Garden Roses

Pretty!

That is all.

Two Brides, Two Bouquets

We recently had a wedding with two brides. Only one had her outfit at our meeting and the wedding was only a few short weeks away, so I was trying to get a feel for whether they were going for a matching look or two different looks, and was told unequivocally that they were definitely NOT going to match. Wish I could repeat exactly what was said, because it was hysterical, but some might take offense!

So, non-matching bouquets it was! One bride had a more tailored gown and really loved callas. So we kept her bouquet simple with mini callas and white dendrobium orchids.

Glassy dark green ti leaf collar and variegated lily grass loops to finish it off.

Our other bride had a strong preference for all things girly and feminine, so hydrangeas, garden roses, dahlias, and freesia fit the bill.

And just so there would be one small element tying the two looks together, we gave her lily grass as well, but tied it in little love knots!

Recycled - AIFD Symposium

This wasn't a huge trend, but a smaller one that I spotted at last month's Institute of American Floral Designers annual symposium. Recycled.

This network of white loops is made from the plastic strapping that comes around cases of flowers - how cool is that?! I never would have thought to repurpose that stuff. I'm always trying to scoop it off the floor before someone trips on it!


Next up - a sphere made from those same cases of flowers - in some of my other pictures of this piece, you can see the writing on the boxes. Most flower shops get a lot of cardboard. This is a super creative way to deal with it.


And what about this pair of floral arrangements? You're probably thinking it's the pedestals that are made out of recycled materials. Well, you'd be wrong! Look very closely at the top half, the flower portion - see that tan stuff that looks like it might be bark or some kind of honeycomb...?


Well, here it is up close - more packing materials! This honeycomb paper is used to pack some kinds of fragile items for shipping. LOVE this! It's great to recycle, but it has to work as a design element too, and this certainly does. I can't think of any floral item that would do what this brown paper did in the arrangement.

Recycle - Rethink!

Floral Accessories

We've been giving a lot of thought lately to the corsage, especially as it pertains to mother of the bride corsage. More and more moms have been opting out of them and choosing instead to hold a small nosegay or to even forgo flowers altogether.

We think that's a shame, especially as there are some other delightful options!

This sweet little brooch might be short on flowers but is long on style! What's not to love about a dainty dragonfly with the most delicate of flower accents?

A duo of orchids with accents of variegated lily grass and grevillea foliage, is made all the more charming with a sparkly oval of rhinestones. More like a great piece of jewelry and less like your standard corsage, this would be a great accent to any outfit.

This is my favorite! I definitely don't think of myself as a pearl person, but I took this one home and wore it out several times over the course of the week. (keeping it sealed in a plastic bag in the fridge)

This piece can be worn in the hair...which I did repeatedly...

...but it's equally at home on the shoulder. This is a look that is both modern and vintage at the same time. It's really less about being a corsage than it is about being an adornment to complement an entire look.

A flirty, feathery hairpiece...

...although there's no reason this couldn't be done without a comb so it could be worn on a dress.

So it's definitely time to rethink the corsage! What do you think? Would you wear these looks, would your mom?!

Spreading the Worcester Love!

Someone loves us!

We had a sneak attack by Free Art Worcester last week and found this piece of "508" art in our shrubs out front - YEAH!

We love Free Art Worcester's mission to make works from reclaimed and recycled materials and to distribute the power of art by sharing them with the community in an Easter egg hunt-like fashion around the city. Such fun!

Worcester, count yourself lucky to have Free Art, who loves you right back!

Wedding FAQ's

Can you save my wedding date?
To book Sprout, we require a non-refundable deposit of $200 and a signed contract. We do not hold dates without a deposit and contract - first come, first served.

Can I skip the Quick Quote?
You may certainly skip the Quick Quote step if you have booked us with a non-refundable deposit and signed contract.

Do you do evening or Sunday appointments?
Other commitments prevent us from doing appointments outside our normal business hours. To check our hours please call the shop or go to our web site (heck you're probably there right now!) at www.sprout-flowers.com.

Will Sprout travel for our wedding?
Of course! Our delivery fees are by the hour and based on travel time.

AIFD Symposium - Wired!

I'm behind in the blogging, yet again, but here we go - back to posting about the American Institute of Floral Design annual symposium!

Wire, wire every where! Wire of all types is still very hot. Above you can see larger gauge wire making a loopy net over the flowers, while a lighter gauge is used to bind the grasses poking through.


Wire was used like a textile in several things, woven, almost matted or felted to create a thick, sparkly, bendy swath.

Several sizes of wire forming ribbon like bands through this piece.


Nesty wire...


Wire loops, spheres, wire bindings...


The latest flat wire swirls around a piece that has tiny wire ball accents.


