March 8, 2012

WE'VE MOVED | COME CHECK US OUT

We've made it simpler to find us.  Click here to check us out at our new location.
Please bookmark our link (www.akikofloral.com/blog) for future reference.
Thanks for being loyal to this page for as long as you have!  We appreciate it.

March 5, 2012

A Tough Group!

Last fall Julianne from A Modern Proposal asked us to join her in another stylized shoot.  As if we would say no!  Seriously, it's a great way to show off some creative ideas!

So, this theme was Silver, Charcoal and White.  I contemplated in my mind all the things I could do to really make this 'shade' combo really pop.  I was a bit concerned that with white the flowers would really just blend into one another, so I fell back on "Texture".  If you've read my blog, you'll notice that the first post ever was about texture and how it is key to making sure that your flowers will really pop and look defined in your photographs.  Floral Texture is extremely important as those photos will be what you physically can look back upon to remember that day.

I was also concerned about how everything would come together...not only everything created by us, but also all the details that A Modern Proposal would design.  I was nervous.

What made things worse, was that our initial location unexpectedly cancelled on us LAST MINUTE.  By 'last minute' I mean hours from the start of our shoot.  But, leave it to Elizabeth from ENV Photography to come up with an even better idea.  We went to a local Superstore just northwest of the Edmonton downtown core to utilize a great outdoor wall.  Talk about texture.  This added a whole new element to our shoot.  It really looked fantastic against the new silver overlay from Elegant Touches.

You might be wondering why I titled this "A Tough Group".  Well, not only did we manage to figure out a new locale for our shoot, but I said, this was done last fall.  This is Edmonton in Alberta, Canada.....  For those of you unfamiliar with our location on the map....COLD, really COLD.  Although we've had a mild winter and fall this 2011/2012 season, it was still nippy.  Kudos must be given to our 'bride' for wearing that spectacular shoulder-less dress on that frigid day.

Without further delay...here are the pics!  For some more information on the shoot itself, check out the original post on Wedding Obsession!

Enjoy!


Styling + DIY Details: A Modern Proposal
Photographer: ENV Photography
Bouquet + Boutonniere: Akiko Floral Artistry
Linens: Elegant Touches
Hair piece + Necklace: Claires
Dress: Ebay
Earrings: BHLDN
Groom’s Tie: Burberry
Stationery: RiverStDesign on Etsy























December 8, 2011

2012 Spring Colour Trends and Your Flowers

Hello everyone, on Tuesday I had another chance to write for WeddingObsession.com. In this week's post I discussed colour trends for Spring 2012 as set out by the colour experts, Pantone. I also discussed what flower choices are available to you in those colors! I hope you enjoy the post and find it a useful resource if you Re getting married next Spring.

October 8, 2011

A Great Experience | A Modern Proposal

Hello!

I wanted to share a few VERY pretty photos from a shoot that was done with A Modern Proposal.  This tablescape was designed for a photography class that Ryan + Beth Photographers held to teach students how to take photos of a wedding day from start to finish.  It was really interesting to see the results from several of the students.  Everyone catches details in such different, but beautiful ways.  The name of the class was The Full Circle || A Wedding Photography Workshop.  I just loved that!

So, without further delay, here are the photos from that day.





To see more AMAZING photos, make sure to go check out Ryan + Beth's blogsite here.

Photography:  Julianne Cragg, Ryan + Beth Photographers, Eee + Bee Photographers
Table Design:  A Modern Proposal

Thank you ALL for letting me be a part of this day.


October 7, 2011

Wedding Obsession | A New Opportunity

Well, it was a great surprise to have Melissa from Wedding Obsession ask me to become a regular Guest Blogger on her site. I was thrilled. There was no better way to start off the series than with the Pocket Bout. I never would have guessed I would receive such a positive response than I have had in the past few days. Please have a read and see what you think! http://www.weddingobsession.com/2011/10/04/a-new-concept-on-boutonnieres/

August 29, 2011

Weekly Wonder | Lady Slipper Orchid

This week I thought I'd bring something a little more 'uncommon' and exotic to the table - Lady Slipper Orchids (properly known as Paphiopedilum).  The use of these orchids in wedding work can be soft and romantic to edgy and more couture.


