Our Featured Event in the Knot Michigan: IT'S HERE!

{Photos: Courtesy of Jen Kroll Photography}

After months of waiting, I am ecstatic to announce the wait is OVER (well, sort of!) We have received the newest copy of The Knot Michigan, thanks to the wonderful JW Marriott! Why am I so excited, you ask? Well, we did all the floral designs and floral decor for Liz and Curt's wedding last summer, and now it is one of the main featured weddings in this season's edition of the Knot Michigan! This is our first, big publication. It's so exciting to get a preview of the magazine we have been waiting so long to see! Happy and extremely grateful doesn't even begin to describe how I feel.

Starting with the event planner, Jodi Bos of In Any Event designed every detail to be a true reflection of both the bride and the groom. Barb Hoek from Sweet Cakes Design provided a picture-perfect cake. Exquisite Jen Kroll photographed the event, while the videography was captured by uber-talented John Pottenger of Coastline Studios. Lastly, the reception was held at the fabulous Cascade Hills Country Club (seriously, you can't go wrong in a venue and ballroom that gorgeous!) The happy couple had a winning combination of both Grand Rapids and non-local vendors, but the real winning element comes from Liz and Curt's relaxed and refreshing style. I think I can speak for all the vendors when I say we LOVED working with these two!

Enjoy the sneak peak! The magazine hits news stands May 29th! Many more details to come!!!

BIRTH FLOWER OF THE MONTH: May..."The Lily"

We have had so many great things to blog about lately, the "Birth Flower of the Month" post had to be delayed for a week! We had wonderful event details to share, plus an exciting giveaway to announce! So, without further ado, here is the May birth flower...


The Lily...

Stargazer Lily

{Photo: Courtesy of Home and Garden}

Casablanca Lily

{Photo: Courtesy of Lefiores}

Tiger Lily

{Photo: Courtesy of Pbase}

Symbolism of the Lily...
The lily represents PURITY, MAJESTY, SWEETNESS, and HUMILITY. They generally have a strong, sweet fragrance. I love them, just beware of putting too many high-fragrance florals like these in your table centerpieces... you don't want to spoil your dinner!



Color Variety...
What I love about lily's is not only the color combination, but the pattern variations as well! From solid colors to speckles, they are fabulous. You can find them in white, purple, pink, magenta, red, burgundy, peach, orange, and yellow. You'll also see bi-colored lilies!!!

{Photo: Courtesy of Farm4Static}



{Photo: Courtesy of Clare Florist}

Fun Fact...
Lilies are one of the most popular wedding flowers! This includes the oh-so popular Lily of the Valley and Calla Lily. They are elegant, clean and pretty. Perfect wedding flowers, indeed!

Lily of the Valley

{Photo: Courtesy of Lefiores} {Photo: Courtesy of The Brides Cafe} {Photo: Courtesy of Fabs and Beyond}

Your alternate birth flower is the HAWTHORN...

{Photo: Courtesy of 3bpBlogspot}

Happy Birthday May babies!

Unveiled Magazine Giveaway

Good morning everyone and I hope you had a wonderful Mothers Day weekend. I enjoyed visiting with family followed by a five hour nap...I know it was as fabulous as it sounds!

A few weeks ago I posted a giveaway for Unveiled Magazine and I appreciate all the great comments.

I also would like to see some more real wedding photos. Plus I would like to see some color schemes (ie: purples dresses go well with yellow flowers) and how to think outside the box when it comes to color/flower choices and floral design. I would also like to see a start to finish bouquet design. I have always been fascinated with floral design; I just don't know how you do it? Plus a little more education about the flowers used. I think you do amazing unique work and this is a place where you can really showcase it and show what sets you apart from every other floral designer in the area. Okay, I think that is all.
Genevieve McKeiver

I would love to see post real events and well as some posts on various variety of flowers used in your events.
Karen

I love the name Petal Talk! Lets hear more about some of the awesome flowers that get used. Magazines like this can be very inspiring, great idea starters. Aristan



Rather than selecting a winner I thought it would be FUN to give away subscriptions to all the fabulous folks who took time to post a comment. I appreciate the feedback and look forward to putting your suggestions to work!

Congratulations to the winners!

Featured Flower Friday "THE ORCHID"

Who better to kick off our weekly series of featured flower Friday than the king of kings, ORCHIDS!!!

In my quest to answer the question, "how many orchids species are there?" I came up with conflicting answers but the numbers are staggering ranging from 17,000-30,000 species. In addition to orchids species there are 110,000 cultivars (cultivated varieties) of orchids on the International Register of Orchids. Most of these hybrids are created by hand through pollination...simply AMAZING!

