Tag: Garland

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The Five Hottest Wedding Trends for 2018, part 2

an Ultra Violet wedding at Waters Edge, Louisville, OH. Dahlias, Zinnias, locally grown by florist t"he Garden by the Gate"

Hi again!

I’m ready to continue last week’s post on the hottest wedding trends for 2018! Why should you care? You don’t have to care; if you know exactly how you want your wedding day to look and feel, and you’re not influenced by what everyone else is doing, then you have a strong sense of style and are confident in your choices. Go you! You might be coming up with the newest wedding trends we’ll be talking about in 2019, or you have very classic, traditional taste and you can’t go wrong with that.

For everyone else, here are some new trends you can incorporate into your day, just to give your guests a little surprise, something to talk about. I think it’s rather nice if your guests say, “Sweet, I haven’t seen that before!” 

The 5 Latest Wedding Trends

#1 Color

To recap last week’s post, the top wedding trend for 2018 is new ways with color. You can keep your favorite color, but to set your wedding apart from last year’s crowd, don’t be afraid to use bold color. Bright, multi-colored palettes, moody palettes, and adding a pop of the Pantone Color of the Year, Ultra Violet, will wake up your color scheme.

#2 Hanging Flowers

Things are looking up! Up at the gorgeous hanging floral installations, floral chandeliers, and garland draped ceilings. These new trends in wedding flowers make a big splash whether your venue is a traditional white wedding tent, rustic barn, or modern gallery. These can be moderately priced when mostly greenery is used or the sky’s (literally) the limit with lush flowers abounding. 

The hanging flower trend also includes hoops and wreaths. Flower accented hoops of brass or wood are used as hanging backdrops, ceremony decor, and even as bridesmaids bouquets. Wreaths are simply hoops that are completely covered with flowers or greenery and can be similarly used or can be hung horizontally to make the base of a fab floral chandelier.

#3 Transparency

You might not have ever been “ghosted” but your wedding can be with “ghost” chairs. That’s what they’re calling the completely see-through plexiglass chairs that will give a light look to your wedding reception. Also popular in transparency are clear hanging signs with white calligraphy for your seating chart, menu, or welcome signs.  You can even rent a clear tent so that you can dance the night away under the stars.

Transparency has been popping up more and more for the bride’s attire as well. Gauzy chiffon skirts are layered over pants or a mini for modern style. Sheer, lacy skirts and bodices update a traditional gown. Sheer fabrics are also very popular in bridesmaids dresses on the bodice, as a capelet, or for a long-over-short look.

#4 Industrial Chic

The industrial chic look is the new rustic, and it takes its cue from new venues coming into use. The industrial venue is just what it sounds like, a place that used to be a manufacturing facility, warehouse, or 19th-century office space. You’ll know you’re in an industrial venue by the exposed brick walls, overhead steel beams and heating ducts, metal shaded light fixtures, and Edison bulbs. You can play up the look by using metals in your decor such as geometric flower stands, metal chairs, strands of bistro lights, and a neutral color scheme. Find uses for metal grates, pulleys, factory carts, or wooden pallets to complete the look. Add an industrial vibe to your bridal attire by tossing on a denim jacket in cool of the evening.

#5 Bohemian

The bohemian look began last year but is coming on even stronger. A bohemian wedding is an eclectic mix of styles, a carefree spirit, bright colors, unfussy, and most of all, dedicated to everyone having fun. Flowers are bright, arranged loosely, and used in unconventional ways, in the hair, as a hanging curtain, or even as jewelry. Textiles play a big part in the Boho wedding trend with bright colors, fringe, embroidery, velvet, or macrame showing up as chair covers, backdrops, or bridal party wear. Geometrics, metals, and crystals are often found in centerpieces and decor.

Which new wedding trends do you see for your own wedding?

You don’t have to try every new 2018 trend at once, but some trends really layer well. For example, moody color palettes, woodsy decor (moss!), and caped gowns all work together for a fairy tale theme. The transparent trend in decor calls for a clean and modern gown and florals that are light and bright.

Tell us more about your wedding ideas, be they traditional or trendy, by filling out the Wedding Flowers Inquiry form. We’d love to meet you and hear all about your dream wedding.

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Color of the Year-Greenery!

Green and White Wedding Flowers

We are totally smitten

with Pantone’s color of the year, Greenery, and with this lovely barn wedding featuring  . . . Greenery! Bride Jenna added some white to her greenery and the result sparkled in the rustic interior of the barn at Rivercrest Farm, in Dover, Ohio. We adore the subtle khaki green of the bridesmaids’ casual dresses, which made their greenery bouquets shine. A painterly gray sky threatened thunderstorms all day but the sun made its appearance just as the ceremony was about to begin.

