Erin Volante Floral

A stunning fall wedding!

2012-01-18T07:47:00.000-08:00

I loved this wedding. Loved it. There were so many great details, and so much joy! Not to mention an absolutely stunning location... if you haven't been to Table Rock Lake lately, (or ever) I would encourage you to go spend a weekend... it's a beautiful spot and an easy drive from KC.

With that said, Integrity Hills is a place that is near and dear to Lisa and George... and can't you see why? What an amazing location! {All of these gorgeous images are courtesy of Jessica Peterson}

This wedding was filled with soft color, texture, and tons of gorgeous floral accents in creams, ivories, greens and grays! How beautiful are these girls in their deep gray dresses?

Lisa's bouquet featured garden roses, hydrangea, dusty miller, scabiosa pods, dahlias, rosemary, and even textural elements like bleached peacock feathers!

Aren't they such a happy couple?

The reception (in a stunning barn on the property) featured tall and low centerpieces. Here, we included artichokes, kale, rosemary and other textural elements to incorporate some "foodie" elements for this couple.

A CHEESE cake. Get it? Gorgeous cheese, and aren't those birds darling?

One last image that captures the feel of the day... love this one! Thanks Lisa and George for including us in your amazing wedding weekend... you were a joy to work with!

A pomegranate pink wedding...

2011-12-27T06:28:00.000-08:00

I know I have been a blog slacker, sorry dear readers! Here's a beautiful video that features lots of my flowers... one of my favorite weddings of 2011. The bride's color was "pomegranate pink"... and guess what? Sadly, pomegranates aren't available in August and we were planning on using them in our centerpieces. But as you can see, we made some amazing flowers without them! I love how emotional the bride is when I give her the bouquet... that's one of my favorite parts of a wedding day! Enjoy this video, courtesy of Maura Coleman-Murray with Creative Video.

Lauren and Eric, Kansas City Wedding Film from creative films on Vimeo.

Soft lavenders, greens, and ivories at Longview Mansion

2011-11-08T11:56:00.000-08:00

Here's a darling wedding that I've been so excited to share with my readers! I love the portrait above... slightly American Gothic, right?

This wedding had so many lovely details, and the ceremony and reception took place at Longview Mansion in Lee's Summit... one of my favorite venues! Aimy's colors were lavenders, greens, and ivories... and she had so many creative ideas!

Here's a few gorgeous shots of the bouquets (thanks to Sarah TaFoya for these lovely images!)...

hydrangea, lismachia, geranium foliage, garden roses, ranunculus, stock, queen anne's lace, and bupleurum

The ceremony took place on a slightly rainy day in September... but it turned out beautifully and they were married at the fountain just as planned!


Darling flower girl and her adorable sign that she carried!

The details inside were just awesome! The bride transformed dozens (upon dozens!) of vintage vases into mercury glass. We used these gorgeous, tall mercury glass vases rented from the fabulous ladies at Something Borrowed for focal points in the room... so glam!

Gray pintuck linens were a gorgeous backdrop. She used vintage hardback books for extra props on the tables, and it was so charming!

The mantels inside Longview are such a perfect spot for personalized decor! Check out these ideas:

Sweet details everywhere you looked:

Aimy, you were so much fun to work with and I loved all your beautiful ideas! Thanks for everything! :)

Ivories, golds and eggplants!

2011-10-24T13:30:00.000-07:00

Here's a gorgeous wedding at The Berg in downtown KC! Jen's colors were deep eggplant purples, golden, mustard-yellows, and lots of neutrals and ivories. Enjoy these lovely images courtesy of Photo Mementos.

Intensely fragrant garden roses, hypericum berries, scabiosa pods, dusty miller, eggplant-toned smoke bush, and huge ivory hydrangeas.

I used similar blooms for the bridesmaids, but we included more yellows... yarrow, billy balls, etc. Huge ivory football mums were a fun seasonal addition.

Ivory ranunculus boutonniere, with touches of hypericum berry and smoke bush.

The aisle was lined with mason jars filled with baby's breath. I also loved the purple satin ribbon on the chairs... a great touch of color!

Hand-made wooden vases filled with baby's breath or ivory football mums! At once both vintage-charming, and modern as well!

Beautiful Lawrence wedding in shades of blue!

2011-10-17T07:37:00.000-07:00

Here's a lovely summer wedding featuring vibrant shades of blues! Enjoy these pretty images courtesy of Melissa Slater with Slater Studios of Photography & Design.

Lauren was such a gorgeous bride! And I think we can all agree that it's pretty awesome when a bride's bouquet matches her eyes!

These bouquets feature shades of blue hydrangea, delphinium, veronica, garden roses, and dusty miller.

white carnation pomander for the flower girl!

Navy bridesmaid's dresses! Lovely with this floral combo... I love that navy can be a true neutral and looks good with so many different colors!

The groom's bout was an ivory calla lily, dusty miller, and a vibrant bloom of cobalt blue delphinium.

Such a gorgeous couple! Thanks so much for including me in your special day!

Peachy blooms with navy dresses!

2011-08-23T08:48:00.000-07:00

Navy. It's a big up-and-comer on the wedding scene as a new neutral that looks good with virtually any accent color. This summer, I have seen a variety of colors with navy as bridesmaid's dresses... and this wedding was so beautiful in particular, with these beautiful shades of ivories, grays, and peaches!

For the ceremony, we did lovely silver pieces at the altar and loaded the mantle with blooms. The Loose Mansion in KC, MO is a gorgeous all-in-one venue for ceremonies and receptions because of the stunning details.

I used tons of ivory hydrangea, peach garden roses, gray accents of silver brunia and dusty miller, as well as garden touches of queen anne's lace, etc. We wrapped the mantle vases in silver twine and the effect was glowing and beautiful for the ceremony!

Dendrobium orchid boutonniere for the groom, and spray roses for the other guys!

More gorgeous images of the bouquets!

Thanks so much to Solar Photographers for rocking these images (and then sending them to me, SO great!).