Just a sample of the many available varieties of Lady Slipper Orchids


Name:  Lady Slipper Orchid or Paphiopedilum (pronounced PAFF-ee-oh PED-e-lum) of the Orchidaceae family consisting of 80 species and over 20,000 registered hybrid forms.  Surprisingly, there are new varieties being stumbled upon in nature - although, not often.


General FYI:  These orchids naturally occur in China, India, Southeast Asia and the Pacific Islands.  They are mostly terrestrial; however, some varieties have been found to be growing in trees and on rocks.  The name Lady Slipper came from the cup like appearance of the lower petal or lip.  These occur in a multitude of colours and either have a spotted or striped pattern.


Availability:  Paphiopedilum's (Lady Slipper Orchids) are available year-round.  However, as these are not commonly carried by many local florists and their wholesalers, make sure to ask well in advance for special orders.


Longevity:  As a plant, blooms can last a month or longer; however, as a cut flower, do not expect to have the bloom lasting any longer than a couple of days in dry Canadian climates.  The bloom is not as delicate as one would expect; however, these flowers do love moisture, so don't expect one to look as vibrant at 10 pm as it did first thing in the morning after a long hot day in the summer sun.  


Our Take:  This orchid is amazing and can be used in conjunction with various palates and themes.  Simply the look of this variety of orchid will have your wedding guests dropping their jaws.  As they are not that delicate of a flower, their versatility in bouquets and body flowers is phenomenal.  As this is a less commonly used flower, do expect retail prices per bloom to be anywhere from $10 - 30 per bloom depending on your locale.


We purchase all of our Lady Slippers from Green Point Nurseries in Hilo, Hawaii.  They have never let us down!


Photo Credits:
Bouquet Wedding Flower.com
Rebecca's Silver Rose
Tropical Plants Flowers and Decor


Information credits:
All About Paphiopedilum Orchids and How to Grow Them
Wikipedia

August 17, 2011

Weekly Wonder | Garden Rose

Wow!  Looking at this site, we see that the last blog post was on July 18th.  Summer Holidays and weddings have gotten in the way of keeping up-to-date with our "Weekly Wonder" posts!


Well, seeing as we have had a few weddings since the last post that have used Garden Roses, we only found it fitting to showcase this GORGEOUS variety of roses.


Although we limit the use of this flower to bouquets and decor as it is too delicate for body flowers, it is one of our favourite flowers!  It's depth and texture is unsurpassed.  What we love about this flower is that it not only looks and actually smells like a sweet rose - scent which is hard to come by in farmed roses these days - it also has the combined look of a peony and ranunculus.  This is advantageous, as both popular flowers are not available year round; however, the Garden Rose is!






Name:  Garden Rose; there is no single system of classification for garden roses as they are mostly hybrid varieties grown in public or private gardens.


History:  It is believed that all early civilizations from at least 5000 in temperate climates had grown roses.  Evidence has been found to link them to growth in ancient Chinese and Greek gardens.


Modern cultivation started but where else, in Europe, from approximately the seventeenth century.


Availability:  Garden Roses are available year round as an ever increasing popular flower among brides - as peonies fall in and out of season.


Longevity:  This flower is extremely delicate as roses are water pigs.  Garden Roses in general maintain a relatively short vase life of up to 5 days provided proper care and handling is followed. The longer these flowers are left out of water, the weaker they become.  Therefore, it is best that your wedding flowers are provided with a simple vase filled with water.  This way your flowers can get a drink between photos and the events of the day.  Also, the vase provides a nice vessel to display your flowers in during your reception.


Our take:  As previously mentioned, we feel that these flowers are AMAZING!  Again, their depth and texture is unsurpassed.  While other favourite event flowers such as peonies and ranunculus fall out of season, Garden Roses which look like the two combined, continue to be available.  As these are a more exquisite variety of rose, expect to see the price per stem be anywhere from $1 - 3 more per stem than your regular variety of rose - but the value is worth it!  Watching a tight bud open up in the bouquet throughout the day is spectacular - symbolic of a woman blooming into a bride!


We purchase all our Garden Roses from Alexandra Farms - we have never been disappointed!


Talk to your florist about Garden Roses in your bouquet!


Photo credits from top to bottom:
All single blooms:  alexandrafarms.com
Bottom right:  Akiko Floral Artistry Inc.


Information credits:
Wikipedia