How To Pin On A Boutonnière

Our "How to Hold a Bouquet" post last week provided a lot of great feedback from our readers so we thought it was necessary to publish a post for the men. We don't want to leave the guys hanging!

The last thing we would want is to see the day of a wedding, would be our fabulous groom and groomsmen walking down the aisle with a bout that's about to fall off so below are a few easy steps to pinning on a secure boutonnière.

Photo Courtesy of Jen Kroll

Pinning a boutonnière isn't that complicated but knowing how to hide the pin without stabbing your guy is the real trick.

Step 1. Hold the stem of the boutonnière, the front facing you, on the left lapel. The boutonnière should sit about 4 inches below the top of the guys shoulder. Tilt the bout on a slight angle and take a step back and look where you'll be placing it. We don't want you putting a million holes in the guys tux because the placement isn't correct.

Image Courtesy of JK Photography

Step 2. Start the pinning by piercing the fabric from under the lapel on the left side (guys left) of the stem of the boutonnière.

Step 3. Move the pin over the top of the stem and pierce the opposite side of the lapel. Pull tightly to secure the boutonnière. Ideally, the only part of the pin that should be showing would be a thin line on top of the stem and even then, the pin should be placed in a location where a petal or leaf could hide this.

Image Courtesy of JK Photography

Step 4. If the boutonnière is extra heavy two pins can be used to secure the weight. If you are worried about the boutonnière moving or a bit of metal showing, you can pierce the floral tape on back of the boutonnière instead of having the pin go over top of the bout.

Going to the Chapel: Lorri and Alex

Our fabulous cross-country couple, Lorri and Alex, are celebrating their marriage here in Grand Rapids! We are so excited for what she has in store for her guests :) Lorri has incredible taste and style!!

Lorri was a merchandise manager at Macy's but has since switched careers to become on to a full time "wedding planner."

Alex is the manager of Communications/Media for USA Hockey in Colorado Springs.

Tell us about the first time you two met!

"We officially met online through EHarmony! Sounds cheesy… but we truly were a perfect match. Our first face to face encounter was at Bar Louie for drinks and fabulous conversation on April Fool’s Day 2008."

What is your idea of the "perfect" date?

"One of our favorite things to do is experiment with new foods and recipes in the kitchen. Afterwards we usually end up enjoying a beautifully cooked meal together. Don’t they always say the way to a man’s heart is through his stomach?"

What is the one thing about your wedding you're the most excited for?

"We are so excited to bring our closest family and friends together in one spot to celebrate this special and memorable event. It will be a party we remember for a lifetime."

Tell us about your proposal story!

"Alex completely surprised me with a December 26th proposal. We came home on Christmas day and there were 3 surprise gifts on our fireplace mantle from "Santa". I was instructed not to open these gifts until midnight. The 26th was our dating anniversary so I thought it was a cute little anniversary present. However, after opening a bottle of champagne, champagne flutes and a card, Alex said a few sweet things to his wide eyed girlfriend, pulled the engagement ring off a one of the branches of our Christmas tree and got down on bended knee. I of course said yes and this will truly be an everlasting love. Thanks EHarmony!"

How to Hold a Bouquet

Your bouquet is something you have hand selected to reflect you and your wedding style. You've spent hours upon hours choosing the perfect shade of flowers for your bouquet and when it comes time for you to walk down the aisle, you want to make sure you are not only comfortable holding your bouquet but both your dress and bouquet are photographed perfect.

Here are a few tips on how to hold a bouquet:

1. Bend your arms 90 degrees. Let the weight of your bouquet bring your arms down just a touch further. The bouquet should rest about belly button level and your forearms should be resting on your hip bones. Your arms should feel comfortable, we don't want them turning into jello mid ceremony!

image courtesy of Jen Kroll Photography

2. Show the front of the bouquet. If your bouquet has a brooch, bow or decorative piece make sure it's facing forward. If your bouquet is only flowers search for flower that stands out. If you are having trouble finding the front, ask your florist!

image courtesy of Jen Kroll Photography

3. Grasp the bouquet gracefully. Don't hold the stems to tight and don't interlock your fingers. Save that for the hand holding!

image courtesy of Dusty Brown Photography

4. Finally, it's okay to sass up your bouquet shots after the ceremony. Maybe hold the bouquet with one hand to your side or better yet, have your new husband hold it for you!

image courtesy of Dusty Brown Photography

Remember be comfortable, show your dress and smile!

Wedding Recap: Emily and Art

Last week we gave you a little teaser to Emily and Art's wedding. Below are a few details shots of the bouquet and of the head table. Enjoy this super fun, super local wedding!!

Bouquet shots on the trolley!