Picasso Calla Lilies

2011-07-25T06:34:00.000-07:00

Are you familiar with this fantastic bloom? As far as calla lilies go, this one is the most amazing of them all! Isn't that a gorgeous color combo, with a deep purple center and creamy exterior? Anyway, I could go on and on, but here are some stellar images from Jessy's wedding, courtesy of Carter Photo & Design.

The bridesmaids wore a vivid blue color and we paired it with petite bouquets of vibrant pink, fuchsia, and purple.

Here's a few detail shots from the ceremony and reception:

I'll wrap it up with a few photos of the gorgeous couple...

Hot pink peonies!

2011-07-20T07:55:00.000-07:00

I know I've been a terrible blogger lately! To say that I've been impossibly busy is just not really saying enough. BUT... I do have lots of pretty things to show you as soon as I can find some time!

This was a lovely May wedding that featured tons of vibrant pink peonies. They were set off by the unique color combination in the girls' dresses... a fabulous gray and aqua combo! Enjoy these gorgeous photos courtesy of the uber-talented Claire Ryser.

Can you see the amazing French black and white ribbon on the bridesmaid's bouquets? That wasn't my idea, but WOWZA was it a good one! :)

I had to include this photo of the guys... because... well... IT'S HILARIOUS! Below, the awesome groom's boutonniere... huge white ranunculus!

For the reception, we took things a bit more wild and garden-inspired. The centerpieces were full of loose, green and hot pink blooms. Tall branches helped them fill in the space of this huge ballroom!

Wasn't this a gorgeous wedding? Thanks so much to everyone involved!

Touches of fuchsia and purples...

2011-06-10T06:23:00.000-07:00

Here's a gorgeous spring wedding to feast your eyes on! I loved the bold tone of the bridesmaid's dresses paired with creamy ivories, vibrant green touches, and just a little of the deep fuchsia and purple.

Speaking of fuchsia, do you know that it's one of those wedding words that I can never spell correctly the first time? Never! That one and boutonniere. I am a great speller and yet those words... they just don't work with my brainwaves! ;)

Anyway, on to the lovely images (taken by Paul Versluis). Anju was such a gorgeous, happy bride!

So many beautiful images of her with all the bridesmaids (and this one was a former bride- love that!)...

Some detail shots to show you all the beautiful blooms we used... freesia, hydrangea, orchids, ruffly double-bloom tulips, viburnum, and more!

In the bridal bouquet, we focused on ivories and creams with just touches of greens and fuchsia... to pull just the slightest touch of that pinky/purple color into her bouquet, we chose cymbidium orchids, which have that color in the center.

I love this classic image of the girls in their beautiful wraps!

These clients provided vases for me to design in at the reception! We went bolder on the color here with more of the fuchsia and purples, and it worked out beautifully to give the room the real "pop" that it needed.

Coral Charm Peonies

2011-06-06T06:26:00.000-07:00

Oh, peonies... I love you so. You are my favorite, and if I were a poet, I would write a poem entitled "An Ode to Peonies" because you deserve that.

Instead, I'll just share a few pics I took of some leftovers I was playing with this week (yes, occasionally my leftovers are even inspiring- what's a girl to do but bust out the camera?). Coral Charm peonies begin their lifespan as a deep, watermelon pink. Gradually they fade to a perfect, pale peachy/apricot color... and although they are not nearly so fragrant as other varieties, the color and texture are swoon-worthy. I love them with this particular shade of rose... enjoy these images and thanks for listening to me ramble about these lovelies!

On trend: lanterns in your wedding decor!

2011-05-25T07:26:00.000-07:00

Lanterns available for rent at Something Borrowed, Image via Portraits by Lucinda

One of the biggest trends that I'm seeing in wedding decor right now is the use of lanterns. They are at once incredibly romantic, a bit rustic, and easily adaptable to a variety of styles. If they are used in combination with blooms, they can give your wedding that colorful, glowing, and twinkling candlelit effect that is unmatched! Enjoy these images that feature lanterns of all styles.

They work beautifully as hanging decor, seen in this inspiration shoot:

Image via Portraits By Lucinda

They are stunning as centerpieces, as well:

Via Stephanie Fay Photography

Via A to Zinnias

Source Unknown

Lantern centerpieces via Style Me Pretty

Via Love and Lavender

Above, a graphic, modern aisle runner out of decorator's fabric. How fabulous is that? Beachy white lanterns line the aisle for a gorgeous effect. Finally, a large wedding party carrying charming lanterns instead of blooms makes for an unexpected, lovely statement.

Bridesmaids carrying lanterns via Style Me Pretty

Teacher Gifts

2011-05-13T11:34:00.000-07:00

As some of you know, my mother was a special education teacher, as was my grandmother before her. Although I certainly don't have the patience to carry on that tradition (thankfully I have found a good path for myself!), I am certainly so thankful for the teachers in our lives. I thought it would be fun to do a post that includes some great, inexpensive crafty ideas for making some special gifts for these ladies (and gents) in an affordable way!

There’s some amazing ideas for fantastic teacher gifts floating around the web. Don't get me wrong... I know they all appreciate gift cards the most (and I am NOT discouraging anyone from doing that). I just think it's fun to add a little something extra, or dress up your gift in an inspired way. All of these ideas are linked to the the amazing blogs with a free printable that will make your gift really look special!

This is a cute one… and a perfect price point!

{Via Lisa Storms}

Need a really inexpensive idea? This is a cute way to wrap up a candy bar!

{Via Domesticated Lady}

This is a really fun, customizable idea… and it’s the perfect time of year to give plants for gardens!

{via Skip to my Lou}

Milk and cookies… there are so many ways to wrap this up and present it!

{via The Sweetest Occasion}

The A&W idea is especially cute in this post … but they are all awesome (and all include free printables!)

