Wedding at The Lodge and Spa at Cordillera

January 24, 2013

Erin and Brad are Chicago natives who decided to wed in the Vail Valley, one of their favorite vacation destinations. They were high school sweethearts and have been together for over ten years, so they had a well-defined personal "couple" style, and it was such fun to translate their style into a wedding that was distinctly them. From the birch archway I constructed and decorated as a backdrop as they said their vows, to the carpet of delicate petals on their aisle way, to the whimsical bouquets and boutonnieres, to the highly textural tablescapes, no two alike, this wedding was infused with mountain-elegance from beginning to end. Working with Erin and Brad and Erin's parents along the way was easy and enjoyable, despite the distance separating us, because truly, these are some of the kindest people I've ever met. Wishing great joy and many more decades of love and togetherness for Erin and Brad!

FEATURED | Style Me Pretty

A Festive Dinner Party

December 20, 2012

I recently collaborated with an incredible team on a festive holiday photo shoot showcasing how much the right linens can enhance a dinner party table. I love the classic elegance we were able to evoke, with just a touch of va-voom with that gorgeous sparkly blush-colored tablecloth. And I have to point out that the choice of emerald green as an accent color was chosen long before Pantone announced the 2013 color of the year! Trend-setters much?

Language of Flowers, Part 2

June 14, 2012

With Father's Day looming ahead, you might be wondering what to get to express your love and appreciation for your dad. Unlike mothers, fathers don't usually inspire gifts of flowers. But even macho dads might welcome such a gift if you could explain to them the message that you've endeavored to convey through your strategic choice of the individual flowers making up the bouquet. And if your dad is in a creative field, like mine is, he may appreciate the ephemeral beauty of a gift of flowers, too! As the old saying goes, it's the thought that counts: and a bouquet of flowers filled with traditional meanings is more than just a thought.

When looking at meanings for flowers, don't forget about the foliage! Foliage doesn't always have a separate meaning from it's flower, but if the flower meaning is apropos, than you can apply it to the foliage as well. Gardenias, for example, have amongst their many meanings one that is specifically geared towards men, "good luck to a man." To give your dad that masculine "good luck" message, as well as letting him know that he is splendid, that you esteem him, that you are grateful for his lasting friendship with you and to recognize the strong bond of affection between you, choose gardenia foliage, freesia, sunflowers, bupleurum and stock. Sunflowers also stand for power, and even as adults, many children still think of their fathers as the most powerful men on earth!

There are a wide range of flowers that would be appropriate for an arrangement for dad, such as ginger, which can stand for strength, or gladiolus, which can mean "strength of character." Whatever you choose for your father, don't forget to tell him about the message behind the flowers- because that's where the true meaning of the gift lies!

CREDITS | Photography by Bonnie Tsang | Floral Styling + Text by Lauryl Lane | Graphic Design by MaeMae Paperie| Location at Palihouse, West Hollywood | Floral meaning resources: Victoria’s Dictionary of Flowers, Wikipedia Language of Flowers, FlowerMeaning.org.

relaxing at demitasse

May 31, 2012

Sometimes you enjoy lunch with a friend, but your need to converse lasts much longer than your need to occupy a table at a busy restaurant. On just such a recent occasion, Jane suggested that we try a new coffee shop in nearby Little Tokyo so that we could spend some time relaxing and getting caught up. Cafe Demitasse was the perfect place for such a plan. It was a warm and sunny day, so after procuring our own individual carafes of iced tea, we settled in on the patio to chat and people-watch. The patio was full of slatted wood furniture and surrounded by succulent sculptures, many of which were mounted on the walls of the building. It was a serene little spot in the midst of the busy city. The barista guided us to the best tea blends and his recommendations were spot-on!

Cafe Demitasse 135 S. San Pedro Street Los Angeles, CA 90012 (213) 613-9300

Images by Lauryl Lane.

Fragrance Bar Editorial Shoot in Malibu

May 30, 2012

I recently had the opportunity to design and style the florals for a product shoot at a stunning private residence in Malibu. The star of the show was the custom fragrance bar created by Courtney of Ka-Mil-Yin. After our shoot wrapped, Courtney demonstrated how she conducts private parties providing custom fragrances for the guests, by designing fragrances for each of the ladies on set. I ended up with a scent that I just can't get enough of- my own "signature" fragrance of orange, fig, sandalwood and white tea. I can hardly wait until I have the opportunity to hire Courtney for my own fête! As always, it was a pleasure to work with Summer Watkins, my favorite fellow-stylist by far, and I cannot rave enough about Jen Huang, who creates total magic with her camera. I don't know that my floral designs have ever looked more ethereal!

Language of Flowers, Part 1

May 10, 2012

Flowers are one of the first gifts that come to mind when we think of our mothers on Mother's Day, just as we know to give flowers to our lovers on Valentine's Day or to smooth things over after an argument. The giving of flowers is ingrained into modern culture, and we know that flowers can say "I love you" or "I'm sorry," but did you know that there is a long tradition of individual flowers holding very specific meanings? Red roses are widely known to say "I love you," but they can also stand for respect, courage and even embarrassment! Different flowers can have a variety of meanings, both positive and negative, so it's important to know which flowers to pair together in order to get your true message across.

First published in Paris in 1818, Charlotte de La Tour's classic Le langage des fleurs first brought floral meanings to the masses. Although meanings had long been associated with different floral specimens, the Victorians, in particular their poets and artists, used the meanings of flowers to convey messages in art, literature, and even in day-to-day settings. de La Tour's book gathered known floral meanings rooted in ancient history and laid those meanings out, creating a reference guide that we still draw from today. While we no longer attend balls carrying nosegays that can indicate if we are unattached or not, we can definitely use the lost language of flowers to convey meaning through a simple gift.

There are many resources online for discovering the meanings behind various flowers, so next time you're shopping for a floral gift, do some research first! Choose a color scheme (colors matter- in many cases, different colored flowers even of the same variety can have vastly different connotations!), find out what various flowers in that color scheme mean, and then visit your local flower shop and ask the floral designer if you can choose individual flowers to have made up into a special bouquet.

For a mother's day gift, you could choose lavender, for devotion. Alstroemeria stands for prosperity- and who doesn't wish prosperity for their loved ones? Ivy stands for dependance and endurance, both qualities that mothers have in plenty. The pink pixie (or mini) carnation reveals the meaning of a mother's love, and gratitude, again very apt for such an occasion. And the ranunculus demonstrates radiant charm. While your mother probably won't know these meanings outright, you can include the meanings on your enclosure card, and it's a given that she'll be delighted by the thought and detail you put into such a heartfelt, personalized gift.

Let's bring back the lost art of using the language of flowers!

CREDITS | Photography

Bonnie Tsang

Floral Styling + Text

Lauryl Lane

Graphic Design

MaeMae Paperie

Location

Palihouse

, West Hollywood |

Floral meaning resources

Victoria's Dictionary of Flowers