Local Beauty:The Cowen Lake American Lotus

A weekend trip to Cowen Lake was a voyage into a wonderland.  The lake has an amazing jungle of American Lotus flowers.  Kayaking through the leaves and blooms and the array of wildlife was a unique and exciting experience.  The height if the plants gives you the feeling that you may be in another wold, a world in which you are tiny and the plants loom large over your head.

The leaves of the lotus, which can be more than 2 or 3 feet across, repel water like quicksilver and have a delicate angel-shaped center.  They can be on the surface of the water or up to 3 feet about the water level.  The leaves are amazing, but the blooms are worth the drive to see!

The blooms to the lotus are a beautiful buttery yellow with am exotic seed pod in the center.  Even after the petals fall away the plant is a sight to see it is textured and organic and frankly out of this world.

Color Tile: Mirage to Marvelous

This color combination has calming warm and cool colors with the perfect citrus pop, the bold, fun colors.  The dark /light contrast allows for depth and drama without being gauche.  

Honor, Faithfulness and Passion

August's flower, the gladiolus has a history that spans from Africa to the Mediterranean.   To the ancient Romans, a gladius was a sword, and a little sword was a gladiolus -- often used by gladiators. 

The Roman author Pliny the Elder applied the word gladiolus to the flower that is distinguished by its long, sword-shaped leaves, and the name stuck. 

Gladiolus are a romantic choice for weddings both because of their beauty and boldness, but also in meaning.  In the language of flowers gladiolus represent remembrance, strength of character, honor and faithfulness.  

Gladiolus also represent infatuation.  To present a bouquet of gladiolus to a lover is to tell that person that they have pierced your heart with passion and love.





Vase with Red Gladioli (1886) byVincent van Gogh

Flashback: Steel Magnolias

For nearly twenty-five years, no wedding day has been complete without at least one Steel Magnolias quote.  Amusingly, one of the more minor parts of the film has become a major part of our wedding lexicon.  Just a few of our favorites...

"My colors are blush and bashful."
Now, we do not suggest making the "sanctuary look like it's been hosed down with Pepto-Bismol," but using two shades of pink allows for a soft and romantic effect.

The Grooms Cake

Everyone remembers the armadillo grooms cake, it is a hard creation to forget.  Don't be afraid to get a little wild with the grooms cake if you choose to have one at your wedding.  The grooms cake is a chance to be whimsical, silly or artistic.  It is also a chance for the groom to but his mark on an event that, let's face it, is usually about the choices of the bride. 

Janice VanMeter:

"You know I'd rather walk on my lips than criticize anyone, bit Janice Van Meter...I bet you money she paid 500 dollars for that dress and didn't even bother to wear a girdle. Looks like two pigs fightin' under a blanket."

There is only so much you can control once the party begins.  Just lean into it and enjoy- this will only happen once and you deserve to have just as much fun as the rest of the gang!

Anything but Common

Queen Anne's Lace ~ Summer in the Queen City area would not be the same without it!  At first glance, Queen Anne's Lace looks to be a sturdy bloom, but look a little closer  and you can see the delicate tiny flowers that make up this Yellow Canary favorite!  It adds a delicate and earthy dimension to arrangements and bouquets. 


My Grandfather Stewart's favorite flower, I spent plenty of time as a child reaping this wild flower to present to him and in turn, he taught me about the workings of plants and flowers by allowing me to use food coloring in the bouquets' water and having me watch closely as the snowy white Queen Ann's Lace turned blue, green and yellow as it drew in water. Year after year, I never ceased to be amazed by this trick!  (VG)

The Story of Queen Anne's Lace   

Queen Anne was tatting white lace.  (Tatting is the all-but-lost art of making lace by hand.)  The beautiful white lace she was tatting became the white lacy flowers of thewild carrot plant.  She pricked her finger and one drop of blood oozed out.  This became the central dark red or purple sterile floret that is present on some, but not all, Queen Anne's Lace flowers. Legends disagree as to which Queen Anne was tatting such lovely lace.  Some say it was Anne (1574 - 1619), the first Stuart Queen Anne, who was brought over from Denmark at fourteen years of age to be a Queen to King James of Scotland.  Others argue  it was Anne (1665 - 1714), the daughter of William and Mary, and the last monarch in the Stuart line.

Two Unique Place Card Ideas

There are many ways to guide your guests to their chairs at your event.  Many people opt to have a laissez-faier attitude about seating at their event; let the guests choose their tablemates.  This is a good option for a small event in which most everyone is acquainted or for a buffet style dinner party.

For larger affairs, or ones in which many of the guests aren't acquainted, seating charts are the best way to ensure well matched guests or to alleviate any awkward searching for a place to sit!

The "Love Songs Birdcage" place card holders to the left really appeal to us at Yellow Canary- wonder why?

  At a recent Yellow Canary wedding, the couple used this hombre hydrangea platform to hold the seating cards with a beautiful outcome.