{via eighteen25}

Perhaps my favorite (because it’s COFFEE):

{via eighteen25}

Hope some of you find this inspirational! Show your teachers some love. :)

Eggplants and Champagne

2011-05-10T12:40:00.000-07:00

This was a very chic, gorgeous winter wedding! The bridesmaids wore a deep eggplant-toned gown (and check out the bride's fur!)... we paired this color with the perfect mix of antique pinky/peachy/champagne. Blooms included tulips, sahara roses, stock, hydrangea, and more! Hand-wired hyacinth blooms (with a pearl-headed pin center to mimic the effect of stephanotis) even made an appearance in the bride's bouquet.

Down one of Kansas City's most iconic aisles... Redemptorist Cathedral.

Love this image! Adorable kiddos. (All images courtesy of The Smiley Face Collective)

The bride utilized her family's china throughout the reception at The Webster House... we used all the teacups, pitchers, etc, from several of her relatives. Even the cake topper was a teacup! So charming!

Below are a few snapshots of the centerpieces (no pro shots of these!)... it was so much fun to work with such an eclectic mix of containers!

Warm, vibrant fall

2011-05-03T12:18:00.000-07:00

A lovely, vibrant fall wedding for your enjoyment! This wedding took place on one of those lovely, perfect fall days, and the bride could not stop smiling!

Emily's bouquet featured beautiful circus roses, dahlias, green hypericum, orange calla lilies, orchids, and more. The bouquets really popped against the girls' eggplant dresses. The golf course backdrop of these images is courtesy of Indian Hills Country Club (where the reception took place) and the photos themselves are via Kelly Jackson Photography.

Love her amazing vintage brooch that we tucked into the handle!

Square vase centerpieces

We used two different types of centerpieces to really bring this room to life... first, a cube vase filled with color-blocked blooms. This technique is a way of making a variety of colors truly standout. (The blooms are grouped together to make a stronger visual statement, vs. a more traditional mix).

The second centerpieces style (the above two images are taken by yours truly) is a gorgeous tall iron candelabra centerpiece rented from Something Borrowed. At the base, we placed a gorgeous arrangement that featured orchids, snapdragons, berries, roses, stock, and more!

April Showers!

2011-04-19T10:08:00.000-07:00

It is {quite literally} the time for April showers. I've had so many requests lately for pretty bouquets to be featured at the wedding showers of my current brides (and even baby showers of former clients, yay!), that I thought it would be fun to post about an amazing themed shower idea!

If you're looking for a unique themed shower idea, how about a floral design session? There are so many local floral designers (myself included) that are happy to pass on some of their favorite tips and tricks! This is a clever way to teach your girlfriends how to design with the kind of flowers that we can all pick up at the grocery store... vs. bringing them home and plopping them in a vase, learn how to make them truly lovely:

It's often difficult to come up with a themed shower that women of all ages would love! This could be done on a weeknight, cocktails in hand, or as a Sunday morning brunch with your grandmother in attendance. Enjoy these images, via 100 Layer Cake, and read the full post for more details!

The table is set-up with kraft paper and supplies... so charming!

Amazing, simple display of treats!

Hope this inspires some of you to think outside the box for your upcoming showers!

A romantic, glam winter wedding...

2011-03-23T09:28:00.000-07:00

Well, this was a fun one! Ali and Ross were married in Emporia, KS on a cold wintery day in January. The ceremony was held at a gorgeous old church and the reception took place at The Granada Theatre, a recently renovated historic venue (it's SO BEAUTIFUL!).

Enjoy these images, courtesy of Jessica with Epaga Foto... perfect! I am including way too many, but couldn't stop myself. :) First up, some detail shots:

Ali's bouquet was one of my favorites to date- orchids, roses, peonies, ranunculus, calla lilies, hypericum berries and FEATHERS. Glorious, glamorous, feathers, oh I love them so! We added a vintage-inspired pin to the handle for a little extra touch of glam. I love the vintage, romantic feel of these images:

Could Ali be any more beautiful? Had to include a few of her and the groom, and the wedding party, of course!

(What a great image of Ross and Ali's dad... love this one!)

A few more for good measure, from the ceremony and a great capture of the bride and groom:

And last but not least, the beautiful reception:

And finally, the classic send-off! Ali, you were a joy to work with! I have loved getting to know you and I wish you nothing but the best in your marriage! Glad to have you in my life. :)

Wintery pink wedding

2011-03-14T11:01:00.000-07:00

I am so excited to share this gorgeous February wedding with you! These beautiful images are provided by Becca Spears of Wirken Photography. I get so excited when I hear that she's shooting a wedding that I'm providing the flowers for- I always know that the images will be amazing.

We used really perfect spring blooms for all the girls' bouquets... garden roses, ranunculus, anemones, peonies, tulips, stock, and more. How gorgeous is Amy?

The beautiful bridesmaids wore always-flattering black, and we pulled in accents of pinks, soft silvery-grays, and lacey touches for a bit of romance:

The ceremony set-up was one of my favorites EVER. Jacob's Well allows brides to decorate their altar however they would like (within reason, I suppose!). If you've looked at churches at all, you know how unusual this is... almost every church that I've been in is extremely restrictive about altar decor. We were inspired by an image of the altar during a previous wedding and ran with it... tons (and I mean TONS) of candles of all heights and shapes... votives, pillars, columns, stands. Lit up, this was a beautiful, glowing backdrop for a romantic evening ceremony:

The reception, at The Berg in downtown KC, MO, has a romantic, modern vibe. We used more curly willow branches in tall square vases here, and added touches of pink blooms throughout.

I love that final image- it's such a perfect winter wedding shot... glowing veil, bride in a white coat, snow piled in the background! Beautiful.

Middle of The Map Weddings

2011-03-09T11:38:00.000-08:00

Today I am featured on a new-ish blog called Middle of the Map Weddings! Go check it out and while you're there, read through the other posts... they are lovely, and it's definitely worth your time.

Emily, who runs this blog, is a very talented local floral designer and is doing some really fantastic, lovely features on local vendors and couples. Go read it... enjoy your time in blogland and be prepared to be inspired!

Published!

