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GRACE FLORA JOURNAL

An inside look at creating something beautiful

Elevating an Intimate, Backyard Wedding

9/29/2022

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How to Elevate an Intimate, Backyard Wedding

Backyard intimate wedding chuppah bright natural flowers simple elevated
Photography: Jemima Richards
Danielle and Jason wanted an intimate, backyard wedding with the theme, "simple, but elevated." 

We focused on a bright, vibrant color palette with a sophisticated, clean look to take this wedding to the next level. 

​Here's how we did it. 

Elevating the Chuppah - Focus on CONTRAST

Backyard intimate wedding chuppah bright natural flowers simple elevated
Photography: Jemima Richards
If you want a memorable backdrop for your ceremony, you emphasize contrast.
  • Contrast bright colors with soft pastel colors. We showcased these insanely beautiful coral charm peonies with pops of peach, yellow, and lavender flowers. This makes the colors pop out more to achieve the vibrant look.
  • Contrast size. Again, the peonies are a big headed flowers so we complimented them with smaller headed flowers, which offers more interest to the eye.
  • Contrast texture. Fluffy petals (i.e., peonies and carnations) against smooth round petals (yellow ranunculus, lavender lisianthus) is a simple way to make an arrangement more sophisticated. 
  • Contrast greenery. Solomon's seal has a traditional shaped leaf that is green throughout. We paired this with Euonymus, which is a common plant you may see in residential/retail landscaping, that has yellow and green leaves. This is was a great way to tie on the yellow flowers for a complete look. 

Elevating the Reception - Focus on DETAILS

Romantic bright centerpieces simple natural elegant summer vibrant flowers
Photography: Jemima Richards
Romantic bright centerpieces simple natural elegant summer vibrant flowers
Photography: Jemima Richards
Would you believe me if you looked at the two photos above and I said that was in someone's backyard? 

It's true! 

Even though everything was in the backyard, it certainly didn't feel like it once the tent, goblet style vases, lighting, candles, loose greenery and centerpieces filled the long tables. It may seem obvious, but all the little tiny details matter if you want to elevate your space and make a statement. 
Backyard wedding reception centerpiece flowers natural bright garden simple elevated elegant wild summer
Photography: Jemima Richards
This is where you Event Coordinator really comes into play and Jodi Raphael Events did not disappoint! A hired planner has the expertise to know how to set up a space properly so everything could fit even if it's in a tiny space like a backyard! More than that, they know what type of silverware, linens, cups/goblets to pick for the most romantic tablescape. 
Bright summer natural wild centerpieces wedding flowers summer
Photography: Jemima Richards
Backyard wedding reception dinner centerpiece flowers natural elegant vibrant simple
Photography: Jemima Richards
For the centerpieces, we used the same contrasting principles from the chuppah in these garden style arrangements. The end result? Vibrant colors in a lush, garden style arrangement to to give the space a pop while tying everything together. ​

Elevating the Bouquet - Focus on SIMPLICITY

Bridal bouquet simple bright elegant sophisticated vibrant peony garden summer
Photography: Jemima Richards
Bridal bouquet simple bright elegant sophisticated vibrant peony garden summer
Photography: Jemima Richards
I've been noticing that smaller bouquets are becoming more of a thing and believe it or not, they're actually a lot harder to make! 

Danielle did not want a giant bouquet but one that followed the theme of, "simple, but elevated." 

Small does not mean cheap or plain! We focused on ​simplicity. This means, going back to foundational flower principles: color, shape, size.

 You don't have to be a florist to be able to spot a bouquet that has all 3 foundations:
  • Do the colors blend and work together to achieve your overall feel?
  • Are there flowers with a round shape, star shape, linear shape so that there's more visual interest and movement?
  • Is there variation in size with large, medium, small flowers so that the bouquet is balanced? 

These are simple foundations but without them, you could get a very different style of bouquet that may not be what you want. 

