It’s no secret we’re a sucker for wedding bouquets (flowers in general) and absolutely love working with Flowers by Lesley! Her work and attention detail is beyond impressive. We recently chatted with her about where her inspiration comes from when working with couples… “my inspiration comes from the selected venue, personality of the couple, and colors. I love pulling in non-traditional wedding floral to add some contrast”
She also shared some timeless wedding bouquets using some of her favorite floral recipes. Special thanks to Gian Carlo Photography for the photos!
Your wedding cake vignette is arguably one of the biggest parts of your event; I mean it has its own photo moment! So why not make your cake unforgettable with some rentals and a touch of style!
There are so many ways to make your wedding cake the star of the show. It could be as simple as renting a unique table or as ornate as creating an entire dessert buffet on display. Adding floral and small décor details can make all the difference.
Where you place your cake on the big day can also help in creating a dramatic statement. If you have a beautiful sweetheart table set-up why not incorporate your cake next to you? Does your venue have a cool and unique area but you don’t know how to utilize it? Your cake may be the perfect answer!
We would love to help with making your wedding cake a memorable moment! Check out the gallery below for some stunning (and delicious) cake vignette inspiration! <3
Be sure to check out our inventory for all the cake vignette options!
Love is sweet, but more importantly, so is your wedding cake!
We chatted with Michelle Crawford, Owner, Chef and Cake Artist of Bakers Cottage Cakes to go over all things delicious and learn a little more about her creative insights!
How did Bakers Cottage come to be?
“How much time do we have? ? It had been suggested that I should go to “cooking school”. My aunt was a very colorful lady and a bit rough around the edges, so when she made this suggestion, I believe it went something like, “You’re always making that “Foofoo Sh*t” (Can I say that?) and everyone seems to like it. I mean, I don’t like it but everyone else seems too” and well, crass or not, it planted the seed.
After earning a degree in Pastry and Baking, I worked as a baker at the Swan and Dolphin Hotel under a Chef that held the, “#1 Pastry Chef in the World” title and WOW, this was such an amazing experience!!! I went on to work for a small catering company as the pastry chef and it was there where I was bitten by the “Cake Bug”. I had the opportunity to make a few cakes and play with sugar art for the first time and I fell in love with the art of making cakes!
This was when I decided that if I put in the long hours working for myself that I had been dedicating to my employer, maybe I could build my own dream. I started off in my outdated tiny kitchen, which grew into having a small studio in my finished garage. From there, I juggled working from a commissary kitchen, my studio and office space I would rent to meet with clients. BUT… recently, as in the past couple of months, we have just moved into our own location! Yes Ma’am, we are OFFICIALLY a Wedding Cake Boutique!!!”
What made you fall in love with baking and cake decorating?
“Having the opportunity to create Edible works of Art! We eat with our eyes first, so it’s important to capture the attention of the guests who will eventually enjoy the cake. Sculpting Sugar Flowers is my all-time favorite thing to do!! I am obsessed with beautiful cakes and the detail that is in each complex cake design. “
Any trends you or your clients are loving?
“I love that our couples are being so imaginative lately! Even if they envision a more classic simplistic design, the hands-on approach with my client’s involvement with their designs excites me. If the design leans more towards an elegantly understated trend, then I get to play with the florals. The more elaborate a cake design the more playful I get to be, and I embrace any opportunity! I get to flex my artistic muscles.”
What’s your personal favorite cake flavor? Is there a crowd favorite amongst clients?
“This seriously depends on the time of year! Right now, I am all over our Vanilla Cake with Cinnamon Steusel, Apple Pie Filling and Swiss Meringue Buttercream!! Our Lemon Poppy Seed Cake with Blueberry Cream Cheese Filling and Swiss Meringue Buttercream is pretty tasty too. (You’ll find Alecia always asking for a slice of this ?)
However, our Coconut Cake with Berry Delicious Filling and French Meringue Buttercream is out of this world!!! Recently I have had one of the pair state that they really hated coconut, much to their partners dismay, who on all occasions, LOVED coconut. It tickles me, because the reaction is so extreme. On each and every occasion, they try our Coconut Cake and each time the partner that hated Coconut, LOVED IT! This weekend we have five weddings, four of them are with Coconut Cake!
