As our calendar begins to show the tell-tale signs of another busy wedding season we were surprised when we realized that we would have to close our calendar for the Labor Day weekend 2010 {and we never say no to a bride}! Why? It turns out that this year, Holiday Weekend Weddings are the place to be!

Another surprise – one of our “Labor Day” bride’s story actually made an article on the subject for the New York Times! So now we’re really curious…

How do you really feel about weddings planned over a Holiday weekend? Opinions online are mostly for them {although most of the people who weighed in are Holiday brides themselves} but there are definitely some drawbacks for guests and even the bride and groom themselves. Here are the pro’s & con’s:

Pros
- guests don’t have to take extra vacation days to attend {esp if traveling to an out of town event!}
- potentially more time to spend with the bride & groom
- now you’ll have plans for the long weekend
- guests see more value in traveling for the extended weekend vs. a rushed trip

One opinion: “I absolutely LOVE weddings that fall on a holiday weekend. I spent 8 yrs in New England for school and I’m from CA. When school was finished (2001) I zipped back to CA and now live in WA. I have traveled back east for all of my friends weddings and the ones that have been most memorable have been the ones over holiday weekends ….Clearly I vote YES for holiday weekend weddings” (Marissa, SouthernWeddings.com)

Cons
- Holiday Weekends are reserved for relaxing and family {we only get so many Monday’s off each year}
- Many people have long standing Holiday Weekend traditions {BBQ’s, camping, the beach, etc}
- Holiday Weekend travel can be more expensive
- It’s considered most polite for the bride & groom to offer activities and gift baskets for guests traveling from afar and this can put a major dent in the wedding budget

And from other side of camp: “While I wouldn’t go as far as to say they’re inconsiderate, I am not big on holiday wedding weekends. I’m headed to one this weekend and bummed about all the fun events I’m missing at home. If you’re truly thinking about your guests, I think any bride would lean towards a weekend that won’t be a big inconvenience to them. Except for the bride and groom’s very closest friends and family, NO ONE wants to use a holiday weekend to go to a wedding.” (Amanda from SouthernWeddings.com)

Ouch! Touchy subject. Seems like everybody’s got an immediate opinion on this one.. what’s yours?

There’s a new trend in town {well, kinda in town} and it’s got us majorly buzzing about the possibilities. It’s called “Honeymoon Registry” and it’s the coolest thing we’ve heard of in awhile… granted, we’ve been married for awhile so a free vacation sounds pretty awesome, but still. Here’s the deets:

Like most ingenious ideas, Honeymoon Registries grew out of necessity. Let’s be honest… gone are the days when the blushing bride is an 18 year old who is going straight from Mom and Dads house to setting up her own household. A majority of today’s couples are:
a) serious grown ups with careers, homes, and their own incomes
OR
b) have a home together already
OR
c) all of the above
And when you fit one of these criteria, the traditional bridal registry seems a bit out-dated and unnecessary {after all, if you really wanted that stemware at Crate & Barrel you probably already bought it for yourself!}. Hence, the necessity… what do your guests purchase for you as a token of their congratulations and well wishes??

A VACATION!!! {or bits of one}

Here’s how most work:

You {the bride & groom} begin by selecting a well-established, honeymoon travel agent {we like www.thebigday.com} and book your travel. Once you’ve done that, most will offer free registry where you can add special elements to your vacation package. For instance, you can add an upgraded suite for a night, couples massages, breakfast in bed, scuba lessons, car rental, and even help towards your airline tickets!

One thing we especially love about The Big Day registry is that they allow you to add a personalized message to your friends and family at the beginning of the registry and they in turn can leave you a message at the bottom of the registry {kinda like your facebook wall}. You can add a photo album of you and your groom, friends and family, and bridal party. And you can create a wedding website and begin a wedding blog/journal!

Click here to see a sample registry.

Or for more information and insider tips on choosing the best honeymoon registry for you click here.

Then, all you’ve gotta do is spread the word where you’re “registered” and let your friends and family show you a good time!

It’s here… wedding season has begun! And if this video doesn’t make you want to boogie then you’re just no fun.

