Romantic Ceremony Marker
Photo: Christopher Baker
Long lasting and surprisingly versatile, exquisite orchids can elevate any style of celebration. Whether your taste runs classic or modern, consider inviting these blooms into your arrangements.
"People often think these flowers can only look stark and modern," says floral and event designer Ariella Chezar. "But there are so many delicate, refined varieties." Enter the creamy pink Cymbidium and lavender Phalaenopsis in this gorgeous arbor. Chezar added peonies, garden roses, and dogwood for volume and texture.
Consider carrying the colors of the Cymbidium and Phalaenopsis buds down the aisle in an ultra-feminine clutch. Here, the two orchids are joined with blush-pink peonies, pale dogwood, tendrils of clematis vine, and Solomon's seal foliage. Echoing the easy shape of the ceremony marker, the long stems form a soft cascade. Unlike traditional upright arrangements, it's meant to be draped over your wrist or elbow so the petals tumble downward. If you prefer a more conventional look, snip the stems shorter and carry it front and center.
Mokuba New York 36mm satin ribbon (212-869-8900).
Yellow Phalaenopsis and Miltonia and orange Oncidium orchids have the same effortless appeal as wildflowers -- and look incredible combined with them. Here, the orchids are blended into a loose bunch of roses, abutilons, and bunnytail grasses.
Mokuba New York silk-moire ribbon (212-869-8900).
Glass cloches were used as miniature greenhouses for plant specimens in the 1800s, and you can enlist them today to put the spotlight on your flowers. Each dome is filled with one type of orchid, be it plum or lavender Vandas, or white or striped Paphiopedilums. In the footed urns behind, they're nestled among unusual foliage including bromeliad, baby's tears, ferns, and various mosses.
HomArt assorted glass domes (areohome.com). Barreveld tall canister and urn-shaped vase (both maison140nyc.com).
This daring spray is loaded with personality thanks to African violets and Vanda and Miltonia orchids, which provide the bold purple color, and fern fronds and zebra-striped bromeliad leaves, which offer up spiky greenery.
Mokuba New York 50mm silk-taffeta ribbon (212-869-8900).
Nothing looks fresher and more beautifully bridal than a white-and-chartreuse nosegay. This elegant version features white calla and eucharis lilies, green Cymbidium and Paphiopedilum orchids, and enormous patterned caladium leaves.
Mokuba New York 50mm silk-taffeta ribbon (212-869-8900).
Polished and sophisticated, the setting turns heads with simple white vases and orchids grouped en masse. "Arranging like flowers together is a crisp, clean way to showcase each type," says Chezar. From left, the vessels contain white and chartreuse Paphiopedilum, Phalaenopsis, Cattleya, and more Phalaenopsis blooms. When combined, they create a table landscape that's as delicate and serene as a Japanese painting.
Nymphenburg porcelain egg vases (kneenandco.com) and coral "Look" vase (tedmuehling.com). CB2 stemless wine glasses (cb2.com).
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Truly lush and beautiful!
Regina ~ Natural Designs