A Client Favorite is definitely our Orange Almond Cake with Lavender Honey Caramel Filling. This is one of our Signature Flavors that I invented when I auditioned for the position as a pastry chef.”
How early do you recommend clients order their wedding cake?
“The earlier the better! We are usually one of the last vendors couples tend to book but we lose the opportunity to work with really wonderful people when they wait too long to reserve their order. One year may seem extreme, but it isn’t unheard of. Six months would be preferred for sure. “
The hanging cake chandelier, what gave you that idea? Would you say that is a signature of yours?
“Yes, It certainly has become a big thing for us! I came up with the idea when I walked into the Luxmore Grande Estate. A few months before visiting Luxmore, I had been doodling on a sketch pad one afternoon and sketched out a chandelier covered in flowers. I thought, wouldn’t this be a cool thing to do for a wedding. The very 1st time I walked into the Luxmore, my mouth dropped open seeing the amazing staircase. As I approached the passthrough, just under the landing, I told the person next to me, “someday I want to hang a cake right here”. They looked at me like “OK Crazy”. But HA! I got to do it! ?”
Want to see more of Michelle’s incredible wedding cake creations? Be sure to check out Bakers Cottage Cakes on Instagram + Facebook and let her know we sent you ?
Signature drinks are a fun wedding trend that everyone can get behind (who doesn’t love a thoughtfully crafted cocktail or mocktail!?), but oftentimes couples can get stuck in the rut of picking the same old thing.
Old Fashions and Vodka-Tonics are all well and good but this is your wedding day! So don’t be afraid to pick a signature cocktail that will make a statement and get all your guests talking.
Here are a few ideas on some new and trendy signature drinks plus some fun names to give them a wedding twist!
The Drinks
Recipe
Ice
1 oz gin
1/2 oz elderflower liquor, such as St. Germain
1/2 tbsp blackberry or raspberry jam
Squeeze of lemon
5–6 Fresh rosemary leaves
4 oz club soda
Sprig rosemary for garnish
In a shaker, add ice, gin, elderflower liquor, jam, lemon, and rosemary leaves. Shake vigorously to combine. Strain into a chilled coupe glass and top with club soda. Add a sprig of rosemary for garnish. Enjoy!
Recipe
2 oz Tequila
4 oz Mango-Orange juice
1/2 oz Grenadine syrup
Orange slice
Maraschino cherries
To a large glass, add the ice cubes, mango-orange juice, and tequila. Add the grenadine, which will sink to the bottom, so do not stir. Garnish and serve immediately.
Recipe
3 oz White Rum
3 oz Pineapple Juice
2 oz Orange Juice
1 oz Cream of Coconut
Nutmeg & Pineapple Leaves (Garnish)
Add all of the liquid ingredients to your cocktail shaker with a scoop of ice and shake for a few seconds. Pour everything from the shaker into a large glass. Top the glass with crushed ice, then grate fresh nutmeg over the top. Garnish with tall pineapple leaves.
Recipe
Lemonade
Champagne
Peach Vodka
Fresh Peach Slices (garnish)
Add vodka and lemonade to shaker with of ice and shake. Pour into a cocktail glass. Top with champagne, and garnish with fresh peach slices.
Mocktail Version – Omit the vodka & champagne, replace with Elderflower Tonic Water and Peach Juice. Stir the Lemonade and Tonic Water over ice in a cocktail glass, garnish with peach slices.
Lemonade
Peach Juice
Elderflower Tonic Water
Fresh Peach Slices (garnish)
I hope you loved all these delicious drink ideas! Add them to your big day and remember, all you need is love…and a good cocktail!
Blush wedding palettes are a tried and true trend that does not seem to be going anywhere. However, we do see this color design evolving with new style and ideas being introduced, allowing for blush décor to feel fresh!
Some new takes on the blush wedding we love are;
Modern décor and accents
Shades of pink
The mix of blush and black
Blush and jewel tones
The classic color also lends itself well to a variety of wedding vibes. Below are four popular décor styles.
We had the pleasure of providing rentals for Victoria & Jonathan’s southern garden inspired wedding, featured on Every Last Detail (head over there to see all the details from this wedding)! The event was hosted at Haus 820, an industrial warehouse for special events – giving this wedding a fun, modern twist!
