Huckleberry Karen

V + R | Saint Claire Hotel | San Jose

2009-12-14T07:46:00.000-08:00

I loved working with Vu and Robert! They wanted something fun and modern so we went with the colors pewter and yellow with touches of white. One of my favorite quotes from the year was from Vu. She told me she wanted a "big a$$ bouquet". I was afraid with her tiny frame that she would be overwhelmed. But she rocked the big bouquet with style.

Ceremony: Cathedral Basilica of St. Joseph
Reception: Sainte Claire Hotel in San Jose
Photographer: Augie Chang

All photos courtesy of Augie Chang.

You can see more photos of the gorgeous wedding at Augie Chang's Blog.

Bouquet Break

2009-12-11T10:28:00.000-08:00

I had a few people ask me about Jessica's bouquet from Jessica and Alex's wedding I posted about here. There were a lot of flowers in this bouquet!

C + E Wedding | The Fairmont Hotel| San Francisco

2009-12-09T09:25:00.000-08:00

This was a beautiful wedding at The Fairmont Hotel in San Francisco. The ceremony was held at the rooftop gardens and the reception was held in The Crown Room. The Crown Room is on the top floor of the hotel with breathtaking views of the city.

Vendors:
Venue: The Fairmont Hotel San Francisco
Wedding Coordinator: Julie with JBD Events
Photographer: Michelle Walker Photography
Videographer: Justin Fone Productions

All photos were taken by Michelle Walker Photography

You can check out more photos here.

Original Save The Dates from Minted

2009-12-04T07:49:00.000-08:00

I needed some ideas for fun holiday cards this year and my friend Sarah from Sarah's Test Kitchen told me about Minted.com. This place has some really modern and fun designs to choose from. They also have adorable "yearline " Holiday Cards and Save The Date cards!

You can get 100 of them for about $2 each. Affordable and original!

Cute Holiday Book Cards

Photo Card

I'm off to Tahoe this weekend but I'll be back with more weddings to share from this year!

Shoes to Drool Over

2009-11-30T14:00:00.000-08:00

I was over on Zappos.com looking for some red shoes and got totally side tracked. I really don't need red shoes (or white ones for that matter). But I'm sure someone out there does. So I might as well share what I found - and drooled over.

RSVP Ivana - $89.00

Stuart Weitzman Pomposo - $325

Nina Electra - $89.95

RSVP Lauren on sale right now! $56.05

J + A Wedding | Regency Center | San Francisco | Part II

2009-11-23T08:25:00.000-08:00

Here are some more photos of Jessica Alex's beautiful wedding at the Regency Center in San Francisco.

Jessica and Alex made the manzanita branch centerpieces and I accented them with the flowers around the base.

They had long banquet tables so I did a variety of centerpieces in white and pink.

Here are the invitations that they made. Jessica designed the invitations and Alex made the pocketfold. He made each one by hand!

J + A Wedding | Regency Center | San Francisco | Part I

2009-11-21T09:54:00.000-08:00

I loved all of the details that Jessica and Alex put into their wedding. They met in art school and worked together in creating beautiful invitations and centerpieces. I was fortunate enough to help pull all of their creative ideas together into a very lavish and chic wedding.

Vendor List
Location: Regency Center in San Francisco
Caterer: Union Street Catering
Make Up Artist: Maria with Professional Make-up Artistry
Photograper: Junshien Weddings and Portraits
Videographer: Andrew with Studio MSV
Baker: Sugar Coat It Studio
Lighting: Elle Music
Floral Design: Huckleberry Karen Designs

Bride's Bouquet: Hydrangea, dahlias, roses, fern pods, spider mums, stephanotis, asiatic lilies, calla lilies wrapped in a feather collar.

This is what groomsmen do. I think they're holding 8 bouquets.

More photos to come of their invitations, ceremony and reception!

Bouquet Breakdown

2009-11-18T12:19:00.001-08:00

One of my favorite bouquets I made a couple of years back.

Special thanks to Perspecta Photography for this image.

D + B Wedding

2009-11-16T10:03:00.000-08:00

I loved the fun colors we used for Denise and Benjo's wedding. Denise wanted sunny and bright so we went with yellows and oranges for her flowers. I also had the opportunity to work with the ever so talented Ed Pingol again.

Here are some photos that I took of the personal flowers.

Bride's Bouquet with roses, dahlias, spray roses and freesia

Mom's corsage

Groom's Bout: Yellow cymbidium orchid

Groomsmen bouts

Here are all of the centerpieces altogether before I placed them on the tables.

Here are some of his photos that Ed Pingol took from the wedding.

You can see more images of Denise and Benjo's wedding here.

Workshop Scheduled!

2009-11-12T08:26:00.000-08:00

The next workshop has been scheduled! Click on the flyer to view the details.

Hope to see you there!

M + E Wedding

2009-11-09T08:53:00.000-08:00

I helped Melinda with her personal flowers for her intimate wedding at the Shakespeare Gardens in Golden Gate Park. Her colors were shades of white with purple and yellow accents. The little pomanders I made for her flower girls were adorable!

