Hello, old friends and many new ones! First thing before we kick off anything, we at Wedfully Yours Events hope you are doing well and keeping faith our circumstances are constantly changing and that this will pass. Until then, I am so excited to be dusting off our blog, and get it up and running again. If you are new here, you are so welcomed to this space. If you have been following along my journey in other outlets like my Instagram, you’ll see we’ve been quite busy. The team has grown and we are so excited to whip up some amazing events and serve our wonderful couples. We are going to start out by blogging a beautiful winter wedding we did last year.

Sarah was such a kind bride with a timeless style. For her bridal bouquet, she loved manicured florals, but wanted touches of organic texture and shape mixed throughout — that’s where Wedfully Yours comes in for the perfect mix of style. Paired with her delicate lace bridal gown, and Curtis’ modern, all-black tux, the couple looked dashing on their big day! 

After a catholic ceremony at the beautifully ornate St. Thomas Aquinas Catholic Church, guests made their way downtown to the Westin Hotel,  for a contemporary-meets-classic reception.

The palette for the day was a subtle combination of warm gold tones with glowing candlelight and ruffled blush and ivory blooms.  Large elevated arrangements made a striking impact that filled the space to create an intimate atmosphere. Classic gold compote arrangements, and candle collections donned the remaining tables.  The couple’s sweetheart table was a perfect junction of classic and contemporary with rambling greenery and traditional blooms like roses and baby’s breath tucked throughout. It was a lovely compliment to the downtown Dallas views enjoyed by all that night!

Bridal Bouquet Ingredients: Peonies, Kiera garden roses, blush ranunculus, hellebore, blush sweet pea, spray roses, Vendela and Quicksand roses, huckleberry and Nagi greenery

---

Vendors —

Photographer: Elizabeth Carol Photography

Venue: The Westin Downtown

Floral Design: Wedfully Yours Events

Greenery is not always cheaper

Greenery garlands and bouquets have become more popular in trend in the last few seasons. Partly because it has been suggested as a way to achieve a lush look under a budget. While I personally do like this style for its organic, crisp, and still romantic gardenesque, I would have to say it being cost effective is a myth. Yes, the greenery we purchase from our wholesaler is less expensive than a flower itself, but it takes more of it to achieve the fullness you see in those photos you're showing to us as inspiration. 

The amount of labor it takes to create these garlands is also very tedious and time consuming. It is not like when we arrange a centerpiece or bouquet where we are just creating centralized art. A garland covers a wider surface area taking more time. 

Flowers are natural elements

As a designer, I understand and strongly encourage the importance of having a color palette for your event. It is the base and sets the tone of your entire design. As I've said above: flowers make your event so you should be specific with your florist about what you really love and don't, but do try to be flexible. Flowers are natural elements and their exact colors cannot be controlled. There are a wide range of shades within one bunch of flowers we receive alone. Of course if you have a purple color scheme, but receive an orange bouquet on your wedding day, that is something to absolutely question.

I do want to highlight a specific color we all know and love and that is "blush". I think we can all agree this is easily the top wedding color for most brides. Rightfully so because it is a perfect wedding color- a great neutral, romantic, soft, and very bridal. What you should be aware of is that it covers a very wide spectrum. When a bride tells me blush, I ask if they mean light pink, taupe/nude, or peach. See how all of those are so very different? Be most specific about what shade you are wanting. 

Why do flowers cost so much?

This is something that many don't quite have an understanding of and likely should be a post itself, but I'll highlight some of the big points. For a more in depth explanation, I highly recommend hopping over to my dear friend from Stone House Weddings and read her series about flower pricing. Excellent information! A single floral order takes days of hard, laborious work. When the flowers arrive, we process and condition them to open up or revive from their travels. Then it takes days to arrange and create the beautiful design you've trusted us with. When wedding day arrives, we take great care in delivering and setting up this vision which could mean a special vehicle to transport and extra staff to execute in the time allotted. We also come back at the end of the event to breakdown which calls for staffing odd hours. After putting in all of the time, we have to take into account the special coolers it takes to store the flowers, our vase inventory and the staff we have to hire to help us.

Something to also keep in mind when shopping around for your florist and comparing prices is that you are paying for a specific style and design of their brand. There is always some kind of specific training one may go through to create her signature look. Be sure to find the right florist for your design style. 

I think all florists can agree with me that we do not choose this profession to be millionaires ;) It's because we truly enjoy and have a passion for the natural art of flowers. What I can suggest to you as a bride is to educate yourself (not only with wedding magazines), but ask your florist for her opinion and what options she can create or offer you. Trust your florist, it will make your wedding planning experience much more enjoyable!

