madeline & brandon: love is patient

Warning!  Cute couple alert.  Madeline's wedding is coming up the first weekend in June and she has graciously taken the time to share her love story with us.  When Madeline first sent her spotlight answers over to us the well-known phrase came to mind which says, "Love is patient, love is kind..."  As you'll see when you read through her responses, she was best friends (as in hang-out-daily-best-friends) with her soon-to-be-Mr. for 19 months before they ever became a couple.  Man, that's a patient man.  

And it looks like all that patience paid off in the end.  Enjoy the love story that belongs to this cute couple!

photos courtesy of gideon photography

How did you meet?

I had just moved to Idaho in 2010 from Texas to start attending school at BYU- Idaho for my first semester of college. I was staying with my sister for a bit while her husband was away and she took me to the annual duck race--a rubber duck race--where we met up with Brandon (who was my brother-in-laws best friend). We walked around looking at old cars, ended up going boating, and then spent the evening by the fire with friends sharing stories and just getting to know each other.

What did you do for your first date?

Our first date was in October 2010 and he had asked me on a date to a Halloween scavenger hunt. We went to the scavenger hunt as a bunny and Hugh Heffner. Brandon was pretty shy, so for him to be Hugh was quite funny to everyone he knew! That’s when I figured he HAD to really like me to break out of his shell that much!

Who said, “I love you” first?

We had been best friends for a long time and Brandon was sick was of not dating me but spending every day together as if we were a couple. So one night Brandon asked me if we were ever going to date and I finally said yes, and then right after we were “officially” a couple he told me he loved me. Honestly I freaked out a little... so he told me he “takes that phrase lightly”.  But he really just couldn’t hold how much he loved me in any longer! I said it back to him a few weeks later.

What is the most unique thing about your relationship?

We both think that the fact that we were best friends for so long before officially becoming a couple really sets us apart from a lot of people.  We had hung out almost every day for 19 months. I might have stuck Brandon in the friend zone, but he was patient and waited for me to realize that he really was the person that I needed to spend the rest of my life with.

What are your favorite qualities about each other?

She says: My favorite quality about Brandon is that fact that he is so genuinely happy all the time.  He can make any situation okay because he has such a positive outlook on everything and can find the good in any situation.

He says: My favorite quality about Madeline is that she has a very balanced personality that blends so well with mine: she can be sporty or girly, loud and funny or more quiet and reserved. I’ve never met someone I’ve gotten along with so well.

How did he propose?

I made Brandon promise me that he would wait at least 6 months before proposing to me. We were in Sun Valley, ID for labor day weekend, which is where we started dating, and we had gone out on some old Honda scooters driving around taking pictures.  I was on the back of the scooter and said to him, "Today is our six months so there is no excuse for not proposing to me anymore!" Little did I know 15 minutes later Brandon was going to pop the question! He had taken me over to see the world's first chair lift (because we are both big skiers), and around the corner was a golf course and in the view you could see the two mountains where we would always ski.  Brandon said we should get a picture together so he set the camera to a timer, clicked the button, ran up, got down on one knee and said “Maddy, will you marry me?” I didn’t even answer for a minute because I was so excited and so surprised that he had to tell me to say yes! It was very personal, very us, and I loved it!

Where will you go on your honeymoon?

We are going to Maui, Hawaii on our honeymoon! I’ve never been before but he has.  We are excited to get some sun and spend time relaxing on the beach together.

Tell us a bit about your event concept.

My event concept is based on having everything be very fresh, airy, light, and fun!  My colors are gold, blush, ivory, and a muted tiffany blue, with a small hint of sparkle. I have 7 bridesmaids, including my maid of honor, and they all have different fun dresses and shoes that represent each girl. The wedding is at Memorial House in Memory Grove park in downtown Salt Lake City. I'm crossing my fingers that the weather is nice for an outdoor ceremony! My main goal really is to have fun and for my guests to have fun! It’s a time to celebrate and I just want everyone to have a great time and to party with me!

beat the heat--tips for keeping your summer bouquet fresh

Today we have this bouquet featured on Utah Bride Blog along with a couple snippets of advice regarding how to keep your bridal bouquet fresh during the HOT summer months.  Stay cool!

photo courtesy of alixann loosle photography

flowers in bouquet:  dahlias, snapdragons, succulents (three varieties), agonis, stock, bear grass, hypericum, gunni eucalyptus, waxflower, nigella pods, silver brunia, thistle, and caspia.

blossom sweet cover bride

Things have been busy around here!  Wedding season kicked in to gear about a month ago and we're now in the thick of it.  Our apologies go out to all of you for the lack-luster frequency of our blog posts as of late, but just know it's because we're cooking up some pretty designs!

