Happy 2011!

To those of you getting married this year: Congratulations!  You're getting married this year!
(Me too!  Woo hoo!) 

I had my first bride of the year today, and good grief, was she the sweetest.  I met with her in October to go over her flowers, and she was so warm and easy-going.  Today when I delivered her personal flowers, she started to cry when she opened the bouquet box.  I LOVE it when that happens.  It makes me grin from ear to ear for the rest of the day.  It's not just that it lets me know that she likes what I've done for her, it's a big moment for the bride.  It's one of the first holy-sh*t moments where she fully realizes that today is her wedding day, and emotion takes over.  I feel so lucky to be privy to that moment.  It's an authentic little glimpse into that person on one of the most important days of her life, and it's those moments that make me SO happy that this is what I get to do for a living.  Just to be clear, I'm not saying I want to see brides start bawling and have their mascara start running down their face; but it's that snapshot of honest emotion that makes my job so fulfilling.  Here's the box that she opened and what was inside:

Happy New Year!

And so begins my foray into color boards.

As wedding season approaches, it seems as though I am spending a lot of my time dreaming up color schemes (partly because its my job, but mostly because I wonder what I would choose for my big day, but I digress). I have to say I'm pretty darn good at this process, and so I thought I'd share. Whenever I ask a bride her color scheme, nine times out of ten, she will limit herself to two colors. Why just two? I LOVE color, so when my wedding day comes, I don't think I'll be able to limit myself to just a pair from the rainbow. How about three? Or even four? Here is my first color board of the season: plum, buttery yellow, and grey. Quite appropriate for an early spring bride; yellows representing the early days of spring, and grey to tie in the winter we are leaving behind. And of course some eggplant purple to add some contrast and a little boldness to your big day.

From Chandra Abel Designs

Bridesmaid's dress by Thread, floral designs by yours truly.