After the hilltop ceremony, guests made their way down to the barn where the cocktail hour took place under a white canopy. Guests found their seats in a display overflowing with seeded eucalyptus greenery (designed by the bride’s mom). Inside, the greenery continued at the head table draped in moss and garlanded with more eucalyptus and ferns.

See all the gorgeousness captured by Lyssa Ann Portraits HERE   
*Photos on this page by the Garden by the Gate[df_divider el_width=”100″ style=”solid” accent_color=”” border_t_width=”” padding=”20px 0″ position=”align_center” el_class=””]


How to do a Greenery color scheme for your wedding

With the popularity of the Pantone color of the year, Greenery, I would like to offer a few tips and suggestions, and maybe correct some misconceptions about foliage decor.

If you’re a bride who would like to try to DIY your wedding flowers, Greenery is a good choice. Most foliages are pretty un-fussy about their treatment and last quite a long time in or out of water. We suggest that you choose a few items to DIY and hire a professional to do the rest. Perhaps you could put together centerpieces ahead of time and have your bouquets done by a florist. You really have to think about how much time you will have to create your bouquets and decorations on top of all the special events such as bachelorette parties, mani-pedis, fittings, salon visits, bridesmaid brunches, etc. You want to concentrate on getting yourself ready for your big day, staying fresh and relaxed, and not feeling harried or distracted by extra duties. As a wedding florist, I know how long and hard our team works the days leading up to a wedding so it’s hard to envision non-professionals adding this to their schedule.

When you decide that you want to make some of your own wedding decorations, you will need a source for the greenery materials. Your choices include online vendors, big box stores, or your local florist. The main drawback to using most online vendors or big box stores is the quantity of each item that you are required to buy. Flowers and greenery are mostly sold in box lots which generally consist of around ten bunches. Bunches vary in size having from 5-10 stems, sometimes more. As a florist who does many weddings, I can tell you that we seldom purchase a box lot of any one item or color. It is also a misconception that so-called “bulk” outlets are giving you wholesale prices. Generally, they are much higher than what your florist would pay. This is where the Garden by the Gate can help you out by not only providing reasonably priced greenery in just the quantities that you need, but we can also offer a lot of advice about what you’ll need and how to put together your arrangements. Just call us or fill out the wedding inquiry form on our website.

One misconception is that greenery and foliage is always cheaper than flowers. Some foliages are inexpensive and some are not. Here is a quick list of some foliages you might use.

Good Value

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  • Leatherleaf fern
  • Plumosa
  • Variegated or green pittosporum
  • Salal (Lemon leaf)
  • Sprengeri

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  • Huck
  • Nagi
  • Smilax
  • Ming Fern

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Premium Foliage

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  • Dusty miller
  • Italian ruscus
  • Leucadendron (Safari sunset, Jester, etc.)
  • Magnolia

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  • Fiddlehead fern
  • Sword or flat fern
  • Monstera leaves
  • Hosta leaves

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  • Maidenhair fern
  • Bay leaves
  • Olive branches
  • Explosion grass

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Eucalyptus and more eucalyptus!

There are now so many kinds of eucalyptus greenery to choose from! Most are a little more expensive than your value-priced foliage, but they make a big impression. Here are some varities to try.
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  • Seeded
  • Parvifolia
  • Silver dollar

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  • Willow
  • Gunni
  • Baby blue or silver

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  • Naked seeded
  • Feather
  • Tinted

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Garland

Greenery garland can be made out of any of the above foliages or any combination. A word of caution: garland is EXPENSIVE! Whether your florist makes it in their studio or buys it pre-made, it’s going to be expensive because there is a lot of labor involved. This is the biggest misconception that we see, brides thinking that some greenery down the center of each table is going to be cheap. This is also not recommended as a DIY project because it takes practice, and even then, it is VERY time consuming to do.

One alternative is to just lay pieces of greenery down the center of the table and this may work if no one disturbs it. It won’t look as lush and full as a real garland and here again, it is a lot more time consuming than just placing a vase on the table. This will need to be done the day of the event so it’s not a good project for the wedding party. If you have helpers who are not in the wedding, they may be able to do this for you.

Flowers can be tucked in at intervals using flower glue, wire, or water picks.

A word about foraging

Foraged foliage is a very popular look now and many professionals will forage greenery for their work. Branches and leaves from trees, shrubs, or vines can add great color and texture. The caveat is that you must test your foraged greens ahead of time to see if they will hold up. Cut the foliage and place it in water and flower food overnight or for several hours. If it is going to be used in centerpieces where it will have a water supply, this is all you have to do. Observe it for as long as you think you will want to hold your arrangements. If it is going to be used in something that will not have a water supply such as garlands, bouquets, or boutonnieres, condition it as above then take it out of the water and observe how it holds up out of the water for as long as it will be without water.