Dessert First

Last week we had the privilege of enjoying some of Sara Belle's cupcakes over brunch, and with the heavenly taste of almond roca and lemon cream lingering on our tongues, we decided it's time for another roundup of wedding cakes we love. 

Because our main focus is floral design, we adore a tiered cake topped with cascades of lush flowers, but vintage inspiration is still close to our hearts, and lately playful, modern cake design has been catching our collective eye as well. 

The perfect amount of sweetness. 

Elizabeth's Expert Advice: Carnation Garlands

We love carnations, and we don't care who knows it. 

Lately they've been coming back in a big way, showing up on ruffled cakes, in thickly strung garlands and as ceremony and altar backdrops. 

Image by Bill McCullough; Flowers by La Fleur Vintage

Image via Pinterest

From Martha Stewart Weddings

Carnations en masse are a beautiful thing. While it's certainly easier to step back and let your florist spend hours stringing these little flowers together, this is something that you could turn into a DIY project if you have a few hours to spare (and resilient fingertips). Here's how: 

Flower of the Week

Camellia

In the eyes of the Chinese, the symmetrical petals of the camellia flower reflect the spirit of a lady, and the calyx holding the petals represents the young man who will protect her. The calyx of most plants remains after the petals have dropped, but the camellia's calyx falls with the petals when the flower dies. This symbolizes an everlasting union between lovers. In many parts of China, the camellia is considered the most favorable flower to be worn by young people to attract a marriage partner. 

Camellias became the height of fashion as a corsage in 1940s America. In Temple City, California, the first Camellia festival was celebrated in 1945, with people gathering to admire vast floats of flowers. Annual camellia festivals spread across the United States in this decade and in the 1950s. 

Unlike some flowers, which can have negative as well as positive meanings, camellias always symbolize good fortune. Not only are they emblems of love, but they are also lucky, especially when presented to a man. 

The beauty of Camellia flowers inspired Victorian lovers to choose them to express decoration, but different flower colors varied in meaning:

The pink camellia: "I long for you"

The red camellia: "You are a flame in my heart"

The white camellia: "You are adorable"*

*Excerpt from The Secret Language of Flowers, by Samantha Gray

Attention!

Hey Austin friends! As many of you know, we no longer offer gift items in our shop, so we're converting our front room to another work/studio space! This means we're selling most of our vintage furniture. We have everything from vintage lamp posts and birdcages to a gorgeous hand-carved wooden cabinet - come take a peek!

Friday Roundup

Welcome, Friday! You were sorely missed - and from now on we'll be adding a little something to our Friday Link Love - a peek at our week through the eyes of Instagram! 

1. Craftin' 2. Wedding tags, made with love by our lovely intern Abby 3. That key lime tart didn't last 5 minutes. 4. Craspedia, the eternal trend. 5. Maybe our favorite summer wedding look so far. 6. Cupcakes and strawberries - the best kind of breakfast. 

As for what we loved around the internet this week, read and enjoy, my friends. 

Keri Smith's post on the pressures of creation, energy and self-promotion in creative industries, Ecstatic Flailing, is well worth a read.

We've been swooning over the stills from what may be the most gorgeous movie ever, Baz Luhrman's remake of The Great Gatsby, all week.

The always lovely Danielle of Sometimes Sweet has added a new feature to her blog: Literate and Stylish.

Loving this video of the Pronovias fashion show in Barcelona!  

This Palm Beach wedding is classic and gorgeous - and the flower girl's look is both adorable and totally cool. Not many ladies can rock a t-shirt as part of a formal look, but this little one pulls it off. 

Speaking of cool, Bri Emery's outtakes from her style series are major fashion inspiration. 

Have a great weekend, y'all!

Color Love: Pomegranate and Fig

Today's inspiration board was inspired by the lush burgundy colors of pomegranates and figs. We think this fall color palette would work perfectly with a luxe barn wedding - a space that's a little raw and rustic, completely made over with glam chandeliers, a luscious but unfussy fruit-topped cake, little touches of burlap amidst the sparkle, and a groom in a velvet bow tie. Flaw free. 

Know Your Flowers!

As awesome as Pinterest is, we're noticed something kind of funny happening over there: a tendency to call certain beautiful blooms by the wrong name. Because we want your floral photos to be as re-pinnable as possible, the La Fleur Vintage team is here to set the record straight. Listen ladies (I'm a lady, she's a lady, you're a lady, we're the ladies!):  peonies are not garden roses are not ranunculus are not poppies are not anemones. 

