Exquisite Blooms

Ultimate San Diego Wedding

2012-02-08T12:46:00.000-08:00

I was honored to be a part of this years Ultimate San Diego Wedding put on by Bridal Insider and donate my services to a lucky couple. My good friend and the always fabulous coordinator Courtney Tibbets of After the Engagement was the talented coordinator that designed every detail of this fun wedding brunch.

The flowers were a fun mix of yellows, pinks, reds and aquas which turned out to be the happiest color scheme I have ever gotten to work with. Plus the guys wore gray which is always my favorite to add yellow and gray into a wedding.

Here are my favorite shots taken by La Vida Creations...

It was such an honor to work with all the wonderful vendors and I wish the bride and groom all the best.

For more shots, check out La Vida Creations blog here and here.

Vendor information:
Janell and Matt’s fantastic vendors who donated their services and time to this extraordinary event: Photographers: La Vida Creations Photography • Ceremony Venue: Mt. Woodson Amy Strong Castle • Reception Venue: Mt. Woodson Amy Strong Castle • Event Design and Planning: Courtney with After the Engagement • Catering: Personal Touch Dining • Cinematography: Side by Side Cinema • Rentals and Linens: Party Production Rentals • Officiant- Bethel Nathan, Ceremonies by Bethel • Rehearsal Dinner- Carmel Mountain Ranch Country Club • Florist – Exquisite Blooms • DJ- Bill Calhoun Mobile Music DJ • Live musician- Nick Weiss • Stationery and Paperie- Nic.Roc.Designs • Limo service – Elite Image Limo • Tux rentals- Friar Tux Shop • Bridesmaids ‘Necklaces- KChicDesigns • Bride’s and Mother’s Hair and Makeup – Marisa Von Sheere • Bridesmaid’s Makeup- Gerine Coronado • Bridesmaid’s Hair- Rebecca Hainline • Bridesmaid’s Dresses- Nordstrom • Documenting Photographer – Evan Bishop • Honeymoon – PS Riviera • Favors- SoBelle • Photobooth : Jasper with After the Engagement • Boudoir – Modern Boudoir by Allie Lindsey Photography • Cake- Hey There, Cupcake • Donuts- Sensational Treats • Cake Balls- Cake Ball Love • Mini trifles- Sumi’s Oven • Cookies- The Cookie Chew • Candy buffet- A Candy Store • Chocolate photobooth props- Tailored Sweets • Sponsored by Bridal Insider and Star 94.1

Ana and James-June 2011

2011-12-16T11:18:00.000-08:00

Bali Hai Wedding San Diego from Aaron Thompson on Vimeo.

Enjoy the beautiful wedding that I had the pleasure of working on last summer with Swann Soirees and AS Photography. More here.

A little background information on the wedding from the lovely Brenda of Swann Soirees...
Wedding & Ceremony: Bali Hai- Shelter Island

Wedding Colors: Royal Purple, Sangria Red, Burnt Orange, with accents of green, gold, and ivories.

Theme: NYC meets NOLA - We're utilizing the fine linens & florals to create a formal feel reminiscent of a NOLA mansion dinner party, complete with a lush altar piece for the ceremony, similar to what you would find in a formal garden in one of the southern mansions (the venue was selected solely on availability to the desired wedding date). Our colors, along with some added bling throughout the event elements and an isolated demask-like graphic bring-in Ana's NYC fashionista side.

More about the Couple: Ana is of Puerto Rican heritage out of NY and James is from New Orleans- they met at the Lakeside Rodeo! Talk about being well-rounded (and traveled) couple. They are both urbanites who enjoy a good drink in the company of… each other! As a small business owner, James is a workaholic and gets involved in just about every community-oriented project he can possibly contribute to, he truly enjoys giving back as much as he can, and Ana is always by his side, whether it is serving meals to veterans or selling tickets to fundraisers with James, they two really treasure their time together, and always make it a priority over everything else in their life. Both have a really good sense of humor and are very down to earth. They were both very involved in all the planning & decision making for their wedding.

Wedding Pro Team
Planning & Design: Brenda Swann, assisted by Sherry Terrant of Swann Soirées
Officiant: Ceremonies by Bethel
Catering/Venue: Bali Hai
Ceremony & Reception Music (live vocals): Michael Tiernan
Make-Up: Lipstick & Luster LLC
Hair: Shannel & Co.
Photography: AS Photography
Videography: Luke McCain Videography
Floral Design: Exquisite Blooms
Paperie Design: Dolldine Designs
Cake: It’s a piece of cake!
Linens: A Perfect Table
Limos: Emerald City Limo
Shuttles: SureRide Inc

Samantha and Victor-Style Me Pretty Feature

2011-11-09T10:49:00.000-08:00

This was one of my favorite weddings I worked on this last summer and it was featured on Style Me Pretty! Samantha and Victor put together the most adorable wedding and the details were perfect. They got married last May at Faulkner Winery in Temecula and Brandon Wong captured their wedding with these beautiful pictures.

Samantha was an adorable DIY bride who worked so hard on every last detail. She provided all the vintage glass that we used on the tables so all we had to do was fill them and place them, they were all perfect. Here is what she said on SMP...

"From the Bride…My wedding style was vintage, romantic, classy and detailed. I didn’t want my wedding to be generic (a wedding where you could simply switch out the bride and groom for another couple and not know the difference). I wanted my wedding day to be special, unique, and a day to celebrate our love for each other and God’s love for us. This ended up costing me (and my wonderful friends) hours upon hours of DIY work, but the result was better than I could have imagined. We put our bridal party to work: my husband & his groomsmen spent hours drilling holes in pennies and weaving them through wire just so I could spell cute things with them and my bridesmaids and I shared many late nights stitching table numbers onto felt, and tying twine onto mini spice jars.

We personalized each and every name card for our guests. We used scrabble letters, made our own fabric flowers, made pinwheels and used vintage buttons to make each guest’s name card unique. My dad’s scrabble pieces spelt out “hero” because of all of the sacrifices he has made for my family and my mom’s spelt out “pray” because of the prayers she has showered over me throughout my life.

Our colors were originally light grey, coral and yellow, but during the planning I felt so constrained to them and realized I wasn’t really a matchy-matchy person–so I just went with a mesh of colors that accented each other well. A bride should be able to do whatever she wants with her wedding! Our decor was DIY galore. We made our rounds at antique stores, collected mason jars, painted and baked a few of them so they would be blue, wrapped twine around coke bottles, made our own lanterns for centerpieces, sewed our own burlap runners & ring bearer pillow (with the help of my aunt), bought 10 lbs of paprika and put them into corked spice jars, hung polaroid pictures of us across wine barrels, hand stitched signs, and much much more. DIY can sometimes come off as cheap but I tried to make sure I didn’t go overboard and that everything stayed classy. All of our flowers were very organic, wild and soft-toned. Our florist did a beautiful job filling all our jars and making the bouquets looks elegant and classy.

I’ll never forget the moment when my husband and I glanced at each other right after we were pronounced husband and wife. We were both beaming and full of excitement and joy to be around all of our loved ones. It was such a feeling of accomplishment, as if we had just finished a long race together. But instead of finishing a race, I know that moment marked the beginning of our lives together as one. Our photographers caught the perfect shot of this moment, and I’ll treasure it forever.

I’ll never forget dancing the night away with all my crazy friends and family. I could have never imagined a wedding without a dance floor and I’m SO thankful none of my friends held back that night! It was a night to remember!"

Samantha you did a beautiful job on all your details!

