Organic Flowers for Green Brides

Wanna know what’s more lovely than a cotton fabric bouquet?  An organic cotton fabric bouquet!!  That’s right!  An all-fabric bouquet loaded with organic charm and calling to green, eco-friendly brides everywhere!

I am so excited to be offering my signature hydrangea-and-rosette bouquet in organic cotton!

Soft and lovely, this organic bouquet is offered in several sizes and is the perfect floral offering for your green wedding.  If you are planning your big day around eco-friendly choices, please mosey on over to my site or to my Etsy shop!  I’d be thrilled to see you there!

A Surefire Way to Personalize your Wedding

First off, I had to post this lovely photo that I received yesterday from the sweetest bride, Jo.  Jo is in Australia, and I am not a little bit jealous that my bouquets get to travel the world.   (I might have to remedy this situation!)  The talented photographer is Kari Teagan, and I just love the mood in this photo.  Quite elegant, don’t you think?

I actually wanted to show you some amazing vintage pretties that I had the joy of working into a bouquet.  This bride sent me so many lovely pieces, and each remnant belonged to a special woman in her life.  Now I’m sentimental, but I’m not “keep-it-stashed-in-a-box” sentimental.  I’m a “let’s-get-it-out-and-use-it-because-it’s-special” sentimental.  Each piece means something to this sweet bride, and you can do the same thing with your flowers by incorporating your own keepsake pieces (and their stories) into your blooms.  

Here’s the bouquet.  Voila, instant heirloom!  So raid hope chests (with permission, of course!) and gather those keepsakes to infuse every detail of your big day with meaning.

I couldn’t leave without sharing one more photo from Jo’s wedding.  Jo is definitely a class-act!  If you like these photos, check out Kari’s lovely work on Facebook and spread the love by pinning them!

Adventures in Bridal Business Ownership

So I told you that I was getting personal in 2013–here are some behind the scenes details as this pretty little bridal business grows.  My fabric flower bouquets will be abloom in boutiques this year, so an item that I’ve checked off my to-do list is my catalog!  I had the privilege of working with Nila Moreau of Halftone Studio this winter to create my first ever catalog. It’s bloomin’ lovely, don’t you think?  Not only was Nila fantastic to work with, her work is gorgeous.  This first image was a mockup for the catalog cover.  But we ended up going with this…

I’m so happy with the overall mood and layout.   Here’s another mockup from Nila.

The full catalog can be seen as the lookbook on my new site (drum roll for the big reveal!) at autumnandgracebridal.com

I’d be pleased as punch if you checked it out and over the moon if you signed up for my newsletter on my site!  And if you have your own pretty little business and have any questions about the catalog design process, leave a comment, and I’d be glad to share my experience with you!

Bespoke Wedding with Lovely Personal Details!

Feast your eyes on this amazing wedding set in the great state of Texas!  It is featured on the mother of all bridal sites, “Style Me Pretty,” and  I had the pleasure of working with the lovely (and stunning) bride, Nicole, to create a brooch bridal bouquet and matching maid bouquets.  It is clear that Nicole has a fantastic eye for detail and that she made her wedding choices guided by a strong vision.  The result is a wedding that is absolutely swoon-worthy and blooming with personal and unique touches.  The killer wedding dress is by KT Jean and the bridesmaid dresses are by the wildly talented Amour sans Anguish.

And don’t you think that Nicole found a fantastic photographer?!  Jamie Harper Photography is responsible for the sublime eye candy, and this gallery is a wonderful example of how choosing the right photographer can really capture your vision.  These photos are soft and romantic and invite the viewer right into the party!

And I love how Nicole describes the meaning behind her bouquets:

 “Next came the brooch shower for my vintage brooch bouquet. I knew I wanted a brooch bouquet, but I didn’t want the same thing that everyone else had. I wanted mine to be different and I found just what I was looking for on Autumn & Grace Bridal’s Etsy shop. Beautiful fabric & lace rosettes with many of the gorgeous brooches given to me. It was simple, gorgeous, and the best part was that I would get to have a piece of my friends and family with me as I walked down the aisle. When I opened that package and saw it, I cried. It was gorgeous and the first brooch I saw was my grandmother’s. It meant the world to me to have it displayed so beautifully.”

Here’s a bit more from Nicole:

“The best thing about a group effort DIY wedding, is that you can look at each little piece of decoration and remember who made it & the story behind it. All those handmade mason jars and picture frames now decorate our home. My brooch bouquet will be on display forever and will never wilt, just like our love.”

