Today I am dreaming of blue skies. It is a dreary grey day with constant rain. I am at the beach with my family but instead of being on the beach today, we are bumming around indoors. I am catching up on work and seeing all these photos of sunshiny outdoor weddings and beautiful brides and bright flowers and blue skies. Sigh….

So here we have Claire’s wedding from a few years back….sunshine and blue skies….

I love so many flowers and so many color palettes, it is hard for me to pick a favorite. Claire had a clear favorite and a clear vision. She loves blue hydrangea. Well, who doesn’t? There is something really comforting about the big blue ball of loveliness. It is at once a kind of retro classic and a clean modern choice.

Using a single primary flower has the added benefit of being a cost-effective choice. It generally cuts down on the labor cost when making arrangements and bouquets featuring a single element vs. many different flower types. And although hydrangea is fairly expensive per stem, they are so large and full and dramatic that the price is easily justified. You get a big visual impact from just a few stems.

Claire had some awesome connections in the wedding industry. Most notably, her mother is a talented seamstress and created ALL of the bridesmaids dresses and Claire’s amazing wedding gown. The bridesmaids dresses were ice blue raw silk and the perfect backdrop for a classic hydrangea bouquet.

Claire’s gown was a classic, retro style gown with amazing beading and details. (Thanks, Claire’s mom!) She chose an all white bouquet with various foliage accents. The mixed greenery helped to make the sure her bouquet was not too formal or fussy. We used a combination of ranunculus, roses, freesia, and lisianthus. And of course there were touches of hydrangea in her bouquet as well. This is one of my favorite all-white wedding bouquets because even though it is only one color, it is still visually interesting – full of different shapes and textures and all such soft pretty flowers.

Everything except for the bridal bouquet featured the ice blue color. Blue bridesmaid dresses, blue boutonnieres, blue ribbon, blue accent lighting, and blue skies. Blue hydrangea in everything…and green and white hydrangea too!

 

Let’s talk about the details that make a wedding special… A small sprig of flowers at each place setting is such a nice, classy touch to make every guest feel like a VIP. Each guest was also welcomed at their seats with a tin of ice blue breath mints (a perfect wedding favor in my opinion) tied with a blue ribbon. The centerpiece alone would have made a nice table…but the small details here combine to make a substantial impact: the blue accent lighting, the favors, and the fresh flowers on the napkins.

I love wreaths. Nothing says “welcome” like a wreath. And I love having flowers outside of the venue, whether it is a front door wreath or garland on outdoor stairs or a small sprig on a sign that points guests in the right direction. Even if your venue has lovely gardens, including some of your wedding flowers outside of the venue is one of the first details that guests will see and will surely be appreciated.

I suspect blue hydrangea will always be a popular wedding flower. It is a classic. And it was a perfect fit for Claire and her beautiful blue sky day.

All photos courtesy of Balance Photography.