Where do I even begin with this wedding? I guess I can give a blanket statement of Kemmerley and Michael's wedding was just a true dream to be a part of because really- it was!  I met Kemmerley through a past bride (the best kind of referrals) and we immediately hit it off. Her vision for her big day, future in marriage and even everyday fashion matched our brand. It was a true joy to work with this couple- if I could book clients like them from here on out, it would never be work!  This waterfront wedding in Texas took place at the Filter Building at White Rock Lake. 

If the beautiful Kemmerley looks familiar, that's because I have showed off some of her bridal portraits in a previous post!

Photography: Charla Storey Photography | Full Wedding Planning, Event Design and Floral Design: Wedfully Yours | Videography: Peyton Anne Frank | Stationery Design and Calligraphy: Alli K Design | Venue: Filter Building | Catering: Gil's Elegant Catering |  Hair & Makeup: Beauty & the Blush Artistry | Cake: Layered Bake Shop | Rentals: Coral Lane TX, Beautiful Event Rentals | Bartending: HD Liquid Catering | Dress: Lovely Bride | China: POSH Couture | Music: Nate Huneycutt 

Kemmerley's color palette has to be one of my favorites of all time. The french blue anchored the waterfront setting while the plum gave depth. We accented with terra cotta to add warmth since it was a late summer wedding. 

In Kemmerley's bouquet (one of the most lush and fragrant bouquets I have ever created), I used: dahlia, cappuccino roses, the most delicious hellebore, andromeda, ranunculus, scabiosa, snowberry, smokebush, and astrantia. Then I topped it off with cutest raspberry stems. 

Loved the way this setup came together! Those potted bougainvillea lining the aisle were perfect, and that minimalistic metal arch? A total dream.

Alli K Designs created and cured these custom plates with their invite design for Kemmerley and Michael's head table. A unique way for them to remember their day and keep forever. 

Want to see more from Kemmerley and Michael's wedding day? Check out the video below from Peyton Anne Frank (who also made a gorgeous brand video for me!).

ASK A PREMIER WEDDING FLORIST IN TEXAS FOR HELP

Not sure where to start when it comes to your planning, florals, or design for your Texas wedding? Talk to us at Wedfully Yours!

We serve couples in and around the Dallas area and the Lubbock area, providing creative, high-quality designs that you'll remember for years to come. Hit the contact button below to get in touch! 

Photography by Anna Smith Photography

When booking your wedding flowers and going with small businesses like ourselves, you commonly speak with the owner throughout most of your correspondences. Many times in a consult (especially my bigger weddings) potential clients will ask, "Is there anyone that helps you?". A very good and valid question. The answer is absolutely yes. There just really is no way one person can pull off every floral order alone or sustain their sanity doing so. This is where Floral Freelancers come in. 

Exactly what do they do? 

Manpower. Some orders have many components and there are just not enough hours in one day to get them all done so we have help to get the wedding complete. This helps keep us from having too many late nights (although those late nights still happen), or being too rushed- all important for sanity. Those lush and elaborate installations you see? On the actual wedding day, the team is most crucial because those designs have to be created on site in a limited amount of time so all hands on deck are important. 

Can you become a freelancer?

You do not have to be a florist or have any special training to become a freelancer. Many things can be learned as you gain experience. Just as with any job, some can be more skilled at a certain project than others. We have some freelancers that are better with designing centerpieces and some that are skilled in crafting bouquets. There are some on our team that do not do any design work at all, just provide mechanical or operations work. 

Why would anyone want this job?  

I am sure many freelancers get asked if they want to go off on their own or why they don't start their own business. I think I can speak for many that the reason they choose to work for others is for many reasons. Getting to leave work can be a glorifying thing. Business owners tend to live and breathe their work because these small business are our babies. There is still creative freedom without the paperwork, numbers, and weight of a company. When you network and gain experience within the floral world, there is the opportunity to travel for destination weddings or for other florists. Flexibility is also a great bonus. You are not tied to any one schedule so you can work as you need. 

Freelancing certainly is not your typical line of work, but something to consider if you are looking to change things up or find an outlet for your creative flow. 

If you are reading this, it is likely you follow me on social media and know that we welcomed our newest addition to our family of now four. What joy! With the holidays now over, engagement season in full swing, and now newborn life upon us, I thought I'd take a moment in all the free time I have (insert LOL emoji here) to give you a glimpse of what we have been up to. 