Today we're sharing some exciting (belated but exciting) news with you.  One of our brides from last Fall is one of four cover brides for Utah Valley Bride Magazine's 2013 issue.  A photo from her portrait session landed the cover, and then her wedding in it's entirety is a feature in the magazine.  The bride, Evelyn, opted to have not only a bouquet but also a flower crown in her portraits, and let's just toot our own horn here and say it was a thing of beauty.  We were so thrilled to see it on the cover! 

Without further ado... here's our Blossom Sweet cover bride and her bridal portrait session (we'll share the whole wedding soon!):

photos courtesy of alixann loosle photography

flowers used in crown and bouquet: spray roses, lisianthus, waxflower, dusty miller, stock, ranunculus, and queen anne's lace.

photo of the month + utah bride blog feature

This bouquet was featured today on Utah Bride Blog and we're also making the first photo our photo of the month for May.  Check out the post to read about the cute story behind the photo shoot.  Happy weekend!

photos courtesy of elizabeth taylor frandsen photography

 

flowers used in bouquet: parrot tulips, spray roses (3 varieties), flowering dogwood branch, boronia, stock, kiwi vine, and italian ruscus.  finished with a twine wrap and mini pearl pins.

pink centerpieces sneak peek

We are currently working on some designs for an event in Salt Lake tonight and thought it would be fun to share a quick sneak peek of the centerpieces.  Enjoy!

arrangement for sale: today and tomorrow only

UPDATE: ITEM HAS SOLD

We're selling this ga-ga-gorgeous fresh arrangement for $60 (regularly $150). It's super pretty and packed FULL of flowers! Available for pick up in Provo today or tomorrow, or it can be delivered in UT County for an additional $15. Would be great for someone in the hospital, a special someone, a birthday/gift, sympathy flowers... or just to have something pretty for yourself (which we totally advocate). ;)

Call or text 801.669.4646 if you wanna get your hands on this. First come first serve!

Flowers used: roses (2 varieties), spray roses (4 varieties), queen anne's lace, dendrobium orchids, lisianthus, flowering dogwood branch, italian ruscus, and ranunculus.

intimate nuptials at a private sundance chalet

One of our July 2012 brides was married at a private chalet at Sundance.  It was a blustery, humid, rainy summer day (somewhat rare in Utah!) but cleared up just in time for her lovely early-evening event.  This wedding was evidence that investing in beautiful flowers can really transform your event.  While the chalet and the scenery were beautiful, it wasn't until the flowers arrived that it really looked like a wedding was about to take place.

The bride was getting ready in a room upstairs, so she and her mother stepped out on the balcony during set up to see the transformation of the space taking place.  The mother of the bride said to us, "Oh!  This is so gorgeous!  It looked so plain and now with the flowers it looks like this wedding should be in Country Living magazine!"  Of course we were happy as proverbial clams to hear that!  And now, enjoy a few photos from the event. 

photos courtesy of tabulous photography

THE BRIDE'S BOUQUET

We found out post-event that the bride teared up with happiness when she first saw her bouquet!  It was a seriously lovely work of art.

THE CENTERPIECES

The bride opted to have our signature vintage bud vases lining the length of the vineyard tables.  When a large arrangement isn't desired, we love this look for long tables.  

(note that the chairs at the ceremony were later used as chairs at the guest tables, which is why they are not pictured here)

THE CAKE

The cake was a cute little buttercream number.  We kept it simple by using a single garden rose with a slight accent of pink veronica and silver dollar eucalyptus.  To finish it off and really make it special we wrapped the cake with a border of variegated lily grass and created a faux-bow effect.

flowers used in the designs:   garden roses, lily grass, silver dollar eucalyptus, veronica, football mums, hydrangea, stock, lisianthus, roses, larkspur, snapdragons, dusty miller, queen anne's lace, freesia, and calla lilies.