For the rest of you… we hope to see you with your dancin’ shoes at the best Portland weddings this summer!

Solstice Video Productions

{Thank you Alana & Graham for allowing us to be part of your wildly magical day!}

Video: Solstice Video Productions

We’re not kidding! Cobalt Blue seems to be the new “IT” color for weddings in 2010 and, actually, it’s kind of refreshing. After seasons full of “hot pink, orange, and lime green” we’re glad to see something a bit more out of the box. (And, yes, we know that green & textural is still hot in our little corner of the world but this is for those brides who prefer color!)

We do have to admit that it’s taken us awhile to wrap our heads around implementing this vivacious color so we put together a couple of inspiration boards to show that it can – and will – be done!

What do you think?

Dear Friend,

Isn’t this how it always works?  The word “Spring” should conjure up images of daffodils, warm sunny days and maybe a pair of flip flops if you’re lucky.  Instead, we’ve got torrential rain, sonic booms, and angry protesters marching the streets.

Don’t know about you but we need a little bit of cheering up.

So, this Thursday, April 1st we’re having a party and we want you to come!  We’ll have a store full of gorgeous spring flowers, Easter baskets, treats from Le Cookie Monkey, and of course, our  happy, smiling faces!

We’re busy preparing the store – giving it a Spring makeover of sorts – and we’d love to see you.  Stop by the shop anytime between 2pm-4pm and we’ll make sure that you leave feeling like the Spring fairy just paid you a visit.

Love,

All of us at Geranium Lake Flowers

PS – yes, we know that April 2st is also April Fools Day and no, this is definitely not a joke!

Ok, we need your opinions (expert, or not!) on a subject that has recently come up in several “wedding trends” conversations…

The Broach Bouquet – funky, passing trend OR eco-friendly, classic and lovely?

Here’s what we know:

The (often vintage) broach bouquet has been popping up on wedding blogs for at least the past few months.  It has the potential to be very cost effective (if you can raid grandma’s jewelry box), it will last forever, and has a whimsical, “little girl dress up” feel (think: crewcuts by J Crew).

It also has the potential to come off as gaudy and too DIY (who wants to look like a bedazzled bride?!).  Then there’s the issue of matching the bridal party… do bridesmaids carry broach bouquets too?  And does it have to carry over to boutonnieres in order to look cohesive?

We must know what you think!  After all, we’re in the business of making this day perfect and we simply cannot recommend something for our dear brides that their guests will walk away from scratching their heads (or worse, viciously wagging their tongues!).

What do you think – is it a Do or a Don’t You Dare?

Surprise!  It’s Springtime!

Well, almost (don’t forget to set your clocks forward this Sunday) and although our much loved “spring” weather has fled our beautiful city, we still have to get ready for everything else that Spring brings (ie. EASTER!)

And since it’s been awhile since we demoed a project, we thought we’d show you how to use veggies to dye your own eggs.

PS. This super easy, fun project is also eco-friendly and non-toxic!

What you’ll need:

• Eggs (not boiled!)
• Vegetable skins: yellow or purple onions, beets, beet greens, tea bags and or tumeric
• Leaves and/or herbs (we like cilantro, parsley, bamboo, geranium, Japanese maple, cilantro, and dill)
• Old pantyhose (aka “tights”)
• 8 quart stock pot
• 3 tbsp vinegar
• Vegetable oil (optional)

Step 1: Bring to a boil water and 3 tbsp of vinegar.  Add 2-4 cups of tightly packed veggie skins.  Simmer for 15 minutes until the water has a gorgeous chestnut color (you can also add the tumeric and tea bags for extra color).

Step 2: Use scissors to cut pantyhose into several smaller sections.  Each should be just large enough to stretch tightly around 1 egg.

Step 3: Grab your herbs and leaves and start wrapping these textures around an egg (this will be the print that is left!) and gently wrap the egg in a piece of the cut pantyhose.

Step 4: Tightly tie off the end of the pouch (we like to use tiny zip ties).

Step 4: Once you have a batch ready (about 12) drop each gently into your boiling veggie water!  Boil for 10 minutes.

