I really believe Alaska is a big state with a small-town feel. When I first met bride Ali at our consultation I realized I had taught her French when she was in middle school.

After a few descriptions of her floral vision and some Pinterest photos I was pretty excited to work on her and her fiancé’s wedding.

Blush, cream, pink, pale blue — a soft palate with exquisite blooms from garden roses to peonies.

I always learn something new with each large event I do. This time around it was hydrangeas. I must have lucked out last year when I used them for a wedding, because when I bought a test bloom earlier in the week, the following morning it was dead and droopy.

I did some internet research and tried four techniques. The next morning the hydrangea was completely restored, like some sort of zombie flower. Here’s what I did:

1. Cut the stem at an extreme angle
2. Dip the end of each stem in boiling water for 30 seconds
3. Cut a 1-inch slit up the middle of the stem end
4. Place bloom in lukewarm water
5. Spray the blooms with a water mister (hydrangeas absorb water through their petals. Thanks for the tip, Jones Design Company!)

I don’t know if it was a single step or all the steps that worked, but I meticulously cared for my bride’s beautiful blue hydrangeas with complete success.

The bride wanted pale pink and white peonies in her bouquet. Lisianthus was the perfect flower to accompany the divas of the bouquet without drawing away any attention from them. Fluffly limonium was a dainty filler and something different from the ubiquitous baby’s breath (which makes an appearance in the aisle arrangements). Seeded eucalyptus and bright green salal added different shades of green to the arrangement.

Typically the bridesmaids’ bouquets are smaller versions of the bridal bouquet, but Ali chose something special. She had light blue hydrangeas in their bouquets, which contrasted amazingly with their pink organza dresses.

The boutonnières were simple spray roses, limonium and Italian ruscus.

The groom had a special bout consisting of a single peony bloom. Unfortunately the one peony bud I had was browning and couldn’t be used so I found myself in a bit of a pickle. I remembered the restaurant down the road from my house has peonies in their front garden and the manager was gracious enough to let me have one of their buds.

The flower girls’ crowns were baby’s breath and spray roses. Just too cute!

I don’t often get to see the bridal party but today was a lovely exception. I really enjoy seeing my work in context. It really makes it worth the hard work.