Bride's Bouquet with dahlias, roses, freesia, hydrangea and spray roses

Bridesmaid bouquet

Groom's bout with stephanotis

Flower Girl pomanders with green kermit mums

Groomsment Bouts with white dendrobium orchids

I still have 3 more weddings to post for August and then we move on to September!

Genius Idea! A Mobile Bakery

2009-11-04T10:19:00.000-08:00

My husband was cruising the streets in the Mission District in San Francisco and came across a truck called Sweet Ride. It's a mobile bakery that has all of the sweet goodies one could imagine. He of course thought of me since I love anything cute and small like cupcakes.

He had some banana pudding and gave it a thumbs up and came home to tell me about it. Why he didn't buy me something is beyond me. Apparently, I still need to train him.

However, he does get points for sharing this with me because I can share it with all of you. How cool would it be to have Sweet Ride hang out in front of your wedding and serve your guests some dessert? Pretty sweet, I think.

And if you want to stalk them (like me) you can follow them on twitter to find out where they are hanging out!

Branches for Wedding Centerpieces 101

2009-11-02T09:23:00.000-08:00

Most people don't even give a second thought to tree branches and what they have to offer. In fact, most people don't even consider tree branches at all when they think of flowers. But branches have so much versatility! The creative things you can use them for are endless.

You can showcase the branches alone by using flowering trees like cherry or crab apple, or go more elaborate by decorating the branches with orchids, crystals and candles. Branches are also a great and affordable way to add some height to an arrangement if you have tall ceilings. They have beautiful lines and you can definitely find a type of branch to suit your wedding style. Here are some common branches that designers use.

Curly Willow - Curly willow come in a variety of colors. The most common is green but you can also get them brown (dried) or white (stripped of their bark).

Here are some centerpieces using curly willow:

Mazanita: These are branches are very sturdy that can handle the weight of hanging candle votives and crystals. They naturally come in a dark chocolate brown color, but they can also be sand blasted to a light brown or white color.

source

Birch Branches: These branches are sturdy and straighter than curly willow. These are great for filling up space and come in a lot of varieties. You can learn more about birch branches here.

source

Centerpiece Ideas for birch branches:

source

Cherry Blossom Branches: These branches come ready to be used since they already have beautiful blossoms on them. Unfortunately, they are only in season late winter (January and February) for a short period of time.

source

Grapewood: You can design beautiful decorative displays with sandblasted grapewood branches. You can combine moss, grasses and succulents for a natural display. Calla lilies and orchids are also great flowers to pair with grapewood.

source

If you plan to use branches in any of your wedding decor be sure to ask what type of branches will be used. As you can see - there are many different options out there and you want to choose the ones that will fit with your wedding style.

E + N Wedding | Sausalito's Women's Club

2009-10-27T09:27:00.000-07:00

Erin and Natalie wanted fun and bright flowers for the wedding. They love gerber daisies so we used them in the ceremony and reception decor. The Sausalito Women's Club is a hidden gem. It's tucked away in the hills and perfect for a small and quaint wedding!

Ceremony: I made two wreaths and strung a garland across the trees.

Wreath: Carnations, dahlias and gerbera daisies

Bouquet Breakdown

2009-10-22T07:15:00.000-07:00

This is one of my favorite bouquets I made last year! The pink colors and variety of textures really popped from the bride's dress.

D + J Wedding | Sofitel Hotel | Pacific Athletic Club Part II

2009-10-19T10:16:00.000-07:00

Dominique and Jason had their reception at the Pacific Athletic Club in Redwood City. It's a beautiful room with floor to ceiling windows. The walls and carpet are neutral colored so you can really bring in your own style and colors without worrying about it clashing with the room!
Here are some pictures of the reception that my assistant Beth took for me.

Tall Centerpieces with mazanita branches, hydrangea, roses, dahlias and orchids.

Low centerpieces with green broccoli hydrangea, white hydrangea, white dahlias, vendela roses, green hypericum berries and white stock.

And here's a picture of their adorable candy buffet table!

My next wedding feature fall colors in oranges and reds!

Featured on SF Daily Candy

2009-10-14T09:02:00.000-07:00

I am beyond thrilled that I was featured on Daily Candy's SF Fall Wedding Guide. I have received a lot of inquiries for my next workshop and just wanted to give a quick update. My next workshop is scheduled for late January or early February of 2010. However, I have received a lot of interest to have one in December. If I can get enough people signed up then I'm happy to host one sooner. So drop me an email line and let me know if you are interested!

Here's a link to DIY Floral Workshop II and Workshop III I hosted in the previous years. In the workshop you learn how to make your own personal flowers that include bouquets, boutonnieres and corsages. I teach you how to pick and prepare your flowers and give you a list of tools and supplies you need to get started. You get to take a resource packet home along with the flowers you put together. The cost of workshop is $75 per person. Hope you can make it to the next workshop!