More spheres and flourishes!


Heavy wire binding the hypericum berry stems and hardware cloth, wire screening around the vase on the right - LOVE!


Wire used in an almost jewelry like manner...


More wire from the hardware store - tomato cages!


Wire blooms mixed with real...


This wire has been crocheted, yes, you read that correctly - crocheted - into discs which were then sewn together to form this gorgeous network for the flowers. Who knew those skills you picked up in the 70's would be so useful now? You did learn to crochet once, a long time ago, didn't you?


And finally, blooms impaled on wire!

How are you wired?!

Corporate Party - Shades of Red

Before...

...so many red roses, so many shades...

...stunning red peonies and orchids...

After: Become this!

...and this!

Sweet little cocktail table flowers - red roses in vases lined with red croton leaves. Croton leaves get slimy under water pretty quickly so I wouldn't do this for a regular flower order, but for a party it's perfectly fine and very effective.

The linens were a light gold with a red swirl. LOVE!

I was especially happy with the stage of Tuckerman Hall. A pianist was going to be on stage so it was nice to make a feature of it by lining the edge with these florals. I liked it so much in fact, that I thought if folks could only do one thing in this space, flowers on the stage would be a great way to go.

A better view of the hall and the linens. Can you see a bit of the gold architectural scrollwork in the background? I think the linens were a perfect complement without going overboard in the scrolly department.

Regal, rich - RED!

Sprout Wedding Consultations

Planning your wedding flowers should be an enjoyable part of getting married, but for many brides it can be a struggle.

More than likely you've never planned an event as large as a wedding before. Your florist, myself included, bombards you with so many questions about every little detail that it's easy to become overwhelmed.

And the most difficult detail for many couples, and the most critical detail for your florist, is - yes, I'm going to use the "B" word - BUDGET.

It's nearly impossible to discuss wedding flowers without some sense of what the ultimate flower budget is. The old school way of selling wedding flowers was to sell the bride the dream. Create her fantasy wedding and she will surely find a way to pay for it.

Well, that's just not how it is or should be any more. The bride of today is busier, better informed, and has no time to waste, so to better serve her, we have refined our wedding consultation process into a new and unique 3 step process.

Step 1: The Quick Quote

At Sprout, we want to take the mystery our of the money. At your Quick Quote we will talk dollars and sense to better prepare you for your design meeting.

We know how challenging it can be to plan a wedding in this day and age and it makes no sense for us to discus your budget last.

We recommend doing the Quick Quote as early as possible in your planning stages. The Quick Quote is strictly a budget planning tool so be prepared to talk about the number of floral items you will need for your wedding. Don't worry about design or color schemes, as they will be discussed in Step 2.

The Quick Quote should take no more than 30 minutes.

Step 2: Design Development

Once you're gotten your Quick Quote, it's time to make an appointment for your Design Development meeting. This meeting will be scheduled within the 6 month period before your wedding.

Twenty years of experience has shown us that this 6 month time frame is optimal for discussing flowers as all of the other major decisions have been made - venue rented, dresses purchased, menu chosen. This allows us to give you the best advice on how to complement all parts of your wedding with flowers.

At this meeting we will discuss all of the floral design details in your wedding - color schemes, specific flowers, and design styles.

Please bring:

• photos of your gown and your maids' dresses
• fabric swatches for both
• pictures of flowers you like
• any other elements that set the style for your wedding such as invitations or favors.

You should expect your Design Development meeting to take from 1 - 2 hours.

Step 3: Review

A third and final Review meeting will be scheduled 4 weeks before your wedding date.

At The Review, we will:

• finalize any remaining details
• get the table count
• go over the delivery and installation locations and time line
• see a sample centerpiece if necessary

You should expect The Review to take approximately 30 - 45 minutes.



It is our sincere hope that by dealing with the budget up front, we are able to guide you to making the best floral choices for your wedding day and your wedding budget!

Bride on the Wild Side

We did a small wedding recently with a bride whose personality was a little on the wild side - getting married for the first time in her 40's, she was more than ready to let her wedding express her taste.

She let me create what I thought would suit her and her gown, and I really think there were no limits to the design, so I had fun! A cascade featuring creamy callas, dendrobium orchids, stock, ornothagalum arabicum, and 'Blushing bride' protea. (How appropriate LOL!)

Here you can see some detail - I used lots of feathers! Several different types - she said to keep things soft, but edgy, so between feathers and a touch of wire, I think we did it.

Her maid of honor's only request was she loved the idea of a wire collar for her bouquet. So we kept it simple with callas and stock and the collar of silver and pearl beaded wire woven with variegated lily grass.

Would love to get to do a few more off-beat brides! Once I got started with this, I generated a whole lot of ideas that are dying to be used!!!