From the planner: The vast dessert display was set on a vintage ice cream cart and featured a 4 tier, hand-painted cake to match the invitation suite and printed goods. The southern garden wedding was inspired by Victoria’s mother’s Charleston upbringing complete with a flower bucket display. Reminiscent of a flower market, the metal bucket stand filled with florals served as the seating chart for the evening. Small escort cards were connected to each bucket with tiny white flower magnets. The room was filled with romance from the soft blue and pastel tones, twinkling candlelight, crape myrtle trees lining the space, tall greenery centerpieces and an abundance of fluffy blooms throughout. At each place setting an etched charger sat beneath a blue hemstitch napkin wrapped between white dinner plates and mismatched vintage salad plates that tied in beautifully with hints of soft pastels in the blooms.
Anytime we get to dress up Cypress Grove Estate House, we’re excited. Oh, but when we get to design with new tables and chairs **slow clapping*** YES!! Our Kylie farmhouse tables and sand Louis chairs were the perfect addition to this blush and copper color palette.
Styling tip: mix the metals and step away from traditional vessels
We brought in some vintage candlesticks to eclectically clash with the copper flatware. Flowers by Lesley use blush ceramic vessels from our styling inventory for the arrangements. And let us not overlook the tall tapers to add a little touch of drama!
Shout out to our pals at Dishie Rentals for the blush stoneware and copper flatware!
Yes, we’re pickers; we’re always sourcing and gathering new items for our vintage inventory. During our downtime, you’ll find us at local antique fairs, boutique shops, and flea markets on the hunt for unique pieces to add to our inventory. We found three of these guys below at a flea market outside of Orlando.
As we were walking through, I passed them several times. They were filthy, tarnished, missing wheels and needed a lot of TLC… When one of our stylist spotted them, she immediately saw potential and came up with a plan to refurbish the pieces for an upcoming wedding.
After a few weeks in the shop, it was refurbished and named Iceland. Potential is in the eye of the beholder 😉
Our stylist, Dede, partnered with Flowers by Lesley to create a floral stand. The floral stand would allow guests to grab the blooms of their choice to take home after the event. Wax kraft paper was provided for the guests to package their selections.
Special thanks to AIS Portraits for the stunning photos.
Our bohemian brides love The Acre Orlando, almost as much as we do for weddings + social events. After all, what’s not to love. According to their site:
The Acre is a rustic, one-acre urban sanctuary and gathering space located in Orlando, Florida’s historic College Park neighborhood. This unsuspecting venue location is a hidden gem complete with rustic charm and wild landscape perfect for any celebration. The Acre is within reach of Disneyworld and Universal Studios, the beaches of Daytona and Cocoa, Florida’s Space Coast, and natural wonders like Central Florida’s crystalline springs and verdant national parks. Experience Orlando.
The space below is their Mirror Patio – it’s covered with ivy walls complete with outdoor fireplace. Our design team added a macrame chandelier above the feasting table. Our feasting table was dressed with Shibori inspired linen from Nuage Designs and an array of eclectic centerpieces.
We’ve been obsessed with shades of blue for quite some time – naturally, we were excited when the chosen palette included textiles (full of texture) in warm shades of blue. The table arrangements featured gold cacti, terrariums, blue pottery filled vases protea and exotic wild flowers. We decided to keep the table design eclectic by blending wood table chargers with crystal coupes and sleek flatware.
***did you peep the hanging macrame in the “windows” – it was a perfect accent to their ivy wall. When designing, our stylist will help you enhance and bring out the natural elements of your chosen venue. You know, like hanging macrame in open spaces.
Nicole and Michael held their outdoor wedding at Cypress Grove Estate House! Featuring one of my most favorite colors – merlot! This rich hue made an appearance in their stationery suite and throughout the floral. It was even in their specialty rentals from our inventory.
Pro tip :: incorporating your color palette or a particular design into your invites gives guests a taste of what to expect at your wedding.
Our floral bestie, Lesley with Flowers by Lesley, dreamed up a simple but oh, so romantic ceremony-scape. It was complete with flowy white draping and gorgeous gazebo arrangements. Not to mention, the lovely lush garland to drape the back row of seating.
