La Rue Floral has been featured in many publications over the years, but there’s one wedding I can’t help but love on again and again…
Our wedding day was featured on Martha Stewart Weddings and its one of my most favorite days to remember, both as the floral designer and also as the bride. I thought I would share a post about the flowers specifically, since I had the unique experience of designing them and experiencing them as a bride. We had the privilege of working with planner, Elise Seagren of Revel + Bloom as well as Carrie King Photographer, who’s images are shared below.
My husband Andrew and I sat down to discuss how to approach our wedding and we both agreed we wanted to honor Colorado and nature as much as possible. Having just recently moved to Colorado from Chicago, we were drawn to nature, the outdoors, and starting the next chapter of our lives in a place that was new to both of us. Natural elements, such as stone, marble, and wood were consistent throughout the wedding. As a lover of a light and airy aesthetic, but also a person obsessed with fine art, I wanted to find a way to combine edgy and moody elements that would be captured with Carrie’s beautiful photography aesthetic.
The primary colors of the wedding included shades of grey, slate, and dusty blue mixed with earthy and mountain-inspired neutrals such as grey stone, brown wood, and green hues. To continue the moody aesthetic of the wedding, the flowers incorporated a range of deep sophisticated purple tones, focusing mostly on dark jewel-toned wines with pops of deep blackberry, shifting subtly to lighter mauves for contrast.
The bouquets were the easy part for me, and something I was able to do two days prior to the wedding while spending time with my parents. Designing bouquets is one of my favorite things in the world, so doing this was like a calming, meditative activity to feel grounded and calm the pre-wedding jitters. This was the first time I truly “free styled” the bouquets I was designing. I knew the flowers I was going to use, but didn’t quite have inspiration picked out. As a florist, I know that the way to make a bouquet look its best is to work with the flowers you have and showcase them in ways they naturally want to be showcased. I had a blast with this designer’s choice challenge.
I found my dress at The Bridal Collection, and was felt like a rockstar in my form fitting Justin Alexander gown. My sweet and talented industry friend, Liana Kathryn provided hair and makeup for me and my bridal party, and absolutely loved how she highlighted the beautiful diversity amongst my gorgeous best friends.
The boutonnieres were similar for me. Andrew’s only request was to use a magnet instead of a pin so that he didn’t puncture his new, custom suit by Bespoke Edge. So I created boutonnieres that matched the bouquets in color, style, and aesthetic. Andrew loved it, and it worked beautifully with his suit. Call me biased, but he was the most handsome groom I’ve ever seen.
After our first look at the top of Echo Mountain, we headed to Lake Echo for wedding party photos prior to the ceremony. We had a perfectly overcast afternoon, which turned out to be a blessing for images. Carrie told us that light overcast is the best lighting to have when shooting film outside. When we headed to Blackstone Rivers Ranch for the ceremony, we knew rain was coming, but we didn’t know when. My team had set up our ceremony and reception flowers beautifully and it was an incredible experience walking in to a completely set up venue. I was, for the first time, completely overwhelmed by how beautiful everything was, that I actually cried as I walked in.
During the outdoor ceremony, the rain began to pour on us and our guests, so we all ran under the tent. This ended up being one of the greatest, most memorable part of the day. To our surprise, our guests remained standing in a half circle around us. Andrew and I got chills as we were able to make eye contact with our favorite friends and family. We shared in smiles and tears, hearing laughter and feeling love amongst everyone there, and this turned out to be one of the most beautiful moments either of us had ever experienced.
Experiencing a wedding as a La Rue Floral bride was truly a gift. It was such a special experience to feel what our clients often feel when we transform their venue space into their dream vision. My heart exploded with bliss and it was a feeling I’ll never forget. I felt absolutely blessed to have such talented, hard working designers taking care of us that day. I truly appreciate the work of all the vendors that made this day so beautiful, including Colorado Party Rentals, Skyline Productions, Simply Scripted Ink, O’Dea Entertainment, New Pixel Films, Mary Keener our Harpist, Relish Catering, Wildflower Cakes, and Chandlerie candles.