Wedding Photography: Brandon Wong Photography / Ceremony + Reception Location + Catering: Faulkner Winery / Wedding Dress: Casablanca Bridal / Bridal Alterations: Rose Anderson Sews Bridal / Groom’s Suit: J.Crew/ Wedding Videography: The Anthem Cinema / Event Planning: Tiffany Woon / Wedding Rehearsal + Prep Location: Faulkner Winery / Officiant: Pastor David Finch / Hair: Samone at Jeslin Salon & Boutique / Make-up: Stephanie Yu / Lighting, Dinner + Dancing Music: Just 4 Fun Entertainment / Wedding Cake: Sumi’s Oven / Photobooth: MeBo Photo / Programs, Favors, Name Cards, Table Numbers, Decorations: The Bride

The flowers we used were a mix of peach peonies, dusty miller, white lisianthus, lavender and hypericum berries. It was a beautiful peach and gray wedding.

Kim and Oneal

2011-11-09T10:13:00.000-08:00

This was a beautiful wedding I did in August of 2010 at St. Michaels Parish in paradise Hills and Paradise Point in Mission Bay. They were such a lovely couple and it was a beautiful wedding.

For this wedding we used orange dahlias, green cymbidium orchids, monkey tails, green hydrangea, orange calla lilies, green and orange orchids, and manzanita branches to create the perfect orange green and brown wedding.

Amanda and Blaine Teasers

2011-11-08T10:28:00.000-08:00

This past weekend Amanda and Blaine tied the knot at the Bali Hai on Shelter Island and I was honored to be one of many fabulous vendors that made the day so special for them. Melissa McClure captured these beautiful pictures and I just couldn't wait to share.

Helena of Divine Events by Helena was the coordinator, Bethel of Ceremonies by Bethel was the officiant and Audra Rene Studio did the brides beautiful hair.

The Vibrant and Colorful Tiffany & Darrell Wedding!!!

2011-09-09T17:29:00.000-07:00

This was such a beautiful wedding to create and I am so pleased to share these photos of Tiffany and Darrells wonderful day. The gorgeous pictures are by David Champagne Photography and could not have turned out any prettier. Check them out...Posted in Weddings Tags: 2010 The Knot Best of Weddings, David Champagne Photography, Dream Event 4 You, Exquisite Blooms, La Costa Resort and Spa, Personal Touch Dining Inc, Quail Botanical Gardens, Quail Botanical Gardens Weddings, San Diego Botanical Gardens, San Diego Wedding Photographer, San Diego Wedding Photographers, San Diego Wedding Photography, VIP Events

Tricia and Rudy @ The Hard Rock Hotel

2011-08-24T13:00:00.000-07:00

This was such a COOL wedding to work on with the ever fun and amazing Courtney Tibbets of After the Engagement. The colors were slate gray, deep red and black which was a perfect accent to the backdrop of The Hard Rock Hotel. Tricia and Rudy look amazing in their photos shot by Kamee June

The brides bouquet was a solid bouquet of large white peonies accented with black feather and wrapped in black lace with a black satin ribbon flower.

The centerpieces were black bacarra roses sitting in black urns and the ceremony flowers were a combination of black bacarra roses and maroon carnations accented with black feathers.

Photographer: Kamee June Photography
DJ: Daniel Cerda
Venue: Hard Rock Hotel, San Diego – Celebration Room
Officiant: Bethen Nathan, Ceremonies by Bethel

Ice Cream Sundae Buffet: Ben and Jerry’s Point Loma (Ask for Ephraim)
Linens: Irene Gonzalez, A Perfect Table
Hair and Makeup: Kitsch by Kat

Tiffany & Darrell SD Botanical Garden Wedding

2011-08-19T11:57:00.000-07:00

Tiffany and Darrell were married at the San Diego Botanical Gardens this summer surrounded by lush and gorgeous beauty with vibrant colorful wedding flowers but none of that compared to the bride herself. Tiffany was a stunning bride and it was such a pleasure to work with her throughout her planning process. I wish I had centerpiece pictures to share because they were incredibly unique and so fun to make. Here are just a few sneak peak shots from the always wonderful, David Champagne Photography...

Dream Event 4 You, Exquisite Blooms, La Costa Resort and Spa, Personal Touch Dining Inc, Quail Botanical Gardens, Quail Botanical Gardens Weddings, San Diego Botanical Gardens

L and B-A Very Special Couple

2011-08-18T00:32:00.000-07:00

This past Spring I had the honor of donating my flower services to a very deserving couple, L and B. I had been informed of their story from a past bride and I immediately wanted to help and make their wedding day extra special and hopefully relieve some of the stress that they were experiencing in their lives. B was a service member for our country and was injured while overseas, when I heard about them he was undergoing intensive therapy from a head injury and their wedding was on hold. Here is their story as told by L...

"B took me to Italy before his deployment - it was the most romantic proposal in Florence! We had a delicious dinner out on the streets near Piazza Santa Croce, where we were serenaded by street accordion and acoustic guitar players. After dinner he walked me out into the middle of the empty square, hugged me, told me I was his best friend and asked me to marry him! He went overseas about 1 month after, and was only there for 5 weeks when he was injured (he now has shrapnel in his brain that will be there for the rest of his life.) We spent all of 2010 in various therapies and rehabs, and were finally able to ENJOY our wedding on April 29, 2011 with our closest friends and family at the Pine Hills Lodge in Julian, CA. Just weeks after our wedding, I was accepted into medical school at Johns Hopkins, so it's been a CRAZY couple of years - ups and downs!"

I finally got to meet L months and months later when B was doing better and she could not have been a nicer bride, she was sweet, soft spoken and stunning. She gave me a few ideas for the flowers and I took it from there and was so excited to create these beautiful flowers for their beautiful day...

Living in the United States, we owe so much to our service men and women and this was just a small gift that I could have given to L&B for such large sacrifices that our military and familes make on a daily basis. Thank you as always, from the bottom of my heart, to our service members and their familes around the globe.

The flowers were a combination of lilac, purple and white lisianthus, mini purple calla lilies and seeded eucalyptus accented with curly willow. The elegant rustic feel of the flowers was a perfect compliment to the Pine Hills Lodge in Julian, CA. I was so happy to meet this wonderful couple and I wish them all the best on the rest of their journey.

Photography: Justin and Jessica Martens at Inner Song

Christine and Keith soft and romantic

2011-08-17T07:59:00.000-07:00

I have another wonderful wedidng to share shot by the always fabulous David Champagne Photography. Christine had such a fun and sweet personality and you can see all of it in her beautiful smile that lights all of these pictures up.

Hotel and Reception Venue: Rancho Bernardo Inn
Ceremony Venue: Saint Gregory the Great
Coordinator: Emiko Hara
Photography: David Champagne Photography
DJ: Primo DJ’s

Vanessa and Angelo

2011-08-16T13:54:00.000-07:00

It is such a pleasure to finally share these pictures from Vanessa and Angelo's wedding last fall. They were such a cute couple and their pictures by David Champagne Photography are gorgeous.

Their ceremony was at St. Gregory the Great Church and the reception was at the Temecula Creek Inn.

Venue: Saint Gregory the Great Catholic Church
Reception Venue: Temecula Creek Inn
Coordinator: The Best Wedding For You
Photography: David Champagne Photography
Videography: Russell John Films
DJ: Elite British DJ
Cake Artist: Sweet Layers Cakes
Hair Stylist: Beauty Ever After

Fiesta Fun!!!

2011-08-10T10:06:00.000-07:00

These are just a few shots from a small wedding I did a few weeks ago with Courtney Tibbets of After the Engagement. The theme was so fun and festive...

Katie and Mark teaser

2011-06-27T11:46:00.000-07:00

Thanks to Melissa McClure Photography I have a teaser of the beautiful bride and groom to share from last Saturdays wedding at Paradise Point Resort. It was such a beautiful wedding and I have some reception pictures to share but I won't muddle the beauty of this picture with the flat boring look of my point and shoot photos, we'll save those for a separate post.

Thanks Melissa for sharing!

Yellow and Gray weddings

2011-06-21T22:47:00.000-07:00

I get a lot of searches for yellow and gray weddings through my website so I thought I would feature some of my own wedding pictures from my own yellow and gray wedding as well as some others I have done.

Here are my wedding pictures, courtesy of the wonderful Andy King Photography.

