A few of my favorite things... sunsets and purple

As promised, here are two weddings I did that I absolutely loved the flowers!

These are "my colors."

This Bridal Bouquet has green cymbidium orchids, orange mini calla lilies, red mokara orchid sprays, and orange and red "Fiction" roses.

A lot of times brides ask for "Flame" or "Mango" colored mini calla lilies, what they don't realize is that they are all "orange" in growers terms. Sometimes they are more yellow and orange and sometimes they are more red and orange.

Another flower that brides ask about is the "Circus" rose which is more red and yellow versus red and orange. I personally think that the "Fiction" is a much prettier rose and I like that it opens a bit more imperfect.

This is a very lovely and simple centerpiece option for a bride on a budget, or who wants to do something a bit different. You can submerge orchids (as seen here), calla lilies, or roses or float hydrangea or dendrobium orchids under a floating candle.

Another plus to these arrangements is you can use any color rocks, marbles, or shells at the bottom or any color floating candle. This comes in handy for the bride who is looking to incorporate a color in her wedding that does not come in flowers or is very limited like blue, silver, black, or brown.

Now I don't really like the color purple, but I LOVE purple flowers! There are so many beautiful colors and shades of purples and so many flowers to choose from: lisianthus, hydrangea, lavender, lilac, roses, tulips, veronica, stock, larkspur, freesia, orchids to just name a few.

I particularly love combining purples with green as seen in this bouquet. It is so fresh and beautiful and goes well with a deep eggplant colored bridesmaid's dress as an alternative to black or lavender.

Speaking of green... You've probably been seeing a lot of succulents around.

Most brides love their unique look as well as the fact that they are indigenous to the southern California Region. There are a tons of different varieties out there, but most of the ones you are seeing are in the echeveria family.

(photo credit to http://www.sargeantphotography.com/ for the great purple flower images.)

Up next... timeless all white bridal bouquets