Beautiful and Unique Flowers by Blumin

Have you every wondered what it must be like to plan a wedding which is to be held in a different country to that which you currently reside in? Well, this is the challenge that faced Canadian Rebecca as she planned her Melbourne wedding to Fiance Paul. Of course the Internet became an invaluable tool, and when it came to planning the flowers for her big day Rebecca found one of our favourites, Blumin in our Boutique Wedding Guide.

When Sandy rang me to tell me a Bride-to-Be in Canada found her through our website, I was thrilled. We love hearing from our members about weddings they are part of through being listed on Portobello, so it  was very exciting for us at Portobello and the ladies at Blumin to hear from a couple overseas.

Sandy and the team's initial brief was: “We are hoping to achieve a rustic but classic style for our outdoor garden wedding and would like the flowers to reflect this. We would also like to keep to seasonal flowers grown locally wherever possible and noticed this is something you do!". The rest of the arrangements were handled over the internet and by phone. Then, in March the big day arrived. Here are some gorgeous photos by Njoy The Moment of the celebration.

“Echinacea flower heads” were used as they were always in bloom when Rebecca visited Melbourne from Canada. Raspberry coloured Dahlias and Blackberries were a key theme, and the use of old fashioned mason-type glass vases for the outdoor setting.

Rebecca and Paul were delighted with their flowers on the day. It might be daunting organising a wedding away from home, but the key is to find a suppier who understands the theme and styling you are after and to leave it in their capable hands! The Portobello Bride Boutique Wedding Guide is a great place to begin your search for a quality and unique suppliers if we do say so ourselves!

Thanks to Sandy from Blumin for sharing this great story with us and to Njoy The Moment for sharing the gorgeous images.

Mother's Day Special Offer - from Blumin and MOR Cosmetics

[image from Blumin]

Straight from the Heart for Mums

With Mother’s Day just a week away here in Australia, we thought it a great time to look at the traditions of the celebration, and let you know about a great Mother's Day offer from MOR Cosmetics and Portobello Bride Member Blumin.

Our most modern story says the day started in the early 1900’s. A young spinster and her sister, in Philadelphia, had recently lost their mother to illness and proclaimed their vision of establishing a universal "Mother's Day" as a way of honouring Mothers, past and present. With her friends, she started a letter-writing campaign to urge ministers, businessmen and congressmen to declare a national Mother's Day holiday. She hoped Mother's Day would increase respect for parents and strengthen family bonds. The first official Mothers Day was celebrated on May 10, 1908 with its base in a Methodist church in West Virginia, USA.


 This Mother’s Day, Blumin has teamed up with MOR Cosmetics, to offer a Mother’s Day Gift 
 “Straight from the Heart” so you can say a genuine thank you to your Mum or someone special. The offer includes a beautifully styled bouquet of bright and luscious blooms paired with a fabulous reusable vintage-style heart-shaped tin containing a MOR soapette and hand cream, all with the stunning and true fragrance of nature!

Choose from the two special MOR products:
    •    Lychee Flower – (pink heart tin) sparkling sweet lychee flowers united with ripe Berries, soft powdery florals and the slightest hint of Green Forest Woods.
    •    Marshmallow – (black heart tin) – the soft, romantic scent of Marshmallow, Vanilla Musk and Sugar dipped Rose Petals

Bouquet & Heart Tin $85.00 plus Delivery
Or Bouquet only $65.00 plus Delivery
Last orders taken Wednesday May 4.
(VIC region only)

To order contact the wonderful team at Blumin:

Mobile:  0405 032 566
Email: info@blumin.com.au

Website: www.blumin.com.au

Valentine's Day, A Celebration of Love through Flowers

 [©Blumin]

The origins of Valentine’s Day are steeped in history, with many popular symbols surviving from days gone by; Cupids, Doves, Crimson Red Colours, Hearts pierced by Arrows, Cherubs and Red Roses. So whether it be from the days of the Roman Empire or the romantic Gothic Times, the world’s notion of idealised love has given us one of the most romantic days of the year – Valentine’s Day.

In the Victorian era, Valentine's Day was celebrated with the giving of "Tussie Mussies" - posies of flowers that held a hidden message and were decoded through the “the secret language of flowers” - the meaning given to specific flower varieties and colours. A luxurious red rose, a simple Summer dandelion or a collection of lavender and herbs all provided a different meaning intended for one’s Valentine and are a charming custom even today.

Some flowers decoded are:
Yellow Acacia - Secret Love   
Globe Amaranth - Unfading Love
Bluebell - Consistency
Pink Carnation - Woman’s Love
Red Chrysanthemum - I Love You
Dandelion - Love’s Oracle
Forget Me Not - True Love
Rose - Love
Strawberry Tree - Esteem and Love
Red Tulip - Declaration of Love


The modern Valentine’s Day holds an interesting statistic as being one of the most popular days for wedding proposals - the second most popular being Christmas Day.  It is also becoming more popular as a wedding date, with themes often including the Valentine red or perhaps a more vintage and demure selection of antique pastels and muted tones.

You don’t have to keep to modern traditions of “red” for the day.  Aside from the traditional Valentine’s red rose, for which you are charged a premium, you can also choose from many seasonal, locally-produced bouquets and floral themes that can be even more exquisite. Why not consider berries, grasses, fragrant flowers and textured foliage to ensure your gift this Valentine’s Day is unique, sentimental and definitively gorgeous!?


A big thank you goes out to Sandy from Blumin for helping us out with this info!

Portobello Bride Member Blumin at Flowerwild's Fall Workshop

Today we have a treat for you! Portobello Bride Member Sandy from Blumin is here to share with us about her experience at the renowned Flowerwild Workshop late last year. Here is what Sandy has to say:

Recently featured on Once Wed’s blog was Blumin’s  floral bouquets and arrangements photos of which were taken at Flowerwild Design’s Fall workshop. This fabulous workshop was  held in a tranquil Spanish style retreat in Santa Barbara, California late in 2010.  Kate Holt, Flowerwild’s owner and floral designer, gathered together some of the finest vendors in the wedding industry, including Duet Weddings, to cover current styling trends and Jose Villa and Joel Serrato, to overview how to get the best photos and cinematography for a spectacular visual of the day. 
 

The experience was unique, creative and liberating and introduced a number of new design techniques and way of thinking which the American brides can’t get enough of and which Australian brides will  love.  Colour is “in” for the popular and evergrowing “Fall (or Autumn for us downunder) Brides”.   Textures and colours are not limited to flowers, with the inclusion of grasses, berries and fragrant foliage.
 

What was overwhelming was the sentiment, ensuring authenticity for weddings, especially highlighted in the bridal flowers -rich vintage, retro ribbons and old fashioned flowers from our grandparents days embody the spirit of new bridal trends coming through from the USA. With this new found liberation and experiencing  an “aha” moment Blumin continues its quest to inspire and create floral designs which are free flowing, seasonal, natural and simply gorgeous.

There is a new style of bride and a new style of wedding emerging in the States and Portobello Bride is passionate about bringing that style to Australia. Kate Holt and her team are very excited and supportive of what they see Portobello Bride is setting out to achieve. This makes us excited as these are the people "in the know"!

We are so proud that Sandy from Blumin, who has now trained under these wedding visionaries, will be at our Boutique Wedding Market in Melbourne on March 26 and 27! Purchase your tickets now! Portobello Bride is all about bringing cutting edge style and quality to Australian Brides.