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GRACE FLORA JOURNAL

An inside look at creating something beautiful

Stunning Neutral Wedding Flowers without Using all White

5/1/2023

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Nailing a Neutral Color Palette with Pops of Color

Boho chic wedding flowers neutral bouquet dried flowers
Stephanie and Roderick had a vision for their wedding - Boho chic meets Crazy Rich Asians in the most perfect venue, Roger Williams Park Botanical Center in Providence, RI (if you've seen the movie, you will get why!). 

Dried and Fresh Flowers

Boho chic wedding flowers neutral bouquet dried flowers
Boho chic wedding flowers neutral boutonniere dried flowers
The inspiration for a neutral color palette without using all white, came down to combining fresh and dried flowers with zero greenery.
My recommendation on how to add pops of color to a neutral color palette: use muted pink or dusty rose, toffee or terracotta, and light sandy colors against your whites and creams.  
Boho chic wedding flowers neutral bridal bouquet dried flowers
Boho chic wedding flowers neutral bouquet dried flowers
Happy asian couple wedding carousel Rhode Island flowers
Boho chic wedding flowers neutral bouquet dried natural
Boho chic wedding flowers neutral bouquet dried natural
Without overkilling "boho," we used a healthy, moderate amount of dried pampas grass, dried sun palm, dried bunny tail with some of my favorites - quicksand roses, toffee roses, cremons, and white strawflower. 
Boho chic wedding flowers neutral dried natural ceremony arch
Boho chic wedding flowers neutral dried natural ceremony arch
Boho chic wedding flowers neutral dried natural ceremony arch
If you can believe it, this arch was built by the bride's father and designed exactly to my requests so that the flowers could be secured and placed exactly where I want them. Couples ... this is how you use your close resources! 
Boho chic wedding flowers neutral dried natural reception centerpiece
Boho chic wedding flowers neutral dried natural reception centerpiece
Boho chic wedding flowers neutral dried greenhouse New England reception centerpiece
Inside the greenhouse was where the reception took place. Let me tell you, the tropical flowers, ivy and beautiful greenery that surrounded the place made everything truly magical. 

We got to repurpose the ceremony arch as the backdrop for the sweetheart table and it was perfect! 
Boho chic wedding flowers neutral dried greenhouse New England reception centerpiece
Boho chic wedding flowers neutral dried greenhouse New England reception centerpiece
Congratulations to Stephanie and Roderick for bringing their vision, entrusting me, and ending up with an incredible and beautiful wedding I will never forget. 
Are you looking for something similar? Let's chat!

Vendors:

Flowers: Grace Flora Studio
Venue: Roger Williams Park Botanical Center
Catering: Pranzi Catering
Photographer: Indigo & Ivory
Videographer: Earth + Sun Co
Entertainment: MadLove LLC
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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

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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

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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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