2011-02-25T12:14:00.000-08:00

Yesterday was an exciting day for me... we were published on one of my favorite blogs! Elizabeth Anne Designs is a great spot for gorgeous, romantic eye candy and inspirational weddings.

We (Lucinda of Portraits by Lucinda, and I) put this shoot together just for fun, truly just to add to our portfolios and show a little more of what we can do. I wanted it to feel fresh, garden-inspired, and vintage... I think we accomplished that! Check out the images and contributor links at the bottom of this (image-heavy) post!

Our gorgeous bride was made-up and styled by the always amazing CaraSue Hall, make-up artist extraordinaire! She is the best of the best when it comes to making brides look like the most glowing, naturally beautiful version of themselves!

I wanted the flowers to have a fresh take on color... although I chose to use the always-classic and feminine pink, and I think this golden, peachy-tone is a great, under-used compliment. The bouquet featured pink and ivory peonies, peach garden roses, scented geranium foliage, and golden-toned grasses for an herbal touch. I wrapped the handle in a golden silk and used the same organza flowers that we put in our bride's hair as embellishments on the handle!

The gorgeous gray lanterns were a perfect compliment to the spread, I could NOT love them more! Gray is such a huge wedding color trend the past couple of years, and these lanterns are a perfect example of that. Thanks to the amazing ladies at Something Borrowed Fine Rentals!

Absolutely amazing cake from Rebekah Foster, Cake Artist. People... artist doesn't even begin to cover it. These are all hand-made flowers. HAND-MADE! Amazing!

Styling-wise, I wanted this to feel like a PARTY. Something that would work for a gorgeous shower, or even a light, lovely reception after your beautiful park wedding. So often, I think brides feel pressured to do a full, sit-down dinner reception, and that just wasn't always the case. If you're on a tight budget, think of cutting back on the dinner spread and concentrating on sweet, romantic details that will make your event feel sophisticated even without upscale food! This ice cream sundae bar, complete with a make-your-own toppings bar, is a simple, memorable way to design an event!

Contributing Vendors (besides myself of course!):

Portraits by Lucinda: Images

Something Borrowed: Lanterns

CaraSue Hall: Hair and Make-up

Rebekah Foster: Cake and Cupcakes

Collected, gathered, clustered... lovely.

2011-02-22T06:26:00.000-08:00

One of my very favorite trends in table design is a "collected" feel. Objects, accessories, and vessels always look even more beautiful when displayed in groupings. This is true in all types of design (modern/contemporary, rustic, vintage-inspired, etc), but it certainly seems to work beautifully in the Anthropologie-inspired vignettes that so many of my clients are loving:

{unknown source}

Below, gardeny and rustic groupings of terra-cotta, moss, and birch are lovely together.

{TM Photography, link unknown}

{unknown source}

Glassware of all types works beautifully in clusters, as well- I love mixes of milk glass, mercury glass, eclectic bottles and colored glass of all kinds:

{via: Style Me Pretty}

{via: The Nichols Photography }

{via: Erin Volante Floral, Photo by John Deprisco}

{via: Chenin Boutwell Photography}

Silver and china works beautifully in this manner, as well. I love these slightly more formal mixed displays of books, teacups, silver, and more...

{via: Style Me Pretty}

{via: Mrs. Lovebug}

{unknown source}

{via: Erin Volante Floral, photo by Leigh Miller}

As with all my "inspiration" posts, not all of these images are credited. Please let me know if they belong to someone I can credit!

Bright fall wedding flowers!

2011-02-15T06:08:00.000-08:00

Here's a lovely, vibrant fall wedding to inspire those of you that are planning your big day for one of those crisp fall months! Enjoy these gorgeous images, courtesy of the lovely Rebecca Peters.

On the lovely doors of this classic church, we placed two initial wreaths to personalize the ceremony entrance. These were made of green moss, fall mums, and antique hydrangea.

Inside the church, we did vibrant pew markers with a mix of antique green and burgundy hydrangea, gerbera daisies, berries, and billy balls. Each was tied on with a rusty orange satin ribbon... love the shape of these pew caps because they allow for so many fun designs! The altar featured our two large black urns and stands with big, bold arrangements to flank the space.

Bridesmaids wore classic black gowns and carried vibrant bouquets of gerbera daisies, billy balls, roses, freesia, callas, orchids, berries and more. The bride's bouquet was a mix of hydrangea, calla lilies, hand-wired cymbidium orchids, and ivory hypericum berries.

The groom wore a classic ivory calla lily boutonniere, accented with ivory hypericum and an ivory ribbon-wrapped stem.

The reception (held at the amazing Congress Ballroom of the Hilton President in downtown KC), featured more of the vibrant colors that the bride loved! We used our tall, slender design tower vases on part of the tables, along with cube vases for the lower tables. The look was classic and elegant to suit the location, but we kept a fun, vibrant feel with the flower choices.

Published! ... and some thoughts on photography.

2011-02-02T09:42:00.000-08:00

January was an exciting month for me, both personally and professionally. "Exciting" personally means that I'm actually VERY grateful for January to be over... it was a rough month for my family. I am grateful that we have all emerged, in a basic sense, in one piece. When you meet your insurance's {massive!} out-of-pocket deductible in the first couple weeks of the year, you know you might be in for it!

Professionally, however... things have been exciting in the best meaning of the word. First, my work was published in KC Weddings, a lovely local wedding magazine that I am proud to be a part of! It's so fantastic that we have such a gorgeous publication that features local vendors and highlights truly beautiful area events. Our blooms served as a backdrop to a charming collection of bridal shoes:

Next, a select few images that feature the best of my work are being featured in an online floral gallery called Bollea. This is a collection of work that I am genuinely proud to be a part of... some of my favorite floral designers (my "idols" so to speak) have their work showcased here, so I feel like it's an honor. Just click the link and search by my name to see all their choices, I definitely think they chose some great ones!

