Ceremony vases at Elm Bank

     Elm Bank, home of the New England Horticultural Society, was the magical setting of Aaron and Sophie's wedding late last summer. They were married atop marble steps overlooking a formal Italianate garden.

Romantic in Red

       Red has so many connotations. I am reminded of the passion of Scarlet O'Hara, who tears rich red velvet drapes from the windows of a half-burned Tara, to make herself a new ballgown... 
       Morgan and Jon chose a limited but dynamic palette for their October 2014 wedding at Fruitlands Museum in Harvard. Within their color scheme we found so many reds - from deep to bright, from pure to dappled. The variety was dazzling: roses, orchids, dahlias, anemone, pin cushion protea, sunset protea, and autumn foliage -- all presented themselves.  Oh the romance of reds!

Intimate Autumn Wedding at the Herb Lyceum in Groton

   
      Just today, a bride sent me a couple of images from her October wedding. What a pleasure to see the bright sweet colors of autumn and to remember the lovely flurry that attended her wedding, a small gathering of family and friends, at the beautiful Herb Lyceum in Groton, MA. We had worked together rather intensely for a few short weeks, Becky flying in from Los Angeles for a couple of quick visits, but she knew what she wanted -- bright pinks, oranges, and purples, along with peach tones, whites, and complementary silvery greens in a lush, naturalistic gathering.  Knowing her affinity for smaller flowers, we decided on anemones, ranunculus, spray roses, white lisianthus, and for the soft grey-greens -- dusty miller, and succulents.

Some weddings seem to fall into place without quite so much time and planning -- in part due to size and venue -- Cathy Gilson at the Herb Lyceum helps couples choose fresh, local, seasonal (richly flavored and stunningly presented) dishes, a natural for the Lyceum which serves exquisite dinners every weekend of the year. The garden (with small waterfall, perennial borders, lavender beds, wrought iron furniture, rustic antique statuary, stone terrace, and majestic old trees) -- provides a graceful backdrop. I always think of the modest Tuscan farmhouse we stopped at once, as part of a self-designed agri-tourism excursion, for a beautiful meal.  Perhaps it's that association with the convincing illusion of ease in the air, that makes me think the whole tableau at the Lyceum, including the flower designs we've worked on for the last day or two or three, have simply fallen, full formed from the beneficent sky.