Talk to your florist so that both of you have a very clear understanding on the overall vision, size, and feel. This is so important! 
Wedding couple romantic bouquet natural wild elegant flowers
Photography: Jemima Richards
Wedding couple romantic bouquet natural wild elegant flowers
Photography: Jemima Richards
Biggest perk with having a backyard wedding: 
Dancing on the street with your new spouse outside your childhood home after your wedding.
That sounds lovely to me. 
Intimate wedding couple dance natural simple
Photography: Jemima Richards

Vendors:

Florist: Grace Flora Studio
Coordinator: Jodi Raphael Events 
Photographer: Jemima Richards
Catering: Max Ultimate Food
Beauty: Beauty Boston Artistry
Rentals: Peak Event Services
Bridal Gown: Vows
Grooms Suit: Indocinno
Brass trio: Occasional Brass and Strings
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Top Wedding Venue in Boston

4/25/2022

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Getting the best of both worlds at this Boston wedding venue

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Photography: Lensy Michelle Photo
When I first stepped foot at Misselwood Events at Endicott College, I knew this was going to my favorite Boston venue and I wasn't even the one getting married! 

To me, it was the best of both worlds - the ocean and historical architecture. 

Allow me to take you through a little walk through of Melissa and Mark's dream wedding. ​

Misselwood Estate

Bride groom Boston venue historic estate wedding flowers summer
The Misselwood estate is the perfect backdrop for photos, including a balcony (Aladdin vibes anyone?), a gorgeous library with classic black and white checkered tiles (Beauty and the Beast!), and a sunroom filled with ceiling to floor windows. It's definitely got the Disney magical touch. 

Talk about plenty of photo ops just around this charming estate! 
Bride getting ready library Boston wedding
Boston wedding venue historic building ceremony
Bride groom wedding flowers bouquet estate venue windows
Vintage library Boston wedding venue estate
Bride groom Boston wedding estate outdoor balcony romantic
First look Boston wedding venue estate red brick balcony

Oceanfront Views

Boston wedding oceanfront bridal party flowers happy outdoor ceremony
If you're having a New England wedding, it doesn't get much better than having the Atlantic Ocean right behind you as you say your vows. It's truly an unforgettable experience for guests and all to enjoy. 
Wedding couple oceanfront balcony doors romantic
Boston wedding oceanfront bridal party flowers happy outdoor ceremony
Boston wedding venue bride and groom ocean rocks

Bridal Party Flowers

Bridal bouquet bright summer garden flowers Boston wedding
For all those rose haters out there, Melissa's bouquet is for you! The inspiration for her bridal bouquet was bright, fun garden party with zero roses. Her bouquet featured pink and fuchsia peonies, freesia, delphinium, campanula and Queen Anne's lace.

Seasonal, fragrant, and definitely fun summer garden party. 
Bridal bouquet wedding flowers pink peony garden bright fun
Father bride bouquet wedding flowers outdoor stairs garden ceremony
Groom boutonniere garden wild wedding Boston
Bridal bouquet flowers garden wild wedding bridesmaids

Reception

Boston wedding venue outdoor tent reception romantic white chandelier
If you love the outdoors but don't want your guests to freeze or worry about bugs at night, Misselwood Events has it all. Their climate controlled tent is adorned with chandeliers and wall sconces and can seat 200 people. There are also French doors that open to a courtyard for cocktail hour and mingling to still enjoy the Oceanview. 

For Melissa and Mark's reception flowers, they thrifted all their vases and we filled it with seasonal, wild garden flowers like feverfew, Veronica, asters, blushing bride, Queen Anne's lace and peonies. 
Reception bud vases wild garden flowers Boston wedding
Bride Groom first dance wedding tent reception romantic
Reception bud vases wild garden flowers Boston wedding
Reminiscing about this day makes me want to come back here! If you're curious about planning a wedding here, let's talk! 

Don't forget to check out the all star vendor team below.
With a tight timeline, Tiffany not only made our vision come to life, but made it better than we expected! Tiffany was so helpful in the design process and went out of her way to check in on design details.

Even though I was a bit all over the place with what I wanted, she made our "summer friday garden book party wedding" theme into cohesive, colorful pieces. It helped our wedding truly feel like us!
- Melissa and Mark
Looking for Wedding Florals? Let's Talk!

Vendors
​
Photography: Lensy Michelle Photo
Venue: Misselwood Events at Endicott College
Wedding Planner: M+E Forever Events
Flowers: Grace Flora Studio
Bakery/Cake: The Whoopie Wagon
Ice Cream Truck: Cool Cow Ice Cream 
Ceremony Music: Lily Belknap Honigberg
Dress/Tux Designers: Anomalie 
Rings: Boston Ring And Gem
Invitations: Bubbly Designs
Band/DJ: Elevated Pulse Productions
Hair & Makeup: The Artists Hair and Makeup 
Transportation: Salter Transportation Inc.

