woodland nymph

May 11, 2011

Good morning! Today I'm working away in the studio on a wedding, but I thought I'd share some photos of a prototype tablescape that I created for one of my brides earlier this spring. This bride was working with me long-distance from her home in Michigan, but her mother came to meet with me and we sent photos to the bride while we discussed the prototype with her on the phone. I rarely do prototypes for my clients. I hate being tied down to something, which is essentially what happens when a sample is created and agreed upon. As an artist, I prefer having the artistic freedom of creating the design AS I'm designing it-- i.e., during the actual build of the wedding.

But in this case, the prototype was a very good thing. The bride had booked me quite far in advance, and so the vision for her wedding had evolved over time. This prototype viewing was important for figuring out if we were on the same page after all of the changes and tweaks to the overall vision. The bride's mother kept telling the bride that she felt that "woodland nymphs" might come scampering out of the tablescape at any time. While I loved that description, it wasn't the feel we were going for. In the end, this tablescape changed dramatically. Eventually, I'll show you pictures of the final tablescapes at the wedding. But for now, enjoy some "woodland nymph." ;-)

Images | Florals | Styling by Lauryl Lane.

working away

May 10, 2011

I've been really sick, which has been majorly annoying since I'm in the middle of a wedding build.... but I finally saw the doctor yesterday and started on antibiotics. This morning I'm already feeling about 50% better. Hopefully I'll be feeling 100% better by tomorrow, when my floral order arrives! Hope you are all having a beautiful week. xoxo

Image | Florals | Styling by Lauryl Lane.

grey likes!

May 9, 2011

Today, Katie & Ben's pretty pretty wedding was featured on Grey Likes Weddings! Check out the feature, and I'll try to share more images from the wedding later this week!

for mummy

May 6, 2011

Have you ordered flowers for your mother yet?

Mother's Day is this Sunday, May 8th, and to celebrate Mother's Day, you should send something special to the woman who gave you life. There are very few mothers who don't love receiving flowers. Flowers are a luxury, something that many of our mothers probably don't buy for themselves regularly. Having a beautiful arrangement delivered to her doorstep will surely put a smile on your mother's face and make her feel loved and appreciated. Here are some tips for ordering flowers for your mummy:

1) Find a good flower shop! The best way to do this is to scope out the flower shops near your mother's home the next time you visit her. Flowers from a chain like Conroy's or a counter at a grocery market just won't do; you want a lovely, curated, locally-owned shop, and if you can find a shop that's a little high-end and carries a nice variety of interesting and unusual flowers, all the better. You can also look online, but beware of "stock" websites, generic sites made by Telaflora or FTD (floral wire services). Look for personal sites that have pictures of ACTUAL arrangements made by the shop's staff, not generic stock images that tell you nothing about that shop's particular design aesthetic. When you find a designer you love, ask for that designer every time you call! Be loyal! Follow that designer. I've followed my favorite designer in my mother's hometown (who also trained me in design!) for many years and to four different shops, but I still always call her because I trust her work!

2) Order early. It's not too late to order today (I did!), but if you order earlier in the week it will be easier for you to be specific about what you want, rather than having to take whatever the flower shop has left.

3) Be specific. The more you know information you give, the more likely you are to get something really perfect. Don't be TOO specific, you do need to leave the details to the designer: but you should absolutely give a color palette and choose a primary flower. Do you know what your mum's favorite flower is? Ask for it! Always give a second choice, too.

4) Know how much to spend. Don't be surprised if your mom gets a teeny tiny arrangement if you said you only wanted to spend $50. Flowers aren't cheap. Vases aren't cheap. And you're paying for the time of a great designer who is creating an incredible work of art! Don't forget that there is tax and a delivery charge on top of your order charge. Prices range dramatically across the United States (primarily due to freight/shipping costs), but I think it's safe to say that you should expect to spend between $75 and $150 for a moderately-sized vase arrangement (prior to tax/delivery). If you want something big and impressive, think in the $200-$300 range. I've made thousand-dollar arrangements here in Los Angeles, so the sky is the limit. If you're on a budget, why not send a fresh blooming plant like an Azalea ($40-$75) or a corsage ($30-$45)? I'm actually sending a corsage to my mummy this year. She recently had a birthday, so I had flowers delivered to her not too long ago, and thought I'd send her a corsage instead this Mother's Day. Corsages sometimes get a bad rap for being "dated," but I think they are classic, and the only thing that makes them "dated" is if they are made by a poor designer and sport a lot of baby's breath. A big, dramatic shoulder corsage? Timeless and always gorgeous! If your mother is going to church and out to luncheon on Sunday, this could be a good choice for her, too. Maybe your mother would prefer a wrist corsage? Or a little nosegay to hold? Or a floral nosegay to attach to her purse? Or some flowers for her hair? Feel free to get creative.

5) Don't forget the card! Having worked at flower shops for many years, I constantly had to ask people for a card message, and you wouldn't believe how many people had forgotten about that and then hemmed and hawed for several minutes, trying to come up with something. Keep it short and sweet, but think about what you're going to say before you place the call to the floral designer.

Hope these tips help you ... Happy Mother's Day to all the Mummies out there!

rose crown

May 6, 2011

I was flipping through photos on my computer yesterday, and came across these precious shots of my baby niece. She's a rollicking two year old these days, but when she was five months old she came to visit me in L.A., and I took her to a graveyard to photograph her (of course). I made her a crown of pink spray roses, which she wore with one of MY ancient baby dresses. My Mum saves stuff like that.

