Tis the season – for engagements! If you are among the many who got engaged this New Year’s Eve, congratulations. So begins a year of planning, preparation and parties. As you begin the process of planning your dream day, you may find yourself wondering, “What’s next?” Here are some tips to get you started in the right direction.

Choose Your Colors

The first step in planning your wedding is choosing your colors. This is where the flowers, dresses and decor will all be decided. You have two options here. First is to go with colors that are “you,” that capture what you and your fiancé love. Second is to go with popular colors for the year.

The Pantone Color Institute has released its Color Report for the spring of 2016. This year’s colors are inspired by architecture, nature and the bold designs of artists, like Picasso and Frank Stella. Rose Quartz, peach Echo and Serenity lead the way with bold, yet at the same time subtle, hues. Study the 2016 colors to see what matches your tastes as you decide.

As you consider colors, make sure to consider flowers as well. People’s Flower Shops has a number of beautiful arrangements and options that will fit well with the spring color report, or you can choose a mix of them in a bouquet or arrangement.

Choose the Date

Once you have your colors and theme, it’s time to pick the date. Some factors to consider include availability of your chosen venue, travel schedules for important attendants and guests and your work schedules. Choose a time when most of your loved ones can come and you can easily get off of work for your honeymoon and other festivities.

Save the Date!

Once you have the date, send out save the date cards. This lets your guests know that you are planning a wedding for a particular weekend. In today’s busy society, this is a helpful tool to ensure that you have a number of your loved ones who are able to attend your special day.

At People’s Flower Shops, we want to wish you congratulations as you start off the New Year as an engaged couple. After the excitement of your newly engaged status has calmed a bit, come visit us to see our portfolio of wedding flowers, and start planning the flowers you will use on your special day.

Winter weddings and themes have gained popularity in recent years, along with the expected style and décor choices. While pinecones and simulated snowflakes can help to create a winter atmosphere, they are not the only way to approach your décor. Consider using these winter wedding ideas and stay on the leading edge of current trends:

Flower Choices

While roses and lilies are always a great flower choice for weddings in any season, many couples are thinking outside of the box and opting for unexpected choices. Fuller blooms and flower looks are trending right now, such as hydrangeas as a focal point instead of an accent flower, or ranunculuses for a softer, more serene look.

If the ornate, full look just isn’t for you, you can take it in a far more minimalist direction by working the exotic orchid into your decor. Phalaenopsis orchids can help to create a particularly elegant atmosphere.

Winter Wedding Colors

While white, red and green reflect the holiday season, take care not to let it become garish. If you love the Christmas season and want to play up this aspect of winter, this route is certainly an option for you. However, metallic color choices like silver, gold and bronze are trending this year for winter weddings. So are soft pastels of all your favorite hues.

Less is more, and you can still use white as an accent color with any of these options. Bouquets with metallic ribbon accents can create a truly elegant effect.

Ice it Up

The use of ice in the form of an ice sculpture at a wedding is nothing new, but have you ever considered using it in your centerpiece décor? An ice sculpture at every table is another winter wedding trend to consider, and you can surround the base with your favorite elegant flower blooms to continue the artful theme at the reception. Accenting the table with tea light candles can also enhance the elegance.

Invitation Art

Being showcasing your décor with special attention to the wedding invitations, playing up the best of the winter season. White with off-white and metallic accents can create a serene, stylish and classy look that is sure to impress. Embellish your invitation design with wintry touches like frosted vellum paper or thin Plexiglas etched with winter imagery. (Extra postage will apply.)

Winter weddings are more popular then ever, but there’s no need to blend in the with the crowd. Consider these trending winter wedding décor ideas, and contact People’s Florist to place your flower order.

Vintage wedding themes can take your special day to stylish places from days gone by. Whether you go all-vintage or opt for a blend of antique and contemporary elements, an antique style wedding is sure to take their breath away and create a truly memorable atmosphere for everyone who attends. Here are some décor, accent and flower ideas to help carry your theme through from the invitations to the ceremony to the reception:

Invitation Art

Create a vintage theme that begins the moment your guests receive their invitations by designing an old fashioned print or letterpress look on heavy rag paper. A bow or artfully tied twine on the invitation can be the perfect vintage accent. You might also consider using an old fashioned script or font to help create an antique look to help set the tone for your throwback wedding. A printed flower border that will mirror the flowers at your ceremony and reception can be another artistic touch for your wedding invitation design.

