Blue and Beautiful: Celebrating the colors of the Pacific Northwest in the Spring
This vibrant, blue-themed styled shoot was planned, designed, and each vendor carefully chosen, to create a stunning, layered, vintage wedding design that fits in with the natural Pacific Northwest landscape in the spring. It celebrates the color blue, a rare color in flowers. Special attention was given to creating a design that inspires couples to make sustainable choices for their wedding plans.
It was published in the 2025 Spring/Summer Issue of Washington Wedding Day Magazine, but I wanted to share more photos (including some from behind the scenes!) of these amazing wedding vendors doing their thing.
This intimate ceremony space was designed to seamlessly flow with the surrounding lush and green venue near Mt. Baker (Wandering Waters Farm). I designed it to look as if the flowers could be naturally found growing at the end of each bench and in the ground floral nest (a ceremony backdrop). All flowers were seasonal and west coast-grown (mostly from Western Washington). Using flowers that are as local as possible is one way to decrease the overall environmental impact of your wedding day.
Smaller, more intentionally-designed weddings have a significantly lower impact on the environment than large-scale events. For example, this floral design does not use plastic or chemical-based floral foam. Also, all mechanics used in the design are reusable (chicken wire netting, water tubes, and ceremonial vessels).
Shown above, the model (Tori Brown) holds an elegant, garden-inspired bouquet with shades of blue and purple, tied with a lush hand-dyed silk ribbon in a smokey gray from Nettle & Silk. You can't tell in still photos, but one of my favorite things about this bouquet was how much movement it had. The bouncy spring florals and the flowing ribbon created a personality of its own.
Ground arches or floral nests are an excellent way to create a natural floral focal point for a wedding ceremony without obscuring a a beautiful view. A smaller amount of florals can make a big statement, and they can be designed in containers and easily movable (though this one was installed with water tubes, directly into the ground).
The bouquet looks as if it was freshly picked from the garden behind her. The delphinium, with its hints of blue and purple, adorns the model's stunning hairstyle, giving off goddess vibes.
Intimate wedding ceremonies are becoming more common, and small gatherings can be quite special. Going small can both significantly decrease your overall budget and the impact on the environment.
Marla Manes, elopement photographer and based in the Seattle area, is skilled in natural posing and true-to-color, vibrant photography.
Cranberry Heirloom Rentals (based in Bellingham, WA) has a stunning collection of heirlooms pieces. The plates, flatware, goblets, crystal, and silver candlesticks all work together to create a layered and lush tablescape, especially when paired with pressed-flower candles and custom pottery vases from Croak & Bloom. I enjoyed creating an ombre effect with the florals on the tables, transitioning from purple to blue to white.
The stunning farmhouse tables at Wandering Waters help anchor all the delicate and vintage details to the rustic Pacific Northwest landscape.
The delicate blue-tinged flutes from Cranberry Sky Heirlooms were perfect for the toast, and we can't forget to add a little floral decoration for the groom. I used waxed twine and pins to create boutonnieres that can be easily composted after use without removing any plastic tape.
Caitlyn of James Street Cakes created a stunning dessert table with vintage macaroons and a tiered ombre cake with buttercream-piped cupcakes. Caitlyn creates delicious and beautiful desserts using organic and carefully-sourced ingredients. She offers a variety of flavors, with options for vegan and gluten-free.
This blue dresser was given to me by a friend years ago, and was in my boys' room until they outgrew it. It was so fun to see it off with its own special photoshoot before passing it on to a new family.
I really wanted to emphasize the details in this shoot, including these amazing pressed-flower candles from Croak & Bloom and the handcrafted fine filigree Jewelry from Lierre Filigree Jewelry.
Michelle from Lierre Filigree is a master or her art, creating one-of-a-kind, heirloom pieces using responsibly-sourced gemstones. Her custom engagement rings are absolutely stunning.
Designing and putting together this project was a career highlight for me.
Wandering Waters is located in the foothills of Mt. Baker in Maple Falls, WA. It is truly a paradise. This is me (Laura) from Humble Bouquet in the photo above.
Hannah (Hummingbird Event Co.) is one of my go-to wedding planners that I refer to my couples. As one of the co-founders of Emerald Hour, she is passionate about designing and planning weddings that take care to limit waste.
Left to right: Jade of Jade Madison Artistry, Caitlyn from James Street Cakes, Hannah from Hummingbird Event Co., Marla from Marla Manes Photography, Ellen from Wandering Waters, Michelle from Lierre Filigree, and Laura from Humble Bouquet. Not pictured is Lara from Cranberry Sky Heirlooms. We are all members of Emerald Hour, a network of sustainably-minded wedding vendors in the Pacific Northwest.
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Design Details:
Style: Pacific Northwest in the Spring with lush and cool florals and vintage design details.
Time of year: Late May
Flowers: Delphinium, cornflower, lupine, larkspur, spirea, Queen Anne's lace, sweet peas, anemone, ranunculus, silene, etc.
Vendors:
This styled shoot was created by members of Emerald Hour, a sustainable wedding vendors network in the Pacific Northwest.
Design & Florals: Humble Bouquet
Photography: Marla Manes Photography
Coordination: Hummingbird Event Co.
Cake/Desserts: James Street Cakes
Hair and Makeup: Jade Madison Artistry
Paper Goods: Paper Dainty Studio
Rentals: Cranberry Sky Heirlooms
Venue: Wandering Waters
Jewelry: Lierre Filigree
Linens & Silk: Nettle and Silk
Pottery & Candles: Croak and Bloom