“Meet the winners and view all the entries in our 21st annual contest.”
The pictures captured from a wedding depict hundreds of idyllic moments that will be reflected upon and cherished by a couple for years to come. Any floral designer lucky enough to be part of such a special day creates the bridal bouquets, wearable flowers, floral-draped reception tables and lushly blooming arches that bring those moments and, ultimately, the photos to life.
For the last 21 years, Florists’ Review has had the privilege of sharing the exquisite design work of hundreds of talented florists with you, and the floral artistry seen among this year’s entrants is no exception. The entries offer a diverse range of flower-forward styles, cutting-edge trends and exciting color combinations that give us an insightful snapshot into the weddings of today and beyond.
Best Wedding
BEST WEDDING
Leah McDaniel
Black Sheep Gardens Floral Design
Plattsburgh, N.Y.
Ceremony Site and Reception Venue: Lake Placid Lodge; Lake Placid, N.Y.
Date: August 24, 2019
Number in Wedding Party: 2
Number of Guests: 90
Approximate Retail Floral Value: $28,000
Photos: Johanna Rosenlew Photography and Alexandria Eigo Photography
Playing off the nostalgic color palette in the coming-of-age film, Moonrise Kingdom, by Wes Anderson, Plattsburgh, N.Y. floral designer Leah McDaniel, of Black Sheep Gardens Floral Design, honored her bride and groom’s desire for a fresh vintage look by incorporating “as many local flowers as possible” at the picturesque Lake Placid Lodge for this warm August wedding. From the lush hanging floral chandeliers to the full blooming ceiling over the dance floor, McDaniel incorporated complementary muted shades of pink, peach, ivory, pale blue and sage green with subtle pops of rust and burgundy throughout both the ceremony and reception space, as well as within the uber-textural bouquets, boutonnières and other accents.
While the dance-floor ceiling was truly a site to behold – fully covered in salal, plumosa fern and hundreds of fresh stems of pale pink and white larkspur as well as pale blue Delphinium – McDaniel said, “The ceremony arch was my absolute favorite.”
A full moon-gate arch set just in front of the water’s edge of Lake Placid was designed with groupings of ‘Baby Blue’ and seeded Eucalyptus, pale-pink and white larkspur, burgundy Amaranthus, pampas grass, light-blue Delphinium and yellow-ivory garden roses. Loose arrangements of pale-pink roses, light-blue Delphinium, larkspur and pampas grass lining the aisle of scattered ivory rose petals completed the breathtaking ceremony site.
Moving into the dining space, McDaniel designed huge teardrop-shaped floral chandeliers ringed with pampas grass; pale peach, pink and ivory garden roses; and hanging burgundy Amaranthus. Dining tables featured low centerpieces, each one playing off the muted warmer colors, with pale-pink reflexed roses, ‘Sunset’ Dahlia, rust Amaranthus and Eucalyptus gunnii, with yellow Craspedia and mauve mulla-mulla accents complementing the Wedgwood blue taper candles in contemporary gold holders.
Our judges loved the exquisite use of texture and botanical materials used throughout this winning wedding, with the florals enhancing the natural beauty of the Lake Placid venue in a complementary and cohesive way.
Best Bouquets
BEST BOUQUETS
Danielle Kunkel
Dietz Floral Studio
Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio
Ceremony and Reception Site: Red Space; Cleveland, Ohio
Date: September 28, 2019
Number in Wedding Party: 12
Number of Guests: 250
Approximate Retail Floral Value: $4,500
Photos: Hannah Baldwin Photography
Juxtaposing a clean white industrial space with a chic, bohemian vibe sums up this late September wedding at Cleveland, Ohio’s artsy Red Space event venue perfectly. Designer Danielle Kunkel, of Dietz Floral Studio in Cuyahoga Falls, said the couple was looking for a fun boho vibe where “pampas grass was a must!” And Kunkel delivered – with this stunning bouquet featuring a lush achromatic color scheme of both silver-dollar and ‘Baby Blue’ Eucalyptus, plumosa fern, salal, white Ranunculus, white roses and white micro Lisianthus, with unexpected architectural cotton boll accents and, of course, pampas grass.
“It was such fun to do,” Kunkel said. “And so nice to work with a bride who wasn’t afraid to do something different.” Our judges most certainly agreed. They loved the depth achieved within this winning bouquets, noting that the color scheme “works exceptionally well because of the surprise elements of cotton bolls mixed with Eucalyptus. And the pampas grass plays well as a texture and trend-forward accent.”
Best Reception
BEST RECEPTION
Kristen Janes
Kio Kreations
Plainfield, Ill.