Vintage Centerpiece Accents

Containers from bygone eras can bring a vintage flair to your reception tables. Try antique glass vases, pewter mugs, silver containers, copper pots or vintage tea kettles as creative vessels for holding your flowers. An antique watering can or birdhouse can also be a delightful touch. Old fashioned oil lamps or lanterns instead of candles can also make for lovely throwback accents throughout your reception venue.

The Bride’s Style

The possibilities for vintage style for the bride are nearly endless. Consider a subtle, nuanced look with delicate layers of lace, or try a bolder, edgier pinup girl look with a fitted dress style and 1940s inspired hairstyle. Bring a vintage feel to your bridal bouquet by mixing traditional roses with other ornate flowers suitable for a “hanging” effect, such as orchids or lilies.

The Finishing Touches

When it comes to vintage style and accents, a little can go a long way. Less is more, and an understated effect can strike the perfect note and create the ideal throwback atmopshere. Antique crates overflowing with flowers near the gift table, vintage tea or baking canisters as candle holders, and antique table wear can all add to the effect.

A vintage wedding can take your style and décor back in time to borrow from some of the most elegant eras in history. Consider these vintage wedding style and décor ideas, and contact Peoples Flowers for all your floral needs.

Pink is a a traditional color used in weddings, but it is far from plain or boring. From lush peonies to classic, elegant roses – pink comes in as many floral forms as it does shades. Brides and grooms can choose elegant lilies or whimsical tulips; while also selecting from a spectrum of hues that range from the palest blush to the boldest hot pink. Deciding on a pink wedding is only the beginning of the romantic, vibrant and unique design options.

Colors are as responsible for the ambiance of the setting as any other element of your wedding. Soft pastel pinks combined with candlelight evoke a fairy tale aura; while lavender-pink or salmon shades will help to create an exotic or tropical feel. If you love the idea of pink but tend to stray from the ordinary, choose a deep pink with dark accents for a completely unique venue that celebrates your personality.

When decorating your event space, don’t be afraid to experiment and have fun. Serve a bright pink punch, or provide all male guests with coordinating boutonnieres. From lighting the dance floor to illuminating the tables, your colors can shine from unexpected places. And when decorating your cake, don’t forget to include the expert florists at People’s Flowers, who can provide soft rose petals or vibrant branches of blooms to transform your cake from dessert into the floral centerpiece of the event.

For your wedding, no detail is too small. Call People’s Flower Shops of Albuquerque for beautiful inspiration in utilizing floral arrangements and accents to guarantee the wedding of your dreams. Bouquets to altar flowers, we are your one-stop wedding florist.

Planning your wedding for autumn is one way to make your event stand out and become even more memorable for your family and guests. This year, there are some innovative wedding trends gathering momentum for autumn that can help you break from tradition in exciting and inspiring ways. Consider these fall floral ideas for your autumn wedding:

Expect the Unexpected

This year, autumn weddings will push contemporary flower designs and ideas further than ever before. Contemporary looks for bouquets, corsages, boutonnieres and wedding decor elements will be the norm. Instead of the expected symmetrical designs, look for non-geometric looks that are more eye-catching than ever before.

Pairing autumn blooms like chrysanthemums, daisies, asters and sunflowers with more traditional wedding flowers like roses, lilies and hydrangea is a trend you should consider. Don’t be afraid to juxtapose seemingly unrelated flowers; you just might be pleasantly surprised by the results, and so will your guests.

Consider Artful Contrast

Autumn wedding trends this year will bring a definite play on contrasts in floral design. Flowers in fall colors like orange, rust, yellow, gold and red will be combined with bright white or elegant antique tones for reception and wedding ceremony flowers. Pink or purple could also act as the perfect contrasting color for a bold, artistic effect.

The juxtaposition of autumn colors with more traditional wedding pastels is another possible design direction. This fall, it’s no longer about “either-or.” You can have it all! Bring together autumn flowers and colors with more traditional colors and blooms for a fresh, unique look. Purple and orange look gorgeous together and vibrate in a visually compelling way, so don’t be afraid to experiment with opposite ends of the color wheel.