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Best Flowers to Use for a Boho Chic Wedding

3/2/2022

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Top Flowers for a Boho Chic Wedding

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It seems like one of the popular wedding and décor trends for 2021 and 2022 is boho chic. Typically, boho chic describes an earthy, ethereal, effortless vibe that incorporates dried flowers. It often involves a neutral color palette with accents of terracotta, burnt orange, blush, peach, or darker tones. 

While this is becoming super popular, it is also pricy because dried flowers typically cost more than fresh flowers.

How do you create a boho chic look without breaking the bank? 
The key to a budget-friendly, boho chic look, is curating the perfect balance of dried and fresh flowers that has variation in shape, texture, and dimension. You do not have to get loads of pampas grass (which is expensive) to make your arrangement look full. Using something like dried sun palms, which has a large width and is less expensive than the large pampas grass can help you cut costs. Nailing down your focal flower is also important. This is the flower your eye is first drawn to. I like my focal flower to either have an accent color and/or be largest and most unique flower. 
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What Flowers to Use

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To create this arrangement, I focused on an earthy and elegant aesthetic, with a pop of terracotta as my accent color. 

Focal Flower
I was super excited to use toffee roses as the star of this arrangement. Especially with a neutral color palette, your eye is immediately drawn to the toffee rose. Quite literally, the color is a toffee, caramel, terracotta color which pairs really well with dried flowers. 

Secondary Flowers
For a soft, romantic touch, I used quicksand roses, white ranunculus, and white freesia. For texture, I used white astilbe, chocolate queen anne's lace, dried sun palm, and dried bunny tail. For height, I used white snapdragon.

​Foliage 
Dusty miller was a perfect compliment to this arrangement. Its velvet texture and silver blue/green color was a great way to tie in everything! 
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To add to this compote vase arrangement, you can pair it with an assortment of bud vases filled with a dried and fresh flower. 
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I hope this flower breakdown can give you a starting point for your next boho chic event!
Curious to learn more? Let's connect!

Florist: Grace Flora Studio
Event Planner/Designer: Krissy Campbell Celebrations
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How to Make a $10 Quick and Easy Fall Wreath

10/28/2021

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DIY $10 Quick and Easy Fall Wreath

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Fall is here! I love this time of the year for the same reason everyone else does - the Fall colors.

Around October, our front lawn has Little Quickfire Hydrangeas that start to become an ombré reddish purple, beige, and faded lime green (see right). This type of hydrangea dries really well, making it perfect for dried flower bouquets, house décor, and wreaths!  

I quickly whipped up a Fall wreath using everything foraged from my front lawn. My goal was to make it quick, easy, and affordable (just paying for the cost of the wreath!) 
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How to make a Quick and Easy Fall Wreath

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Materials
  • 24" grapevine wreath (I got mine from Michael's here which was $9.99) 
  • Little Quickfire Hydrangeas, grasses, pods, lavender, any foraged flowers that dry well (see list below)
  • Scissors
Best Flowers to Dry 
  • Eucalyptus 
  • Strawflowers
  • Hydrangeas
  • Lavender
  • Gomphrena
  • Statice
  • Yarrow 
  • ​Rose
If you decide to dry these yourself, cut the stem, remove the leaves, and hang upside down in a bundle in a dark, well ventilated area. 

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Summer Weddings 101: Planning Guide

7/19/2021

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Planning your Summer Wedding with Confidence

Summer wedding city flowers
Photographer: Kyra Jean
You're getting married in the Summer! Congrats! You should feel like this couple getting swooped up in the air for one of the biggest moments of your lives! 

If you're thinking this carefree feeling is very idealistic, trust me, I have been there. We planned an outdoor wedding in July and basically did everything ourselves including booking the venue, catering, renting a tent, tables, chairs, and decorating. My flowers didn't last past the ceremony either :( Much was learned.

​While it can be nerve racking to plan, some careful thought around your location and flowers can make a world of a difference for a stress-free, truly enjoyable experience! 

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Stunning Seasonal Flowers to use for your Spring Wedding

4/19/2021

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Stunning Flowers to use for Spring Weddings

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Spring in Boston (and Ontario when I used to live there) is probably my favorite time of year. It's actually the transition into Spring that excites me the most. Coming out of the long, cold months of hibernation and barren trees really makes you appreciate the first sign of tiny buds. Talk about slowing down and appreciating the moment, right?! 
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It's also an exciting time for weddings because gorgeous blooms are now available and in season. Why is seasonal valuable?