We've also been chosen once again as a top-rated vendor at Wedding Wire. This is a fantastic honor and I feel like it really validates our rating there... I am proud of the relationships that I build with my brides, and a positive Wedding Wire review is one of the best things that can come of that! (our new button is on the bottom right corner of the blog!)

Last, but certainly not least... some notes on wedding photography (and yes, this is tied into getting published.) :) One of my very favorite floral designers on earth, Holly Heider Chapple, wrote an article on this subject today: TO ALL THE PHOTOGRAPHERS. Holly's work, and blog, is a huge inspiration to me... the images that showcase her work are just amazing! In fact, I have felt for some time as though I should say something similar... but her honesty and straight-forward writing style certainly beat me to the punch! I am so grateful to other vendors who are finally beginning to speak out about how we are all so important to each other when it comes to creating spectacular events for our clients.

While I would love nothing more than to always get such awe-inspiring images of my work, this isn't always possible! My work, my art form, is entirely in the hands of another person after the delivery day, and that's a strange feeling. Several of the events that I worked on this year could have been ideal for publication, had the images truly spoken of the wedding and its style, details, or vibrancy. Some of my very favorite events that took place in 2010 will never be featured here (or anywhere), and this is a deeply saddening scenario.

There are many reasons for this... often, photographers simply don't believe in sharing their images with other vendors, or they just can't ever get to it, not matter how many times I ask. Next, (and this happens FAR TOO OFTEN) many, many of the details shots of the day are just MISSED. It happens so frequently that it pains me to admit it... often, I will view an image gallery only to find 100+ images of the buffet table and the food, but not a SINGLE image of the centerpieces, a close-up of the bridal bouquets, or the boutonnieres. Folks, this certainly isn't just a problem for me! It's also sad for the clients that have spent so many months making the details of their day perfect.

Floral design as an art-form is fleeting... and that's really just a metaphor for how fleeting the wedding day is as a whole. The only thing we can do about that is attempt to record it... and a photographer's images are the only way to elevate those special details of that single day to the next level. Photographers (and brides!) read Holly's article for a more in-depth look at photography from another wedding vendor's perspective, there's a lot of great information there for the taking! She sums it up best, here: "Aside from the actual wedding ceremony, nothing is more important than the photography. Photographers rule, they capture the day and they make things last forever."

Gorgeous green orchids!

2011-01-24T10:59:00.000-08:00

This wedding was lovely! We used a combination of the perfect shade of soft greenish/white hydrangea and hand-wired green cymbidium orchids to give us the perfect "pop" of green against the gray bridesmaids dresses!

The bridal bouquet was amazing... hand-wired white cymbidium orchids, tiny stephanotis with pearl-pin centers, ivory mini calla lilies, roses and more! I also wired in petite mini green cymbidium orchids for just a touch of the green from the girls' bouquets.

The reception took place at the amazing Loose Mansion, and the centerpieces were a variety of lovely pieces that belong to the venue! We added touches of greens, ivories and pinks in petals around some for a romantic pop of color against the black table cloths!

A final (adorable!) image of our lovely bride and her bouquet...

A Valentine's Day Wreath Project!

2011-01-21T06:28:00.000-08:00

Here's another fun Valentine's Day craft project. I've been getting a kick out of everybody's "upcycled sweater" projects this winter throughout blogland, and thought it was time that I try something of my own!

This wreath is based off of this tutorial for a gorgeous winter white wreath, and I was convinced that I could do something similar for Valentine's Day. In total, this wreath cost me less than 10 bucks, which was pretty fantastic!

I'm not going to take you on a step by step tutorial... I'll just show you a few of the variations I did vs. the one shown on the Decorating Addiction blog, but I will tell you that this is NOT a particularly fast project. It took some time, but I think the end result was worth it! I've never done anything with felted wool before, and I think I've still got a lot to learn, but this was a fun, easy way to start!

First thing's first, I bought a simple wire wreath form at Hobby Lobby and covered it with red satin ribbon that I had on hand. (This worked for me because it covered my wire base and gave me something for the "blooms" to adhere to... I initially thought I might hang this in front of my dining room mirror, and I hate when you can see the ugly backside of things there, so that's why I wanted it to be covered!)

Again, if you're going to try to make this, refer to the steps on the tutorial that I linked! It's super easy, just takes some time! The above shot is right when I started hot-gluing the wool flowers to my wreath.

Amelia helped me with this one, just by organizing my piles of circles, helping me decide where they went, etc. Since this project involved hot glue there wasn't quite as much she could do on this craft, but she still loves to sit there and boss me around, which I thoroughly enjoy!

What I liked about this project was that the roses felt like such a universal craft... I attached a few to barrettes for the girls, and I am thinking they'd be fun to wire onto stems for empty vases that are sitting around this time of year! A great pop of color in a whimsical way... and these would work beautifully for winter weddings or events, too! I love the cozy feel of the sweater material- perfect for winter.

Using GRAY in your wedding flowers...

2011-01-19T05:58:00.000-08:00

I love gray. I know it's trendy and cool right now, but I've always loved it as a great "un-color" when you need a soft, moody backdrop. It's a fantastic neutral that can be warmed up with contrasting tones or paired with cooler colors for a sophisticated effect.

As with all design trends in the retail world, weddings are quick to follow... gray is a very popular neutral accent color for weddings of the moment. What a lot of brides don't realize is that it IS possible to include gray in your wedding flowers. It's not too difficult to find gray tones in nature... and in fact, it can really have a beautiful, vintage-inspired effect on your overall look. Today, I'm going to give you the ins and outs (through some beautiful images) of how we can make it happen! :)

The most accessible stems that immediately come to mind in the gray tones are dusty miller, silver sage, silver brunia, seeded eucalyptus, and succulents. There are, of course, others- and if I have any floral designer readers out there, by all means speak up!