Add Non-Flower Autumn Design Elements

Another beautiful counterpoint effect in autumn wedding flower design is the incorporation of non-floral elements along with lush, gorgeous blooms. Some of the favorite wedding centerpiece additions this autumn will be feathers, driftwood, artful sticks and twigs, catkins, autumn leaves, pine cones and cattails. Make your centerpieces even more dramatic this autumn by combining gorgeous flowers with any of these fall design elements. Copper and amber are also trending for fall this year; consider translucent amber candle or light holders and copper containers for your fall wedding centerpieces.

This year’s autumn wedding trends can help you to break with tradition in beautiful, memorable ways. Contact People’s Flowers for more ideas and inspiration for your fall wedding flower design.

Summer wedding season is just around the corner. While it may not seem like summer will ever arrive, wedding planning continues, nevertheless. Here at People’s Flower Shops, we’re excited to embrace top new summer wedding trends. We hope that our wedding clients are as excited as we are.

Bold Colors – A New Summer Trend

According to Bridal Guide, Pantone, the color guru of the fashion and design world, bright color is very trendy this year. Lavender is one of those colors that work well in rustic-themed weddings.

This majestic bouquet combines lighter shades of purple with deep pink, dark purple, creamy-white, and accents of green foliage. A bouquet like this lets a bride add a touch of color without going over the top – especially if she wants to wear a more traditional type of wedding dress. The color in the bouquet can open the door for a bride who wants to be daring by wearing brightly colored shoes.

Pantone Color Called Treetop

Pantone explains that natural green color speaks to fertility and new beginnings. This lush green lets brides incorporate nature into their wedding theme or bouquets, infusing their look with a bit of rustic naturalism. The deep green looks fantastic when it contrasts with other shades of green, as it does in this sophisticated bouquet of orchids, roses, mums, Bells of Ireland, and natural greenery.

Natural greenery bouquet

Blush – the 2015 Alternative to White

We aren’t suggesting that white or ivory are going anywhere – much less away. Those are THE traditional bridal colors, and they will always be an important option for brides who want to stick to tradition. Blush is an attractive alternative for brides who want to be different, edgy, or unique.

The Knot is showing several blush-colored dresses from different bridal gown designers. We love this new color and know that it will work with bouquets like a super elegant and sophisticated blush-colored bunch of Calla Lilies. Calla lilies are classic, but simple, and they are equally well-suited to casual or rustic weddings or very formal, white tie celebrations.

Introduce Touches of Nature

Consider something such as a whimsical infusion of bright colors and elements of nature – in the form of lemons and limes. The Knot shows unique centerpieces that combine brightly colored flowers in shades of yellow or green, in bubble bowls that are lined with slices of lemons or limes.

You could also do the same thing with oranges, and orange-colored flowers – one of the surprising new color trends for 2015. Incorporating sliced citrus into reception or cocktail hour arrangements adds a unique bit of elegance to less formal wedding receptions.

Are you looking for a bold, brilliant flower to add vibrant color to your wedding celebration? The bright pink of the stargazer lily fits the bill perfectly. Peoples Flower Shops will help you incorporate stargazers into your wedding flower plans, so you can showcase this bold, colorful bloom as part of your celebration.

A Flower Representing Celebration, Mystery and Purity

The stargazer is an ideal flower for weddings because of its symbolism. Legend has it that the flower’s creator did not maintain records of the lilies he used to create the hybrid, and thus the flower is shrouded in a sense of mystery. There is much mystery and wonder built into a wedding celebration as well, so this is a good fit.

The stargazer is also known to represent purity, something celebrated in the wedding ceremony as well. It has long been a flower associated with celebration, and what better celebration is there than the wedding celebration? The flower also comes in white, making it perfect for this theme!

Finally, the stargazer lily is the symbol of the fulfillment of a dream, and this is the true story of your wedding day. In every way, the stargazer is ideal for a wedding celebration.

Uses of Stargazer Lilies in Weddings

As you consider ways in which to incorporate the stargazer into your wedding, you will need to consider the size of this flower. Part of the reason it makes such a bold statement is the overall size of the bloom. This makes it a great fit for bouquets and table decor, but not as much for flowers that will be worn. Cascading bouquets filled with stargazers make a bold statement and draw the eye to the beautiful bride. The flower can also be built into contemporary and hand-tied bouquets, when designed carefully.

Of course, decor is a place where the stargazer can truly shine. As you plan the look of your event hall and reception hall, consider places where you can showcase this brilliant flower. Peoeples Flower Shops will be glad to help you design table and ceremony decor around the beautiful and fragrant stargazer lily.