Sabrina and Kristian

Meet the beautiful bride Sabrina. She is originally from Argentina.
The close up detail of her bouquet with cream roses, wired fuchsia dendrobium and blush cymbidium orchids, and stephanotis with pearl inserts. Ultra feminine and romantic.
So beautiful.
The beautiful chapel at St. Anne's Academy.
The lovely orchid and rose pew dressing.
Here we go!
About to exchange vows....
Ta da!
Isn't she lovely?
The boys.
Orchids and roses for boutonnieres.
The ladies carried roses and orchids.
So cute!

The wedding party.
Close up detail of the centerpieces. I loved the pale pink mums because the colour was so delicate and soft.
Dressing up the reception tables.
All dressed.
Sabrina and Kristian married! I would like to than Trish Glab for sharing her photos of the day with me.
Congratulations Sabrina and Kristian! Thank- you so much for choosing Bella Fiore as your wedding floral designer. I wish you both a lifetime of joy and happiness together!

Maria and Daniel: Boundless Beauty

Maria originally contacted me via email from Washington. She explained that she was having a destination wedding in Victoria and would I be able to help her organize her wedding flowers? The first thing I need to determine is the bride's style regardless of where they are coming from, once I have determined this, all things are possible. Maria told me she liked roses and hydrangea,her colours were blue and white, she liked pearls and butterflies....a "garden romantic" I thought to myself!
Here is a close up of the custom bouquet I made for Maria. I wired stephanotis with pearl inserts and white butterflies into the bouquet and made a trailing aspect with hanging amaranthus and pearl strands. So romantic. So perfect for Maria.
Maria and her family came to meet me at the studio one month before her wedding to finalize details and meet. It is always so wonderful to meet a bride before her wedding; it doesn't always happen with destination brides. When I met Maria and her family for the first time, it was such a pleasure! They originally are from Siberia and I loved her Mother and Father's accents. Her mother was so beautiful and gracious and her father was the strong silent type; the type of father who only wanted the best for his daughter.
Maria is soooo beautiful! I love her dark hair and blue eyes. Her eyes are the most unusual shade of blue. I just love them.
This is her groom Daniel's boutonniere. Pearls and a rose. Masculine,yet romantic.
Handsome Daniel waiting for his bride to be.
The vows. The white fabric hydrangeas in Maria's hair are from her mother's wedding dress.
Setting up the reception at The English Inn. White roses and blue hydrangea with butterflies. Maria wanted to add blue water to the centerpieces. What the bride wants she gets!! The table was further dressed with floating candles and crystals.
The bride and her sister. Just beauties! I want to hire them both for a photo shoot!!
A gorgeous shot. All the professional photos were take by Leslie Holden Photography.
Married!
Swept off her feet! Love it! I am such a sucker for romance!
Off, into the sunset....Thank-you so much Maria and Daniel for choosing Bella Fiore to be a part of your wedding day. What a pleasure! Wishing you all the joy and happiness your hearts can hold!

The Art of Holding Your Bridal Bouquet

I bet you didn't know there is an art to carrying your bridal bouquet. Well there is! I have had this pet peeve for a while now and am going to address it in this post. I look at a lot of wedding photos and it really disturbs me when I see a bride carrying her bouquet too high; usually she is carrying it under her chin somewhere and her elbows are tucked tightly into her sides like she's clutching something precious to her chest. While your wedding bouquet is precious it's not Frodo's ring!
Your wedding bouquet is an accessory like a nice pair of earrings, funky handbag or fabulous pair of shoes. It has been designed to compliment your wedding dress, your build, your colouring as well as fit into your wedding scheme. If you hold your bouquet too high it covers all the beautiful details and embellishments on the bodice of your dress. You know, those details you fretted about in the dress shop.....seed pearls or crystals, cap sleeves or strapless? What about that heirloom necklace your grandmother gave you to wear on your special day? What about that debate you had with your mother regarding showing your cleavage or not....you know..... the conversation you won to wear that plunging V neckline ? Forget about it because you won't see any of it if you hold your bouquet too high! Your poor groom when looking back at your wedding photos will sorely miss those cleavage shots that photographers so love to take! Sigh.Poor guy, I feel for him. Honest I do.
So, how do you hold your bouquet then? Hold your bouquet at your waist so that you elbows can touch the sides of your waist and then take your elbows out slightly so they are no longer touching your sides but have a nice curve in them. See above picture. Tilt the bouquet slightly forward so that the stems are pointing towards your stomach. The reason it is important to lift your elbows away from your sides is that it is flattering to your arms. It gives your arms tone.When your arms are mashed against your sides it makes them look large....even thin arms look larger when pressed tightly against your sides. Trust me it's true. Try it in the mirror. Tilting the bouquet slightly forward insures the bouquet can be seen by everyone including the photographer. A bouquet adds beauty,colour and gives lovely texture to photographs. Keep your bouquet with you for photographs; it is an important bridal accessory that you have put a lot of thought into. It is sad when you have put a lot of thought into your floral pieces for your wedding day and they are not represented well in your photographs. Not all photographers are details orientated. Ask your photographer to get some nice shots of your bridal party and close ups of their floral pieces, including your centerpieces, altar and cake flowers. You'll be happy you did. There are many details to think about when planning a wedding but thank goodness you now know how to hold your bouquet!