Ceremony and Reception Site:
Siegel’s Cottonwood Farm; Lockport, Ill.
Date: October 6, 2019
Number in Wedding Party: 13
Number of Guests: 100
Approximate Retail Floral Value: $7,500
Photos: Gina Whalen Photography
Opulent, romantic blooms in a medley of pinks and sage greens, with a hint of burgundy undertones, perfectly complemented Stephanie and Ed’s rustic 100-year-old-barn reception in October at Siegel’s Cottonwood Farm in Lockport, Ill. Incorporating Dahlia specially from the bride’s family’s company, Skyline Flowers, was on the must-have list, explained Kio Kreations’ designer Kristen Janes, who enjoyed working with Stephanie on her distinct vision.
“We discovered that we share the same birthday,” Janes said. “We were meant to work together.”
And this karmic partnership resulted in stunning arrangements featuring varying tints of blush roses, burgundy Agonis and wine-colored Dahlia, with silver-dollar and seeded Eucalyptus as well as Italian Ruscus throughout the reception space, highlighting the barn’s dramatic white draping and centerpiece chandelier. Floral-rimmed guest cardholders, lush centerpieces in gold footed compotes and flower-forward hoops accented the back of the bar area. Abundant garlands of silver-dollar and seeded Eucalyptus, Italian Ruscus, roses and Lisianthus in ombre shades of white to dark pink served as a dramatic addition to the railings of the barn’s focal staircase, as well as on the couple’s rectangular sweetheart table. Our judges loved the earthy yet casual foraged-floral style of this winning reception.
Best Ceremony
BEST CEREMONY
Randi Reifel, TMF
Floral Designs by Randi
Burnet, Texas
Assistant Designers: Chelsea Valdez, Imelda Ramirez,
Rachel Holcomb and Erica Crist
Ceremony and Reception Site: Horseshoe Bay Resort; Horseshoe Bay, Texas
Date: March 23, 2019
Number in Wedding Party: 10
Number of Guests: 200
Approximate Retail Floral Value: $12,000
Photos: Danielle Paynter Photography
A meandering flower-lined pathway leading to a breathtakingly lush moon gate, under a pergola, overlooking the shores of Lake LBJ marked the ceremony space for Brittany and Ken’s Texas Hill Country nuptials at Horseshoe Bay Resort. Randi Reifel, TMF, of Floral Designs by Randi in Burnet, Texas, was asked to create an enchanted fairy-tale-inspired scene for the March ceremony, which she easily achieved with arrangements bursting with ivory Hydrangea, white Dendrobium orchids, peach-colored tulips and Ranunculus, tonal roses, and Italian Ruscus, with a hot-pink pop of spray roses on tall water-filled glass cylinders lining both sides of the aisle. The bride’s entrance was carpeted with white and hot-pink rose petals – festively strewn by no less than six adorable flower girls in one-shoulder ivory tulle ballgowns – adding to the ethereal quality of the scene. The moon gate – truly the ceremony’s stunning focal point – was completely adorned in florals similar to the aisle arrangements but incorporated more of the hot-pink roses throughout. Our judges noted how the monochromatic color scheme with pops of the deeper pink really added dimension to the setting and how the rose petals and floral vases lining the aisle created an intimate, fairy-tale-like quality to this “best ceremony.”
Best Wearable Flowers
BEST WEARABLE FLOWERS
Kelly Bishop
Buds & Blooms by KMB Designs
El Centro, Calif.
Ceremony Site: Le Tournesol; Brawley, Calif.
Reception Venue: Stockmen’s Club of Imperial Valley;
Brawley, Calif.
Date: February 16, 2019
Number in Wedding Party: 12
Number of Guests: 200
Approximate Retail Floral Value: $1,700
Photos: Ruth Marie Photography
The beautiful rustic landscape of Brawley, Calif.’s Le Tournesol farm was the ideal backdrop for this lush vintage garden wedding in February. Kelly Bishop, of Buds & Blooms by KMB Designs, worked closely with the bride and groom to create an elegant mix of the bride’s favorite flowers, which include white Anemone and Queen Anne’s lace. Bishop added a springtime pop of pink roses and Veronica, navy-blue Eryngium, dusty miller, Brunia, Hypericum berries and silver-dollar Eucalyptus. From the single feather in the groom’s boutonnière, to signify his love of hunting, to the bride’s penchant for lace and velvet ribbons, our judges appreciated the wonderful use of texture and color created in the wrist corsages and boutonnières, giving these winning wearables a refreshing look.