Gray, like any good neutral, can work perfectly with every color. In the following images, gray melds perfectly with soft, vintage pinks and pale antique peaches:

{As with all my "inspiration posts", some of this work is mine, and some is not! I will do my best to give credit where it's due here, but please speak up if you know the source of any of these unnamed images!}

{corsage via: Erin Volante Floral}

{bouts via: Erin Volante Floral}

{Bouquet via: Erin Volante Floral}

{bouquet via: Erin Volante Floral}

{centerpiece via: Style Me Pretty}

{bouquet via: Erin Volante Floral, image via The Parsons}

{uncredited}

{bouquet via: Style Me Pretty}

{image via: Holly Heider Chapple Flowers- The Full Bouquet}

{uncredited}

We can also pair gray foliages with vivid, bold statement colors... yellows, corals, oranges, hot pinks and more.

{centerpiece via: Erin Volante Floral, image via Halberg Photographers}

{bouquets via: Erin Volante Floral, image via Halberg Photographers}

{centerpiece via: Blush Floral}

{uncredited}

{image via: Holly Heider Chapple Flowers- The Full Bouquet}

{uncredited}

{bouquet via: Hana Floral}

{image via: Love Life Images}

Perhaps in it's most moody format, gray also works with other true neutrals. Beiges, browns, creams, ivories, and soft greens.

{image via: The Knot}

{uncredited}

{image via: The Boutwells}

{uncredited}

{image via: Holly Heider Chapple Flowers- The Full Bouquet}

{uncredited}

{image via: Little Pheasant}

{bouquet via: Erin Volante Floral}

{image via: Style Me Pretty}

{bouquet via: Style Me Pretty}

{uncredited}

What fun it was to collect these GRAY floral images, even on such a gray winter day here in KC! There's so much inspiration on the web, and I want to thank each of the amazingly talented designers who's work is included here. I love learning from other creative people and it inspires me to do better work! Thanks for reading!

Green Hydrangea Wedding...

2011-01-17T13:22:00.000-08:00

Here's a lovely wedding that I have been so excited to share! This was a stunning event that took place in November... the ceremony was at a gorgeous old Kansas City church with beautiful views of downtown (St. John the Baptist), and the reception took place at the always amazing Club 1000.

These lovely wedding-day images are courtesy of Jessica with Epaga Foto, she captured this event beautifully! I love this image of the gorgeous happy bride and her girls.

Lori wanted all of her flowers to be in the perfect shade of green, and she especially loved green hydrangeas. She wanted her bridesmaids to have simple round bouquets, entirely made up of hydrangea, with lace handles... it came together beautifully! Her bouquet featured a variation of lovely ivory blooms- hydrangea, roses, gardenias, pearl-centered stephanotis, and tulips (another favorite bloom!). The flower girls wore adorable little hydrangea halos... how cute is that image where she's looking in the mirror, below?

The ceremony featured more gorgeous blooms to carry the theme throughout the day! Here, she wanted lots of green Bells of Ireland, and we also incorporate more of the tulips and larger-scaled white blooms for the altar. I especially had fun designing the pew markers- it was challenging to include the very tall, slender Bells of Ireland here, but they turned out perfectly I thought!

The reception space had an amazing vibe... it's so much fun to work with a modern, raw white space like Club 1000 because there's so much we can do! She chose to rent these huge black iron shepherd's hook centerpieces from us, and I'm so glad she did! They really brought the space to life, and the fresh green of the centerpieces was so fresh and fun... it was the perfect mix of classic, modern, and romantic. Jessica captured these new centerpieces perfectly for me- I am thrilled to have these as a new rental option for my brides. My artist friend Marcy and her husband Dave made these pieces by hand for their own wedding (and sold them to me!)- they are wrought iron shepherd's hooks that hold a "candelier" at the top... it makes for an amazing combination of floral, architecture, and candle light!

Half of the tables featured our black stone garden urns, which are a great accompaniment to the iron. We used green hydrangea, hypericum berries, roses, and Bells of Ireland throughout these lush, huge gorgeous pieces!

Lori (and Sherri), I can't thank you enough for being such a JOY to work with. I love my job even more when I'm given the creative freedom to do beautiful work that I'm proud of... so THANKS! :)

Valentine's Crafting With Your Kids!

2011-01-14T10:13:00.000-08:00

For some reason, Valentine's Day is the most lacking holiday, decor-wise, in my house. Why is that, you ask? Well, most likely it's the slightly miserable nightmare scenario that Valentine's Day conjures up for most florists. It's never been a favorite holiday of mine, but years of working in retail flower shops might just have ruined me for life.

Luckily, though, my girls NEED this holiday and the "lift" that it gives you in the midst of winter's doom and gloom. Our house needs this holiday, too... after we take all the December decor down, what's left to bring a little cheer to your rooms? This year I'm on a mission to improve my stash of Valentine's cheer, while spending as little cash as possible. Here's the first of a few projects we've been working on!

We started with some of the sweet old buttons from my collection that I inherited from my mom. I think she would approve. :) Because we were working with things that we already had in the house, I used card stock and random scrapbooking papers as backgrounds. I placed each glue dot into the shape of a heart, and Amelia followed along with the buttons of her choice, of course! Each one is different... one is on a black-painted canvas that we had leftover from a Halloween project, and the others are tucked into black frames that I already owned. This was a fun, fast project and I think it turned out pretty cute!

Pink, Peach, and Lavender Wedding Flowers

2011-01-11T12:01:00.000-08:00

Here's a lovely wedding from some time ago... thought I would share the images here on my gorgeous new blog! Thanks to the ladies at Smitten Blog Designs, I loooooove the new look and could not be more thrilled. (After a multitude of problems with my last template, to say that I am happy is not even saying enough.) Billie Jean wanted her flowers to be "berry" inspired... shades of pinks, peaches, creams, purples and lavenders. I think we captured it perfectly and it was a beautiful late-summer wedding, as you can see!

"Trophy Wife in Training"... Billie Jean is such a gorgeous girl, and this shirt is hilarious.

