Blog · Allium Floral Design

Katie and Cody’s Autumn Country Chic Wedding

Autumn is always our busiest time in wedding season and the studio is usually packed with flowers and members of our design team working in each and every corner. The studio feels so full and alive with creativity, joy and laughter and all of those gorgeous rich autumn colors. We can’t wait to return to “normal”-to have the studio full of life again. We had just a handful of designers helping to put together arrangements for Mother’s Day recently and it felt so good to be together again, despite needing to wear masks and gloves and be socially distanced while designing.

Katie and Cody’s autumn wedding was the epitome of country chic-and one of our favorites from this past autumn season. It was full of vibrant and fun colors. When talking with Katie about her color palette, we landed on a combination of blush and peach with touches of blue and grey. To get that bold peach we use one of our favorite roses called “Free Spirit”. It lives up to its name in every way. And that blue thistle added that extra touch of texture and a subtle hint of blue in the bouquets. Dusty Miller is the soft grey greenery used-which was a beautiful addition.

Friedman Farms in Dallas, Pennsylvania has rolling green hills for the ceremony and a rustic barn for the reception-truly a perfect backdrop for a country chic look. We are so excited to share these gorgeous images from Dearly Beloved Weddings of Lehigh Valley, Pennsylvania.

Congratulations Kate and Cody! We wish you a lifetime of joy.

Kind words from Katie: “Sarah and the crew are awesome! They are so easy to work with and really make your dreams a reality. This was the one thing about my wedding that I didn’t have to worry about!!”

|| Photography: Dearly Beloved Weddings (Associate Photographer: Jolette) || Venue: Friedman Farms || Hair/Makeup: Sakari Salon ||

For more recent inspiration:

Romantic and Soft Country Club Wedding

A Blushing Bride and a Blush Bouquet: Perfect Combination

Autumn Jewel Tones and Endless Joy

Summer Hues and Dusty Blues

Simple and Elegant Autumn Wedding

Rustic Green, White, and Blush Wedding

That Farm Chic Feel: Katie and Max’s Fall Wedding

Intimate, Whimsical, Summer Microwedding

Lush Greenery and Soft White Florals Completed the Romantic Look for Amanda and Forrest’s September Wedding…

Romantic and Chic September Wedding

Ethereal Wildflower Wedding

Romantic Folino Estate Wedding

It’s a whole new world out there. We hope you are all thriving in the midst of this wild time. The Allium crew and I desperately miss working on wedding flowers. With rescheduled weddings it looks like the start of our season will be delayed by a few months. It means we will all miss some truly amazing spring blooms out of Holland. But we’ve been fortunate to enjoy an early spring here in the Lehigh Valley. I live on two acres, and the trees, shrubs and grass are all coming to life. I finally have time to focus on my own garden.

Every year I start off with great intentions and then, wedding season rolls in and by July I have a mess of weeds with a few tomatoes and zinnias. NOT THIS YEAR! Just you wait until you see what we are going to do. Maybe if it goes really well I’ll do a blog post on it. Meanwhile, we will certainly be updating our Insta stories with the garden as it grows. My goal was to create a blend of functional and floral. So we will have some really great edibles that also function as decorative plants. I can’t wait to see how this experiment all turns out. Maybe produce bouquets will be the next big trend in floral design! (I know, I know, you are thinking that perhaps I’ve lost it already!)

While I wait for my seeds to start, we’ve been hunkered down, working on some new projects and pouring over lots of gorgeous wedding galleries. We just had to share this beauty from Iris and Echo Photography based in West Chester, Pa., if only to dream about warmer days and dahlias and CELEBRATIONS. We can’t wait to celebrate with our couples again!!!

Christine and Alex’s September wedding was held at Folino Estate in Kutztown, Pennsylvania. The couple really wanted to focus on a lush, romantic look-from the big picture, down to the smallest detail. And honestly, is there any better venue to celebrate romance than Folino? The old world inspired Italian winery offers so many modern amenities and acres of vineyards as the ceremony backdrop. We also love working with the staff there. Gina and Marie are so great about looking after their couples and taking care of every detail on the wedding day and beyond!

This wedding took place at the beginning of our fall season. It’s always exciting when we get to transition from lively summer blooms to those rich autumn florals and colors. I’m particularly fond of the lacey local hydrangea we added into the bouquet. It creates the PERFECT textural background for other blooms. And that feathery eucalyptus is so soft and really helps to form the cascade style bouquet. Local seedum, dahlias and amaranth also dance their way through this bouquet, anchored by the ultra romantic playa blanca roses and white majolica spray roses.

Also, if you get a chance, zoom in really closely to an image of Christine and her wedding party. Alisha Nycole and Co. of Easton, Pa did a beautiful job creating a look that felt soft and natural. From the dresses, to the flowers, even to the make up- the burgundy, blush and cream color palette is so classically represented here!

