Here is a sneak peak from a lovely wedding Brooke worked on in July with a color scheme of bright pinks and gray.

The bride carried a bouquet of stargazer lilies, green hybericum berries, pink gerber daisies and bear grass wrapped in ivory ribbon. Her bridesmaids carried hot pink gerber daisy bouquets with green hybericum berries and bear grass which popped off the gray dresses.
Photos by Angela Kay Photography

When decorating the church for your big day, think beyond alter flower arrangements and bows on pews. Lately Brooke from Just Add Water is getting inspired by magazines showing carnation spheres as centerpieces.

For last Saturday’s wedding, Brooke says the bride wanted something different, so she used carnation spheres on square vases at the reception. The bride and groom also wanted a unique look for the church. Brooke thought, why not start at the church with the carnation spheres? Instead of hanging the flowers from a pew, she made a bigger statement with a tall clear vase next to the pew and topped it with her favorite curly willow sticks for some height.

Brooke L-O-V-E-D the way the carnations looked and so did the bride!

Speaking of the bride, she carried soft orange roses which were complimented by red hybericum berries to give it some texture. She wanted simple, yet chic and contemporary flowers.

The bridesmaids’ bouquets were constructed of light blue hydrangea, red hybericum berries, red dahlias and soft orange roses to coordinate with the bride’s bouquet.

Photos by Shawna Noel Photography

Jessica and Mike tied the knot at Sacred Heart in East Grand Forks last weekend. They wanted an elegant springtime feel to their  wedding, complete with twinkles of candlelight around the room. Brooke and Georgia from Just Add Water created a space inspired by a romantic garden party. Wooden boxes full of snap dragons, lisanthus, corn flower, roses, amaranthus, and eucalyptus served as creative centerpieces. The wooden boxes were a bargain find in Minneapolis; they really pulled the room together.

In addition to the wooden boxes, tall glass vases were filled with river rock and bride’s favorite green amaranthus and curly willow branches.

A beautiful and tasty candy table was a big hit with guests!

Photos by Shawna Noel Photography

Brooke from Just Add Water recently worked with a bride who adored the color purple. For her bouquet, Brooke put together a bundle of  purple lisianthus, dark purple lilacs, mini dark purple calla lilies, white cymbidium orchids, peacock feathers and an assortment of mixed greens. It had a beautiful, organic feel with all of the shades of purple!

In addition to the purple, Brooke also incorporated feathers in all of the bouquets and boutonnieres. Feathers are becoming an interesting accent that designers are incorporated into bridal bouquets, boutonnieres and floral centerpieces. Not only do they add color, they can make a unique statement.

Photos by Shawna Noel Photography

Photo from wallcoo.net

Brooke from Just Add Water suggests taking another look at carnations … you know, that pesky flower we all generally love to hate. If used creatively, the lowly carnation can be turned into something beautiful, modern and very chic!

So it gives me great pleasure to reintroduce you to the pretty, sweet, ruffly carnation.

Photo from wallcoo.net

Brooke suggests a few ways of using carnations in interesting ways :

Make a statement: Grouping identical items together in a small space can creates a strong statement piece. The illusion of volume created by the multiple carnations has more impact than one big centerpiece would.

Budget bride : If you hope to have flowers galore at your wedding, carnations might be your best option. Each stem averages two dollars, making the carnation easier to design with on a large scale. Plus, the blooms are so durable that you don’t have to worry about your flowers wilting. Carnation arrangements can last up to two weeks!

Use shapes: Carnations work well in clean geometric shapes. You can try using squares, rectangles or even more unconventional shapes like trapezoids in your centerpieces.

Keep it monochrome: Size isn’t the only way to make a big statement. The bold use of one color can also grab the attention of your guests.

Photos (clockwise)  bridesign.com, pdbloom.com, vividroom.com, marthstewart.com

Extra bonus about carnations: They are in season all year and are available in a rainbow of colors. Do you have any ideas for creative uses for carnations?

Aren’t the textures in the bouquet lovely? The mixture of ribbons in the flowers are pretty, too.