Friday Photo Spotlight: Gorgeous Gloriosa Lilies

A stunning bouquet from last fall - something for a bride looking to make a statement!
It features gloriosa lilies and hot pink coxcomb finished with a collar of scented geranium foliage and a lush pink velvet ribbon.
Photographer: Anthology

Wedding Faves - Allan House Reception

In Austin, we absolutely love our outdoor celebrations throughout the year. After all, on many weekends we're looking at temperatures in the 70s, blue skies, and gorgeous breezes; and a recent wedding that we did was no exception. We were fortunate enough to be able to work at one of our favorite venues, The Allan House - an intimate wedding space amidst elegant Victorian surroundings.

Our bride and groom wanted seasonal flowers to set their tone of outdoor garden elegance which was reflected in everything from the personal flowers to the reception flowers.

What began as an intimate ceremony space was transformed into a beautiful dining space, complete with soft peach linen draping, ivory lace overlay, and matching chair sashes. We created an eclectic and elegant centerpiece design that complemented the wedding colors and supported the overall tone of the wedding. Some tables featured a mixed collection of vintage milk glass with seasonal blooms - including garden roses, peonies, and stock - in shades of blush, peach, and ivory.

 

Other tables featured bird cages overflowing with seasonal garden flowers, setting the scene for garden romance.

 

 Finally, taking advantage of the natural beauty of The Allan House, the rock walls around the courtyard were lined with mason jars and assorted sizes of pillar candles, creating an outdoor glow of romance.

 

As always, we loved working at The Allan House - and, of course, with our awesome bride and groom. It was a beautiful weekend and a reception we'll never forget!

Friday Photo Spotlight: Gorgeous Four Seasons Ceremony

Nothing is more lovely than the lawn of The Four Seasons in Austin TX - the perfect, romantic spot to say "I Do".
This is one of our favorite ceremony designs from last spring - starting with a beautiful white stage (provided by Townsley Designs) and featuring our 4-post white canopy, aisle runner/petals and suspended pomanders on shepherds hooks all in shades of purples. Just gorgeous!
Ceremony/reception:The Four Seasons, Austin TX
Planner: Pearl Events
Photographer: AJH photography

Fall Flashback

It's May already! And as the summer heat makes its speedy approach, we're turning back the clock to show you some of our favorite pictures from our Fall, 2012 wedding season. Here are just a few that made the cut...


This is one of my favorite events of the season which included an absolutely spectacular 9' cross from Mancino Iron that we completely covered with flowers. Talk about a WOW ceremony piece!
We completed the look with two large, luscious arrangements - in the softest tones of whites, creams, and blush - at the entrance of the aisle. Finally, we lined the aisle with petals and candles for the ultimate romantic space.
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The bridesmaids bouquets were crafted with soft, romantic flowers - sweet and simple to complement the bridal party's rich, indigo blue dresses.

The gorgeous reception - held in the Darrell Royal Ballroom at Barton Creek Resort & Spa - featured gold chiavari chairs, champagne linens, and a combination of gorgeous tall and low centerpieces. Best of all, it featured an adorable bride and groom who were full of smiles - and that's always the best part for us!

Murphy Mondays: Keep Swimming

Last week I did something brand new. Something unexpected but completely awesome. I took a swimming class!! An ALL day swimming class!! My people found out about this amazing place not far from us where dogs like me hang out for the day and swim, play on the agility track, eat, relax, and do some overall socializing. Sounds great, right? I have to admit though...I had a couple of concerns. For one, how would they manage without me for a whole day at Bouquets of Austin? Secondly, I am not currently at what they call my "fighting weight."

Turns out, it was fantastic and I loved it!! Of course, the next day I was pretty beat and, therefore, not as much help with the wedding flowers as I am normally. When I got to the shop, first I did this...

 

Then I changed it up and did this...

 Then I thought Stephanie needed some help, so I did this...

Which, immediately after, caused me to do this...

Yes, I'm tired but I can't wait to go back and I'll get stronger every time. It's good advice for couples planning their weddings too...even when it gets crazy, keep swimming - something great is on the other side!

Have a great week!

Murphy

Friday Photo Spotlight: Soft, Sweet, Romantic Bridal Bouquet

This is one of my absolute favorite color combinations - creams,whites, and blush - featuring one of my all-time favorite garden roses, the White O'Hara. If only you could smell this photo...

Murphy Mondays: Sharing the Love

As an Executive Labrador Retriever, I am called upon to manage many tasks at Bouquets of Austin. Of course, one of my most important roles is to protect the shop; I am, after all, a large dog and so I suspect my humans look to me for a certain level of protection. As I am more likely to lick someone to death than to pose any sort of canine threat, I really only act as "protector" in name only; but I keep that to myself. If, however, you need some food protected, I'm your dog.

As we've also discussed before, my role also includes greeter. That's my favorite part because I get to meet new people and show them what a great guy I am. I call this sharing the love; and when you work in a wedding flower shop, sharing the love is what it's all about. The people who come to meet us are happy and in love; they are there to plan the biggest day of their life and we're all happy to be a part of it! But sometimes even the happiest of occasions can cause strife between families and we see even the smallest piece of that in the consultation room at Bouquets of Austin. As an easygoing dog, I like to keep the peace; so here is my easy-to-follow tips on spreading the love when it comes to your flower meeting with us:

*Be respectful. It seems like a simple thing but boy can this get out of hand sometimes. I may really run Bouquets of Austin, but I still have to respect my humans and they are always respectful of me. So we like to make sure that everyone who comes to a meeting with us is respectful of each other. A lot of times brides and grooms bring along several members of their family to their meetings. That's always fun because it is, after all, a happy celebration. But fighting in that meeting...not so happy. Keep it loving and respectful.

*On that note, spread the love by keeping the bride and groom as the focus of the meeting. It is their wedding and, therefore, it should be their voices that are heard when it comes to the wedding flowers. Yes, everyone involved in the meeting will certainly have their opinions, but during the meeting may not be the best time to express those opinions if it causes conflict or derails the purpose of the meeting.

*Be open. The role of my humans at Bouquets of Austin is to make sure that our couples get gorgeous flowers on their wedding day. They are really good at what they do. So they always appreciate when couples - and their families - allow them to make suggestions based on their experience. When you're open to ideas, you may be pleasantly surprised by something you may not have thought of when it comes to your wedding flowers.

*Finally, spread the love by spreading the food. Please don't forget your host at Bouquets of Austin - ME. Gratuities are appreciated and I'll take whatever you've got (although bones are best).

Have a great week!

Murphy