The wedding reception was held on the lawn at Mangiamo's. Natural wood folding chairs were brought in from Detroit's very own Special Events Rental.

Thank you Emily and Art for allowing us to provide some dynamic flowers for your wedding!!! Congratulations!!!!!

Featured Flower Friday "ANEMONE"

Your Must-Know Info...

Colors Available: White, Blue, Purple, Red, and bicolor
Seasons Available: Winter through Spring (December - May); also available on the Dutch Market
Lasting Quality: 5 - 8 days
Pricing: $4.50+ per stem

Anemone is a hot and popular flower right now... not only does it fit in with classic styles, it is making a huge debut in vintage styles as well.

If you're headed to the Bridal Show tonight at the Grand Rapids Public Museum, look for our new sassy sample bouquet with some absolutely gorgeous anemone!!

Designer Spotlight: Karen

It is about time to introduce another fabulous member of the Modern Day Floral design team!! Karen has been working with us for two years now and brings a calm, creative flavor to the table. I knew when I met Karen that she would bring great ideas and crafty tips... someone we definitely needed in our growth. Without further ado...

Hi. I'm Karen. I have been working with Modern Day Floral for two years now and have been designing flowers since high school. Since I don't want to date myself, we'll just leave it at that!! In the past several years, I've made more bouquets, corsages, gift baskets, ect than I could ever begin to describe. And I loved every second of it!

In my spare time I like to sew, bake, make salsa and beautify my house! Everyone teases me about being a "Martha Stewart." Over the last few months, I've been going through the process of adopting a baby. Being a mom has been something I've wanted for a very long time and I'm hoping everything works out! It will be quite a full house though :) We have a dog, four cats, a step child, a nephew who lives with us part time, frogs and a snake (boys will be boys!). Can't wait to have a new addition of our household!!

image courtesy of Jen Kroll Photography

My favorite part of floral design is making the bouquets. Mostly because they are one of the most important and remembered parts of a wedding... I always feel a level of joy and satisfaction when I get to pass off the bridal bouquet. I really love what we do! Not to mention to fabulous product we get to work with!

Going to the Chapel: Noddea and Calin

Noddea and Calin are getting married October 17! This couple is fun, outgoing and both have a love for the theater.

Noddea: Program and Building Coordinator for Campus Life at Aquinas College

Calin: Freelance commercial/industrial/stage actor and writer.

Tell us about the very first time you two met?

"That's tricky! As actors we both saw each other from the audience perspective in different theatre productions in the Grand Rapids community in late 2004/ early 2005, but we didn't get a face-to-face introduction until the Spring of 2007 when mutual theatre friends' band was playing and we both were there. Later in the summer, we continued to show up at the same places following rehearsals for separate theatre productions and the rest is is history! In December 2008, we finally got to be on stage together for the very first time!"

What is your idea of the perfect date?

"We are big movie-goers...in a big way! The idea of a perfect date is probably hitting Celebration! Cinema on a Saturday or Sunday morning, with a refillable popcorn bucket in hand, followed by an afternoon at home, grilling on the deck. "

The one thing about your wedding that you are most excited for?

"The ring blessing ritual...everyone in attendance that day will have opportunity to hold and personally bless our rings during the wedding ceremony. Knowing that we have our friends and families support in our marriage and are wishing for our success as a family is an overwhelming emotional gift for us."

Your proposal story:

"One year after our first "official" date, we drove out to Hoffmaster State Park to lay on the beach and read, and just "be". As we were leaving I thought, "I'm in jeans. glasses, and a hoddie...he looks really good." After lying on the beach for a while there was some discussion about life, our future and Calin proposed with a custom-designed by Hoffman Jewelers in East Grand Rapids. The center stone is a stunning natural sapphire that Calin's father had given to his mother in the early 1970's. As the proposal was happening all I remember thinking was, Noddea, remember this! Remember this! Remember what he says, people are going to ask about this moment!-however; that's what I remember most."

Congratulations Noddea and Calin. Noddea, those are some smokin' hot shoes in your engagement picture and what a beautiful and special engagement ring.

all photos courtesy of JK Photography

Wedding Recap Teaser: Emily and Art

After meeting with Emily, I had a vision of what her bouquet would be. Her description was "different, large, lush and farmers market." Knowing she is a LEED AP interior design graduate, I knew we were going local all the way! We received some really great product from some of our favorite wholesalers in the area! Check out this bouquet...! It was so Emily :)

Thank you to Lynell of Lizzie Photo for making some final touches to this shot so we could get it up on the blog! Enjoy everyone!

Taking Center Stage: Le Jardin

Earlier this month, I had the pleasure of meeting with Le Jardin! This mother-daughter team from Northern Michigan creates incredible fruit art... now tell me that doesn't make you hungry!!