My bridesmaids wore yellow dresses and gray sweaters with yellow belts and gray shoes, the groomsmen wore different gray suits and yellow ties. I even requested that the guests wear yellow, gray, black or white, it was a bold move but no one seemed to care. The flowers were a combination of all yellow flowers and my bouquet had white peonies. The tables were gray linens with yellow runners down the middle and collections of various sized and shaped clear vases with candles and silver platters with the yellow flowers.

Another yellow and gray wedding I did was this super cute wedding with a deeper shade of yellow, pictures by Eisenhower Photography...

The bride carried white hydrangea with yellow cymbidium orchids, yellow mini calla lilies, yellow billy balls, white lisianthus and large white gardenias. The bridemaids we made of white hydrangea, yellow dahlias, yellow billy balls and green pittsoporum leaves as accent. The groom had a white mini call lily and the groomsmen (not pictured) had yellow mini calla lilies.

This bouquet was a combination of yellow china mums, yellow ranunculas, yellow button mums and yellow billy balls.

Overall, it is such a beautiful and un-expected color combination that is becoming more and more popular.

Terrance and Nicholle!!!

2011-06-21T20:52:00.000-07:00

Last month, I had the pleasure of doing a wedding for some long time friends, Terrance and Nicholle. My husband and I actually went to high school with this lovely couple and now my husband and Terrance work together and are business partners. They were married at the beautiful Faulkner Winery in Temecula and the night couldn't have been prettier. These beautiful pictures are courtesy of Nicole Angelo Photography.

The venue was absolutely perfect and the couple was so happy, it was a pleasure to work with old friends and share in their day.

The bridesmaid flowers were a combination of white hydrangea, white gerbera daisies, purple mokara orchids and purple mini calla lilies. The brides bouquet was a combination of dark purple lisianthus, black calla lilies, dark purple tulips and purple cymbidium orchids wrapped in black ribbon and rhinestone bands. The centerpiece candelabras were provided by the venue and we embellished them with simple ivy and some rose petals.

Ana and James Bali Hai

2011-06-20T19:17:00.000-07:00

I just have a few snapshots from my little point and shoot to share from this last weekends wedding. I hope to get the pro pics to share later on.

Ana and James had a fun, New Orleans inspired, wedding last Saturday at the Bali Hai. The colors were vibrant and fun in royal purples, oranges, reds and greens with pops of yellow here and there. Outside the wedding canopy was adorned with 6 feet of lush ivories, blushes and creams accented with crystals. Such a beautiful wedding for such a beautiful couple.

I will write up a full description of all the fun details when I get the beautiful photos back from AS Photography but until know here are credits for Ana and James's wonderful Bali Hai wedding.

Planning & Design: Brenda Swann, assisted by Sherry Terrant of Swann Soirées

Officiant: Ceremonies by Bethel

Catering/Venue: Bali Hai

Ceremony & Reception Music (live vocals): Michael Tiernan

Make-Up: Lipstick & Luster LLC

Hair: Shannel & Co.

Photography: AS Photography

Videography: Luke McCain Videography

Floral Design: Exquisite Blooms

Paperie Design: Dolldine Designs

Cake: It’s a piece of cake!

Linens: A Perfect Table

Limos: Emerald City Limo

Shuttles: SureRide Inc

Emily and Jason at Scripps

2011-06-14T13:19:00.000-07:00

So I've been behind on my "work" blogging but I have a fresh new post for you...

Emily and Jason got married at The Robert Payne Scripps Seaside Forum in May and I have their pictures to share taken by the ever talented Bauman Photographers.

The entire event was coordinated by the amazing team of Brenda and Ania from Swann Soirees and everything turned out beautiful.

Vendors:
Coordination: Swann Soirees
Photography: Bauman Photographers
Cupcakes: Hey There Cupcake
Venue: Scripps Forum

Navy & Peach Wedding Inspiration

2011-04-20T13:31:00.000-07:00

Wishing someone would pick this as their wedding theme so I could do flowers to match...

Featured Vendor: Dapper Images

2011-03-30T16:47:00.000-07:00

It is always a pleasure to feature vendors and today I am especially excited to feature Dapper Images...

We have worked on both photo shoots and weddings together and they are such a wonderful team to work with. Check out this amazing photo shoot we did together back in December.

Their images are always so stunning and breath taking, I always look forward to working with them. Check out their portfolio on their website HERE.

I hope to feature a wedding we did in Coronado earlier in the year together soon...stayed tuned.

Photo shoot contributors:
coordination: Courtney of After the Engagement
custom jewelry: b.mookie
hair and makeup: All Beauty by Gerine
venue: Temecula Farm House

Debbie and Robert last fall

2011-03-08T12:12:00.000-08:00

I am finally getting around to sharing this wonderful video that Modern 8 Films shared with me a few weeks ago. This was a wedding we worked on together last fall; they were amazing to work with and captured the most beautiful moments of this perfect day.

Robert + Debbie from Modern 8 Films on Vimeo.

Hope you enjoy it too!

A WONDERFUL Wednesday wedding

2011-02-24T19:27:00.000-08:00

These just in from the ever fabulous Melissa McClure from yesterdays mid week wedding on Coronado beach, coordinated by Brenda Swann of Swann Soirees. Mike and Jessica are from NY and had an intimate wedding on the beach in Coronado then took their guests to In-N-Out for dinner and then on a San Diego Trolley tour, so fun! Here are some sneak peaks...

This couple was absolutely adorable, the brides dress was G-O-R-GORGEOUS and the grooms attire was so cute.

Photographer: Melissa McClure Photography
Coordinator: Brenda Swann of Swann Soirees
Officiant: Rev. Christopher Tuttle
Videographer: Omnistories
Violinist: Allison Roush

Megan and Mike said "I Do!"

2011-01-31T12:24:00.000-08:00

The lovely Megan and her new husband Mike were married last fall at Los Willows in Fallbrook, CA. It was a beautiful wedding and the hot pink shades really popped against the natural backgrounds of Los Willows. Enjoy...

Venue: Los Willows, Fallbrook CA
Photographer: Amore Wedding Photography

Kasey & Justin Ponte Wedding

2011-01-27T13:06:00.000-08:00

In October of 2010 I had the honor of creating Kasey and Justin's wedding flowers for their wedding at Ponte Winery in Temecula, CA. The got married on the lawn and had the reception in the Barrel Room. Kasey add a touch of fun, funk and whimsy to her wedding by adding a subtle bird theme, using lots of bold colors mixed with subdued neutrals and adding lots of textures to the florals and linens.

Enjoy these wonderful photos from Joshua Aull Photography...

Her bridal bouquet is easily one of my favorites from last year and the broach that I pinned on her bouquet was a matching set of clip on earrings and pin from her grandmother, the earrings were the perfect personal touch to her purple shoes.

Congrats Kasey and Justin!!!

Venue: Ponte Winery
Photographer: Joshua Aull Photography

Modern Black, White and Red

2011-01-24T11:51:00.000-08:00

I got to do a sleek and fun wedding this last fall and I found some of the pictures on Facebook. I don't have the photographers name yet but as soon as I track it down I will post thier name.

The bride and her bridal party were gorgeous and it looked like everyone had a lot of fun.

Levyland Estate Wedding

2011-01-20T14:52:00.000-08:00

I just found these on an past brides facebook from a wedding I did last summer with Courtney Tibbets of After the Engagement at the Levyland Estate in Carlsbad, CA. Gorgeous all around!!!

The location was so beautiful and the colors were so crisp, clean and classic. As always, thanks again to Courtney for another wonderful wedding that I got to be a part of.

venue: Levyland Estate
coordinator: Courtney Tibbets of After the Engagement
photographer: Melanie Smith Photography
Cupcakes: Sweet Cheeks

Summer Succulents

2011-01-17T09:41:00.000-08:00

I had the great honor of working with Megan Mills of Swann Soirees and the always wonderful Melissa of Melissa McClure Photography on this fabulous wedding last summer. It was so beautiful it even got featured on Style Me Pretty!