The bridesmaids wore gowns in shades of pinks and creams... their bouquets complimented them perfectly! The ceremony took place at Redemptorist Cathedral in downtown Kansas City, Missouri. Billie Jean's bouquet featured roses in champagnes, pinks, and coral, along with purple stock, calla lilies, hand-wired cymbidium orchids, and a background of ivory hydrangea. Bridesmaids carried a bouquet in similar colors, but featured freesia, stock, roses, hydrangea and dahlias.

Love these images of the little ones! The flower girl wore a sweet little princess halo and carried a pomander, all composed of the orchids, roses, and hydrangea used throughout the day.

The reception at Clubhouse on Baltimore featured three styles of centerpieces... tall, slender design vases, square vases, and a cylinder trio with submerged blooms and floating candles. The cake table was literally filled to the brim with lush petals and blooms!

The happy bride and groom during toasts, and a gorgeous shot at the entrance to the Cathedral.

(Side note: All but the centerpiece images in this post are by the wedding photographer... sadly I don't know who to credit, but these images were used with the bride's permission and she owns the shots!)

Wrapping it up...

2010-12-22T07:45:00.000-08:00

I LOVE wrapping presents. It's probably one of my top three "holiday favorite" things... right up there with cookie baking and Christmas cards. This year I was inspired by a couple of things! The first was a gigantic roll of a lustre-finish green commercial wrapping paper that my future stepmom bought me at a garage sale for 3 bucks! Sad for the retail store that closed, but GREAT for me! The second inspiration came from the amazingly beautiful free gift tag download at Eat Drink Chic, one of my favorite blogs. Aren't they just gorgeous?

So, with a giant roll of burlap (found in the floral section of Micheal's) and some random gold embellishments such as glittery snowflakes, pine cones, jingle bells, etc, we have some really gorgeous gifts under our tree this year! Enjoy- Merry Christmas to all!

The Stanley Historic Event Space in Lee's Summit

2010-12-20T14:19:00.000-08:00

Ladies, there's a new event space in town that you should know about! If you're planning a wedding and looking for a space that can house both your ceremony and reception, you must check out The Stanley in historic downtown Lee's Summit! All of these images are from a fabulous open house that they held recently- they highlight some of the pretty details from the mock ceremony and reception set-up.

What's amazing about this space is that you have countless rental options in connection with the venue, as the owners also own Something Borrowed Fine Rentals, my favorite rental option for wedding pretties. :) Cindy and Jennifer are a joy to work with, I highly recommend them.

Every detail of this space is perfection... vintage tin ceilings, exposed brick, hardwood floors, glamorous chandeliers, and stunning chiavari chairs on both levels.

Above, this lovely bridal bouquet featured white veronica, coral roses, peach stock, and coral cymbidium orchids. The bride below is carrying a bouquet that featured gorgeous ivory hydrangea and orange roses with freesia accents. Thanks ladies for including me in this lovely event, I wish you the best of luck in your new venture!

All photos are credited to Walker & Williams Photography in Lee's Summit, MO.

Sunflowers at The Circle S Ranch

2010-12-13T11:02:00.000-08:00

This was such a charming wedding, held at The Circle S Ranch outside of Lawrence, KS. Kendra wanted vivid pops of sunflowers against the deep purple of her bridesmaid's gowns, and I am thrilled to share these sweet images with you!

The bride's bouquet featured white lisianthus, gerbera daisies, lismachia, ivory roses, and soft butter yellow spray roses and stock- we wanted to pull in touches of the yellow from the girls' bouquets and have it still feel natural and soft with a little twist of whimsy and fun.

I LOVE love love the cowgirl boots with those darling dresses! Love the sun beams in these images, all courtesy of Clashing Collaborations. Thanks Kendra for including my work in your gorgeous day!

Vibrant reds

2010-12-07T06:39:00.000-08:00

This was a lovely September wedding that featured a gorgeous, classic combo of red against black. Leanne wanted lots of glamour, sparkle, and vivid bright reds! Her bouquet featured calla lilies, tulips, dahlias, and garden roses. (She would have loved to have peonies in her bouquets, but seasonally they weren't going to work out- garden roses are a fantastic sub for peonies!) She also found these gorgeous rhinestone bands for us to attach to the handle, which really brought the whole thing together!

Bridal bouquet with calla lilies, deep red roses, tulips and dahlias

Pretty girls with their gorgeous headbands! I loved that they skipped necklaces and went for the sparkling hair pieces, really fun!

It was a rainy, drizzling day in KC, but the red umbrella images kind of make it worthwhile, right? They made the most of the weather and obviously had a great time! Enjoy these images courtesy of Matt Nichols Photography.

Garden-inspired Purple Bouquet

2010-11-30T10:56:00.000-08:00

Here are some lovely images from a photo shoot earlier this fall! I made a gorgeous bouquet for Sarah and Lucinda to play with, just for fun. This lovely bouquet features dutch hydrangea, lisianthus, jasmine foliage, hosta leaves, and more! Enjoy these gorgeous images via Portraits by Lucinda.

A Posh Puppy Birthday Party!

2010-11-15T09:36:00.000-08:00

We just had a fifth birthday party in our house! It was so much fun. After much deliberation, Amelia finally landed on a French-inspired, "posh puppy" party... we played pin the tail on the poodle, ate puppy chow out of dog bowls, made collars for cute pink poodle purses, and learned how to say fancy french words while we tied our fancy pink scarves. It was the fanciest, most exquisite, ooh-la-la kind of event (completely inspired by Fancy Nancy, of course!). Here are some detail images and some of my favorite parts of the party, enjoy!

The absolutely gorgeous cake, made by the talented Rebekah Foster, Cake Artist.


The girls' table featured their poodle purses, dog food bowls with puppy chow, and bone-shaped canvas place mats for them to draw on!

They made beaded dog collars for their poodle purses!

