Rachel & Armando | Monterey, Ca | September 2010

Rachel and Armando came to me through a referral, and I couldn't have been more excited at the opportunity to design for them! Right away I could tell that working with them was going to be very special!!! When I met with Rachel for the initial consultation I felt at ease, and Rachel was so understanding of my full time job, that I knew it was a match made in heaven.

Rachel and Mando wanted their wedding to reflect the wine country, using purple and chocolate brown as their wedding colors. She described natural textures, including branches that she wanted to incorporate into her centerpieces. Instantly, I knew exactly what I was going to produce for their wedding, using the non-traditional elements my designs are known for. I used smoke bush (one of my favorites), Chocolate Cosmos, and Fern Shoots, all of which reflected the chocolate brown Rachel wanted. For the main element, Rachel wanted Purple Hydrangea, and Freesia. I thew in some Bella Donna Delphinium just to give it one more shade of purple. See what you think below!!

Sometimes I forget what my weddings actually look like. Then I get to see pictures like these, and I get super excited all over again! Special thanks to Ashley Wexler from Under The Sun Photo, ashleywexlerphotography.com who generously snapped, and provided the pictures below.

The amazing bridal bouquet from another angle (held by her bridesmaid of course!)

I just love the trend of bridesmaids all wearing the same color, but different cuts for the dresses. I also just LOVE the purple bridesmaids bouquets against their royal purple dresses!

Alejandra & Pierre | San Jose, Ca | August 2010

You know how when you meet someone for the first time, and you can just tell that they are amazing, caring, generous individuals? Well thats how I felt when I first met Alejandra and Pierre. They are the definition of love birds!!! I couldn't believe how cute they were. I knew instantly that this was a match made in heaven.

Ali is an amazing planner. Her eye for color, and her ability to navigate the wedding planning process produced one of the most amazing weddings I have done thus far. I was completely blown away when I stepped back to look at the big picture during her ceremony. From her bridesmaid dresses, to the ceremony setting, everything was just perfect!

Ali asked for an organic, natural looking floral designs. She let me run wild with my imagination, and here's what was produced. Working alongside my favorite amazingly talented photographer Amanda Lock, amandalockphotography.com, I couldn't have imagined a more beautiful documentation of Ali and Pierre's wedding.

Her bridal bouquet echoed her grecian Maggie Sattero gown. I couldn't believe how beautifully coordinated her dress was the location.

The bridesmaids bouquets. I just love these dahlias. I love to produce unusual and striking color combinations like this. The bouquet looked amazing against the burnt orange bridesmaid dress. Have I already mentioned how perfect the bridal party looked?? Just amazingly color coordinated.

For the flower girl. I'll get a picture up of this sweet little girl ASAP. Ali's daughter was so cute, and so sweet. She made me want to have kids... I KNOW RIGHT!! That shows you just how cute she was. She asked me to walk down the isle with her when I was wearing jeans, flip flops and a tank top. Ahh innocence. I love it!!

Now here's another creative piece. Ali and I worked to make sure the wedding was an natural and fit the grecian theme. She trusted me to choose the right flowers when it came to these isle arrangements, and turns out I picked ones she loved.

And lastly, the beautiful bride! Congrats Ali and Pierre! I wish you a long and happy life together, and I hope we made all your wedding dreams come true!

Jin & Joe | San Francisco, Ca | June 2010

When Jin contacted me, I was thrilled to help her. Jin is the type of person you are instantly comfortable with. With her easy going nature, and lust for life, you just know that she's an amazing person. Jin found my on craigslist, as did most of my clients this year, and I'm so thrilled she gave me the chance to make her dreams come true!

Her wedding photographer, Annamarie Calbarloc, took these amazing photos around the city. Upon seeing these, I was amazed, and inspired by Jins' bravery to tread the San Francisco streets before her wedding.

Inside the church. Yes, that is a true pipe organ in the back ground. LOVE, LOVE, LOVE the orange gerb daisies, and the blue bridesmaids dresses.

A little harder to see, but those ceremony pieces... man those were amazing!!! Hopefully I can get a close up shot soon!

Sweetest little flower girl! I had no idea they were wearing these dresses, and WOW!! Did Jin ever get it 100% right! So Sweet, and such beautiful little girls

(theres two, but you only see one here ).

And the bridal bouquet. I love it when a bride give me freedom to design as I see fit. This is what happens... a wonderful bouquet that compliments an amazingly beautiful bride, and coordinates her bridal party.

Brenda & Edwin | Livermore, Ca | April 2010

Brenda and Edwin came to me for a last minute bouquet and boutonnière for their wedding in Livermore. They told me if would be "a small, and incredibly intimate ceremony." I was so touched by the charming idea of a small private ceremony. Two people coming together, in a quite manner, to express, and proclaim their love for one another. I don't get many chances to design for such small and intimate ceremonies, so I knew these designs had to be extra special.

Their wedding took place at a beautiful venue, which evokes the feeling of passion, intimacy, and of course, a love of wine! Wente Vineyards in Livermore is a romantic Mission Inn style venue that woos many couples with it's immaculate grounds, and rustic, yet elegant buildings. I couldn't imagine a more amazing place for these two love birds to tie the knot.