We are so happy for Christine and Alex and delighted to be a part of designing their wedding day.

We hope this Romantic Folino Estate Wedding gave you as much joy as it did us!

Featured Vendors in Romantic Folino Estate Wedding:

|| Photography: Iris and Echo || Venue: Folino Estate || Hair/Makeup: Alisha Nycole and Co. || Baker: Piece a Cake || DJ: Sound Factor Entertainment ||

More inspiration:

Springtime Winery Styled Shoot

That Farm Chic Feel: Katie and Max’s Fall Wedding

Modern, Rustic and Mauve Wedding: Devin and Shawn

Romantic and Chic September Wedding

Summer Hues and Dusty Blues

Lush Greenery and Soft White Florals Completed the Romantic Look for Amanda and Forrest’s September Wedding…

Ethereal Wildflower Wedding

Two Ceremonies, One Beautiful Marriage

Timeless Lakeside Fall Wedding

Ethereal Wildflower Wedding

Tracey and Joey had the ultimate ethereal wildflower wedding in Pennsylvania. While we regularly create lush and romantic bouquets, wildflower-specific bouquets have a special place in my heart as a designer. Our couples who want these typically say, “I want it to look like you walked into a field and swept up a bunch of flowers.” We always start with a more loose and organic bouquet shape for these. And then we get to add in lots of texture. Small, delicate blooms are the key to creating this vibe. In this case, delphinium, lavender, local hydrangea buds and feverfew added the perfect touch. While roses are the base of many Allium designs, wildflower bouquets tend to skip them, opting instead for locally sourced blooms.

And have you seen this amazing wedding dress from Kleinfeld Bridal? It really tied the whole look together so beautifully. The venue, Riverdale Manor in Lancaster, PA offered a natural and lush landscape for pictures and a lovely reception space to decorate. Don’t miss those ferns at the base of the ceremony arbor. We always enjoy adding in real plant material when we can. And the flawless look on the wedding party-came from one of our very favorites, Makeup by Roxy in Catasaqua, Pennsylvania.

Extra special thanks to Marshall Scott Photography a Lehigh Valley and Philadelphia, Pa photographer, for these beautiful bright images that truly captured the spirit of Tracey and Joey’s wedding.

|| Photography: Marshall Scott Photography || Venue: Riverdale Manor || Hair/Makeup: Makeup by Roxy || Baker: Thyme & Seasons || DJ: Rick Hansberry || Signage: Project Printed || Guest Sign in: Miss Berry Design || Dress: Kleinfeld Bridal ||

Inspired by this Ethereal Wildflower Wedding? Check out more recent work:

Autumn Jewel Tones and Endless Joy

A Modern Rustic Autumn Blend: Erica and Andrew’s October Wedding

Modern, Rustic and Mauve Wedding: Devin and Shawn

Perfect Pop of Color: Jennie and Timothy’s Energetic Summer Wedding

That Farm Chic Feel: Katie and Max’s Fall Wedding

Lush Greenery and Soft White Florals Completed the Romantic Look for Amanda and Forrest’s September Wedding…

Simple and Elegant Autumn Wedding

Modern, Natural, Sunflower Wedding

Timeless Lakeside Fall Wedding

“Elegant, timeless with a touch of nautical…” These were the words Brittany used to describe the feel she wanted to evoke when her guests experienced her flowers and wedding decor. As designers, we work hard to set up a wedding. But, we typically have the decor set about an hour before the ceremony. We time it that way so the early bird guests don’t see us running about, making the magic happen. We often joke with clients that a “sweaty florist” setting up really ruins the romance. So our goal is always to be done, way before your guests arrive. What that typically means, is that we don’t get to see guests reactions, and often, our brides in their gowns with their flowers.

So, when their photographer shares images with us, it’s often the first glimpse we really have into the amazing party. So, we were thrilled when New Jersey photographer, Starky Morillo, sent over the pictures from Brittany and Anthony’s wedding. It was so clear to us that their guests were having a fantastic experience. The wedding was held at the gorgeous Lake Mohawk Country Club in Sparta, NJ– pretty much the perfect backdrop for a nautical feel, minus the ocean.

