Winter Flowers

If you have been following our blog for a while, you know that we are BIG on local flowers! And you might wonder what that looks like in the winter, when there isn't nearly as much blooming locally as in other seasons. Hopefully this post will be inspirational for those planning winter weddings, who don't want to skimp on the lush florals, but want to stay local too. In the winter, we source a lot of our blooms from California- not as local as Washington and Oregon, but not too, too far away either. Almost all of the beautiful roses we used in these designs came from Eufloria and Green Valley Floral, two of our favorite sources for California grown roses. We went foraging around Seattle for bush ivy (the ivy that you see growing up all the trees and telephone poles) which has beautiful, midnight blue berries in the winter. Those elements made up the bulk of these designs, with ranunculas, anemone, hyacinth, maidenhair fern, and huckleberry foliage adding extra textures.

All of these beautiful photos were taken by Jennifer Tai. This was our design with MG Davis Events and Vintage Ambiance for Weddings in Woodinville this past January, at JM Cellars. The paper goods were created by The Card Bar. Enjoy!

A peek inside the Botanique Studio

A few months ago, back when the ranunculas, lilacs and tulips were flowering like crazy, my friend and amazing photographer Lora Grady stopped by the studio and took some photos. I am excited to share them with you! Welcome to my little, flower-filled world!

After taking some photos in the studio, we headed outside. Though the garden was just getting going for the year, I harvested hellebore, narcissus and camellia, foraged some lilac and huckleberry from our back alley, and went to work making an arrangement outside. I LOVE making arrangements that come solely from the garden/from foraged ingredients, and this one was no exception!

Lora and I had such a good time! If you're not already familiar with her work, click here to go check out her website. As you can see, she is an amazing photographer!

I hope you enjoyed this little visual tour of the studio and the making of a 100% local, seasonal arrangement.

AND....... just to keep it real, below are a few process shots of what it took to create this beautiful studio, starting with what the building looked like when we we bought our house, BEFORE we did a massive renovation. It has been a lot of work, but here is the living proof that hard work really pays off.

BEFORE: No windows, tilting sideways, and filled with all manner of totally nasty junk.

My dad came all the way out from Massachusetts to help us renovate the studio! What can I say, he's a great dad. Below, you can see him and Eli (my husband) putting on the new roof:

All framed out, and proud dad on ladder after putting on the exterior trim:

Drywall, windows, doors and paint, yippee!

Well, ok, I guess we had a little fun while working too....

Awesome light fixtures, sink and cabinet all found at Second Use (go there!)

And then came the shelving, organizing, etc! Suffice to say, it was a lot of work, but well worth it. And then there's the garden, which is a whole other story, and will have to be saved for another day!

Happy Weekend!

Busy times and lots of news!

There has been a long lapse in blogging around here..... not for lack of things to share, just for lack of time to share it! We've got a few great posts coming down the pike, so hang in there for some beauty coming your way soon! In the meantime, a bit of news and one beautiful image. First, the news:

We have started up a CSA Subscription for a weekly bouquet of flowers, all grown in the Botanique Cutting Garden in Seattle! You can read about it and sign up at this link: http://botanique.bigcartel.com/

Our workshop series is off to an awesome start! We had a lovely group for our Seasonal Centerpiece Design Workshop on May 9th, and the Centerpiece Design Workshop on June 28th is now sold out! We are working on some workshops for the fall (including one focused on the infamous cafe au lait dahlia!). If you would like to be notified of future workshops, send Kelly and email at emailbotanique{at}gmail{dot}com.

At long last, we joined Instagram! You can follow us there for all the latest at @botanique_flowers_seattle

And now for the image, also connected to our last bit of news: Our Flower Crown Workshop is coming up on June 18th, and there are a few spaces left! If you have been wanting to learn how to construct beautiful flower crowns, this is the workshop for you. We will be covering simple and asymmetrical styles, mechanics and finishing touches, with ample time for practice and crown making. All student work will be professionally photographed by Jenna Bechtholt Photography, who is the mastermind behind the gorgeous image below. This photo was taken a few months back, and is of a flower crown we created with lily of the valley and rosemary- it smelled amazing! You can register for the workshop at this link: http://botanique.bigcartel.com/

Hope the summer is treating you well!

Upcoming Workshops!

We are thrilled to be offering a few workshops this spring! All workshops will be taught by Botanique's Owner and Creative Director, Kelly Sullivan. All workshops will take place at the Botanique Studio in Seward Park.

Read below for workshop descriptions. Hope to see you there!

SEASONAL CENTERPIECE WORKSHOPS
May 9th and June 28th, 2015 
2:30pm-5pm

Learn how to create a gorgeous, romantic, overflowing centerpiece!

In this class, Kelly will share her approach to designing a centerpiece in Botanique’s signature, “from the garden” style, using local and seasonal ingredients. Through demonstration and ample hands-on design time, students will learn the mechanics and design principals needed to create natural, lush, floral arrangements.

Students will each take home their completed arrangement, and all student work will be professionally photographed by Lora Grady Photography. We are so lucky to have Lora join us for these classes, as her work is stunning, and sure to give your portfolio a great boost!

Two sessions are offered:

~ Saturday, May 9th, 2:30pm-5pm, the day before Mother's Day! Design an arrangement for your mom, or sign up together!
~ Sunday, June 28th, 2:30pm-5pm

Investment: $275 includes all flower and materials, light refreshments, and beautiful, portfolio-building photographs of your completed design by Lora Grady Photography.

Photo by Jess Hunter Photography

FLOWER CROWN WORKSHOP
June 18th, 2015
5pm-7pm

Learn how to create a stunning flower crown!

Kelly will show you the basics of flower crown construction, and there will be ample hands-on time for you to create your own crown. We will cover simple and asymmetrical crown styles, mechanics and finishing touches.

Investment: $150 includes all flowers and materials, light refreshments and of course your completed crown to take home!

Breaking News!!! Jenna Bechtholt of Jenna Bechtholt Photography will be joining us for the Flower Crown Workshop, and will be photographing all student work for your portfolio/bragging rights! Lucky us!

Register for classes at: http://botanique.bigcartel.com/
Email any questions to Kelly at emailbotanique{at}gmail{dot}com

Erika and Dan at Woodland Meadow Farms

Erika and Dan were married in late August of last year, at Woodland Meadow Farms. The cafe au lait dahlias in our Cutting Garden were at their peak, and we arranged them with lots of woodsy and herbal elements to match the rustic surroundings. 

Long tables with loose branches and blooms woven through, gorgeous bouquets, sweet little flower crowns..... it was all so pretty.

Many thanks to Jenn Ireland, who took all of these beautiful photos!

Congratulations Erika and Dan! It was a true pleasure working with you!

Spring Bridal Brunch with Blooming Branches

These photos are from a shoot that took place almost a year ago, but for some reason it never really made a proper appearance on the blog. Now that spring is almost here again, it is high time to share this beauty! Blooming branches, peonies, sweet peas.... spring is a VERY good time for flowers, and we are waiting with anticipation for these gorgeous blooms to come back into season- it won't be long now.

Be sure to check out the list of vendors at the bottom of the post, there were some great people involved in this shoot!

Flowers: Botanique
Photography: Lora Grady Photography
Planning, Event Design, and mini cakes: Darien Leigh
Vintage Furniture and Decor: Vintage Ambiance
Invitations: Ashley Costlett
Hair and Make-up: Yessie Libby