D + J Wedding | Sofitel Hotel | Pacific Athletic Club

2009-10-13T08:25:00.000-07:00

I loved the colors we used for Dominique and Jason's wedding. Chocolate brown, Tiffany blue and cream always makes for a great color palette. Dominique wanted a full, romantic and fluffy bouquet so we used a lot of garden roses and dahlias. Thanks Dominique for sharing the professional pictures with us!

Bride's Bouquet: Garden roses, majolica spray roses, dahlias,
vendela roses, and cymbidium orchids

Groom's Bout: White spray roses with green hypericum berries

Dominique wanted to attach a picture of her grandparents to her bouquet. So sweet!

Bridesmaid Bouquets: Blue hydrangea, dahlias, vendela roses, spray roses

Pictures of the reception decor coming soon!

Bouquet Breakdown

2009-10-06T08:19:00.000-07:00

Hi! Sorry for the delay between posts - I took a little vacation down in Southern California to visit my family and to celebrate my son's 1st birthday! I can't believe that he's one. Anyway - I'm back now and getting ready for the next 6 weddings coming up in October and November. It's good to be busy!

I love this all green bouquet. One of my bride's found this on The Knot and sent it to me as inspiration for her green and white wedding last year.

C + C Wedding | Castlewood Country Club | Pleasanton

2009-09-21T10:15:00.000-07:00

Catie and I met about 9 months before her wedding. She sent me pictures of centerpieces that had dahlias grouped together in mason jars and she wanted to achieve the same look. So we both collected bottles and jars for months so we would have enough for each table. Catie also wanted bright, fun colors so we went with different shades of dahlias and Gerber daisies. I love how it all turned out!

Bride's Bouquet: Garden roses, peonies and freesia

Bridesmaid Bouquets: Cherry brandy roses, dahlias, freesia and spray roses

Mum pomander for the flower girl.

Here is the piece I made for the Church altar.

Writing on Vellum

2009-09-16T06:52:00.000-07:00

Have you ever tried writing on vellum before? It's a total pain. And I love vellum paper. This all started when I was sending out birth announcements last year and I really wanted to use vellum envelopes. But I had a problem finding the right pen to write on them without smearing. So I searched around and finally found something that works!

I contacted Kimberly from Tokyo Pen Shop and she was so nice! She helped me choose the right pen for the job. She said that this was the best pen to write on vellum and she was right! I love it. You can buy it here.

And if you are looking for some cute gift ideas you should take a look around the shop. I bought these cute little ladybug note cards to keep in my purse just in case. I think this would be a really cute item to include in bridesmaid gift bags.

I love this!

And now I'm trying to find an excuse to buy these adorable holiday paper clips. They have a bunch of different animal shapes to choose from. Check them out here.

Bouquet Breakdown

2009-09-14T06:35:00.000-07:00

J + N Wedding | New Dehli Restaurant | Union Square

2009-09-10T07:38:00.000-07:00

I never get tired of the pink and chocolate brown combination! Jaclyn and Nick got married at the Swedenborgian Church in San Francisco and celebrated at the New Delhi Restaurant in downtown San Francisco.

Bride's Bouquet: Peonies, roses, dahlias, and phaleonposis orchids

Bridesmaid Bouquets: Dahlias, hydrangea and roses

Groom's Bout: Single vendela rose with tuberose accent

Groomsmen Bouts: Single green cymbidium with loop grass accents

Centerpieces: Dahlias and orchids in a low box filled with spagnum moss

Bridal Tour

2009-09-08T06:59:00.000-07:00

The Dream Bridal Tour presented by Dream A Little Dream Events
Sunday September 20^th
10:30-3:30pm

Tickets for the third installment of the Dream Bridal Tour have been released, and will take place on Sunday September 20^th in San Francisco with wedding planners, Kathryn Kalabokes and Brittani Waldman of Dream A Little Dream Events. They have so many fun stops scheduled, we know it will be a blast! The day will start with a champagne brunch before heading on the shuttle to different stops throughout the city. You will be able to taste desserts and cakes, learn about photography, view invitations, try on makeup and accessories, check out the new trends in bridesmaid dresses and much, much more! Plus, you get to meet and hang out with other brides in a casual, no sales environment on a Sunday.

There are only a limited amount of brides that can take part in this unique and informative tour through San Francisco, so sign up to get your tickets today. Tickets are $50, and for a limited time, if you enter the code CITYDISH, you will get $10 off each ticket that you purchase. This event is open to any brides, bridesmaids, moms and friends. Ticket price will include brunch, refreshments throughout the day, transportation and a swag bag full of goodies from all our vendors!

Bouquet Breakdown

2009-09-03T07:06:00.000-07:00

After I introduced my blog series Bouquet Breakdown, one of my readers Lia sent me some pictures she wanted me to breakdown. I was very excited! So here is one of the pictures she sent.

Hope this helps Lia. I'll post another one next week!