Check out some of my favorite flower (a few other) shots...

The arrangements were a combination of succulents, spanish moss and white ranunculas. The brides bouquet was succulents, ivory roses and white ranunculus and the bridesmaids bouquets we solid white ranunculus. It is always such an honor to be featured on Style Me Pretty and it is always so wonderful to work with the Swann Soirees team and Melissa McClure.

Photographer: Melissa McClure
Wedding Coordinator: Megan with Swann Soirees
Ceremony and Reception Location: The Andaz Hotel
Hair and Makeup: Marisa Von Sheere
Florist: Exquisite Blooms
Officiant: Groom’s Uncle
DJ: Average Joe with JMC Events
Calligraphy: The bride! Cursive and Ink
Shoes: Steve Madden
Men’s Suits: Men’s Fashion Depot
Programs: Friend of the couple
Bridesmaid Dresses: David’s Bridal
Sash: Originally with the dress but altered by the bride
Dress: Enzoani Diana

A holiday arrangement

2010-12-28T11:09:00.000-08:00

A simple red rose and seeded eucalyptus arrangement accented with large red poinsettias in a classic metal urn. Delightful!

La Valencia Wedding

2010-12-07T23:28:00.000-08:00

I just received these shots from Dennis Mock Photography and couldn't wait to share this divine white bouquet I made for Kelly back in July.

Calla Lily Bouquets

2010-12-06T15:36:00.000-08:00

They are such a simple yet very elegant bouquet, here are a few that I recently did...

Pictures by the fabulous: Melissa McClure Photography
Coordination by Helena Parker of Divine Events by Helena

Teri & Bryan vineyard wedding...

2010-11-11T22:35:00.000-08:00

I had so much fun creating these beautiful flowers with these stunning roses for Teri who was the sweetest out of town bride, ever! I didn't get a chance to see her on her wedding day, which was kind of a bummer, but it turned out to be so exciting once I got to see all the pictures. She looked amazing and her wedding turned out perfect!

The beautiful setting is Orfila Vineyards in Escondido. Here are some snap shots of Teri and Bryans day...

These flowers were a combination of circus roses, mango calla lilies, red hypericum berries, orange freesia with accents of bear grass and lemon leaves.

Thank you Bella Pictures for the wonderful photos!

M's Bouquet

2010-11-02T12:19:00.000-07:00

I had the pleasure of creating beautiful flowers for a wedding at Candelas last August and thought I would share the beautiful bouquet. It was a combination of terracotta roses, sahara roses and leonidas roses with green cymbidium orchids which created a very unique and interesting color palatte that turned out stunning.

To see more from the wedding and to check out Courtney Tibbet's wonderful work as usual, check it out here.

Have a Happy Weekend!

2010-10-22T16:33:00.000-07:00

This was my favorite wedding I saw today when checking out all the wedding blogs. Of course it was on Style Me Pretty and of course it was shot by the wonderful Jasmine Star and Stephanie Fay! Check out the entire post here and here.

Have a fabulous weekend!!! I will be enjoying this weekend sans weddings. I can hardly believe it myself :).

DIY centerpiece: Grouping of Vases

2010-10-20T16:56:00.000-07:00

I haven't featured a DIY centerpiece in a while and just could resist posting this one...

***just to let you know, I did not do these centerpieces, everything was provided by the bride and her coordinator. Carmele, the bride put everything together, and Courtney of After the Engagement added the final touches.***

What you will need:

sets of 3 clear glass cylinder vases of different heights (i.e. 6" tall, 9" tall and 10"tall)
sand and/or rocks and or glass stones
cymbidium orchid stems
floating candles (1 for each vase)
petals or dendrobium orchids for the tabletop
votive candles

What you need to do:

fill each vase with the materials you desire (i.e. sand, candle and orchid or cymbidium orchid stem with rocks, glass stones, etc.)
set out at reception
fill vases with water, leave about 3" left at the top
pop in the floating candle
add votives to the table tops along with petals or dendrobium orchids
light candles and you're done!

You will end up with amazing centerpieces that look like this...

These centerpieces are so beautiful and can be done on a budget while still looking amazing. Good job Carmele and Courtney!

Photography by: Nathaniel Kam

Carmele and Matt

2010-10-19T17:52:00.000-07:00

Back in September I was thrilled to make an all white orchid bouquet and popping orange boutonnieres for the groom and groomsman. Check out these pics that Nathaniel Kam sent over this morning...

As always I have to thank Courtney Tibbets or After the Engagement for the wonderful referral!!! I love working with you Courtney!!!

Photography by Nathaniel Kam
Planner / Coordinator: Courtney Tibbets of After the Engagement
DJ/MC by Bill Calhoun of Mobile Music
Cupcakes by BatterUp Cupcakes
Ceremony: South Ponto Beach
Reception Venue: Seapointe Resort, Carlsbad

Q & A session with Divine Events

2010-10-14T11:05:00.000-07:00

The wonderful Helena Parker of Divine Events featured a Q&A with me on her blog earlier this week.

Here is a tid bit of the post but to see the entire thing you'll have to visit her here...
"Sally is the owner and lead designer at Exqusite Blooms. Here is a little Q&A I did with her.

What attracted you to the floral business? Since I was a little girl, I have just always loved flowers. I can remember my mom buying me a little book of flower meanings and thinking that “when I grow up, I am going to make people bouquets of flowers that have these hidden messages through the flowers”. Flowers have always been a part of me and made me happy so in a way, I feel like being a florist was what I was always meant to be.

What is your favorite part of doing wedding flowers? Good question and so many answers come to mind but I think that my very favorite part of doing wedding flowers is the moment I hand a bride her bouquet. I try to make it a point, if possible, to personally deliver the bridal bouquet to all my brides. I love that moment when I hand it to her and she is standing there looking beautiful on her wedding day in her gorgeous dress, the bouquet just adds that final “bridal” touch and it such a special moment to be a part of. Sometimes I get teary eyed and have to turn around for fear of looking like a big dork."
I had such a fun time answering these questions and I hope to continue to work with Helena for a long time!

Photo by: Melissa McClure Photography

Kim and Mike...

2010-10-14T10:50:00.000-07:00

Acres of Hope Photography captured these wonderful pictures of Kim and Mike on their beautiful October wedding day...

To see more click here.

Venue: Scripps Seaside Forum
Photography: Acres of Hope Photography
Coordinator: Courtney Tibbets of After the Engagement
Cake: Flour Power

Manzanita centerpieces

2010-09-14T10:29:00.000-07:00

Some manzanitas from last months weddings. Hoping that the pro pics will be much better! The 1st one has white ranunculus on the branches with succulents, spanish moss and ranunculus in the base. The 2nd one has orange mokara orchids and green dendrobium orchids with mini green hydrangea, orange dahlias, moss and monkey tails in the base. Enjoy!

Featured on Style Me Pretty...

2010-09-13T10:34:00.000-07:00

It is such a honor and privilege to announce that our flowers were featured on a Style Me Pretty post today!!!

This is truly a dream come true because I have been following and drooling over SMP's posts for years.

The beautiful concept was put together by Krystel Tien of Couture Events and the amazing images were shot by Joielala photographie. It was so wonderful to work with all of these amazing vendors and so fun to create such beautiful pieces.

To see more pictures click here or for a full gallery of the details and the rest of the shoot, click here.

"The flowers were a mixture of white hydrangea, lilies, peonies, spray roses, blush roses, dark purple mini calla lilies, pink stock, and large gorgeous gardenias to create the old Hollywood vintage glam look. I accented these beautiful pieces with white ostrich feather plumes and tied the bouquet with a vintage sequin trim to complete the look."

