Frigid January here in Michigan (and soon everywhere else, it seems), and its firmly proposal season, working with couples on wedding designs and planning, and I’m doing a series of thoughts on this process - themes that tend to come up during the design process and insights that I hope will help you in your planning journey.

Today I’m sharing about “Going Big!” I love to create wow moments, focal pieces, as we’re thinking about your wedding flowers. And by going big I mean more about how we prioritize within your budget than about increasing the amount. I like to learn about your floral priorities and find ways to allocate significant budget to those pieces, while maybe trimming back on things that are less important to you. You get more floral impact for your budget - a fantastic arch for your ceremony, a statement piece at your sweetheart table, an elevated design down the length of your captain’s table in the center of the room, a glorious welcome table in a grand entrance space. You and your guests will have so many pictures and memories of these pieces, and I think it’s worth making more petite centerpieces, or omitting other pieces to accomplish this. I encourage couples to “go big” in one or a few places - allocate the budget unevenly - and make some other pieces smaller to compensate. Some centerpieces can be petite. Eliminating boutonnieres and corsages is increasingly popular. You don’t have to tick all the boxes and put flowers everywhere, you can get more impact by going big where it matters most to you.

Your thoughts and comments very welcome, and let me know anything else you’d like to hear about!

Samantha and Chance had the perfect dusting of snow for their gorgeous winter wedding at Zingerman’s Cornman Farms. They brought the warmth and glow to a cozy winter wedding - beautiful and elegant, the details captured so beautifully by Adore Wedding Photography.

Chelsea and Suraj’s celebration at Cornman Farms was a perfect sun dappled autumn day. Their floral inspiration was dutch masters paintings, so their arrangements and Chelsea’s bouquet oozed with large blooms in moody dark and contrasting pastel tones. So many stunning details captured so beautifully by Dayna Mae Photography.

I just loved this design right out of the gate - the matte black silverware and bold red chairs were such statement pieces! The florals were bold pops of color in black ikebana-style vases - a contemporary feel with modern upright style. Loved creating these pieces for the University of Michigan Museum of Art - thank you for having me!

Brooke and David’s celebration at Cornman Farms was elegant and refined, with thoughtful details and every turn. The florals and candles were in elegant whites, with lots of texture and gentle clouds of babies breath. It was a warm and sunny September day - just perfect for lingering on the lawn at the farm. It was such a joy to create these flowers, and I loved how the tall taper candles felt made it all feel extra special. Thank you to Adore Wedding Photography for these beautiful images! They even captured me doing what I do - thank you :)

It is always a special honor to be asked to create flowers for another wedding vendor. I remember setting up next to Minh at the Polo Fields, and when we introduced ourselves, he told me how much he loved the flowers and would like me to do the flowers for his upcoming wedding. I was honored to be asked, and so loved creating bright, vibrant garden-inspired pieces for Monika & Minh’s celebration at The Gandy Dancer.

I am always so excited about an opportunity to dive into all the color. And this Weller’s wedding with a rainbow ombre of dahlias, marigolds, garden roses, foxglove, zinnia, and more did exactly that. It was such a thrill setting this up and seeing all the come come together. We had beautiful ceremony pieces with the full ombre and the reception had a focal piece in the middle of the room as you walked in, with monochromatic tables creating an ombre across the room. These are just my set snaps - can’t wait to share the professional pics later on!

New venue excitement! Hello and a very warm welcome to the gorgeous Vanguard Hotel in Ann Arbor! This place is stunning! It was such an honor to create florals for The Vanguard for some opening branding photos and welcome party. I love this place, it feels so luxurious from the moment you walk in, and there was friendly smile at the door everytime I arrived (even when lugging carts of set up materials :) ). The ballrooms are elegant, sophisticated, modern. Wedding guests will love being able to stay here and walk to the highlights of the University of Michigan campus and downtown Ann Arbor. I can’t wait for a date night out for drinks at the lovely bar! Welcome to the Vanguard, so excited that you’re here!

I’m so excited to share these beautiful images of Sarah and Tommy’s perfect summer wedding at St. Hugo of the Hills and Orchard Lake Country Club. It was a perfectly beautiful and joy-filled day, and just the most wonderful couple and families to work with. Every bit of this was a joy! The soft blues and cream and coral tones were a perfect soft summer feel, and adding floral wreaths and urns to this beautiful classic stone church was a dream. Congratulations Sarah and Tommy! Thank you to the always amazing Blaine Siesser for these images.

A perfect wedding to share during Thanksgiving week - Corinne and Matthew had a beautiful autumn celebration at Cornman Farms. It was a gorgeous sun-filled day, and the fall textures and foliages just shined. Congratulations the Corinne & Matthew! Thank you Lola Grace Photography for these beautiful images!