Ask Margot: What's an inexpensive way to decorate my ceremony?

This is a question that I get A LOT.  And it's one that I don't mind answering repeatedly because of this:  The truth of the matter is that most ceremonies only last about 30 minutes, whereas the reception usually lasts upwards of 4 hours.  So dropping a boat load on your ceremony decor doesn't usually make a lot of sense for the budget-conscious bride.  That being the case, here are a few ideas to help make the most of your budget while still looking like money is no object...



1}  Make those flowers work double time!

Talk with your florist about ways to use the same flowers at both your ceremony and reception.  There are countless ways that this can be accomplished.  From using your bouquets as centerpieces (Make sure to spruce it up a bit though...you don't want it to look like you just stuck the bouquet in a spare vase you found lying around.), to taking the flower garland you used on your canopy and moving it to the escort card table, it's all about reusing everything you can.  This is not only budget-friendly, it's also eco-friendly, so we're looking at a win-win situation here!  But if you're going to go this route, make sure that your cocktail hour allows enough time to reasonably make a smooth transition for all the decor... Your florist will thank you!

The party's not over yet:  Move this ceremony decor to the reception site for double time beauty

Image courtesy of Ruffled Wedding Blog

2}  There's no need to gild the lily.

The best advice I can give, and probably my favorite advise to give, is let your venue space shine through.  Surely you chose your ceremony site for a reason.  Is it the beautiful garden space?  Is there a huge live oak to stand under?  Does it have breathtaking windows?  Let these features stand out and use any decoration you do choose to accentuate the space's already existing beauty.  And remember, sometimes less is actually more!

This venue's already existing botanical wall makes quite the statement without any further decoration.

Photo courtesy of 100 Layer Cake

History Margot-fied: Part I

Here's a look at my favorite wedding of, well, pretty much of all time. With her sophisticated grace and unwavering sense of self, Jackie embodied the type of woman I strive to be everyday, in both my business and my personal life. So here's to Jackie on the day she entered the spotlight, and here's to the wedding of a century... Margot-fied.

WHAT SHE WORE
It's no secret that Jackie never actually liked her wedding dress. With 50 yards of silk taffeta and a big bouffant skirt, it certainly didn't fit the simple, all-American style that she eventually became famous for. But whatever the case, after a good bit of pressure from her mother, Jackie chose a design by New York designer, Ann Lowe.

WHAT SHE CARRIED
Pink and white spray orchids with gardenias

Margot-fied:   This Oscar de la Renta dress has always reminded me of Jackie and I think it would have been perfect for her 1950's ocean-front garden wedding. Pair that with this all white bouquet, inspired by the orange blossoms she wore with her grandmother's veil, and you get a simple and classic look that still befits a bride who was standing in front of twelve hundred guests. (!!!)



Photo credits: 1) Time Magazine 2) Oscar de la Renta Bridal 3) Martha Stewart Wedding

"Hey hey mama, gonna make you move."

I write to you as I listen to Led Zeppelin's Black Dog... hence the title of this post. And as the title might suggest, we have indeed moved.  But that's not the only change that has been made in these here parts. Oh yes...we're going places. 
First and foremost, you might be wondering where we moved to... So here's your answer.  While all of the creative work at Margot Blair Floral is still done off sight in various Bat Caves and castles, all of our client meetings and hobnobbing is now taking place at Posh Bridal Lounge.  In short, what this means is that we are now a featured vendor at this new one-stop-shop for all things wedding.  To learn more about this amazing concept (that we are so proud to be a part of!), check out the site.  http://poshbridallounge.com/

Some other exciting news is that we are participating in this year's Engaged! in Austin, put on by Austin Wedding Day and being held on Sunday, January 8, 2012 at the Westin in the Domain.  We'll be doing a post about this soon, so I won't ruin the surprise.

We're also completely changing our branding so be on the lookout for our new website, business cards, and even (gasp.) blog.

And one last thing...We need interns!!  If you know of any spectacularly amazing and awesome people who are not yet ready to be paid for their greatness...please have them email me at carly@margotblairfloral.com

Talk soon,
Margot

Austin City Limits.

No, not ACL.  Even though, I do love ACL so very much and will be posting much about that as it approaches, I assure you.  But the Austin city limits that I am referring to are the actual Austin city limits...And here's why.

I recently took a trip out to California with my good friend, Vonne.  And somewhere between driving up and down the coast to see Big Sur and eating our way through the streets of San Fran, I started to notice the "weeds" on the side of the road.  But these weren't actually weeds to the average (normal) human being... They were calla lilies.  Now here's the thing, I make it no secret that I'm not a big fan of calla lilies.  I think they have become too "popular," and you know how I feel about doing things like everybody else.  But to see them growing on the side of the road, so effortlessly, so nonchalant, I couldn't help but marvel.   Do you know the lengths that some people have to go to get these flowers?  Lots.  And yet there they were, in copious amounts.

But it wasn't until I went to the farmer's market one morning that I truly started to get the point.  There in the sea of organic artichokes and home grown carrots were tents containing buckets upon buckets of some of the most beautiful flowers I had ever seen.  Ranunculus in every color imaginable, sweet peas in the deepest, most gorgeous shade of eggplant (Have you ever seen eggplant colored sweet peas??  No, I didn't think so!).   But the real shock value of the deal was that the growers were practically giving them away!  It was then that I started to realize that the flowers that we pay big bucks to have shipped to us are common place and disregarded by the people who see them everyday.  This was shocking... and rather jealousy provoking, I must say!  And if it would have been possible for me to get them home alive, I would have left behind all of my clothes and carried as many of them as I possibly could back in my duffle bag, trust you and me...

But, alas, I couldn't.  So instead, as I sat there on our flight home, with my luggage intact, I began to ponder...  Is it possible that I take our very own "novelty" flowers for granted?  Are the weeds growing along my street worth a second glance?  And so I was inspired.  It is now my goal to make a series composed solely of the flowers I can find walking the Austin City Limits.  This shall be my weekend project.  I'll report back on Monday...

First Thursday: Round 1

This is the first post about what is hoped to become a regular thing here at Margot Blair Floral.  But to get to that story I first have to tell you that we got a shop.  So...

WE GOT A SHOP!!
That's right, a real life, bonafide shop.  And what's more, it's on South Congress!  (For those of you that are not familiar with Austin, TX, South Congress is the immortal street that runs straight through town and is riddled with the best shops, art, food, and weirdness that Austin has to offer.  And we're right in the thick of it.)

Now back to the original point... South Congress has what is called "First Thursday," where on the first Thursday (imagine that) of every month all of the stores stay open past their bed times, street vendors set up to sell their goods, and the city comes out to play and support the arts.  It's fabulous, and oh so very Austin.

So on this last First Thursday, actually on the first Wednesday, I had a breakfast meeting with two of the most lovely and wonderful women I know: Carli Kiene of InkedFingers Fotography, and Jessica Maurer of Three Little Birds Catering.  It was at that meeting that we decided we were going to join forces and take over First Thursday.  And so we did.  We had only 24 hours to plan, yet the result was magnificent.  With the help of Tonya Thomas of The Good Flour, we had ourselves a party that pretty much amounted to awesome people hanging out together drinking champagne, eating glorious food, and taking goofy pictures at the photo booth, all while sharing our passions for our respective professions and giving the world just a glimpse of what we have to offer.  Here's a picture by the wonderful Carli as proof...

**Come out and see us next First Thursday, because there is much more where that came from!**