All White at Twilight.

My dear friend Alex Gegenheimer was married in February. She asked me to help with the event and floral design and of course I was more than happy to assist. Here are some of the pictures from her wedding. It was an all white floral display perfectly complimenting the other colors she chose: black, white and Tiffany blue. The wedding took place at twilight by candlelight at the Peacock Inn in Newton, North Carolina. Photography by Seize the Photo Photography.

Alex wore a beautiful vintage inspired lace gown and a whimsical floral headpiece with a birdcage veil.

I created her all white bouquet using hydrangeas, roses, tulips, anemones and ranunculus. The stems were fully wrapped with a white silk chiffon ribbon.

The boutonnieres incorporated white spray roses and freesia flowers and blades and wrapped with Tiffany blue ribbons.

The tables were divided and either featured a bubble bowl with an all white arrangement of hydrangeas, roses, tulips, anemones, ranunculus, and Fuji mums, or a bubble floated with Fuji mums, roses and hydrangeas. All tables also featured white tapers in vintage crystal candlesticks and silver display cards. Individual gift boxes of chocolates were also on the tables in white with a Tiffany blue bow or Tiffany blue with a white bow.

Crazy Busy.

Sorry for my lack of posts lately. Had a major computer issue that is finally being resolved. Do not let your virus definitions go out of date! The big day finally came for my best friend, and I was terribly busy trying to make her dream a reality. I have tons of pictures to post but just wanted to give you a preview!

Her bouquet was so amazing. It combines yellow spray roses, jade green roses, white eskimo roses, golden yellow celosia, antique green miniature hydrangeas, yellow freesia, green hypericum berries and curly willow tips. Wrapped with a silk chiffon grey ribbon. It was seriously one of the prettiest garden bouquets I have ever done!

Modern Floral.

I got very inspired at the vineyard the other day. We have a five leaf akebia vine growing up the back stairs and second story balcony. The vine blooms and then produces these huge, alienesque blue/grey seed pods. I really wanted to create a floral arrangement with these pods, they scream modern, haute couture floral design.

I took the seed pods and long curving pieces of the vine, and combined them with lambs ear and a pink succulent blooms I found on the property. I put the modern arrangement in a very traditional urn. The combination is so strange and unique, it really works to create a beautiful

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Modern Vintage in Pink, White and Green.

My most recent wedding took place last weekend. I do not have all of the pictures sorted through, but I wanted to get something put up. More pictures will be added soon. The wedding was a modern, vintage pairing. We decided to use pinks, greens, whites and dashes of black. We then paired all of the flowers on tables with black lanterns, crystal taper candle holders and mixed in drop crystal candelabras. All of the various vignettes were placed on modern black and white print fabric table toppers. The mix of the modern color palette and fabrics with contrast of crystal and vintage lanterns and candle holders was truly Lavish.

The hand tied bouquet was created from white dahlias, pink mini calla lillies, hot pink roses, green hypericum berries and fiddle head ferns. It was wrapped in black silk ribbon and a crystal brooch was added for a little sparkle.

The main table arrangements were in glass bubble bowls. They were created from white dahlias, cream roses, hot pink roses, green hypericum berries, green kermit pom mums, green and pink dendrobium orchids and white dendrobium orchids.

Several large arrangements were made for the food tables. This was one of three various looks. This look includes green fuji giant mums, green hypericum berries, green kermit pom mums and cream roses.

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Tiny arrangements were created to mix and match on tables to create unique vignettes. They were made from green kermit pom mums in square glass vases and were done in the pave style, and the vases were wrapped in hosta leaves to cover the stems.

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Combinations of three separate arrangements were paired on some tables. The bubble bowls were combined with monochromatic green arrangements to really create a dramatic affect.

A true Lavish affair.

While working for Dutchmans Designs, I was able to help create many Lavish affairs. One of my absolute favorites that I was able to do a lot of the floral work for, was Joy Duongs' wedding. It took place at The Farm at Old Edwards Inn in Highlands, North Carolina. The wedding was featured in Elegant Bride Magazine. It was a romantic botanical theme in green and yellow. Photography by Lacour.

