Here’s a year’s worth of my favorite flowers from our last season. I loosely named each photo based on the month when you might find those flowers in the market. Drop me a line if you have any questions about any of them in particular–I can look up which Portland-area florist created that bouquet. Stay tuned for a future post on my favorite boutonnaires from 2008.

The menswear in this wedding was particularly handsome and weather appropriate. The guys were reasonably cool in their khaki cotton suits, and I am certain the flip flops were a hit with both the men and the women. (By the end of the ceremony, I think I was carrying about 3 pounds of sand in each of my shoes.)

The cake was decorated with calla lillies and sprays of beach grass. The shape was unusual in that consisted of alternating square and round layers. Besides being yummy, it was elegant and lovely. Perhaps there’s an idea or two for you here is you’re planning a beach wedding in Oregon.

Jennifer’s dress and flowers were clean-lined without being stark or spare. Her bouquet was a simple construction of lillies, gathered with plain satin ribbon. The flowing ends of her halter-style gown ties gave just a hint of a train. At the last minute, she decided to tuck two simple orchids into her loose updo, which I think was the perfect touch. The groom wore a yummy blue chalk striped suit. I think his suit /tie combo said “stylish” as much as it said “getting married”.

Shortly after arriving, the guests gathered in a lower meadow for a short ceremony. Since nature’s decor is pretty darn spectacular, the only set up required for the ceremony was about 50 white resin chairs for the guests. As the sun was setting, the wedding party and guests strolled up to the larger medow for wine under the trees, followed by a wonderful family style meal beside the lake. The caterer set up the meal on one long table, making the evening friendly and conversational.

Perhaps you’d like a simple lakeside dinner as your wedding celebration?

Steph’s maids wore simple knee length black dresses (wouldn’t  a girlfriend appreciate that!) and the guys were outfitted in basic dark suits. It was classy, stylish, personal and sharp without being too tux-ey or too matchy.

Check out the great colors from this September wedding in Portland. All the warm colors were there: red, orange, yellow, tangerine. It was like all of summer’s vibrant palette in one big dose of fabulosity. The venue was the Sculpture Garden at the Portland Art Museum. We’ve shot events there before, but never had we seen the area tented off in such a cool manner. EJP events and The Prop Shop collaborated on this decor, including this billowing entryway, which effectively screened the celebrations from the street. Just inside the entrance is the area where the ceremony took place and then later was transformed into an outdoor cocktail lounge with ottomans, tables and outdoor heaters. Geranium Lake Flowers created the floral decor. That fantastic cake was from the now-defunct Joseph’s Dessert Company.

Here’s a second post on the financial aspects of planning your wedding. I’m a big advocate of the idea that there are scads of inexpensive ways to have a stylish and meaningful wedding. Consider Jennifer and Eric. Shortly before their wedding, they were able to purchase a wonderful home. Although it was a huge amount of work to finish renovations AND prepare for the wedding, they rolled it all into one grand effort. The end result was a sweet wedding in the backyard. Jennifer carried a simple hydrangea bouquet in pale pink and cream, while her b-maids carried bouquets in one shade of pale cream. The florist, Kevin Inouye, decorated the yard with hanging baskets of hydrangeas, gerberas and lilies, and edged the deck with pots of living plants in various shades of pink and white.

Of course, you’ll have to consider a few things. Do you have enough room for everyone to arrive, mingle, and eventually sit? Or do you want to do something even more informal by having everyone merely “gather round”, or is this too hard on elderly guests? You need to figure the cost of rentals: chairs, maybe an aisle runner or a chuppa. But these costs are often puny in relation to church fees to venue rentals.

Then consider whether your home is a good spot for a reception. Some couples discover that their home is perfect for the ceremony, then a nearby restaurant is ideal for the reception to follow. Given the economy, I’ll bet it is a terrific time  to collaborate with restaurants on an economical menu.

The good news is that a stylish, meaningful, wonderful wedding does not have to be expensive. I revisited our archive for images from this wedding at the Coast, which I recall as a fabulous, simple and stylish and completely reasonable wedding.

