antique garden

lavender, white, silver and green at vintage villas. classic garden with rustic elements: birds' nests, birch bark, succulents. lots of fresh heavenly scents: geranium, lavender, sweet pea, garden roses, rosemary. most notable was the white lisianthus (abundant!) and spanish lavender (intoxicating!).

centerpiece of kale, hydrangea, vendelas, lisianthus, lavender, passionvine, and maidenhair fern

centerpiece birch 'trees' sporting hanging votives and smilax

cocktail table 'nest' of moss and succulents

centerpiece cylinders with lavender ribbon wrapped pillars, moss and succulents

headtablescape of moss, branches, flowers, succulents and candles

wildflower affair

here are my images from wedding this weekend at the wildflower center. the bride wanted green, white and 'wineberry'. i bridged the gap with some dusty rose and apricots. loads of succulents, metal and organic designs for a modern but natural look.

wee succulent boutonnieres

dogeye euphorbia, ranunculus + succulents

escort card layout: metal trays and sand dotted with jellybean succulent clippings

sweetheart table design

centerpiece: metal tray, sand, succulents w/ floral posie

centerpiece: lantern from mancino iron w/ moss + succulents

bridesmaid bouquet

so succulent!

last week sarah and i got to visit 'from desert to tropics' on a mission to collect succulents for an outdoor wedding this weekend. their greenhouses are bursting with amazing specimens! i feel so lucky to have discovered their luscious offerings on our trek out to the 'country'. check them out if you're in the market for some juicy plants.

starhill revisit + new, improved header

my energetic floral design assistant, sarah, was kind enough to make a new banner/header for this blog. it's terrific and actually jibes with the website. sarah is not only a fabulous floral designer, she's a graphic genius. please visit sarah's own incredible letterpress venture - studio slomo. i'm so lucky to know such a talented lady. thank you sarah!

now on with the show... early june brought a lovely wedding my way. i'm finally able to post the gorgeous images by stella and brian alesi. i forgot how summery sweet it really was. enjoy!

hill country casual

susan and jeff chose to have a small intimate ceremony in the texas hill country on a rare day this summer when it rained! susan reported that it cooled everything off + considering the summer we've had i like to think of the rain as a sign of good wishes + hope.

succulents, black eyed *susans*, white button chamomile,

echinacea pods, oats, bluperum, cottage yarrow, fuzzy grasses

i love her wedding dress.

prim and proper

it's friday and i've spent the day in the studio with my #1 worker bee, sarah. wedding at laguna gloria tomorrow as the rain clouds, thunder and winds roll in tonight. looking forward to seeing how it all plays out - hoping outdoor plans still come true tomorrow.

images below from last week's wedding at the driskill, all prim and proper style. another one i can't wait to see professional images from. wishing everyone a long + lovely labor day weekend

garden roses ala 'juliette'

head table center pieces: mix of femma, finesse, cinnamon and juliette

matron of honor: cafe ole dahlias!, femma, marjolica sprays, hydrangea

.

it's getting hot in here

like painfully, annoyingly, 'is this ever going to end omg i'm burning up!!!', hot. and it won't rain.
this summer has been a test of wills and endurance. and to top it all off i'm well into an otherwise non-eventful pregnancy. at least there are swimming pools. at least there are sno cones. and at least i can crank down the a/c (for the sake of the stems) and admire gorgeous blooms with stronger tolerances than i.
vivo el verano!

bride's summer fancy

nine maids of circus roses, spikey dahlias,
sunflowers, blackbery vine + annabelle hydrangea

ringmasters of craspedia

corsages of craspedia and mambo sprays

tree of heaven surrounded by horsetail reed covered vase

kangaroo's paw and kniphofia

phun phun phun