We love you guys, but please don't make this mistake ever again.

Real Weddings: Mike & Laura

We have such a lovely wedding to share with you guys today! Mike and Laura held their wedding at Laguna Gloria, with an intimate seated dinner in lieu of a large reception. Their colors were beautiful shades of blue and green, which fit with Laguna Gloria's peaceful, natural setting gorgeously. 

Flower of the Week

Viburnum

Viburnum opulus

Viburnum, commonly referred to as snowball bush, is highly similar in appearance to hydrangea. It is an extremely popular landscaping plant, due to its dramatic appearance as a large bush with hundreds of pompom-like blooms on each bush.

Viburnum is a national symbol of Ukraine, and is frequently mentioned in Ukrainian folklore, art and traditional embroidery. Kalyna, the plant's name in the Ukrainian language, is referenced in the title of the Ukrainian Insurgent Army's anthem: Chervona Kalyna.

The history of viburnum's link to Ukrainian culture can be traced back to the beginning of Slavic paganism. According to Slavic mythology, Kalyna was associated with the birth of the universe as part of the Fire Trinity: the Sun, the Moon and the Star, with the berries of the flowering bush symbolizing blood and family roots. Kalyna is also a symbol of the beauty of young women in Ukrainian culture. 

Friday Link Love!

1. How cute are these poppy mugs? A perfect compliment to our Flower of the Week!

2. An opinion piece on modern communication entitled The Flight from Conversation and this response over at The New Inquiry both make for interesting reads. 

3. LOVE this behind the scenes look at Facebook's design strategy.

4. These photos of Marrakech, Morocco over at the Glamourai are incredible.

5. The Renegade Craft Fair is in Austin this weekend! 

6. This embroidered strawberry necklace is possibly the most precious piece of jewelry on earth. 

Have a wonderful weekend!

Color Love: Persimmon & Sage

We know many brides looking for inspiration right now are planning autumn weddings, and this is a perfect fall color palette: shades of green in mint and sage, natural browns and peaches and bright pops of persimmon. This would be perfect for a rustic outdoor bash!

Jenny created this bouquet to accompany our new favorite color combo, made of Juliet garden roses, Sunset garden roses, peonies, orange spray roses, white ranunculus, cottage yarrow, eucalyptus and pecan leaves. 

Garden Roses

Garden Roses are hybrid roses that are bred to have uniques qualities that make them just a little more special than your average red rose - there are hundreds of varieties, some of which are truly spectacular.  We (almost) always have several varieties in the shop because they are such a delight to behold, and they really up the 'wow' factor in bouquets and arrangements. 

Expert Advice: Paper Flowers!

All this rain we've been getting in Austin lately has meant spending a few grey days occupying ourselves with cute crafts! Making these paper flowers were a cheery way to spend an afternoon, and they turned out perfectly precious, don't you think?

Continue on to see how we made them! 

Bridal Portraits

How stunning does Savanna look in her bridal portraits? 

Read on for info about the bouquet and location!

Flower of the Week

Poppies

Papaveraceae

Long symbolic of eternal life, poppies were placed in ancient Egyptian burial tombs. The ancient Greeks offered poppies to Demeter, the goddess of fertility, and Diana, goddess of the hunt. Greek athletes were given a mixture of poppy seeds, honey, and wine. The Romans also believed that poppies could help to heal a broken heart.

Friday Link Love

1. This triple waterfall in Lebanon is i n c r e d i b l e. 

2. Central Texas Harley is putting on a benefit tomorrow (May 12) for APD Officer Jaime Padron's family - this is an all day event that includes music, bbq and activities for kiddos, and is a great way for us all to show some love and support for a local family. 

3. This modern, graphic wedding is a new favorite! 

4. Ballet Austin will be performing Romeo and Juliet for Mother's Day weekend. 

5. We adore this Design Sponge column about floral arrangements inspired by great loves - and we love that it's by one of Austin's own floral designers! This city and its network of talented women never fail to inspire and amaze us. 

6. "Forget your personal tragedy" - Wise words from Ernest Hemingway to F. Scott Fitzgerald in this Letter of Note. 

Have a great weekend!

A piece of magic is a hat.

Does anyone else miss the days when ladies and gents topped off a great outfit with an even greater hat? Many of us now view  a hat  as a solution to bad hair days or bright sun, but the right hat can be the something extra you need to add a little jaunt to your step, make you feel like a woman of mystery, or give some of that elusive Grace Kelly glamour to an ordinary ensemble. Here are some of our favorites:

Daisy Buchanan style. 