[wo]man's best friend

Had to say goodbye to our dear family dog today, so I quickly gathered some items from around the yard to create a small tribute for the burial.  I won't get into my heartbreak in this post, but I love that this simple piece comes from his stomping grounds, he used to lay beneath the forsythia bushes in the summer. I tied it all together with a flexible branch I found in the garden. I thought it turned out kind of pretty.

 Farewell to my friend, Dudley.  2001-2013

pin it to win it

Have you noticed a new little treat on the Blossom Sweet Blog?  A few days ago we installed a "Pin It" button, meaning that when you hover over an image with your mouse, a heart-shaped "Pin It" button will appear in the center of the image.  If you're a Pinner you'll love this, because you simply need to click that heart button on the image you want and it will take you right to Pinterest with the pin ready to go.  Enjoy!

For your reference, here's what the button looks like:

Don't forget to follow Blossom Sweet on Pinterest!

Photo credits:
Alixann Loosle
Lindsey Shaun
Lindsey Orton

photo of the month + a couple spotlight

We'll start out today's post with a (very belated) photo of the month.  This bouquet was one of our favorites from a couple years back and would be a gorgeous accessory for a spring bride (...or summer... or fall for that matter)!  We adore the mixture of bold and soft tones, as well as the fluffy textures and pops of gray.  When we created this design we called it our "honeycomb bouquet" because for some reason the waxflower reminded us of just that.  Cute! 

photo courtesy of mikki platt photography

flowers used in bouquet:  stock (two varieties), roses, silver brunia, pepper berry, pittosporum, and waxflower.  Finished with gray satin ribbon.
 
Also, we have another wedding coming up this weekend and today you get to enjoy the backstory of the cute bride & groom.   We posted a photo of the bride's portrait bouquet a couple of weeks ago, it was the beautiful orange-toned piece with draping andromeda.  So lovely.  And now, before you read their story of l'amour, go ahead and take a guess as to how long they dated until they bought a ring.  Will you be surprised?  Well read on and let's see, shall we?  :)

Enjoy!

photo courtesy of chantel marie photography

What did you do for your first date?

Well, our first date was to Tepanyaki Grill and Temple Square.  Mind you, he's from Arizona and only had lived up here for a week, so the cold was a huge change and a bit interesting for him considering he didn't even own a winter coat! 

What is your funniest memory as a couple?

Our funniest memory... that's tough.  Tyler and I tend to be children most of the time--we keep each other laughing and laughing.  Something unique about us though, we just happened to buy a ring two weeks after dating. When you know, you know!

Who said I love you first?

I have to admit, I hinted the three words all day but never actually came out and said it.  I kept saying, "I need to tell you something... but i think I'll wait."  Finally that night he came out and said "I love you."  He beat me to it!

What are your favorite qualities about each other?

She says:  My favorite quality about Tyler would have to be his childish fun side.  There's a never a moment where he's not throwing in a joke--he rarely takes anything seriously.  He's such a motivated person when it comes to anything!  He keeps me on my feet and I love it.  He will be such a successful person someday; I've never met a boy who's so organized and on top of things.  I could go on and on about how amazing he is and the example he is to me in my life. 

He says:  She's the most caring person I have ever met.  I love her sense of humor and how we're always laughing.  She makes me want to be a better person, and I can't wait for our future together!

Tell us a little bit about your event concept.  

Our reception will be held at Gardner Village, which is STUNNING to begin with.  I'm going for more of an anthropology vibe--I've bought nearly everything there in my colors!  I'm hoping that when you walk in guests will instantly know what my colors are, especially with the beautiful flowers!

How did he propose?

Here's the story of our proposal.  We had plans to go to dinner on a Saturday night, and somehow we ended up at my parent's house.  He got me to go downstairs to my room where "Will You Marry Me" was spelled out in roses on my bed.  There were candles lit everywhere and a handsome boy on his knee.  While on his knee, my cute brother jumped out of my closet to take pictures (I told him I wanted a photographer in hiding).  It was simple and sweet.