Royal Bloom - Blog

Timeless Wedding

10/16/2017

There's just something about mounds of all-white roses against tailored, black attire. It's elegant, it's classic, and it's utterly timeless...

Gary Sexton Photography did a beautiful job of capturing Megan and David's wedding held at the sprawling California Club of SF. Amy, of True Emerald Planning & Design, seamlessly wove the details together for one of the most romantic and tasteful events of the season.

Megan and David's wedding day was amazing for so many reason. For starters, look at them....such a handsome couple! Megan was careful to make design selections that retained the understated elegance across her entire event. The venue, being a golf club, had acres and acres of rolling, manicured grass, but it's the facility itself that is surprisingly well-appointed for a golf club, which tend to emit a masculine aesthetic with brooding colors. The California Club of SF is the perfect tasteful canvas for couples to paint the setting they wish to have for their wedding. It's filled with natural light, soft colors and spacious, airy rooms. The elegant backdrop the club provided for the masses of timeless, white roses in contrasting black vessels was perfection.

Megan and her planner nailed every detail, down to the bridesmaid hairstyle designed over the shoulder to show off the super flirty back of the gowns. True Emerald even constructed a custom canopy in which we fastened suspended white roses overhead where the couple exchanged vows.

This is the type of wedding that looks good in every decade and will never go out of style!

Featured in "Inspired by This" Blog

5/31/2016

Pretty excited to see our work published on Inspired by This together with a blog-worthy team of talented event pro's who combined efforts on a that breezy October day up at Mountain Winery! The following, stunning photos were taken by U Me Us Studios, husband wife team Darren and Evonne, and the vision behind this French Vintage Wedding Inspiration, is Adrienne, of Tickled Events. Hair & Makeup Stylist: Susie Studios Wedding Dress: Claire Pettibone Groom’s Suspenders: JJ Suspenders Stationery Designer: Sleepy Hedgehog Press Letterpress Printer: Pecan Letterpress Rentals: Bright Event Rentals Desserts: Baked Vanilla

Photography by U Me Us Studios, Flowers Royal Bloom, Wedding Dress Claire Pettibone, Hair & Makeup Stylist Susie Studios, Event Planner Tickled Events

Photography by U Me Us Studios , Wedding Dress: Claire Pettibone, Stationery Designer: Sleepy Hedgehog Press Letterpress Printer: Pecan Letterpress

Photography by U Me Us Studios, Event Planner Tickled Events, Rentals: Bright Event Rentals, Desserts: Baked Vanilla, Flowers Royal Bloom

Photography by U Me Us Studios, Hair & Makeup Stylist Susie Studios, Wedding Dress Claire Pettibone, Flowers Royal Bloom

Photography by U Me Us Studios, Event Planner Tickled Events, Rentals Bright Event Rentals, Desserts Baked Vanilla, Flowers Royal Bloom

Groom’s Suspenders: JJ Suspenders, Photography by U Me Us Studios, Rentals Bright Event Rentals, Flowers Royal Bloom

Photography by U Me Us Studios, Event Planner Tickled Events, Rentals Bright Event Rentals, Flowers Royal Bloom

Desserts Baked Vanilla

Venue Mountain Winery

Photography by U Me Us Studios, Event Planner Tickled Events, Venue Mountain Winery, Rentals Bright Event Rentals, Flowers Royal Bloom

Photography by U Me Us Studios, Hair & Makeup Stylist Susie Studios , Wedding Dress Claire Pettibone, Flowers Royal Bloom, Venue Mountain Winery

Around the Studio

5/26/2016

Nicole Hoefer Photography

You want the honest truth about floral design? Behind the scenes, it's not so glamorous. The work starts before the rooster is even dreeeaming about crowing. It involves doing things with your hands that leave them cracked, and when the chlorophyll in the plants gets in those cracks, as it inevitably will, you're left with hands so stained, even the most vigorous esthetician cannot remove them (I discovered this during one "recovery" manicure where the poor gal threw her hands up in the air and said, "there's nothing else I can do..." and shoved off, rolling away on her little salon stool in exasperation).

The reason I need you to know that it's not so pretty behind the scenes, is that my photographer friend, Nicole Hoefer, sure made it look dreamy when she popped by to capture us getting ready for a wedding here at the studio. We look so calm and collected, you can almost hear Ingrid Michaelson playing in the background.

Out of our social media-crazed ways, has sprung a new crop of identity issues and emotional pressures. We focus on showing our best side to the world, and we can Photoshop, crop and filter away the reality we truly live in, leaving others aiming for living our life, instead of their own. We all know there is more messy, ugly and difficult behind the scenes than we are willing to admit, so in the spirit of being real: I do love my work, and these beautiful shots Nicole captured show the joyous side of it. However, the truth is that it is hard. It is dirty. It is stressful. Things go wrong. The studio gets so, so messy while we prepare for an event, and it can take days to get everything cleaned and back in it's place. And a white shirt getting ready for a wedding? Not a chance. But I knew she was coming so I brought a change of clothes from my usual black yoga pants and hideous orthopedic shoes. ; )

Thank you Nicole for seeing the beauty and fun in what we do and sharing your talents with us!

Smells good!

The studio

Jess working on garland

Nicole Hoefer Photography

Nicole Hoefer Photography

Nicole Hoefer Photography

Nicole Hoefer Photography

Nicole Hoefer Photography

Nicole Hoefer Photography

Welcome Baby Girl

3/5/2016

This princess themed baby shower was definitely fit for royalty! If the luxurious flower mix didn't clue you in, the gold crowns would certainly bring it home. It helps that the backdrop was a gorgeous home in Los Altos Hills, and it fell on a sunshiny, California day.