Seasonal Flowers = Better value for your money and they last longer!

Out of season flowers have to be shipped from far away so they lose freshness and are usually more expensive. So what's in season at this time of the year? 

I've created a list of top seasonal flowers to use for Spring weddings from incredibly talented local florists in Boston, MA! 

Of course, there are so many more flowers to choose from but this list narrows down the best of the best :) 

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Jewel Tone Outdoor Wedding Inspiration

3/12/2021

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Creating a Woodland Jewel Tone Wedding

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If you're going for a bold, rich, outdoor aesthetic, think emerald green, ruby red, plum, burgundy and royal blue. Aka in food colors, figs, cherries, blueberries, raspberries, grapes, and plums. It's passionate, it's deep, and it works. 
After this styled shoot, I seriously recommend everyone consider a jewel tone palette especially with a woodland, outdoor venue. Let's me tell you why and remind you of the "why" for getting married! 
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Remembering the "Why" in a Pandemic Wedding

It's 2021 and we are coming out hot from a very disappointing, restricted, pandemic wedding year. While we have gotten a much better grasp on how to do weddings now, it's good to pause and remember why you are getting married in the first place!

My "why" for designing florals is to express the beauty of something greater. I.e., your wedding and what that represents. This is the union of two people, the love for another over oneself, and creating something beautiful to celebrate this commitment. 

If you keep this in mind, all the planning and pivoting will be way less stressful and more meaningful for you. 

So, let's dive into how to incorporate jewel tone colors into your wedding!

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How to Keep your Flowers Fresh

1/27/2021

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4 Easy Steps to Make Your Flowers Last

Garden style bouquet winter
Valentine’s Day is around the corner, which is the perfect time to get a refresher on how to make your flowers last. Even if you only do one of the below steps, I guarantee it help your flowers look better than doing nothing at all! 

Why should I bother taking care of my flowers if they'll die anyway?

As soon as flowers are cut from the ground, they lose access to water, food and growth regulators. Simply giving flower food can help extend the vase life of your flowers by 60% versus water alone! (Chrysal, n.d.). I also like to think of flower care as a thank you to the person who got you the flowers. 

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Prep your 2021 Wedding like a Pro: An Interview with Elopement Photographer and Event Planner

1/15/2021

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Top Tips for Getting Married in 2021

Fall Elopement Mountains Flowers
Happy New Year friends!! 2020 was a memorable one (for better or for worse) and as much as we just want to move on, a bit of reflection is always healthy.

For the first post of 2021, I thought it'd be super relevant to tackle, "how should I plan my 2021 wedding?!" After so many postponements, micro weddings, and elopements, 2021 weddings are looking very different.

To paint a picture of one possibility, imagine this. You hike at sunrise to a first look and overlook the beautiful fall foliage and a lake. This is followed by an epic brunch picnic at the most scenic and secluded waterfall. After a little break, you do a sunset hike and then have someone transform your AirBnB for an intimate dinner. You end the night with a bonfire, beers and stargazing. I know right, this can be... my... wedding?! ​
Well friends, this actually happened and I interviewed the two masterminds who made this incredible event happen! Meet Kelsey Converse (Elopement Photographer), and Danielle Rand, Owner of Grandest Gatherings (Event Planner of Intimate and Adventure Weddings) who gave us the scoop on 2021 weddings. ​

How to Best Prep for your 2021 Wedding

Elopement Mountains Flowers

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The Spirit of Giving - Top 3 Favorite Flower Deliveries of 2020

12/15/2020

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New Home, New Neighbors and Flower Deliveries

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Casseroles and Flowers

Remember a time when people used to drop off casseroles or cookies when someone moved into their neighborhood?

Ever since we moved, it has been my little project to get to know our neighbors through flower deliveries. Maybe it's the pandemic and you kind of have to put yourself out there to find community. Maybe it's the fact that having a kid is a good icebreaker. Or, maybe it's because my dear friend made 54 bananas worth of banana bread for her neighbors (!!!). Whatever the reason, it's been a pretty sweet way to connect with people.
​
​So, here are my top 3 most favorite flower deliveries of 2020! 

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