As you can imagine I could blog about orchids forever but I selected some of the most popular varieties used in bridal and event work.

SPECIES: Dendrobium, Cattleya, Lady Slipper, Cymbidium, Phalaenopsis
SEASONS AVAILABLE: Year Round
LASTING QUALITY: 4-10 days
PRICING: Range can be anywhere from $3.00 to $60.00 a stem depending on the variety.

Dendrobium Orchid: petite inexpensive orchid with endless color options, great for multiple applications including personal flowers, bouquets and centerpieces.

Photo courtesy of Lotus Photography

Cattleya Orchid: large delicate expensive orchid, perfect for bouquets and centerpiece work. Did I mention this flower smells amazing? A little slice of heaven on earth!

Photo courtesy of Ben Harrison Photography

Lady Slipper Orchid: medium sized expensive orchid, perfect for bridal bouquets, pave style centerpieces and a gorgeous accent to that perfect piece of china.

Photo courtesy of Brianna Graham Photography

Cymbidium Orchids: medium to large moderately priced orchid with endless color options, great for multiple applications including personal flowers, bouquets and centerpieces.

Photos courtesy of Brianna Graham & Jen Kroll Photography

Phalaenopsis Orchids: medium to large expensive orchid with amazing color options, great for multiple applications including personal flowers, bouquets and centerpieces. This is my personal favorite. I love the delicate nature of the bloom and the colors, simply scrumptious!

Photos courtesy of Jen Kroll Photography

All Designs were created by Modern Day Floral

One of my designers, Karen, mentioned once that she was talking to a friend who said, "I have no idea what an orchid even looks like! What is it?!?" Karen simply responded, "Well, think of the most GORGEOUS flower you could ever imagine... that's an orchid." I couldn't agree more!

What is your favorite orchid?

Easy, Beautiful, Citrus Summer Centerpiece Arrangement

Today is "DIY" (do it yourself) day at Modern Day Floral. We thought it would be fun to share a design that is easy and fresh!

This design works best if you use a cylinder or square vase. However I'm sure most of you have a zillion vases collecting dust under your kitchen sink. For starters pick up a few pieces of citrus fruit, cut the fruit in 1/2, 1/4 or thinly sliced pieces, place inside your vase. Remember fruit floats so be sure to pack the fruit tightly in the vases.

A fun, fresh arrangement with bright summer colors designed by Kelly Porter!

Next add your favorite blooms, some of my personal favorites are tulips, hydrangea, spider mums and the ever popular gerbera daisy. Be sure to give the stems a fresh diagonal cut and remove the foliage below the water line in an effort to reduce bacteria in the water.

These arrangements are sure to leave your house smelling fresh and clean. So, invite a friend over to enjoy a glass of ice tea and your beautiful centerpiece.

"Wedding to Go" Flower Packages: A Budget-friendly Solution for Brides!

You can't go anywhere without hearing about the tough, economic times. However, I can honestly say I see TONS of people still out buying flowers! Seriously...our fantastic city of Grand Rapids has not hesitated to purchase flowers for loved ones on a regular basis. What a wonderful thing! Even more than that, I see brides finding ways, or should I say "McGivering" (a word we love to use around here) ways, to make sure they still have BEAUTIFUL weddings, regardless of the economic problems.

{Photos: Courtesy of the Knot,100 Bouquet, Totally Her)

Having said that, I must now introduce our "Wedding to Go" packages! These are simple, beautiful, BUDGET-FRIENDLY flower packages. First, the bride picks her favorite flower (choose from Classic Roses, Lush Hydrangea, or Whimsical Gerbera Daisies), then we assemble everything and the bride has someone pick it up! It's super-easy! Honestly. You can read all about it on our website to see what each package includes and how much it costs. If you are a bride, do NOT stress about your wedding flowers. There are solutions available to you (I promise!) One of the most important goals of mine is to help brides in any way possible. Modern Day Floral knows every girl deserves a beautiful wedding!

Happy Planning!


PS. I found this enlightening article titled, "Six Reasons to be Thankful in Tough Economic Times". Optimism is so important. Please take time to read it to give yourself a boost today!

Creative, Fresh and Aromatic Boutonniere Ideas

{Photos (top to bottom): Courtesy of JessSheff, 4.bp.blogspot.com, DMagazine}

Here is a innovative (and deliciously aromatic) concept I love for your special event boutonniere: FRESH HERBS! Pick from gorgeous mint, rosemary, or thyme. You can either do a simple green bout, or combine it with your favorite flowers. Either way, they're gorgeous!!!

For the guys who may not care too much about flowers, give them this fun idea to try on for size. It's something that will smell fantastic all day and night. They may even say, "that's pretty cool".