Since the couple’s entire family was travelling to Oregon for the wedding, the couple rented out all the rooms at Coast Cabins, which also allowed them to have a lovely intimate venue in the garden. The couple tented the small parking lot, making sit-down space for about 75 guests. Now, I don’t know if Coast Cabins still makes their property available for weddings, but it does illustrate how many untraditional venues you could consider. Boy Scout Lodge? Summer camp? Lake House? Roller rink? Stable? Farm?

Their altar was a willow arch, simply adorned with a ribbon and a few choice blossoms. The bride carried a hand-tied bunch of callas and dahlias. The centerpieces were simple seasonal dahlias in a range of pinks, oranges and reds in a collection of ceramic containers. The guest favors were ordinary chocolate bars, dolled up in a personalized wrapper. The “cake” was a big batch of tiny cupcakes on a simple tiered base. Everything was beautiful, simple, meaningful and absolutely not too expensive. I can’t think of anything more romantic than setting a reasonable budget with your spouse-to-be, then coming up with creative ways to stay within it.

I’m still swooning from the decor at this wedding. It’s definitely the prettiest set up I’ve ever seen at the Oregon Golf Club. Here’s some of the details straight from Amanda’s mom, who oversaw the details of this lovely event.

First, they replaced the black rear wall pipe and drape with white drape and an overlay of sheer organza. Small pink uplights gave the organza a barely-there tint that made everything (and everyone) in the room look stunning. Swan Island Dahlias did a magnificent job with the flowers. I heard that over 7000 peonies went in to this scrumptious look. The centerpieces, composed solely of peonies, were a simple contrast to the tall arrangements, which looked like they had roses, gladiola, stock and other yummy stuff in addition to peonies and candles.

Here’s a secret about cakes: Lamb’s Thriftway. Don’t tell anyone. It’s the insider secret to save you a bit on your reception. They can make just about any style of cake you can dream up. They can do sleek and modern, bright and vivid, polly-esque and cheeky, and of course, lush and traditional. And will probably cost you a third of what the top drawer wedding bakeries charge.

Other details that made this party pretty: silver chargers under white plates, white chair covers fastened with a single peony blossom, twinkle lights to set the mood, votives sprinkled on the table tops, and small bouquets of flowers as curtain tie-backs on the tent walls. Maybe you’ll think pink for your reception?

This morning we spent some time with Chelsea Fuss, shooting some floral still life ideas that she pulled together. Chelsea is a terrifically talented florist and event designer. She’s also the author of {frolic}, which is the grooviest design blog. I like to dip in when I’m feeling soggy. Her light, bright aesthetic is an antidote on a gloomy Portland morning. Here’s a still life with vintage wallpaper.

It’s that crazy counterpoint of flowers and manliness that is cool about a guy in a boutonneire. A man in his wedding flowers is downright sexy. (Don’t tell anyone that I said that. I ought to keep these things to myself.) Here’s some of my fav flowers from the season. Maybe you’ll get some great ideas.

If you’re planning your wedding, it’s smart to assign someone with handy hands to be in charge of pinning the guys flowers. If you’re doing group photos with your wedding party or family, you’ll want to plan to do this about 15 minutes prior, since it can take some time to get everyone properly pinned. Often, it’s an honor for the mother of the groom to pin her son’s bout, and most always makes a touching photo.

And here’s a bit on the actual mechanics of men’s wedding flowers. The boutonneire (from the French for “button”) goes on the guys left side (your right as you’re looking at him). Here’s an easy way to remember: on a heartfelt day, the flower goes closer to the heart. Or you can have him do the Pledge of Allegiance and his fingers will be pointing to the correct side. Place the flower with the best side pointing forward pin either across the stem or do a fancy two pin version. I like to take one pin up from the bottom: a bit through the stem, a bit through the suitcoat and back up through the stem. Repeat with another pin starting at the top of the stem. This assures that the flower won’t flop down.

One more thing: the boutonneire does NOT go in the buttonhole in the lapel. I can’t explain why, you just don’t do it.