And can we talk about how gorgeous these bridesmaids bouquets are? Above all, the hanging amaranthus is the perfect touch!
The vintage rentals selected was a mix of rented sofas + chairs from our Chicago and Santa Rosa collections. They also rented farmhouse tables, crossback chairs, and copper chargers to add a pop of color. In addition to, great texture in the reception space.Pro tip :: feature a mix of traditional rounds with rustic farm tables for a unique reception look.Photos: Ais Portraits
Xoxo,
Kim
From weddings, to searching for the perfect inventory, to bridal shows and everything in between, this year has proved to be one for the books! To celebrate the coming new year we’re recapping some of our favorite moments from 2016:
Can’t have Autumn without pumpkins now can you!? How about a fall inspired wedding? If your wedding style involves a seasonal touch, these pumpkins infused into centerpieces, aisle decorations, and venue details can make a statement without being cheesy. A few of our favs – pumpkin guest sign in, escort cards/favors, and monogrammed pumpkins!
When you partner with some of the best in the biz {like KT Crabb} for an inspiration shoot you end up with simply magical images! Golden beams of light, ethereal details, and an intimate location made this one of our most romantic styled shoots yet!
Whether it’s bold blooms, unique elements {like herbs or veggies}, or an eye-catching design, we’re always excited to see the creations florists dream up for our clients. One of our latest favs – this bridal arrangement from Bluegrass Chic. It was the perfect combination of southern staples and summertime florals!
It’s time to continue on our ‘Table of the Month’ series. Hooray! September is sort of an odd month…it officially becomes Fall, but it’s still hot as can be here in Florida. Since it’s somewhat of a “transition” month, we wanted that to translate into our table designs. By incorporating a rich color, such as marsala, with a light blush hue, we were able to do just that! Flowers by Lesley made our almost-Fall dreams come true!
For our very first look, we combined hues of marsala and blush with gold touches. We used a lovely Blush Lamour linen from Over The Top, along with the Bordeaux Lamour napkins from GBS Linens. At each place setting, we featured Gold Rim glass chargers with darling gold flatware from Orlando Wedding & Party Rentals. Also at each place setting are dinner plates from the Luxmore Grande Estate. We just love how the deep red napkins pop on top of the china and blush linen. Now for the best part… the flowers! Lesley started off by arranging the pretty blooms in a circle, with clear glass candle votives of varying heights in the center. *swoon!* To finish the look, we added Gold Chiavari chairs to tie in the gold touches.
For our second table design, we coupled marsala and champagne together. These hues complimented each other quite nicely, and we even incorporated a dash of blush. To start, we used our Gregory farm table, which is one of our favorite pieces. Down the middle of the table, you’ll see a Champagne Micro Matte Sequin runner from Over the Top. Also in the middle, you can see the floral that Lesley stretched out from our first design, to make more of a garland look. Our favorite part of the floral design has to be the Red Amaranthus – it’s the droopy pieces of floral that you see throughout the arrangement! At each place setting, there is a Copper charger from Orlando Wedding & Party Rentals, along with a Blush Lamour napkin from GBS Linens. We think the French Country Chairs complimented the design and farm table beautifully.
Last but not certainly not least, our third design showcases marsala paired with touches of greenery. We started off with our greenery walls, Fern, to make a statement in the background. In front of the walls, we placed one of our sweetheart tables, Monroe. Lesley converted the garland onto the sweetheart table, and made it drip off the front of the table a bit. We recently discovered this Ivory Organza runner from GBS Linens, and we think it’s stunning across farm tables. At each place setting, we used the Gold Rimmed glass charger again, along with some of our mismatched china, and Bordeaux Lamour napkins from GBS Linens. We think the Silver Industrial chairs add a different element to the design, and we can’t get enough of them! To complete the look, Lesley brought in the clear glass candle votives, and added a bit of floral and greenery to the chairs.
We hope you enjoyed our September tables! If you happened to miss last month’s design, take a peek here!
Our floral bestie, Lesley with 
Vendor Team :: 
Photo: 
Chocolate Sunflower | Antique Green Hydrangea | Purple Cabbage | Peach Stock
Thistle | Verbinum Snowball | Peach Spray Roses