Thank you again to all the vendors!!!
photography: joielala photographie
coordination: couture events sd
florist: exquisite blooms
jewelry: liz law
hair accessories: rachel larraine
stationary: dear darling
hair: christine colwell
makeup: dana of think pink
linens: a perfect table
gown: brides own by san patrick
locations: viggilucci’s, babycakes, horton grand hotel
getaway dress: sarah seven
shoes: badgley mischka

Tenaya and Matthew!!!

2010-09-09T12:31:00.000-07:00

I am so excited to post these pictures, Tenaya and Matthew got married last summer at the Paradise Gardens in Oceanside and she sent me the pictures to share with all of you.

The entire wedding was decorated with antique hydrangea, black baccara roses, ivory roses, black dahlias and dark red/purple mini calla lilies.

Thank you so much Tenaya for sending these over, you are such a beautiful bride.

All photos taken by: Lisa Sullivan of Sullivan Studios

NeCole and Jahrod had a Labor Day Weekend Wedding...

2010-09-07T17:06:00.000-07:00

This couple is extra special to me because through the course of wedding planning we discovered a few things...

I went to elementary school with the groom,
my cousin went to high school with the groom
one of my closest friends from junior high and high school who lived across the street from me went to college with the bride (i think they were even room mates).

Talk about a SMALL WORLD!!!

Congrats NeCole and Jahrod, I wish you two a long and happy life together!!!

Thank you Melissa McClure Photography for sharing your wonderful pictures and thank you Helena Parker of Divine Events by Helena for such a smooth event!

Melissa and Mandy do it again...

2010-08-26T15:12:00.000-07:00

Big hugs and super big THANKS to Melissa McClure photography for sharing these "Oh SO Gorgeous" photos of Leslie and Ben's wedding...

Awesome Video...

2010-08-24T11:38:00.000-07:00

Enjoy this awesome video from Savannah and John's wedding created by Joe Park Weddings.

Savannah & John Teaser from Joe Park on Vimeo.

WOW! What a beauty...

2010-08-22T09:07:00.000-07:00

Could this picture from Melissa McClure Photography get any prettier? The bride is stunning, the light is perfect and that bouquet, by yours truly, looks amazing. This was from the wedding I did just YESTERDAY and I had to share it, definitely stay tuned for more...

Savannah & John Pro Pics...

2010-08-18T20:57:00.000-07:00

So today I am pleased to feature the fan-ta-bulous photos of Bauman Photographers who exquisitely captured Savannah and John's EXQUISITE Day...

This wedding was such a beautifully soft combination of white hydrangea, yellow roses, lavender lisianthus, white lisianthus, white cymbidium orchids and lots of cool water (lavender) roses.

Congrats Savannah and John!

Candace and Carlo Pro Shots...

2010-08-17T20:23:00.000-07:00

The wonderful Stephina Photography just posted these teasers and I couldn't wait to share them.

The BEAUTIFUL Bride!

And her Handsome Groom!

The pink popped wonderfully with the flowers and Balboa Park backgrounds...

Admiral Kidd ceremony...

Thank you once again Stephina Photography for sharing such wonderful pictures of Candace and Carlo's perfect day! Can't wait to work with you again soon :)

A few recent weddings...

2010-08-16T14:03:00.000-07:00

Just a few recent shots from the last 2 weeks, I hope to share the Pro photos soon!

1st up, Savannah and John, married at Admiral Kidd. The aisle was beautiful swirls made from Cool Water rose petals, hope to get a before shot soon.

Next up, the bouquets from this last Fridays wedding also at the Admiral Kidd, ceremony and reception shots to follow later... (coordination by: The Best Wedding for You, Julie Scrivener)

Flowers included pink dahlias, pink mini calla lilies, green button mums, pink roses, pink lisianthus and hot pink celosia with light blue freesia and pink mokara orchids for the brides bouquet and white mini calla lilies with green hypericum and pink mokara orchids for the bridesmaids.

Lastly, a gorgeous color combination of sahara roses, leonidas roses, terra cotta roses and latin ambiance roses with huge purple dahlias, purple cymbidium orchids and accents of dusty miller held at Candelas restaurant in La Jolla... (coordination by: After the Engagement, Courtney Tibbets)

Mallory and Brian are MARRIED!

2010-08-10T10:19:00.000-07:00

On the 1st of July I had the pleasure of doing a wonderfully colorful wedding at Hacienda de Vega in Escondido. It was such a beautiful venue, the grounds had fountains, white plaster walls, a red roof, spanish tiles and the coolest patio with wooden stools and table tops, I definitely plan on going to eat dinne there soon.

I just received the most amazing pictures from that day and had to share them immediately. The photos were shot by Studio Castillero, who I hope to work with again some day; their images are absolutely gorgeous and filled with such awesome light and beauty. Check out Mallory and Brian on their "I DO" Day...

The flowers were a combination of orange asiatic lilies, dark purple carnations, black baccara roses, dark purple mini calla lilies, orange mini calla lilies and lemon leaves.

Baja Wedding-Part 2

2010-07-23T09:44:00.000-07:00

Just wanted to share a collage of the bridesmaids...

Baja Wedding...

2010-07-22T10:36:00.000-07:00

On July 17th, my good friend and "sometimes" associate created a wedding all on her own and I couldn't be more proud. I helped design the pieces and took care of the flower order but the execution was completely her, EXCELLENT work Jenna!!!

The flowers were a combination of purple dahlias, purple mini calla lilies, red roses, purple carnations, purple stock and teal bi-color dendrobium orchids with lemon leaves in the centerpieces. The theme was lanterns and peacock leaves with various jewel tones, everything was absolutely gorgeous!!!

Beth and Rob were married on July 4th!!!

2010-07-15T23:49:00.000-07:00

Beth and Rob were married at the Oceanview room on the Point Loma Sub-Base on July 4th, 2010. Their wedding was a beautiful mixture of vibrant colors and AWESOME personalities. I really feel like I really became friends with the two of them and am sad that they live in D.C. because they seem like a couple that would be so much fun to hang out with. Here are some AWESOME pictures (by Stephina Photography) of such an AWESOME couple...

Beth's bouquet was made from orange asiatic lilies, stargazer lilies, orange mokara orchids, pink mokara orchids and purple cymbidium orchids.

The bridesmaid bouquets were made from pink and orange mokara orchids and simply wrapped with hot pink satin ribbon.

All of the colors were gorgeous and I can't think of a better way to celebrate the 4th of July!

To see more pics check out Stephina Photography's BLOG.

Ben and Leslie were married on June 20th!

2010-07-14T11:19:00.000-07:00

Click on the picture below to watch an amazing slide show of Ben and Leslie's wedding, shot by Melissa McClure!

Leslie's bouquet was made from white peonies, circus roses, yellow dahlias, green button mums and monkey tails as accent. She was such a pleasure to work with and I with her and Ben a lifetime of love and happiness!

Please VOTE for us!

2010-07-14T00:24:00.001-07:00

We are currently in 2nd place and would love nothing more than to be #1!!!!!

Please VOTE FOR US

2 new Reviews!!!

