petal particulars: millet

Sometimes I feel like fillers & greenery get the shaft when it comes to flowers. I mean, let's be honest, the fillers and the greens are almost never the focal point of a bouquet or an arrangement, however, they do have the ability to make all the difference in the world in a design and take something from "really pretty" to something "absolutely stunning."

For today's "petal particulars" post, I thought it would be fun to focus on one of these so-called "shafted" elements: MILLET.

Millet is one of my favorite greens/fillers, especially during the late summer to fall season. One of my favorite weddings where I incorporated a lot of millet was Elizabeth's Park City Fete, August 2009. Here are some of my favorite images of the millet-donned designs [photos by yours truly]:

Now, some inspiration from elsewhere:

Branching Out Events {ugh, this wedding is disgustingly beautiful to me}:

a couple itty-bitty yet lovely images from The Knot:

and lest we post incomplete, a montage from Martha herself:

So to wrap it up, do you think the millet makes a difference? I dare say it does! If you love it, be sure to specifically ask your florist to incorporate it.

Hope everyone had a great holiday weekend! Welcome back to reality.

petal particulars: peony

Hello, lovelies. I'm back! After a hectic, tiring, out-of-this-world-busy March, I decided to be a stowaway for my family's spring break this past week as it was the first week in a LONG time that I wasn't swamped with a huge event. We went down to St. George and had a proverbial blast!

Anyway, I guess it's time to get back to life, back to reality, back to blogging.

I've been meaning to start this new post series for awhile, and what better time to do that than NOW?

Here's the low-down. The new series will be called, "Petal Particulars," and will feature various bloom varieties and give all the stats/details/facts of particular flower species. We'll be discussing size, available colors, seasonality, cost, style, form, texture, etc. etc., and featuring photos for inspiration. It's going to be great - a floral encyclopedia of sorts for blushing brides to be!

We will begin with a flower that is one of my personal favorites (I have many). We're talking about the Peony.

Peony photos:

the bloom:

bouquets (beginning with one of mine):

centerpieces:

cakes:

bridal party:

peony particulars:

colors: white, pink, red, magenta, burgundy, peach
local availability: April-June
size: when fully opened, up to 6-8" across. 1-2' stems
texture: fluffy! great for adding texture. tons of petals, delicate and soft
style: peonies are great for both garden-style and formal events.
cost: high
form: mass flower

photo sources: yours truly, martha stewart weddings, green wedding shoes {love this site!}, the knot, kaboodle, wedding on the brain, event jubilee.