The smaller things...

Sometimes it's overwhelming, sorting through hundreds of pictures of flowers... They start to all look the same. To me at least. And most of the time, there isn't an interesting story to go with them.

Still, some of them are worth sharing. So I lumped together a few pictures that are great examples of smaller arrangements...

You don't need to spend tons of your hard-earned money to get charming centerpieces.

When I worked at the flowershop, all the clients with more modest budgets got sent my way... My colleagues preferred concentrating on big spenders! And while it's obvious that bigger budgets mean more flowers to work with, it doesn't necessarily mean you have more liberty and opportunities as a designer.

When you are working with very few elements, the concept has to be strong and the execution has to be perfect. It's challenging and exciting. You have to be inventive with containers. Willing to experiment with different branches, foliage or fruits, all of which can stretch you budget more efficiently than actual flowers.

So small wedding have always been some of my favorite projects. I still remember a couple I worked with almost 10 years ago... Their budget was 15$ per table, which we finally upgraded to 16$ per table. In a shop where most centerpieces went for 75$ to 125$, this was considered pretty much impossible. The result was simple and elegant, and the couple was maybe to most satisfied and happy I've ever helped out.

These arrangements are all made with 3 flowers or less, coupled with inexpensive, locally harvested greens and branches.

First bouquet as a mum...

After Finn was born, my friend I used to work with at the flower shop sent me some flowers... She new I like to do things my way, so instead of making me a bouquet, she filled up a box with a bunch of the stuff I love. She called it the Ikea bouquet, because I'd have to assemble it myself... It took me a few days to find the energy to do anything with them, but when I finally did, it felt really good to take a moment for myself doing something I love. Before I started I went for a stroll in the alley to pick up a few "weeds"... The hairy looking vines are a species of Clematis, one I think is native to Eastern Canada. A couple other things too, polygonum and some stuff I can't identify...

It's interesting because it's not colours I would've picked out spontaneously, but the resulting mix was just fabulous. I naturally gravitate towards deep, saturated hues. These were far more subtle and varied. Just goes to show, I really have to expand from my usual choices of reds, pinks and purples...

I can imagine a wedding with a long harvest table filled with these. So perfect for a fall celebration. The place mats would be a dirty shade of purple, like the hydrangeas. Place cards would be light peach and olive, and maybe a few mustard coloured candles?

I'm already looking forward to the 2011 wedding season...

Patricia + Guillaume 2010

The "theme" we started with for this wedding was TOMATO ORANGE, to match the pair of shoes the bride would be wearing (colourful shoes are for sure one of my favorite wedding details... it gets even better when everything derives from them!).

Well, it turns out that there really isn't that many flowers of that exact hue. Less than I had anticipated... Or maybe I was just being too finniky with the colour?

I set the tone with "Orange France" roses ("Star 2000" roses are also this colour), and went with paler oranges from there, with celosia and freesia for the bouquet, adding eremurus for some height in the arrangements. I wanted some fruits or veggies in there to give it a "harvest" look, and since tomatoes would not have been too subtle, I opted for peaches and apricots instead. Finished everything off with a good measure of white, a touch of silvery grey (perfect with orange hues), and lots of greenery...

My pictures of the centerpieces (in white creamers) on location came out too dark, so hopefully the photographer will have gotten a few good shots!

Tout rouge...

I realized most of the pictures from the portfolio never made it onto the blog...

So I'll be showing them off in the next few months, along with pictures from upcoming weddings. I have so many interesting and creative clients this season, I feel very lucky and also very inspired... Looking forward to inventing new things and surprising myself and others...

Jordan + Mikael, summer 2009

PART 2 : TABLES & DECOR

I've mentioned this in a previous post, but this wedding was the most eco-friendly I've done so far... The flowers were 100% local and organic. Some of them I even picked myself, on the side of the road or in the alleys in my neighborhood, including the grapes, the hosta leaves, and the polygonum (the stalks that look a bit like bamboo).

It was a beautiful sunny day, so instead of working in the studio, I took everything outside and worked in the yard. Within minutes, the place was buzzing with bees and other bugs, all enjoying the freshly cut bounty. I thought to myself that if I was a bride, I'd be pretty stoked to know that the flowers we all enjoyed at my reception were also enjoyed by other living creatures, and up until a few hours before the party... No chance of that happening with imports that are so completely saturated with chemicals that no living being would go near it... Except us humans. Makes you wonder...

As well as using responsible products, I didn't use any refrigeration for this wedding. Some flowers I picked up on the morning of the event, and the ones that got delivered a day early were tucked away in my basement for the night. I have to admit I ran downstairs to have a look at them as soon as I woke up! This means all the arrangements, including the bridal bouquet and boutonnières, were made the day of the event. RUN... RUN... RUN... On top of that, all the containers were repurposed by the bride herself from her grandmother's collection.

This was all made possible by the fact that the wedding ceremony was at 6:00 and the reception at 7:30. Man, I just love late weddings... I wish all weddings were scheduled this way. None of that wondering what you're going to do all afternoon (I usually have a nap). And then the party can last all night! How can a bride enjoy her wedding (and wedding night!) if she had to wake up at six in the morning to start getting ready? Well, I suppose not everyone feels the way I do about getting out of bed early...

This wedding was featured in Brooklyn Bride, be sure to check it out (here).

Atelier Carmel on Brooklyn Bride!

Jordan, who's wedding I did this summer, pitched her wedding to Brooklyn Bride, one the great wedding blogs out there... I'm sure it took them all of three seconds to accept the story, as everything about this wedding was noteworthy. SO! Go have a look (here), the pictures are fantastic, moody, vibrant and artistic, and convey so well the look and feel of the evening...

And you can get the details from the bride herself, from the food to the attire...

Jordan + Mikael, summer 2009

PART 1 : THE WEDDING PARTY

Still to come (soon!), the reception arrangements...

This wedding was just the most fun I've had in years... The bride and groom were incredibly nice, had a great vision of what they wanted, and pretty much gave me carte blanche. This was the first time that 100% of the flowers I used were local and organic. Yay! Even the containers were repurposed, as Jordan found them all in her grandmother's basement. She also wanted something the bridesmaids would be able to hold on to and wear again, so the corsages and boutonnières were all made from fabric, feathers, buttons and ribbons. They'll look very pretty in these gals' hair or on their hat this fall...

Do I have to mention that the bride looks AMAZING? Jordan, you look amazing.

A few pictures are mine, but the others (the really, really good ones) are from their photographer, Irene Suchocki... Click here for her website and her blog...

There was a wide variety of flowers, but I predominantly used dahlias, bachelor buttons, ammi majus, zinnias, scabiosa and celosia...