2010-07-07T10:28:00.000-07:00

These just came in from some of our recent weddings...

jcvargas13
Wedding: 06/26/2010
5.0 out of 5.0
Quality of Service:        (5.0/5.0)
Responsiveness:        (5.0/5.0)
Professionalism:        (5.0/5.0)
Value For Cost:        (5.0/5.0)
Flexibility:        (5.0/5.0)
Sally with Exquisite Blooms is AWESOME! My husband and I planned our wedding in 2 months and we were on a budget. She worked with our budget as well as made our wedding beautiful! I could not be more happy with her artistic ability and her knowledge of flowers that would really work. Not really knowing about flowers, I gave her the reigns, after giving her our wedding colors -- grey and yellow. She has a great eye and I was so impressed when I arrived at the church to see our beautiful bouquets and boutonnieres. She also delivered our wedding flowers to our ceremony -- our simple yet elegent orchids. Sally is super professional and made it easy to work with her, especially when I had changes that I had to make a couple weeks prior to the wedding. I would highly recommend her for any wedding or occasion!!!!!!!
Reviewed On:
07/06/2010

Lmansour
Wedding: 06/20/2010
5.0 out of 5.0
Quality of Service:        (5.0/5.0)
Responsiveness:        (5.0/5.0)
Professionalism:        (5.0/5.0)
Value For Cost:        (5.0/5.0)
Flexibility:        (5.0/5.0)
I cannot thank Exquisite Blooms enough for the fabulous job done on my wedding flowers. Sally was very helpful in selecting flowers that would accompany the ideas I brought to the table and was uber ready to meet the challenge of finding flowers that were not quite at their peak season. All the arrangements turned out so beautiful and smelled great too. I have been to a lot of weddings, seen many arrangements, and have worked with other vendors for friends and events, I have yet to meet anyone with the sweet personality that Sally has to go along with her quick response, perseverance to satisfy the client, beyond reasonable prices, and results that scream Exquisite!!! I highly recommend this vendor and will use her again and again for other life celebrations. Thank you Sally :o)
Reviewed On:
07/07/2010
(Beautiful picture by Melissa McClure Photography)

Thank you Ladies for the wonderful words :)

The Messy Baker

2010-07-02T13:57:00.000-07:00

Introducing my BFF, Rachel Barone, THE MESSY BAKER!!! Her website is soon to follow but I thought I would do a little "sneak peak" :)

The cookies and cupcakes are all AMAZING, the flavors are mouth watering-ly good. Here are a few shots of her cookies...

Lemon Meringue Cupcakes

Orange Infused Dark Chocolate Cupcakes (to die for, seriously!)

Key Lime Cupcakes

Oreo Cookie Cupcakes

Sugar Cookies (hand designed)

The sugar cookies make the perfect wedding or shower favor...

For more information contact:

The Messy Baker

Rachel Barone
Owner/Designer
619-322-9622
rachel.m.barone@gmail.com

Yellow and Gray wedding

2010-06-26T23:30:00.000-07:00

I am especially in LOVE with the flowers I made for today's wedding. They are exactly what I wish I would have made for my own yellow and gray wedding but that never happened. The brides bouquet was a mix of white hydrangea, yellow cymbidium orchids, white gardenia (which smelt heavenly), yellow billy balls and yellow calla lilies. The stems were wrapped in gray satin ribbon and adorned with beautiful embellishments.

The bridesmaids bouquets were also made from white hydrangea and yellow billy balls but had yellow dahlias and green leaves as accent.

Of course professional pics will eventually follow but until then I have these for you to look at.

P.S. wait till you see the boutonnieres!!! So cute!!!

Pink and Orange Wedding

2010-06-23T10:12:00.000-07:00

Jessica and Ian were married on June 20th at the Rancho Bernardo Community Presbyterian Church with a reception that followed at the Rancho Bernardo Inn. The beautiful bride wore a Jim Hjelm gown, her mothers veil and a gorgeous headpiece created by my friend Cecilia, owner of vo.cab.u.lary boutique in Little Italy.

Her bridal bouquet was made from pink peonies, pink roses, orange dahlias, orange roses and orange tulips wrapped in champagne satin ribbon and adorned with crystal pieces to match her headpiece.

The custom linens and rod iron candelabra centerpieces were from Elegant Events in National City, 619. 427.7080

And of course the flowers were by us, Exquisite Blooms, and each piece was a combination of roses, peonies, dahlia, tulips and freesia in shades of oranges and pinks.

Professional pictures to follow but this is a little sneak peak.

A little SATC 2 centerpiece

2010-05-28T17:13:00.000-07:00

A friend of mine owns a boutique and she is hosting a Sex and the City 2 party tonight, these are the flowers I made for her party.

More bouquet shots!!!

2010-05-27T15:59:00.000-07:00

Here are some more bouquet shots of the flowers from the photo shoot. Again thank you to everyone involved!

Photo Shoot Sneak Peak...

2010-05-25T10:30:00.000-07:00

Here is a little sneak peak of the gorgeous photos from last weekends photo shoot that we were involved in. The beautiful images are by Dapper Images, the wonderful coordination and complete vision is by Courtney Tibbets of After the Engagement, all the gorgeous jewelry pieces are by Molly Beard of b.mookie and the stunning makeup is by Ann DeNicolo of Flirt Makeup and Gerene Coronado a makeup artist. To see more images, head over to Dapper Images blog.

Oh and one more fun detail, the "enchanted forest bride" is one of my past brides, Sally!!! Remember this post? :)

Photoshoot this weekend

2010-05-12T10:36:00.000-07:00

I am so excited to be involved in a photo shoot this weekend with Courtney Tibbets of After the Engagement coordination, Molly Beard of b.mookie custom jewelry, DeShun and Yasmine Wooten of Dapper Images, Ann DeNicolo of Flirt Makeup and Gerene Coronado a makeup artist.

We are going to have 4 brides modeling as a Goth bride, a Pin-Up bride, an 80's bride and an Enchanted Forest bride...here are my floral inspirations.

Goth Bride...

Photo courtesy of here

80's Bride...

Photo courtesy of here

Enchanted Forest Bride...

Photo courtesy of Bloomingals

Pin-Up Bride...

Photo courtesy of here

Stay tuned for pictures of the actual shoot.

Lisa's Bridal Shower

2010-05-10T12:47:00.000-07:00

I shared the hosting of a bridal shower this weekend with some fellow bridesmaids and helped design the look and decor. Oh and of course I made the flowers...

From Exquisite Blooms

Rose Centerpiece

2010-04-29T18:21:00.000-07:00

Just a little sample I made for a bride today...

From Exquisite Blooms

It is a glass cylinder vase lined in a Ti Leaf filled with roses and accented with thistle for texture, then capped with bear grass in some pics and curly willow in others. Which one do you like best?

Pink and Black

2010-04-20T11:12:00.000-07:00

It's been crazy over here at Exquisite Blooms! We are getting ready for wedding season and it is coming so fast I sometimes feel like I can't keep up. I still don't have a camera so I don't have any thing new to share but I will share this collage of pics that is the inspiration for a wedding later this year. I can't wait and I simply love every bit of it...

We will be using vintage glass mixed with tons of candles and these gorgeous pink and black anemones!

Sad news for a fellow wedding industry member...

2010-03-25T11:19:00.000-07:00

This post is from photographer friend, Melissa McClure. I don't personally know Lori but I do work on Bridalinsider.com a lot...

One of the major milestones in life is getting married. Even if you aren’t married yourself, you’ve probably been to (or in) a wedding or two (or far more than you care to admit to because you are fast becoming the one person who gets called out during the garter toss or has 27 bridesmaids dresses). You probably have friends who are married, want to get married, or are planning a wedding… Heck some of you reading this are in fact the professionals who work the weddings… where ever you may fit in the list above, or even in-between (ie: the boss that has had to block any wedding related websites from your company’s server so that your engaged employee can focus during work), you have probably heard or ran across BridalInsider.com

If you haven’t heard-of or visited the website, let me tell you what it is, straight from their home page: “Bridalinsider.com is San Diego’s Wedding Community. It is the most informative, resourceful, inspiring social network for San Diego Brides, Grooms and Wedding Vendors. The dynamic, creative Brides & Grooms of the San Diego wedding community make this site the #1 destination for planning your San Diego wedding. Our users are extremely resourceful Brides & Grooms and excited to plan their weddings with the help, advice and camaraderie of the San Diego wedding community.”

Eight years ago, Lori Foote, then a newlywed who had a few raves (and rants) about her wedding planning journey and the professionals who made it possible, established the website to help future couples plan their day. Since then, it has become an invaluable resource to many couples (ok fine, maybe more of a safe haven to the many brides & grooms who want to share their ideas, planning related achievements, and gather opinions without fear of sounding obsessive). The site has also served as a gateway to the careers of many professionals in our industry- yours truly included.