The center pole in the tent was flanked by two of Stephanie's wrought iron trees. The trees were strung with twinkle lights and, flowers and votives were suspended from the branches. Huge yellow paper lanterns were hung over the dance floor and yellow drum shades provided a modern elegance over the individual tables. The cords of the lighting were wrapped with cream and yellow silk fabric that was easily stapled to create a cord cover.


The problem with a huge tent, is the main pole in the middle, often times, stands out. Our solution was to weave grape vines from the top to the bottom and then weave in dried hops to create a hanging garden effect. It was this day I discovered I was allergic to hops and scared of heights. Hanging from a twenty foot ladder on your tip toes to wrap a pole can really help you learn this very quickly.

The tree was hung with tons of votive candles and white dendrobium orchids. It created a beautiful and enchanting centerpiece for the whole tent.

One of my favorite projects was creating the initials for the barn doors. We took oasis foam and placed in tiny stems of hydrangeas to create a J and C (for the groom Charles). These simple initials had a huge impact on an otherwise looked over area, the barn doors leading out to the tent.

The centerpieces were so stunning. Roses, Phlox, Freesia and Viburnum create a beautiful harmony in yellows and green.

A true Lavish affair.

Flowers and Apples.

I recently had to whip up some quick arrangements for the North Georgia Bridal Show. It was a last minute request, and all I had on hand was some beautiful roses. Roses are fine, but I needed to spice them up. So I took the French pave style of flower arranging, and twisted it with the addition of some fruit.

I had plenty of Granny Smith apples at the house, so i cored them, and sliced them vertically. Then I took the slices and bricked them up the sides of the vase, creating a basket weave pattern. Next I added water and flowers and voila! A Lavish arrangement of roses and apples.

A Lavish wedding at Biltmore Lake.

One of my best friends from college, Rebecca Redwine, was married on June 27, 2009, at Biltmore Lake Club in Asheville, North Carolina. Having worked with me at Dutchmans Designs in Highlands, North Carolina, Rebecca new right away that she wanted a very natural, and almost rustic design for her wedding. She wanted to incorporate a lot of ferns and greenery into her designs, and to really create a Lavish, simple effect.

The wedding took place right on the lake, and these shepard hooks with hanging flower arrangements, perfectly framed the ceremony. The arrangements are made from white and blue larkspur, purple stock, green hydrangeas, queen anne's lace, and plenty of ferns.

The tall vases were placed on the food tables, elevated above the buffet. The arrangements are made from cream roses, white fuji giant mums, green fuji giant mums, white alstroemeria, baby's breath and ferns.

The small bubble bowls were placed on the bars and on the high-boy tables. Hosta leaves wrap the inside of the bowls and the arrangements include white fuji giant mums, cream roses, and white alstroemeria. Very Lavish.

The Lavish table arrangements were created in a custom-made twig vase. We took PVC pipe, capped it off and sealed it to make it waterproof. Twigs were then hot glued to the PVC and saw to correct height. A simple white shear ribbon tied into a bow added a look of elegance to the rustic vase. The arrangements were made with blue hydrangea, cream roses, white fuji giant mums, green fuji giant mums, white alstroemeria, and baby's breath. The arrangements also included plenty of ferns.

Several large, Lavish arrangements, like this one on the guestbook table, were scattered. The arrangements included large numbers of cream roses and white alstroemeria.

We created initials for Rebecca and Clint out of oasis floral foam. We then wired on moss create the perfect Lavish effect in a rustic elegance. The initials hung from sheer ribbon of lanterns in the clubhouse. Many of the above photo's came from Terrie Gerolimatos of Callia Photography. Her skills are amazing and she was kind enough to send me pictures of my work to add to my portfolio. Overall it was an amazing event. A beautiful wedding on the shores of the lake and an excellent reception divided between a romantically lit tent, an amazing stone terrace, and the beautiful interiors of the clubhouse. Rebecca's wedding was a true example of how simplicity and rustic can translate into elegance. How Lavish.