With a color palette of deep burgundies, blush, mauve, and textured greenery, the florals really stood out marvelously against the serene lakeside backdrop. We also got to incorporate dahlias from some of our local growers. These dahlias are so special and meticulously cared for by the growers, resulting in rich colors and ruffly petals that add so much texture and dimension to our design work. For us, peonies in the spring and dahlias in the fall, really create such soft romantic shapes, that really take a bouquet to the next level. A heartfelt congratulations to Brittany and Anthony– thank you for including us in your big day.

|| Photography: Starky Photography || Ceremony Venue: The Beach at Lake Mohawk; Sparta, NJ || Reception Venue: Lake Mohawk Country Club || Hair/Makeup: J Morgan Salon || DJ: Shughes Entertainment || Baker: Patty Cakes ||

Recent Work:

Spring Wedding with Beautiful White Florals

Enchanted, Whimsical, Boho Wedding

That Farm Chic Feel: Katie and Max’s Fall Wedding

Modern, Natural, Sunflower Wedding

Modern, Rustic and Mauve Wedding: Devin and Shawn

A Modern Rustic Autumn Blend: Erica and Andrew’s October Wedding

Artistic, Botanical, Fall Wedding

Warm, Historic, Blue Summer Wedding

A Blushing Bride and a Blush Bouquet: Perfect Combination

Enchanted, Whimsical, Boho Wedding

Artist Inspired Shoot

This may have been my very favorite styled shoot of all time.

Now don’t get me wrong. We love weddings. Weddings are at the heart and soul of Allium.

We always start our meetings with a couple by looking at the images that inspire them. As a designer, we use those images to create something beautiful and personal and that speaks to who the couple is. However, as a wedding specific designer, we rarely have a chance to look deep inside ourselves and ask -what is our OWN vision for an event? It’s why we love collaborating on Bacon & Lox events and why styled shoots feed our creative process (even if our accountant is pretty sure they aren’t worth the heavy investment-but I digress.)

We did this shoot in April. Local blooms weren’t even close to an option. This time of year we source a lot of our more unusual and textural blooms from Holland. And wow, they did not disappoint. Alison Conklin and I have been collaborating on styled shoots for a long, long time now (like before they were even a thing). It’s no secret that I love working with her. She is so full of ideas and for this, she really wanted to create a shoot inspired by Julia Klimova‘s rich body of work. We knew from the start we wanted this to be editorial in nature, so Alison selected some models who fit perfectly with the overall vibe.

FROM ALISON CONKLIN:
On a trip my husband and I took to Charleston I randomly wondered into an art gallery. When I saw Julia Klimova’s paintings on the wall I stopped in my tracks. I was absolutely enamored with her use of color and texture and instantly inspired. I texted Sarah, Julia’s website with no less than 50 heart emojis. And so a shoot was born with the idea of Julia Klimova’s art at the core. I shot this with the Fujifilm GFX 50s medium format mirrorless camera. I have had a hard core love affair with Fujifilm since that camera hit the market. Fast forward to September when Fujifilm announced that I would officially be a x-photographer they picked one of my favorite images from this very shoot for the announcement.

We had all sorts of prep for that day, including creating a table overlay that featured soft palette strokes of paint. Theresa Byrnes is a long time freelancer of ours. Her fine art background was made for this shoot-and it was so fun to collaborate together on this overlay.

Our dresses came from Lovely Bride, Philadelphia; and what an experience! She had so many gorgeous dresses that felt fresh and different in her thoughtfully curated collection. It was so difficult to narrow down what might be the right ones to use. The dresses really fit the bill. Ren & Ink provided us with painterly signage and Love Bites By Erika created a cake with the same palate knife strokes as our tablescape. Theresa painstakingly decorated the cake with numb fingers. Why numb? Because the venue was beyond cold on that brisk day. Barnsley Manor in Bensalem, Pennsylvania is going to be something truly incredible once complete. While the ownership team painstakingly restores the estate to her former beauty, the building’s bare, beautiful bones created a bespoke environment perfect for this shoot. No windows+chilly day+no heat =extreme design and modeling conditions. That day was bitter cold and the models really toughed it out and turned out image after stunning image. Makeup by Roxy worked tireless by those open windows to create a hair and make up look that was beyond perfect.

You know it’s funny. This is one of those shoots that we agonized over and froze over and it’s still one of my very favorites. And shockingly, it didn’t get picked up. We submitted it all over, no nibbles. It sort of broke my heart, that it “wasn’t the right fit” for wedding blogs but we’d given so much to it and loved it so dearly. But then I realized, I need to let go of it. This was my favorite because of the process, because we froze, because we created something perfect for that one moment in time. So here it is, for you to enjoy. And there will be a lot of pictures. Because, if no one else is gonna put it out there, you better believe I’m sharing all of the images and blowing up your Insta feeds all week long with this.

|| Photography: Alison Conklin || Venue: Barnsley Manor || Hair and Makeup: Makeup by Roxy || Dresses: Lovely Bride Philadelphia || Furniture: Fox and Finch Vintage Rentals || Menus and Signs: Ren & Ink || Cake: Love Bites by Erika || Models: Lily Mello and Jenny Fritz ||

More Creative Inspiration:

Creek Dinner: A Full Circle Meal

Charming Coral Spring Styled Shoot

Springtime Winery Styled Shoot

Artistic Warehouse Styled Shoot

Ice Dinner and a Frozen Lake Elopement

Dark, Mysterious, Originals Inspired Elopement Shoot

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