Flowers in Season Series - Part One - Spring

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If you're like me, I'm always wondering what flowers fall into which season. I know the basics like peonies and ranunculus are spring where dahlia's can be mid to late summer and even into the fall, but really that's kinda the extent of it. Knowing what flowers are in season at the time of your wedding can help make your selection so much easier! Flowers in season are not only bigger and in their best condition, but they are also much cheaper when they don't have to be flown in from far away lands :) 

Tina of Platinum Floral Designs has graciously created a series of blog posts for me to share with all of you that will explain what season your favorite flowers fall into! So here we go! Part One.... Spring

From Tina.... 

Yes!  Hello Spring.  My absolute favourite time of year, especially here on the Westcoast.  How lucky are we to get a head start while the rest of the country is still fighting the snowy weather.  After months of rain and sunless days, spring comes with wide-open arms.   It’s incredible to see with just a couple of days sunshine how flowers and foliage begin to fill our dull palette’s with hopes of summer greens and splashes of vibrant colours.

Spring brings some of the most sought after blooms in the wedding industry.  Brides, year after year fall in love all over again with stunning peonies, ranunculus, anemone, icelandic poppies and parrot tulips just to name a few.  I don’t blame them for a minute, I too fight the same love affair every year.  In our spring time floral post, I am going to share what I hope to be very insightful information. 

To start, some of our favorite flowers and fillers available this time of year:

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Highlight: Icelandic Poppy

The new kid on the block

Although the flower isn’t new, brides and florists alike are beginning to flock to these beauties for their romantic papery petals and meandering stems.

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Unusual Favorites:  Hellebore

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Fritillaria

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Beautiful options, no?  I can’t stress enough and I am sure you've heard this a million and one times before.  However, if you are a flower lover and dream of walking down the aisle clutching a beautiful display of peony, tulips and anemone, plan your wedding in the spring months.  Sounds crazy doesn't it.  Plan your wedding around your flowers?  But of course, if you have your eye on particular blooms, that’s what I would advise you to do.  Sometimes, we’ll see spring blooms pop up in summer or fall months (thanks to the wonderful world of commercial growing), but expect to pay twice as much per bloom and often, the blooms won’t produce the same amount of display as in season.  For example, take a strawberry, in season they are plump, juicy and come at an affordable rate.  Out of season strawberries are grown with chemicals and come at a high price.  Flowers are exactly the same!

The most important piece of advice I’d love to share today are some typical price points.  So many clients are shocked when they see the  prices of flowers.   It’s just simply a lake of education.  Flowers are a luxury item! Here’s a quick run down on some of the more highly requested blooms. 

Most expensive blooms, more then $10 per stem: 

• Peony
• Garden Rose
• Casablanca Lilies
• Orchids (Cymbidiums, Cattleyas, phalaenopsis)
• Dutch Hydrangea
• Stephanotis
• Succulents

Medium Priced Blooms, $5-$10 per stem:

• Dahlias
• Parrot Tulips
• Calla Lily
•  Long Stemmed Rose
• Pincushion Protea
• Glorisa Lilies
• Hybrid Lilies
• Fern Fronds
• Viburnum
• Snapdragon

Least Expensive, $5 and under:

• Anemones
• Ranunculus
• Freesia
• Poppies
• Rose
• Mini Gerber Daisies
• Lisianthus
• Phlox
• Stock
• Hyacinth
• Hypericum Berries
• Craspedia
• Bells of Ireland
• Carnations
• Spray Rose

We hope that you found this post useful! I sure did! Big thanks to Tina for sharing her wisdom with us. 

Hope you all have the best day!

Things I love...

Spring is my most favorite time of the year. :) Everything is coming up new and all those winter sweaters and boots are getting put away until the fall. :)  I've been working on my patio garden, digging out the flip flops and spring dresses, and thinking about what I'd like to add to my ever expanding closet :) 

Above are some of the looks I'm loving and below is where you can find them :) 

1.  Refinery29  2. Polyvore  3. Modcloth  4.  Etsy

Hugs, 
Tam xo 

Stylized Shoot... Little Girls Tea Party...

A little while ago you might remember me mentioning that I had all kinds of fun and exciting things coming up! Well this was one of them! I had the amazing opportunity to team up with Lisa from Lisa Rivers Photography to do a styled shoot with some ever so lovely and super cute little girls! 

This one went so well that we've decided to keep them going! Starting this fall Blue Lily and Lisa Rivers Photography will be offering a series of children's stylized portrait sessions! Stay tuned for more info! It's going to be great times! There will be some pretty cool ones for little boys too! 

Special thanks to Lisa for the gorgeous photos. It's truly a gift to meet someone who puts their heart and soul into their work. Big thanks to Sarah from Smiling Rain Photography and Vintage Prop Rentals. The majority of the props you see here came from her and we thank her for it! Sarah has the BEST treasures. This little adventure has led me to meet so many talented and kind people. I'm so grateful to be able to call these ladies my friends :) xo

These are a few of my favourites from the day... 

{soft and pretty editing} 

{everything a little girl needs at a picnic}

{Isn't this dreamy?}

{Enjoying a quiet moment}

{she really liked this book}

{they got along so great! You'd think they'd been friends for years!}

{Can I eat it NOW Lisa?}

{Everyone wanted in on the action}

{I think she'll probably hate me for this one, but she's so cute!! }

{Sweet little Mary Jane}

{such a sweetheart}

{adorable}

{some good girly fun!}

{Quick! is there any candy left?}

Hope you all have a wonderful evening! 

Love Tam xo 

Things I love...

Happy Easter Sunday! Hope you're all enjoying the sunshine on this lovely long weekend! Things have been a little hectic to say the least for me lately, so I was actually able to take a few days, to putter in the garden, visit with family, and even got away on a little mini road trip adventure with the Mr. yesterday. :) It was just what I needed! Now I'm back, recharged, and ready to tackle this mountain I call a "to do" list! ;)

Spring is my most favourite time of the year! I'm in heaven when the sun is shining, the blossoms are out and the birds are chirping. Here's a few of the things I've been loving lately :)

{Inspiration for one of my weddings this summer}

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{I love little moments like this with the Mr.}

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{Nature's best alarm clock}

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{mismatched dishes make the table so cheery}

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{sigh... this just looks like heaven to me!}

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{this is my inspiration for a "new" chair that I recently acquired and plan to recover}

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{I love the whimsy-ness of this window}

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{working on my plan... ;)}

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{I want this jacket}

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{I imagine this is what Pyrex heaven looks like}

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{I know this room might be a bit bright, but the quilt and the chandelier are amazing!}

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 {vintage pretties.... sooo love}

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{this screams me...}

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I hope you all have the loveliest of long weekends! 

Much love, 

Tam xo