I have been on BridalInsider as a bride AND a vendor. It was an absolute necessity during my wedding planning. I even came out of it with an amazing group of friends I still have daily contact with! For my business, the website has been instrumental in sending weddings my way. I owe Lori so much for the success of both my wedding and my business!

It is because of the influence and impact Lori & Bridal Insider have had on my life that I write this post and reach out to all of you, to help me do what we can for Lori & her family. Last week, they lost their home to a fire- a freak accident that could have happened to anyone. They lost everything, including the family’s cat and fish. While Lori remains in very good spirits, and is very thankful that her family (husband and two young children) are safe and unharmed, they essentially have nothing, and are almost quite literally starting from the ground up. Currently, they are living in temporary housing while their home is rebuilt, but along all the irreplaceable things lost, there has also been a loss of many essential personal items- clothing, undergarments, toiletries, books & toys for the children…I am sure that you can take a look around your home and quickly realize how essential even the most insignificant inanimate object can be at a time like this. All is lost, and it needs replacing.

Together with fellow wedding professionals we’ve established a paypal donation site where if you have an extra dollar or two this week, or even ten next week, you can make a donation that will go directly to Lori & her family to help with the basic needs of food, personal items, and maybe a few toys for the kids. Any help is welcome and appreciated. I personally Thank You for reading through this post, and even considering to help, and know that Lori will eternally be grateful to all of you who can help. If you would like to mail any notes, well-wishes, or check donations, feel free to send them to her via the Cerimone Studio at 2690 Historic Decatur Rd. #207, San Diego, CA 92106. You may also email Lori at lori@bridalinsider.com – do note that she may not be able to respond to your email right away.

Thank you again for all of your love and support. Please feel free to repost this blog.

xo, Melissa

Photoshoot...(part 1 of 3)

2010-03-17T11:19:00.000-07:00

So let me start with...I AM NOT A MODEL.

On Monday I set out to San Juan Capistrano with "featured" photographer Melissa McClure, Australian Photographer Cathy Crowley and San Diego photographer Bethany Murphy to partake in a little photo shoot. I was scheduled to make an awesome succulent bouquet but then agreed at the last minute to be the model as well. It was a fun filled day and I had a blast hanging out with all 3 ladies and Michael, Bethany's boyfriend, was such a huge help carrying things and keeping us company.

These next few posts will be features of the 3 photographers work, first up...

Bethany Murphy...you can see the whole post here, so I won't show you all the pics but here are a few. Bethany, thank you for the shots and you did such an amazing job!

I made the bouquet from a combination of various succulents and yellow rananculas stems and wrapped the wild stems in burlap.

Who wants to have their wedding HERE???

2010-03-05T10:44:00.000-08:00

Some of you may know that the ultimate goal of Exquisite Blooms is to own a wedding venue and provide a perfectly picturesque spot to the Southern California brides. Well, what do you think about this property? I think it is perfect!!!

Would you want to get married here? Just picture photos taken on the wrap around porch, an outdoor reception under a silk tent, maybe a ceremony under this gorgeous tree...

Please leave a comment if you think this would be a good venue. Hope everyone has a wonderful weekend!!!

Ok, one last picture...

Featured Vendor: b.mookie

2010-02-26T15:46:00.000-08:00

I am pleased to announce that today's "Featured Vendor" is...

B.mookie's owner and designer, Molly Beard, is a good friend of mine and I am so happy to be featuring her beautiful designs today. Molly makes one of a kind, unique pieces that you can be sure no one else will ever have; who doesn't want that for their wedding day? Molly is so sweet and creates each piece with her brides to ensure that the vision of your wedding jewelry is exquisitely created. She hand forges her metal and and makes each piece to be completely custom to suit your style and needs. A b.mookie design would be the perfect "something new"! Check out all her wonderful creations below...

"BRIDE-TO-BE?
We love details! As a bride, we want you to appreciate the focus that we place on your day and individual style. We can customize the jewelry to match your dress and or your attendants’ attire. Each jewelry design is an original, so no one will ever have a piece of jewelry like yours!" -b.mookie

Here is a sample of earrings that can be completely customized for your bridal party and for you as well.

Thank you Molly for letting me feature your beautiful work!

A wedding vendor day to LA

2010-02-23T17:31:00.000-08:00

So yesterday I spent yesterday in LA with Molly of b.mookie jewelry and had so much fun! We visited the fashion district as I searched shop after shop for certain design items I need for a wedding later this year. Then we headed over to the jewelry district so Molly could see all that they have to offer. She found some amazing swarovski crystal beads and along the way we got to see all of these amazing old theatres on Broadway in downtown LA.

Each one was full of character and amazing architectual elements that made me long for the past. We talked all about how beautiful each one was and how we could just imagine LA socialites all dressed up in long white gloves and tuxedos going to see a show.

The Orpheum Theatre still holds shows and is amazing inside, I think I want to get all dressed up and go to a show there sometime soon. Here are our photos of the old theatres...

From Exquisite Blooms

Tomorrow I will be featuring b.mookie as this weeks featured vendor!!!

Simone & Matt Pro Pics!!!

2010-02-16T12:26:00.000-08:00

They're in and I just couldn't wait to share them!!! John Partridge of John Partridge Photography sent these EXQUISITE photos over this morning of Simone and Matt's wedding this past January at the San Diego Mission and The Prado.

Simone's bouquet was made out of white China Mums accented with guinea feathers and wrapped with slate satin ribbon to match the beautiful flowers on her dress.

Simone decided on china mums because they are her favorite flower and because they were the slate design that was on her dress, the guinea feathers were a nice accent to both the dress as well as the flowers.

Matt's boutonierre wasmade from white button mums with an accent of guinea feathers.

The Prado is such an amazing space, and not a lot of decor is needed because the room is so beautiful. We lined the stage in glass vases filled with gold candles and the ostrich feathers were the pops of interest around the room.

It was such an honor to help Simone design her wedding and she is such a fun person to be around. Good luck to her and Matt as they start their new adventure as husband and wife!!! P.S. Simone & Matt, good luck on your move to Chicago at the end of the summer, BEST OF LUCK!!!!!!!!!!

Check out more on the website under "Featured".

Sara & Mike got MARRIED!!!

2010-02-11T00:40:00.000-08:00

On January 30th I was honored to be the florist for Mike and Sara's wedding at The Dana on Mission Bay. The scenery was beautiful, the couple was amazing and flowers, well you can see for yourself...

Sara's bridal bouquet was a combination of blue and white hydrangea, green cymbidium orchids, white stock and 1 yellow rose in honor of her mother.

For the bridesmaids I used white hydrangea, green button mums, green spider mums, blue delphinium and ivory roses. The combination of the colors really popped and gave everything a fresh clean look.

All of these amazing shots are by yesterdays featured vendor, Melissa McClure and some by Mandi Whiting of Melissa McClure Photography and each one just gets better than the next.

The center pieces were a combination of the brides bouquet and the bridesmaids bouquets, they were 5x5 glass square vases lined in green ti leaves and filled with blue and white hydrangea, green cymbidium orchids, ivory roses, green spider mums and green button mums.

The entire event was coordinated by Courtney of After the Engagement who made sure that each detail was perfect for this special couples perfect day.

Congrats Sara and Mike and we wish you a wonderful and HAPPY life together!!!!!

Featured Vendor: Melissa McClure Photography

2010-02-10T11:41:00.000-08:00

Yeah! Today I get to feature one of my latest "wedding" friends Melissa McClure of Melissa McClure Photography. We have worked together on 2 weddings now and can't wait to share in many more jobs with her. Check out some of her awesome shots below...

From Exquisite Blooms

All of these shots are amazing and you can feel the love that is captured so beautifully between each couple.

Stay tuned tomorrow to see the latest wedding that Melissa, Courtney and I worked on...Sara & Mike.

Featured Vendor: vo.cab.u.lary boutique

2010-02-05T10:36:00.000-08:00

Todays featured vendor is a boutique in Little Italy...