Color Love: Peach & Blackberry

Inspired by a new bride we're working with and her beautiful wedding colors!

Vintage Mamas

Mother's Day is this week! (You didn't forget, right?) We love vintage photographs and we love our mamas, so this seemed like a perfect excuse to combine the two and dig through the archives at Shorpy for some gems to share with you guys: 

"My mother had to do something with all the fruit and berries from my father's garden, so if it wasn't made into jams and jellies, or canned, or frozen, it went into cakes and pies. We had a lot of pies."

Flower of the Week

Lilac

Syringa vulgaris

[image source]

According to Greek mythology, Syringa was a beautiful nymph who captivated Pan, the god of the forests and fields. Pan chased Syringa through his domain until, finally, Syringa was exhausted and could only escape by turning herself into a plant - the fragrant flower we know now as lilac.

Lilac's meanings of first love and youthful innocence arise from its flowering time being a harbinger of spring. Purple-flowering lilacs convey the first emotion sof love, whereas white or pink flowering lilacs are associated with youthful innocence.  In Russian folklore, cradling a newborn beneath a lilac bush would bring the child wisdom. In parts of the Mediterranean, lilac is closely associated with the festival of Easter because it so often blooms around that time. Lilac is also the flower for eighth wedding anniversaries. *

*Excerpt from The Secret Language of Flowers by Samantha Grey

Friday Link Love

1. We love That Kind of Woman for her real talk writing, classic style and for being the kind of woman we want to be best friends with. 

2. Saturday's moon is a supermoon! Go outside! 

3. Dream house alert: This is a tree house, shaped like a castle, in Scotland. 

4. This cover of the Yeah Yeah Yeahs' "Maps," aka the song that turns everyone into a wistful fool, is gorgeous. 

5. Currently lusting after this vintage, bright pink 1960s frock! The perfect summer dress. 

6. National Geographic, the North Face and Mayo Clinic have teamed up to sponsor an expedition to the summit of Mount Everest - and the team members are live-blogging and Instagramming their way to the top. Their updates and pictures are amazing unmissable! 

Have a great weeekend!

All Bright!

Is it even possible not to get swept up neon fever?  We've been overcome by it in the shop, and Jenny couldn't resist whipping up a bouquet and matching boutonnière with some of the amazingly bright stuff we have in the shop this week.

Those dahlias and cineraria are even brighter in person, if you can believe it. 

And of course, a post about neons wouldn't be complete without an inspiration board:

Clockwise from left: 1. Luxe neons and neutrals at the Cream Event 2. Fresh flowers wrapped in bright gaffer's tape from Oh Joy! 3. If Marie Antoinette wore neon yellow. By Rada, $223. 4. Glittering neon tasseled garlands - so basically the most festive thing you've ever seen. From Everly Lane Design. 5. Modern Pretty: bright pink and orange letterpress invitations from Ladyfinger Letterpress. 6. Love this sign - if anyone knows the original source, let us know! 6. We think this would make a fantastic bridesmaid's dress! From Topshop, $92.

Would you do a neon wedding, or are these colors just a little too trendy? Let us know what you think! 

I'll Be the Moon to Your Sun

Summer makes us want to do nothing more than wear braid flowers into our hair and fall madly in love. Here's an inspiration board for all you boho brides planning on a Summer of Love wedding: bare feet, bright colors and driving off into the sunset in a vintage VW bus. It really doesn't get much better than that. 

April Showers bring May Day Cones and Flowers

Ok, folks. We may have let May Day slip our minds in all the excitement over the Nature Lady and Lollipop, but these adorable cones are just as precious in the afternoon sunlight as they are in the morning (should you be tempted to recreate one and, in true May Day tradition, leave it anonymously on the doorknob of someone you're crushin' on).

The Nature Lady

We got a nice surprise at the shop this morning: the Nature Lady stopped by for a visit! The Nature Lady, whose real name is Joy,  is a 70-something year old woman who travels around the country in a giant SUV, pulling an equally giant trailer filled with found and reclaimed woodland objects, with a pup named Lollipop to keep her company. Joy and Lollipop spend their days gathering these items, then cleaning them up and selling them to those of us so inclined to purchase found woodland objects. 

Joy and Lollipop are awesome.

Lollipop invites you in!