Website redesign!

It seems that the wedding season has put me in a state of blog neglect. I haven't blogged in almost four months! I have so much to talk about - everything from weddings in the planning stages, to completed weddings and even new products! Let's start with my website redesign. This week I went from the blah browns to a cleaner, brighter palette of blues. Check out the before and after mug shots:

It felt so good to refresh my color palette. Now I just have to put some of my new images into the galleries!

Wheatgrass Centerpieces - Casual, Fun, and Easy to Make

I mentioned wheat grass centerpieces in an earlier post about saving money on centerpieces. I've noticed a lot of people searching for more information, so I thought I would share my experience with growing wheatgrass to you.

This centerpiece is fun and casual and would work for a summer wedding or event. For a spring twist on this centerpiece you could replace the gerberas with tulips.

Here is a list of items that you will need to grow this centerpiece yourself. First go to Ikea and buy some cute containers for a great price. Miracle Gro potting soil is a must - the fertilizers in the soil make a huge difference in the lushness of the grass. I bought my wheatgrass seeds from wheatgrasskits.com. I bought the fifty pound bag, but ten pounds should be enough for twenty-five small centerpieces like the one I've shown. I also bought a bottle of Mold Control from wheatgrasskits.com. Wheatgrass is prone to mold, so you have to take a few preventative measures. Finally, you need florist's water tubes, floral preservative, and gerbera daisies to complete the look.

I soaked my seeds in water and the Mold Control prior to planting for six hours. Wheatgrasskits.com recommends soaking them for no longer than 8 hours to prevent mold growth. Mix the Mold Control into the water before soaking the seeds, taking special care to use the concentration suggested on the bottle.

While the seeds are soaking, fill your containers with the Miracle Gro potting soil until the soil level was two inches from the top of the container. This two inch allowance hides the lower sheath of the grasses – which is a thin and unsightly portion of the grass.

Then make sure the soil in the containers is damp, and ready to receive the seeds. Be sure not to water-log the soil, or you may end up growing mold. If there are no holes at the bottom of your container, then this will be a concern during the entire growing process.

After soaking the seeds, make sure to rinse them well. Mold Control residue will inhibit the germination of the seeds. Now you are ready to cover the soil with a layer of seeds. Once the seeds are down, place the pots out of reach of children and pets. Water from beneath every two to three days and watch your seeds grow. Ideal growing conditions are 70 degrees Fahrenheit with bright indirect sunlight. I grew mine indoors next to a large North-facing window.

It only takes me one week to grow lush centerpieces during summer, but I would recommend leaving yourself at ten days if you are trying to grow wheatgrass in the middle of winter. If the grass is too tall you can carefully trim it with scissors a couple of days before your event. But if it is too short there is not much you can do.

The day before the event you can finish off the look by adding the gerbera daisies. Start by mixing the floral preservative into water. Make sure to follow the instructions on the packets exactly, so that the concentration is correct. Then fill the water tubes with the water and insert one gerbera into each tube. Finally, stick the tip of the water tube down through the layer of seeds into the soil.

Now your centerpieces are ready to go. Make sure to wipe any water or soil off the bottom of the pot before placing it on the table.

Board #3: The Autumn Blues

Blue is one of the most commonly requested colors in wedding flowers. Many people think of spring bulbs like iris and hyacinth when they think of blue. However, the period between late summer and early autumn is one of the best times to find wild and interesting blue blossoms. Delphinium, bachelor's button, hydrangea, tweedia, thistle, and scabiosa are all wonderful fall flowers. But how do you work blue into an autumn themed wedding?

When brides ask for blue a common florists' trick is to suggest the standard purple-blue-white color scheme. The purple flowers are used to disguise the purple undertones that prevail in many blue flowers. With a mixture of many shades of blue and purple the hope is that one of the colors in the bouquets will match the color of the bridesmaids' dresses. This trick usually works, but the resulting bouquets don't speak the language of autumn.

The lofty color blue becomes firmly grounded when it is used as an accent to autumn hues. Here soft blues are paired with brown, orange, olive and muted yellow. This particular scheme is meant to work with pale blue bridesmaids' dresses, but may also be used with beige, chocolate and certain greens and yellows, too.

Row 1: Tokomaru Coca Cola mini cymbidium orchid, baby green artichokes, Sensation mini callas, pale yellow freesia, magnolia foliage

Row 2: yellow stock, tweedia, chocolate ranunculus, green wheat, Indian Summer spray roses

Row 3: feather celosia, Mt Everest rose, rain tree, eucalyptus pods, Lemoncello spray roses

Row 4: chocolate cosmos, scented geranium, Mood Cushion pomp, birch branches, Gold mokara orchids

Row 5: berzillia baubles, Sole Mio Asiatic lily, blue antique hydrangea, Aethiopica mini calla, cat tails