Guests were greeted by a pink flower wreath on the front door, and arrangements of Peonies, Rosita Vendela Roses, Tulips, Calycina, Ranunculus, Button Mums, Lisianthus, Jasmine, Dusty Miller, Silver Brunia and Camelia Leaves. Pale pink roses set under glass cloches accented the collection.

Pretty Pastels

2/3/2016

What a beauty this bride, Zizi, was on her big day at the Menlo Circus Club in Atherton. You might have mistaken her bridal party for models, and boy, did her photographer, Bret Cole, know how to do a dreamy job of capturing the softness of our floral arrangements in action!

It was a double delight kind-of day, as we also had Nate, of Fotomokio, come by our Royal Bloom studio to take some stills of the florals before they were transported, as well as some up-close & personal shots of the flowers onsite at the Circus Club. Zizi & Jeff's flowers consisted of Rosita Vendela Roses, Lisianthus, Hydrangea, Stock, Japane The following photos are courtesy of Fotomokio.

Atherton Wedding

1/26/2016

You're looking at the sweetest couple you'll ever meet here. Taryn & Grier are incredibly talented and successful individuals, but they're also personable, vibrant, considerate and some of the nicest people around. This classy bride & groom were so wonderful to work with, and with a clear picture of their hopes for the big day, they made it easy to deliver on the vision. Photographer Jennifer Baciocco perfectly captured the details shared here.

The decor consited of blue, green and white hydrangea, with green trick dianthus, and masses of lanterns suspended from the grand oak trees at the Menlo Circus Club in Atherton.

If I'm being honest with you, I had to recruit a braver soul than I to climb the wobbly, 16-foot ladder into the tree branches to fasten the lanterns. I knew when I started a flower business 15 years ago that, in addition to being a skilled designer, I would need to learn to be a bookkeeper, a sales rep, a marketing agent, and an HR manager, but I didn't realize I would occasionally need to be an acrobat, too! Regardless, it was the perfect, sunny, October day for these exceptional people to wed, and I'm honored that Royal Bloom could be a part of it.

Succulent Wedding

9/19/2015

We have been incorporating succulents into wedding flowers for several years now, and the trend does not appear to be waning anytime soon! They are labor-intensive, becuase each one has to be individually wired & taped, and many varities have fragile parts. But they are renewable, hearty, textural and spectacular, and definitely well-worth the work!

Peony Parade!

6/10/2015

It's a real art, working with Peonies. These coveted, luxurious blooms can be temperamental. Don't be deceived by the small, tight ball-shape buds they start out as. When they are ready, they will burst open like a firecracker and expose their feminine beauty in furls of scalloped petals. The problem is, once they burst open, they do start to expire, which means you have limited time to capitalize on these beauties for your event. In the wedding industry, the bloom needs to be just right for the bride's bouquet, so selecting them at the perfect stage, and removing them from the chiller at the right time, takes precision. Check out the variety of ways we've incorporated Peonies in some of our past events...

Sweet little wedding at Ardenwood Farms incorporated ever so soft pink and white Peonies against David Austin's English Rose, Juliet, and some local California blushing garden roses, with dusty miller, stock, seeded Eucalyptus, and Queen Anne's lace.

For this sweet event, we combined pink "Sarah Bernhardt" Peonies with poppy pods, lisianthus, tulips, sweet pea, ranunculus and dusty miller.

Photography Credit Colson Griffith (above & right)

And some various cheery bouquets with Princess Margaret Fuchsia Peonies, Big Ben and Kansas Peonies combined with Cherry Brandy Roses, ranunculus, button mums, parrot tulips, hydrangea, gloriosa lilies, callas, and spider mums. To the left, a happy basket-o-bouquets on their way to one of our brides at the Allied Arts Guild in Menlo Park.

Cara & Ben

4/15/2015

It was a beautiful day to tie the knot in Silicon Valley. The cloud covering that ushered in the cool autumn morning, gave way to burst of sun breaking through as the bridal party stepped outside for photographs. By the time we arrived with the flowers, the air was filled with a comfortable warmth. Cara opted for bouquets of white roses & ranunculus, queen annes lace, variegated pittosporum, contrasted by deep purple succulents and navy privet. A stunning, earthy combination against the delicate flora patterned lace of her wedding gown. Textural, unexpected, and breathtaking.

Photo Credit (1-4) http://www.rachellederouin.com

Wendy Harrop Events http://www.wendyharropevents.com/ helped to seamlessly transition the elegant ceremony, into a lighthearted reception at a local Mexican food restaurant, where we lined the tables with rustic wood planter boxes filled with a variety of succulents. Glittered table numbers tucked into the centerpieces added the final touch before the guests streamed in to get the party started.

Photo Credit (Images 5-12) Indelisa Montoro

Easter Celebration

4/10/2015

"Rise" was the title of the series that overlapped the Easter Celebration at this local place of worship. The artists at PCC folded congregation prayer cards into birds and suspended them, and white roses, from a golden net which originated from the foot of the large cross above, where an angel watched on. Under the podium on the platform we created a scene from nature with a lush collection of daffodils, hydrangea, hyacinth, ferns, and lilies, lined with strips of fresh wheatgrass and moss. The hundreds of feet of planters along the back of the worship center were planted with wheatgrass and white tulips for a very fresh rendition of spring.