From Exquisite Blooms

They have the cutest clothing, accesories and home decor. Cecilia is the owner and so much fun to be around and for all of you brides, she makes custom hair pieces for your special day. Later this month I hope to feature a beautiful bridal headband that she is custom making for one of my brides.

Tonight she is hosting a CHAMPAGNE HAPPY HOUR with a discount of 20% off 1 item, starting at 5PM. I will be there with a few girlfriends and would love to see all of you there.

DIY Day-Centerpiece

2010-02-04T00:42:00.000-08:00

From Exquisite Blooms

Finally, the 1st DIY project. "Project Hydrangea Centerpiece"

This is a simple piece which is perfect for you DIY brides because it is largely dependent on the hydrangea which fills the piece in. Everything you add to the hydrangea is really just accenting rather than structure. Lets start with materials...

To get started you will need to make the base of the arrangement, for this project we used a 5x5 square glass vase lined with ti leaves. You will need:

5x5 glass vase
1 ti leaf
1/2 block of oasis floral foam (start with half and sliver off pieces till it fits on the vase when wrapped

From Exquisite Blooms

Before you place the block and leaf in the vase you will need to cut the stem from the leaf. Do this by slicing into the leaf about 4-5 inches to get the stiffest part of the stem cut off.

From Exquisite Blooms

Next, wrap the leaf around the block of floral foam.

From Exquisite Blooms

Then, slide the block into the vase and trim off the top of the leaf (my picture is before I trimmed the top). Now submerge the vase in water for 5 minutes so that the foam is completely saturated and you are ready to add flowers.

From Exquisite Blooms

Okay, lets gather the flowers. For this project you will need the following:

3 heads/stems of hydrangea
3 stemed orchids
3 stems of button mums
5 roses
2 spider mums

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For this project the "stemed" orchids are wired to floral picks. Simply cut the orchid from the large stem and wrap it tightly to the pre-wired floral pick.

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The 1st flowers that we are going to add to the foam are the hydrangea. Cut the hydrangea stems to about 6 inches and insert in the foam in a triangular form so that they fill the top of the vase.

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Then start adding in your other flowers, 1 type at a time to fill in gaps and add color.

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When you are done you have a beautiful centerpiece fit for any wedding or occasion!

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I hope that this wsa helpful and remember you can always ask me questions by leaving comments, emailing me (sallyp@exquisiteblooms.com) or right in the forum on the right side column.

Till the next DIY day, LATER!

Press Release

2010-02-02T10:11:00.000-08:00

San Diego, CA – February 2, 2010 - WeddingWire, the nation’s leading wedding technology company, just announced Exquisite Blooms has been selected to receive the WeddingWire 2010 Bride’s Choice Awards™ for Wedding Florist!

The annual Bride’s Choice Awards recognizes and celebrates excellence in quality and service within the wedding industry, as determined by recent reviews and extensive surveys from over 500,000 newlyweds.

Exquisite Blooms is among the top five percent of all vendors in the WeddingWire community, which includes over 100,000 wedding professionals across the US and Canada. Awards were given to winners across 19 different service categories, from wedding venues to wedding photographers.

“We are excited to recognize and honor the success of the top wedding professionals within the WeddingWire Community” said Timothy Chi, WeddingWire’s Chief Executive Officer. “The annual Bride’s Choice Awards program has given us the unique opportunity to highlight the best wedding professionals in each region as reviewed by brides and grooms who have utilized their services in the past year.”

We are happy to announce that Exquisite Blooms is among the very best Wedding Florists within the WeddingWire Network, which includes WeddingWire and Martha Stewart Weddings. We would like to thank our past newlyweds for nominating us for the 2010 Bride’s Choice Awards.

For more information, please visit our WeddingWire Storefront today, here.

Ostrich Feather Centerpiece

2010-02-01T16:50:00.000-08:00

Remember Simone y Matt? I haven't received the pro pics yet but here are some shots I took of the decor...

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The "tall" centerpieces for the room were ostrich feather pieces. They were 30 ostrich feathers atop a 36" gold Eiffel tower vase surrounded by 3 groupings of 3 votive candles, china mum heads and gold eucalyptus leaves.

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The 42' long stage was lined with over 60 glass vases of varying heights filled with gold candles.

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The lounge area tables had small groupings of 3 vases with gold candles, gold leaves and china mum heads.

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Each ostrich feather centerpiece was pin spotted, courtesy of The Prado which made each feather glow.

The reception was located at The Prado in Balboa Park in the main ballroom. The reception was a "lounge/movement" reception which means that they did not have assigned seating or a lot of round tables. Instead they had 6 rounds for the mature guests and lots of belly bars and lounge furniture areas for guest to mingle and chat as they tried each food station. It was a gorgeous event and all of the candle light made the room glow!

Bridal Bazaar

2010-02-01T16:09:00.000-08:00

From Exquisite Blooms

Yesterday was the San Diego Bridal Bazaar at the San Diego Convention Center and it was so much fun, completely exhausting but FUN! I had some wonderful help, my sister-in-law Marcie and my new intern Jenn who will be introduced soon.

Here was the favorite bouquet, please excuse the horrible picture...

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This is Exquisite Blooms 3rd BB and it was a huge success. We booked 6 appointments and have many other contacts that we can't wait to meet with to start the design process.

(the bouquet was made from livia roses (pink roses), dusty miller and white cymbidium orchids, hand tied with gray satin ribbon)

Sara and Mike sneaky peek

2010-02-01T16:05:00.000-08:00

From Exquisite Blooms

Courtney Tibbets of After the Engagement and Melissa McClure of Melissa McClure Photography have out done them selves again! The entire event was fabulous and so beautiful, can't wait till we get to see more.

Plus, like Courtney was featured last week, I am planning on featuring Melissa this week so definitely stay tuned for that one.

(Sara's bouquet was made from white hydrangea, blue hydrangea, green cymbidium orchids and 1 yellow rose as a remembrance to her mother. It was hand tied with ivory chiffon)

Introducing DIY Day

2010-01-29T10:06:00.000-08:00

Stay tuned because later I will be launching our 1st...

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we will be making a centerpiece!

Featured Vendor: Andy King Photography

2010-01-28T09:48:00.000-08:00

Drum roll please...today's featured vendor is ANDY KING of Andy King Photography. Some of you may recognize the name from my own wedding and today is all about Andy. I met Andy back in 2008 at a wedding we were both working on and instantly fell in love with his work. Each time I see a montage of photos from him I tear up because they are always so beautiful. Beauty is not the only thing he brings to your wedding, he brings is amazing personality. Andy is fun, full of laughs and makes everyone have such a wonderful time while taking pictures. I have worked with many of other photographers over the years and it is so important to have someone with a great personality. Think about it, on your wedding day, the photographer is the one vendor and maybe person that you will spend the most amount of time with. Not only will he or she be spending time with you but with every one of your guests, it is so important to have someone who connects with each person. Andy really does connect with everyone and I always hear great things about him. Oh one more thing, Andy was chosen as San Diego's #1 photographer on Channel 10's A-List!

Well enough of my raves, you check him out for yourself. Here is a recent "Trash the Dress" session he did in Joshua Tree...

From Exquisite Blooms

Wednesday sneak peak

2010-01-27T22:35:00.000-08:00

From Exquisite Blooms

A little peak at a wedding from back in the summer. I am hoping to get the pictures soon so keep your fingers crossed that they will be arriving any day now. This gorgeous picture is of the beautiful Tenaya, look at those eyes, and the picture was taken by Lisa Sullivan of Sullivan Studios. I can't wait for you to see the rest of the wedding.

This weekend I will be getting ready for the San Diego Bridal Bazaar so if you happen to be going come check us out, booth 444.

Tomorrow I will be featuring another one of my favorite vendors...but I am not telling who yet. All I will say is 3 words...FUN, GORGEOUS, #1!!!