Images by Charla Storey Photography; Swaddle design by Alli K Design 

Two is my favorite number. I do not have a particular reason why or magic story behind it, I just like the number. So when my first baby, Liem was born on February 10 at 22:22 (military time), I found that to be pretty neat. My second, Marigold was due on December 22, but waited until January 2 to even begin her way into the world. (Birth story to come soon!) All this to say, I find 'two' to be a recurring number in my life lately. Two weeks with two under two and my goodness have we learned and discovered a few things. Many have asked how we are doing and what life is like with two littles in our house. I can say there is more exhaustion, sometimes the days and/or nights are longer and the energy seems to continue to deplete, but the love and joy in our family is in overflowing. 

Change is hard

This is one of the biggest things I have had to grasp lately. I do not do well with change in general and there has been so much for all of us. When you have your first baby you're learning how to ebb and flow with one another, how to function on little to no sleep, and just your new role of being in charge of a tiny person. With your second you have already found the rhythm with one but now you have to figure out how to keep that going smoothly while adding in another beat and sometimes, it is just hard. It is physically demanding but also very emotionally intense, especially for your first born. Learning the boundaries and how to live around a new sibling is a lot to take in and as parents we really have to be mindful of his developing heart. 

Self-care is more important than ever

I learned this late into Liem's first year as I was working and stressing my tail off with breastfeeding and being a work from home mom. It is very easy to get lost in caring for someone else that you forget about yourself. The best advice I received during my struggles was "a well nourished and mentally-sound mother is the best care a child can have" and that has resonated with me since. I realized I was focused on the wrong things and was too exhausted to even find joy in the simple things of motherhood so I had to regroup. Now with two, I do not fight as hard. Not that I am not as intentional in my parenting or health choices, I just know my limits and do what I need to do to make sure I can be of sound mind. For me this looks like adding another day in the week where Liem will go to the babysitter (although I felt so guilty at first), choosing a nap over sweeping and picking up, and simply letting myself rest. I was in such a rush to get back in the swing of things, I forgot that I just grew a human and birthed her- my body is tired and needs to recover!

Another important factor to all of my self care is my loving husband. I have to make a note of this because you guys, Adam is a true MVP. I always get to shower and dry my hair everyday as I know this can be a luxury for some. He is mostly responsible for Liem right now as I get some healing, bonding and care time with Marigold. But he has already had both children by himself so I could run an errand and he actually dared me to go and leave him- that is some confidence because I still have a bit of fear of caring for both alone! What I am saying here is that it does take teamwork and the more of it you have, the more sane you both can be. 

Just survive

A piece of advice, or motto even, that follows you through your entire parenthood. I think our parents can say that is what they did with us, and sure there are so many more resources we have nowadays but sometimes there just aren't answers and we have to just survive. Forget housekeeping, I'll just leave that at that. Lately there have been a lot of shows. Yes, shows. Those that know us know that we worked very hard to have Liem screen-free and while he is still limited, we have found that sometimes we just need our busy guy to sit still and be occupied for a few minutes so in comes the shows. Especially since our Texas weather has been so frigid lately and limiting our outside play time. Some days routines are slightly off, but we roll with it. Some days our meals consist of just berries and cheese, but we roll with it. Just survive, just survive. 

You know more than you thought you did

When we were in the hospital with Marigold, we reminisced our experience as first time parents with Liem- how timid we were, how little we knew, and just how foreign everything was. This time around we knew the different things to ask and what was really of concern and what was "normal". It was refreshing. And maybe I can say that your skin is a bit thicker. You can understand what is a true cry that needs you, or when it is just baby knowing no other way to communicate so you just let her release for a little bit. Diaper changes are autopilot mode and you know the tips and tricks to dressing a wiggly newborn. Now I like to call us "seasoned parents". 

GRACE 

And finally, grace upon grace. Allow yourself this and soak in it. Nobody is perfect and nobody requires you to be, thank goodness we get to be human and leave all the perfection to our Father. Sometimes you will stumble as we already have and it has only been two weeks. But you will just get back up and get back to dancing. 

Is life crazy with two? Well? Is life ever not crazy? All I know is that I would never trade this for anything. Are there times I miss going out on a whim with friends or impromptu date nights? Absolutely, but this is where I am at and I love it. The cuddles, the bisous (kisses), the tantrums, I will take it all. These kids keep me on my toes and teach me so much everyday, I am honored to have been placed in their lives as their Mommy.