With a winery as your setting, it was a no brainer to choose flowers reflecting the deep reds and purples reminiscent of the complex, and lush, red wine varietals. Brenda and Edwin wanted to see elements of Merlot and Cabernet in their designs. Given the romance, and intimacy, of this truly blessed event, they knew only red roses fit the bill. To tie in their wishes for hints of wine, rich burgundy calla lilies were added to the bouquet, and instantly their ceremony was transformed into a wine lovers delight!

I LOVE sweet peas. I hoped I could use them in the bridal bouquet, but it just didn't suit the romance I imagined when Brenda described her vision for the wedding. Classic Romance with an amazing shade of red, and a twist using a single sweet pea stem gives the grooms' boutonnière the touch that the couple was looking for.

Congrats you two!! May you have a long, loving, and wonderful life together.

Carley & Theodore | Saratoga, Ca | March 2010

This past weekend I had the chance to flex my event manager skills. One of my best friends got married to a wonderful man who loves her dearly, and I got to play not only floral and event designer, but event manager at their reception. Oh man, it was a lot of work, but it was so worth it.

Amazing photographer Michael Buchanan (www.mbb-photo.com) joined me in my efforts, and in no time at all, he had some photos for me to show off. Mike has a great eye for detail, and the work that I have seen come from his portfolio previously, made it entirely clear that he needed to be part of shooting this wedding.

The Entryway Centerpiece that was my pride and joy

Gotta Love the lighting in this church!

These flower girls were sooo sweet! The littlest one was cute as a button. I guess their kissing balls were too big for them, as they are clutching them like they weigh a ton!!

The Communion Table Arrangement

CAKE!!!!!

Who doesn't love Cymbidium Orchids? I had to go to three suppliers to get these, but since Carley REALLY wanted them, nothing would stop me from finding them, and making my bride happy!

Courtney at work. Delivering flowers for the bridal party, and family members is the second most favorite part of the wedding day. The first? Seeing the bride's reaction to her bouquet, and/or event decor.

The couple of the day! While I'm not sure what they are looking at, I had to post a picture of the bridal bouquet and grooms' boutonnière.

The Amazing HUGE wedding party. This is by far the most people I have done personal flowers for. But what can I say, Carley is quite the popular girl, and who wouldn't want to help this genuinely sweet gal on her wedding day?

Two of my favorite photos from the Grand Entrance at the reception.

Now this was cool. Carely wanted to make sure everyone had a chance at catching the bouquet during the bouquet toss. Rather than throwing just one bouquet, why not throw several? What a surprise as the bouquet broke into smaller pieces in the air, and several of the ladies had a chance at being "NEXT". Mu-ha-ha-haaa!!! More wedding floral design!

To Carely and Theodore. You are an amazing couple, and I wish you nothing but the best. Thank you so much for including me on your special day, as I'll cherish these memories forever.

Love

Courtney Marie

Photo Shoot Collaborations!!

Woo-hoo! I'm finally done with my Quantitative Reasoning for Business Course, so I FINALLY have time to post something exciting. I few weeks back I did a couple photo shoots with two KILLER bay area wedding photographers.

Amanda Lock Photography is one of the sweetest, bubbly, energetic photographers that I have ever met. Amanda is the kind of photographer that makes you laugh, and feel super comfortable in front of the camera. Not only did she produce amazing photos, contributing to my portfolio, but she also got some awesome shots for the models. One of those models is a good friend of mine and is a bride to be.

We snuck into a bookshop for this image. Poor Carley had to walk through the bookshop like it was no big deal... just a bride hanging out in a bookshop.

Our "bridesmaid" model. I couldn't believe how lucky I got with the color scheme in this shot. I actually thought her dress was going to be more purple than blue, but the iridescence made this bouquet "pop" in ways that make me blush.

I just love this shot. So unusual, but so brilliant at the same time. Amanda clearly has a well trained eye, and can make anything look spectacular!

So finally a shot of me in my "natural" state, being a total dork, and getting caught doing it.

New Blog!!

I'm thrilled to have a new blog for my clients to view my latest work, and be the first to see any special projects that I'm working on. Just as a little history on how Courtney Marie came about...

I come from over five years in the event and wedding industry. I spent two of those years in a floral design studio in Aptos, where a majority of my education in floral design came from. For the last three years I have been working as an event manager/coordinator for a hi-tech company. Corporate life is my bread and butter, and I do floral design on the side to make sure my creative side is satisfied.

I work with brides and couples who are hosting small and large events, and I work within a large range of budgets. Most of my weddings start around $200, and go up to $1500, but I will certainly complete a small bridal bouquet and boutonnière for couples who are hosting a private, or intimate event. Given that floral design is a passion, I never require minimums, and I certainly spend a lot of time with my couples, unless the couple prefers contact to be kept to a minimum.

So what can I say about Courtney Marie Floral??? My designs are incredibly organic. I work with a lot of unusual materials, but of course if a bride requests a traditional bouquet, I'm happy to complete that as well. I think it's incredibly important to get to know my couples so I can produce designs that fit their personalities, and so that I can hopefully add to their excitement as they come up on their big day.

Please see my website for my full portfolio, but come back to see what new projects I'm working on.