Our punch was another fun element... Amelia was dying for "fancy ice cream punch" and we went with Sprite and sherbert. Doesn't get any fancier than that, folks! :) I brought out the good crystal punch glasses and let the girls drink from those to make it more special... because really, when are you ever going to use those? Why not? I had fun with these gorgeous roses that I made a wreath out of for the drink dispenser. That was actually a last-minute decision... I had wanted to make floral wreath to go around the silhouette plate that I ordered from Le Papier, but it was too heavy to hang on my walls! It worked out regardless, and I highly recommend the amazing products of this silhouette artist, check out her work for amazing Christmas gift ideas. :)

I have been really digging crepe paper lately as decor... and RUFFLES. So I whipped up a ton of crepe paper ruffles, just sewed them up sloppy as can be, and they turned out really cute on the CHEAP! I also made these sweet little rosettes for cupcake toppers... just sewed smaller pieces of crepe paper and hot glued them together with a pearl in the center! I think they turned out pretty cute. All the labels I used in this party are a free download from Glorious Treats, a beautiful party and desserts blog!


Hand-sewn crepe paper streamers!

My dear friend Jessica, who is a high school french teacher, came to teach the girls some fancy French words! She also taught them a couple of methods for tying their scarves. It was SO CUTE, for real. :)

Cutest little girls in the world, how happy are they? Thanks for reading everybody!

September pinks...

2010-11-09T13:49:00.001-08:00

Here's a lovely September wedding with gorgeous images to match, via Portraits by Lucinda. Becca and Joe's wedding was elegant, romantic, and sophisticated... held at The Intercontinental on the Country Club Plaza.

Becca and her girls were just lovely. Pinks in all ranges for these gowns, and also for the bouquets. Thanks to the super talented CaraSue Hall for the hair and make-up in these images, she's a total rockstar if you're looking for wedding day beauty!

For the bridesmaid's bouquets, I used creamy white stock, hydrangea, various shades of spray roses and open, fragrant garden roses.

The bride's bouquet was filled to the brim with open ivory roses, sparkly stephanotis, freesia, hydrangea, and pale pink majolika spray roses.

Stunning, I tell you!

Aren't they such a great-looking couple? All these pics were shot at The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art.

For the ceremony, we built a large chuppah, which we draped with beautiful sheer ivory panels. I love the glitz and glam of the mirrors and damask-print walls in this ballroom.

The lovely, sparkling cake, above. For the centerpieces, we used several different styles throughout the room. The first was our tall square vases, filled with curly willow and accented with gorgeous ivory orchid blooms on the branches. Tiny votive cup vases held more blooms.

A floating cylinder trio was featured on other tables.

I'll send you off with an image of the cocktail table centerpieces, which featured these amazingly fragrant garden roses out of California. Thanks to all the amazing vendors who helped create such a glamorous, gorgeous event!

e-mail problems

2010-11-08T13:43:00.001-08:00

Hi all! I am having serious computer troubles and can't get to my e-mail right now! Please hang tight if you haven't heard from me- try me again at erinvolantefloral@gmail.com or give me a call at 913.406.8810! Thanks for your patience, hopefully we'll be back up and running soon!

A Garden Variety Vintage Wedding

2010-10-25T11:47:00.000-07:00

Here's another charmer of a summertime wedding! This was vintage, garden-inspired goodness at it's best. Gabrianna was a JOY to work with... completely creative and full of inspired ideas! We had so much fun talking about these flowers. Sit back, relax and enjoy these images {via John Deprisco} of a really stunning, personal event!

These bouquets were composed of all kinds of summertime goodies! We used tons of dahlias, marigolds, zinnias, delphinium, hot pink hydrangea, and even fragrant garden roses. Accents of vivid green geranium leaves and soft silvery dusty miller completed the garden look!

The bride's bouquet was wrapped with vintage lace (from her mother and grandmother's gowns) that was also used in the design of her gown. How beautiful is she in this dress (custom designed for her by a local dress designer, Janay A Handmade) Isn't this the most charming, romantic dress? Just lovely! Also, huge props to CaraSue Hall for the bride's beautiful hair and make-up!

Here's her lovely little cake table display! They made those cake platters, aren't they gorgeous? Completely fitting with the theme, and I love the tiny little bird toppers (these were part of her grandparents' wedding in the 40's!).

These centerpieces were so amazing! The bride collected countless amounts of vintage white milk glass. The effect was amazing: effortless, whimsical, and personal! Check out these centerpieces, and the huge variety of mismatched vintage linens on the tables, as well! The reception took place at Californo's in Westport... another KC classic with gorgeous exposed brick and a variety of spaces to add interest to your event.

Gabrianna, I can't thank you enough! It's brides like you that make me love my work! I am so thrilled for you, congratulations! :)

Gorgeous Summer Wedding...

2010-10-19T06:32:00.000-07:00

Here's a real beauty of a wedding for you! This gorgeous summertime event, brought to you courtesy of Becca with Wirken Photo, is full of beautiful details and beautiful people! See the full post of incredibly moving, lovely photos here... that slideshow is one of the most emotional, beautiful series of shots that I've seen- obviously this couple is truly loved by their friends and family. Enjoy these photos and then go check out the rest on the Wirken blog!

Literally: surrounded by love. How beautiful is this image?

And how beautiful is Jewel? Oh my goodness- breathtaking. And this LIGHT! Stunning bride, stunning photograph.

Jewel's bouquet was garden-inspired, fitting to their ceremony locale. She loved white waxflower... we used a ton of it, along with huge ivory roses, lisianthus, dahlias, hydrangea and freesia. So lovely!

I love all her girls in their individual brown dresses! You can see their personalities and style coming through... and how gorgeous is this deep eggplant purple tone against that deep brown? For the girls' bouquets, I used a background of sage green antique hydrangea, along with touches of eggplant scabiosa, purple stock, amazing ivory freesia and amnesia lavender roses. (This is the perfect antique/brown tinted shade of lavender... really vintage-looking!)

Here's the groom's boutonniere... I had so much fun playing with this! Love when a guy can pull of vintage lace... this is ivory freesia and waxflower, tied with a bit of the same lace that I used on the bride's bouquet! Perfection.

How cute are they? Thanks Jewel (& Becca) for the beautiful images!