Totally angelic, right?

Images | Florals | Styling by Lauryl Lane.

sneak peek!

May 5, 2011

{l&c}'s wedding | bridal bouquet

Image | Florals | Styling by Lauryl Lane.

bouquets for the neighbors

May 3, 2011

I am fortunate to have some of the nicest neighbors around. They are always up for an impromptu happy hour on the patio or grilling a quick dinner together. Because they are so nice and {lovah} and I are so lucky, I made up these sweet little bouquets of happy flowers to share with them.

I recently watched a segment on the news about happy communities... and it was said that one of the primary contributing factors to happy communities and happy people is knowing and being friendly with your neighbors. This creates a feeling of safety and well-being. I can totally relate to that, because knowing my neighbors definitely makes me feel happy and secure.

Sometimes I fill our shared L.A. city green bins with so much floral debris that there is no room for any of the neighbors to add anything... and yet I've never once heard a complaint from them. Like I said, they are super nice. So I hope I brought a smile to their faces when I left these bouquets on their doorsteps. Neighbors, you're the best. xoxo

Images | Florals | Styling by Lauryl Lane.

cake styling

May 2, 2011

Several years ago, a girl named Joy started a blog about baking. I started reading her blog. Then a while later, she had a blogiversy party in downtown Los Angeles, and I attended. I got to meet Joy and bring her some flowers. Joy and I follow each other on Twitter, and that's fun. But I was so suprised and delighted when I received an email from her a couple weeks ago, asking if she could hire me to design & style florals on a cake for her. Not just any old cake, but a cake that might possibly grace the cover of her first cookbook, due out early next year!

So last week, Joy came over to my house with a bright pink cake and a whole bunch of camera gear. I worked my floral magic, and then Joy took pictures. It was loads of fun, and Joy even blogged some fun photos afterwards!

Personally, I took a grand total of 3 iPhone images. Bad me. I was having too much fun watching Joy shoot with her fancy-schmancy camera. So these are the flowers in the studio, all ready to work with. And the floralized cake on my dining room table, where Joy shot. The third photo is mostly of Joy's rear end, so I thought I'd hold onto it in case I ever need to blackmail her. Unlikely, though, since she's one of the nicest gals around. Congratulations on the cookbook, Joy! I can hardly wait to get it into my grubby (literally) little hands! xoxo

Images | Florals | Styling by Lauryl Lane.

royal admiration

April 29, 2011

Yes, of course I watched the royal wedding live this morning. Yes, I woke up at 2am so I could see the guests arrive. Yes, I took crappy photos of the television screen with my phone. Despite the fact that I've only slept 4 hours out of the last 48 hours and have a wedding of my own to pull off this weekend. Despite. Because royalty? Well, you don't get to watch royalty getting married every day. I was only 4 weeks old when Princess Diana was wed, and... I just can't remember it. Believe me, I've tried.

I'll have to weigh in on all the royal wedding talk at a later date. But for now, let me me just say... everything I'd hoped for, and more. Kate was devestatingly gorgeous in her Princess-Grace-reminiscent gown. Her understated bouquet of lily-of-the-valley was so charming it almost made me cry. Green & white wedding colors? Well, the Duchess has good taste. Those were my wedding colors, too!

My deepest wish is that the royal wedding will set a new trend. A trend away from trendiness and back to timelessness. Because that's what a wedding should be. Personal, yes. But timeless.

I am going to go buy a whole new wardrobe of hats. It's happening.

Images by

Lauryl Lane

easter sunday moments

April 25, 2011

St. Mark's :: Prayers

Farmer's Market :: Pretty weeds

Coloring eggs :: Wearing an apron

Easter candy :: Daffodills

Deviled eggs :: Book of Common Prayer

Images | Styling by Lauryl Lane.

Wedding at Ojai Valley Inn

April 25, 2011

Petrel and Jacob brought their loved ones together in Ojai for an intimate wedding celebration that was full of beautiful, thoughtful details. Petie owns a stationery and wedding goods boutique in Portland, so she had a very well-defined sense of style, and we worked beautifully together to design an event that had a sense of romance and elegance while still being a little bit preppy. From Petie's design of the paper goods and her collection of family china to my custom-designed curly-willow covered chuppah and florals in soft, romantic shades with lots of texture in vessels of milk and mercury glass, every element of the day was exceptional. With a guest count of approximately 50 people, all the guests were able to sit together at a long family-style table, which was covered in gorgeous florals and glowed with candlelight. I absolutely adored working with Petie & Jacob and I wish them all the best in their marriage! xoxo

FEATURED | Style Me Pretty.

easter candy

April 23, 2011

Easter almost passed me by this year, is it earlier than usual? Regardless, I forgot about it. And that means I didn't do any cute spring decor around my home. Although I do plan to dye eggs with a friend today, and grilling out is definitely on the menu for our Easter Sunday Celebration, the only thing I managed to photograph was my Easter Candy. May you be inspired to eat too much chocolate...

Milk Chocolate Eggs (Dove), Dark Chocolate Peppermint Patties (York) and Rolos, all dressed in pretty spring colors, were our indulgences of choice. Happy Easter!

Images | Styling by Lauryl Lane.