Step 5: At 10 minutes, turn the burner off and continue to let the eggs cool in the water for an additional 10 minutes.  This gives them time to really soak up the dye!

Step 6: Use a spoon or soup ladle to scoop out each egg.

Step 7: Unwrap (you might have to use scissors to cut off the pantyhose) and peel off the leaves/herbs…

Step 8: Optional – to really make your eggs beautiful and delicate looking, rub each with a tiny drop of vegetable oil.  It’ll make ‘em really shine!

Voila!  Gorgeous, natural, non-toxic eggs!

And they’re edible (don’t worry – they won’t take on any of the onion flavor – we tested them!)

Welcome back from another hugely successful, stressful, and chaotic weekend {AKA. Classic Wines Auction}!  This is one of our all time favorite events each year – not only because it’s so gorgeous and extravagant, but because it benefits so many worthy causes. We love being a part of the visionary process and we’re so thankful to everyone who pitched in to help and all of the attendees who helped raise 2.3 million dollars!

Here’s a glimpse of what setting up a huge event is like…

Click here for a video of set up!

Hi all!

Just wanted to take a moment to share with you a few of the fun pictures that Erica was able to shoot of my little family.  They turned out so great!  Keep in mind that she’s honoring her complimentary session with a $100 print commitment!

Thanks Erica!

Ok, so we’ve recently come across a few things that we feel we must share with you…

1) Fancy pants at Marios

Last weekend we participated in Bridgeport Village’s first annual bridal event  and we were so lucky to get teamed up with Marios!  Yes, the flowers looked yummy in their gorgeous showroom but even more exciting was a super cool tuxedo that we found (called Isiai).  I was so worried that some of the water from one of the bridal bouquets would get onto the tux until the salesgirl literally picked up the bouquet and shook water right onto it (YIKES!).  I was horrified until I watched as little beads of water formed and rolled right off – leaving the fabric pristine and perfect.

Naturally, I wish that I could live in this stunning and crafty outfit but alas, I don’t look that great in menswear.  NOT TO WORRY!  They then showed me Brunello Cucinelli waterproof cashmere coats (for men and women!) and I am sold.  Yes, this purchase means that I will receive no Christmas nor Birthday presents for the next 5 years but the warmth and convenience of this coat will last a lifetime.  For more info call Mario’s at 503.601.7310

2) Erica Hartman Photography – SPECIAL

Erica is a photographer who recently moved here from LA and she’s a blast!  On Sunday she made a house call for a much needed family photog session.  She was up for anything and was super creative – she had even scouted a few places around Laurelhurst before hand – and we ended up climbing trees and posing on walls… keeping my teenagers entertained and making sure that we have memories that articulate our easygoing lifestyle.

And because Erica is so awesome… she wants to extend a special deal for our friends (really, when’s the last time you had a family photo taken?)!

Here’s the deal: all Photo Sessions are complimentary (family, product or venue) with a $100 print order commitment, due at the time of booking.   Everyone who books will also receive a DVD of Low Resolution ‘Share Me’ files that are great for sharing with friends, family and new clients via the web.

To schedule yours today email Erica at erica@ericahartmanphotography.com and be sure to mention that you heard about it from us (that’s how the SPECIAL works!).

Still wondering if you should do it?  Take a look at her portfolio here!

3) DeArmond Estates

It’s hard to believe that this place is actually in the Northwest.  It needs no words to explain why we love it but we can’t resist mentioning that it reminds us of the Secret Garden (it even has a conservatory on the grounds) and it feels just as magical when you’re there.  They are accepting reservations for weddings and other events but you might have to get in line – this place is the newest “it” place for summer weddings for sure!  Click here to check it out!

4) Le Cookie Monkey

The name alone makes us smile but when owner/pastry whiz , Amber Darrington, brought us some samples last week we couldn’t get those goofy grins off our face!  Delightful and tiny these little treats made our day.  Amber makes cookies, cupcakes, cakes (including wedding cake!), and various delightful and whimsical goodies.  And not only were they yummy but her prices are great too… just what the doctor ordered in this economy!