Pam Vuke and Courtney Kunst of Le Jardin

Location: North West Michigan

Number of Years in the Business: Less than One

What first sparked your interest in creating fruit displays?

"We have always had an interest in food, style and fun... our passion for taking food, making it unique and the fun that we have while doing it was the perfect synergy of the things we enjoy... which sparked our interest in this line of work!"

What is your must-have item on the job?

"Besides the necessary items we need to create our arrangements, we need each other! The balance between our personalities and the creativity that is generated from bouncing ideas back and forth makes it a must-have for us to work together while creating these unique arrangements."

Any great business advice you swear by?

"Always listen to the clients wants... always work hard and honestly.. always be open to criticisms and ideas... but at the end of the day, be true to yourself and love what you do!"

What is the most important personal satisfaction you get with your job?

"Please our clients and seeing the reactions of people as they see our work for the first time and knowing that we got to be a part of making someone's special day even more memorable... that is the most rewarding part of doing what we do!"

If you could work with anyone, who would it be?

"As a mother-daughter team... we are each other's first choice! We have worked together from the very beginning doing family dinners, cooking contests and parties of all sorts! Our work ethics are the same and what one of us doesn't think of, the other one does!"

If you could have anyone as your client, who would it be?

"Since we couldn't come up with any one person we would like to work with, we'll say this: our ideal client would be someone who gave us a vision... something unique... where the sky was the limit... and then gave us full creative interpretation to design it!"

What does your normal day consist of?

"Our normal days consists of caring for our families, chores, chatting with each other and brainstorming new ideas for making our business as unique and creative as possible."

Days off and down time are cherished in this industry. How do you spend yours?

"Doing the things we love! We both love spending time with our families, entertaining with our friends, being outside, movie, the Food Network, scrapbooking, knitting, being involved in church activities... basically anything we can do together!"

Going to Vegas for Engage!09

Well on Sunday I am getting up bright & early early and hoping on a plane to get out of this rainy and cold state! That is right... I'm leaving for a few days!!

I strongly believe in continuing your education and will be attend Engage!09 to learn more about this fabulous industry of ours! It just so happens to be in sunny, warm Las Vegas! Oh yea, baby! Who ever said work couldn't be fun was totally wrong!

I look forward to sharing some of the new, interesting trends and tips I pick up from some of the most incredible names in our industry!

Going to the Chapel: Emily and Art

Emily and Art are getting married! This fabulously fun couple will be getting married October 10th at St. Alphonsus Church and celebrating on the lawn of Mangiamos!

photo courtesy of Lizzie Photo

Emily Leary - Interior Design, LEAD-AP

Art Heilig - Pilot

Tell us about the first time you two met!

"We met briefly at a church retreat in the beginning of high school but, we didn't really get to know each other until our senior year. We started dating in 2002."

What is your idea of the "perfect" date?

"Enjoying a nice bottle of wine on the beach one evening. Maybe there's live music somewhere off in the distance..."

What is the one thing about your wedding you are the most excited for?

"Gathering all of our favorite people in one spot, enjoying company, good food, refreshments and music."

Tell us about your proposal!!

"We were snowshoeing over sleep bear dunes and there's a huge overlook on Lake Michigan where we carved our initials and froze a little together. The was slanted and icy so we had to crawl off, which was hysterical... We were just starting to hike back and Art "fell down" (he says on purpose, I say it was real) and asking if I would spend the rest of my life with him. I screamed and jumped into his arms. I left my glove off the entire way down the path, showing everyone that 'WE'RE ENGAGED!'"

Bridal Show on October 16th

In just a week, Grand Rapids Bride Magazine will be hosting their long awaited bridal show at the Grand Rapids Public Museum. It begins at 5:00 pm and will run until 9:00 pm. For any of you brides looking for the best vendors in the greater Grand Rapids area... this is the place to be. You will find photographers, invitation designers, pastry chefs and SO many more incredible businesses. I can guarantee booths will never have looked so good!

We hope to see you there!!!

Bouquet Recap: Cairn and and Nick

The lovely Cairn came to us with a very specific vision for her wedding. She wanted the look of a swanky and glamour wedding. Being the a crafty person herself, Cairn designed a lot of her own elements of the wedding, including her own centerpieces and decor.

She came to us looking for the perfect bridal bouquet to fit with her wedding style. I would say we worked very well together!!!

The stunning broach Cairn providing for a touch of vintage chic to her oh-so-glam bouquet.

I LOVE how the bouquet and the dress totally play off each other! Absolutely gorgeous... absolutely fantastic! Thank you Cairn for being so incredible to work with! Congratulations on your new marriage AND the new house!

all images courtesy of JK Photography