of evergreens, deep browns, icy blues + grays, and stark white.
Winter is a wonderful time for berries, evergreens, pine boughs, and bare branches; all of which contribute fantastic elements of design. In the bouquet itself you’ll find white spray roses, white calla lilies, white snapdragons, white waxflower, white anemones, and white astilbe with pops of peach hypericum berry, peachy-blush Sahara roses, slate blue thistle, and deep brown curly willow, dried rudbeckia, and bare tree branches. All of this is rounded out with Juniper and darling little gray-blue juniper berries, fir, and pine branches. The result is woodsy, but romantic.
I also love these peach hand-dyed silk ribbons from Frou Frou Chic. They are perfectly paired with this cream and peach winter bridal bouquet, a great accent color to the pops of woodsy brown and dusty blue blossom, and add elegance and movement to your wedding flowers - especially if you're outdoors and pic up even just a bit of wind!
You can view the full Utah Bride Blog feature here, or see it in their online magazine here! And this was just Part 1 of this session, so stay tuned for it's companion post! Vendors Photography: Jessica E photography @jessicaephotography Floral: The Pear Blossom @emily_pearblossom Ring: Trumpet & Horn @trumpetandhorn Makeup: Cyndi Johnson Beauty @cyndijohnsonbeauty Hair: Lovely Locks & Darling Dyes @lovelylocksanddarlingdyes Model: Storie O’Brien @storie.kate |
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