I highly recommend checking out the full article here on Style Me Pretty.  And be sure to stop by the gallery to see more of Nicole’s stand-out nuptials!  And if an image here strikes your fancy, I would love for you to spread the word and pin it!

Getting Personal in 2013

Happy New Year!!  I love beginnings–the excitement of starting out and trying new things.  And I’m especially excited to kick off this year by sharing my new bouquet line and photos!  I’ve dressed up some of my signature pieces with new pics, and I have a bunch of brand spankin’ new offerings.  But along with the new designs, I have a new goal:  To help make the weddings of  2013 as special, as personal, as possible!

For me, 2013 is going to have plenty of firsts–a new website, an amazing lookbook, and the thrill of branching out into boutiques.  And it’s going to focus around heirloom materials and organic cottons and hand-dyed fabrics and working them all into unique pieces that showcase a bride’s individuality and her willingness to embrace a fresh take on the traditional bouquet.

 So here’s to a new year!  One that’s filled with celebrations, family, love, and memorable details.  I will be sharing many more photos and upcoming plans in the weeks to come!

I wanted send a heartfelt “thank you” to Aaron Wilcox for his lovely photos, Courtney Spena for her sense of humor (you pulled off twig antlers with aplomb!) and for just being lovely, and to Tisha for all her help and for her lovely friendship.  Thank you!

Artisan-Crafted Fabric Bouquets

With my 2013 line almost finished and the photo shoot coming up (hopefully it will happen this weekend, if the weather cooperates!), I’ve been thinking about my creative process and what is important to me in a finished design.  I think what speaks to me in any piece of art is a strong theme with clean lines.  Or a clear, uncluttered message.  Not so many moons ago, I was a mixed-media painter and jewelry designer, and my creative process was the same in these mediums as well.  I wanted to brush the dust off some of these pieces and share them with you!

“Flutter”

“Shelter”

I was speaking with a bride today who wanted something simple yet lovely.  I showed her this bouquet.  Seven yards of natural cotton are hand-crafted into an artisan-quality bouquet with clean lines and no fuss.  I hope that you can see a through line in all of my art–from my paintings to my bridal pieces!  And I hope to see you both here and in the shop as my new designs are rolled out!

My First Garter Design Is Ready to Leave the Nest!

 

I am so excited!  Ok–I am also breathing a great sigh of relief.  My 2013 line is almost finished!  A little birdie told me to expect lots of flowery layers and ruffles wed with clean lines and vintage themes.

I think that one of the challenges for me in designing (whether it’s with art, or jewelry, or bridal design) is to know when to move on from an idea.  I didn’t keep every design.  Ideas were scrapped and spur-of-the-moment impulses embraced.  In the end, I weeded through the flowers and handpicked the ones that bloomed the brightest; and I can’t wait to share them with you!  The photo shoot is coming up next, and it will be a mix of vintage wedding meets woodland whimsy.  

 To celebrate the upcoming premiere of these designs, I am offering a complimentary garter with each bouquet order!  This is my first garter design, and it matches my original hydrangea and rosette bouquet (and practically all of my bouquets!).  It’s the start of many new offerings, and I would love for you to check back for more “little-birdie” updates!

 

Fabric Bouquet with Flower Power

I had to share these photos of Abbey.  She was absolutely wonderful to work with, and I LOVE her confidence, her ability to rock a pink dress, and her choice of fabric bouquet!

And Abbey really showcases how making unique choices can reveal the REAL you–the most beautiful you.  Go for the pink dress.  With ruffles.  Lots of ruffles!  And go for unique and memorable touches that make your big day stand out.

Go for Flower Power!

See more of my fabric flower bouquets abloom in my Etsy shop.

Photos courtesy of Jozy Brinks

Bespoke Wedding: Mallory and Austin

What I loved about working with Mallory was how clear her vision was for her big day.  Her color palette was soft and lovely, and she wanted lace from her mother’s dress worked into her bouquet.  The result was a stand-out flower set that was both romantic and vintage.  When I received her photos, it was clear that she had thought through every detail of her bespoke wedding.  And her amazing photographer, Shannon Rosan, captured all of these details, including the transparent joy on everyone’s faces.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The money shot!  Is she happy, or what?!  Thank you so much, Mallory!