New Location, New Web Site, New Blog!

2013 and early 2014 held a lot of changes for Courtenay Lambert Florals.  We moved our location, we rolled out a new web site and blog, and we've rolled out some new services.  Our web site address is still http://courtenaylambert.com.  So head on over there, and check out our featured weddings and styled shoots.  All future blog posts as well as featured weddings will be posted to our new site.  And here's a sneak peak at the a little of the pretty that you'll see over there.

Bouquets with the Chapel Designers - Progressive Blog Post

Bouquet of Japanese Ranundulus, Anemones, Sweet Peal, and Lilac.  Shot in NYC's Central Park.

 So clearly, I haven't blogged much lately, and there are so many gorgeous weddings and floral designs that I would really love to share. And once we get settled with some of the changes we're making, including a move (which will be announced once it happens) and a new web site, I will be blogging more often.  I've mentioned in the past, but really need to share with you all in more detail, my involvment with the Chapel Designers (an elite group of floral event designers dedicated to excellence in our field). Today, we're doing a progressive blog post of some of our favorite bouquets. 

This first bouquet, I designed in March in New York City while at the Chapel Designer's Conference.  Going to the NYC flower market is a treat in itself.  We designers are like kids in a candy store when we're there.  New York's flower market is extraordinary, and they have fresh product that we don't see in all of our markets on a regular basis.  What's even more exciting is while you're there, you'll run into people like Ariella Chezar (in our world, she's a rock star), David Beahm (so is he...rock star), and Naomi de Manana from Martha Stewart weddings (rock star too). 

Toward the end of our conference, a few of us (my fellow Chapel Designer's and I) went around NYC just shooting pics of our work.  Fun!

 Here's a picture of us in the back of a NYC taxi with our bouquets....that's Jen of Modern Day Floral in Grand Rapids, and Michelle of Affair with George in Australia.  We had a great time!  These pictures were actually shot by Michelle....who is not just a talented event designer, but has great photog skills too!



Courtenay Lambert Florals in NYC's Central Park.  It reminds of When Harry Met Sally!

This second bouquet I'm featuring was also designed in NYC at David Beahm Design's warehouse.  He was a gracious host, and had us in for a day of design (more to come on the conference later).  This bouquet was so much fun, and it was under the tutelage of fabulous designer Francoise Weeks.  Francoise was kind enough to share with us her techniques, and I think you'll see some very interesting and beautiful bouquets as you click through the progressive blog posts of the Chapel Designers.

Here are the links to the Chapel Designer's bouquet posts.  Don't miss out, you'll see some amazing ones! 

Holly Heider Chapple Flowers LTD

Celebration Florals

Soiree Floral

Colonial House

Stacy K Floral

Wild Bunch Studio

Passionflower

Alicia Jayne Florals

Goodness-Gracious! Florals

Urban Petals

FloressenceFlowers

Wild Bunch Studio

Passionflower

On Butterfly Wings

Fleur:ology

Alluring Blooms

Posh Floral Designs

Francoise Weeks

Exquisite Designs

Sherwood Design and Events
Affair With George
Gertie Mae's
Daevid's of Norfolk 



Erika & Adam Wedding

 

Wow, it really has been awhile since we last blogged.  We are actually rolling out a new blog and web site, so our postings may be a little slow until it goes live.  But, since it's the beginning of the year and we are sorely in need of some new material for our blog; I decided to post this beautiful wedding of Erika & Adam at The Bell Event Centre.  Thanks to Images by Daniel Michael for the wonderful photos! 

 

Bride & Groom: Erika Show & Adam Schroeder
Florals: Courtenay Lambert Florals
Planner: Très Chic Event Planning
Venue: Bell Event Centre
Photographer: Images by Daniel Michael, Inc.

The Inn at Oneonta Wedding of Vanessa Czarnik and William Pena

  

It's so fun working with people when your tastes are similar. We absolutely loved designing for Vanessa and William's wedding. First of all, it was at one of my favorite venues, The Inn at Oneanta, and secondly Vanessa's style and taste is such that it was really fun to design around. I think I'll let these fabulous pictures from Michael Bambino Photography speak for themselves. We also took some scenic pictures of our own in the blog post prior to this one. So, check them out, and I think you'll see why this wedding and The Inn at Onenata was one of our favorites!!! Thank you Vanessa for sharing these stunning photos with us! 

Cake by Spoon Fulla Sugar

Cake by Spoon Fulla Sugar

Bride and Groom: Vanessa Czarnik & Robert Pena

Photographer: Michael Bambino

Venue: The Inn at Oneonta

Florals: Courtenay Lambert Florals

Cake: A Spoon Fulla Sugar

Courtenay Lambert Florals Wedding at The Inn at Oneanta

Here are more shots of the flowers from Vanessa and William's wedding as well as the beautiful grounds at The Inn at Oneanta.  All photos by CLF. 

Beautiful Juliet Garden Roses, Quicksand Roses, and Astilbe. 

We also used Balsa wood flowers, Scabiosa flowers, Dusty Miller, Seeded Eucalyptus, and Veronica.

The Art of the Compote Goes National

If you haven't heard of a floral compote design, you're probably not alone.  It is a design that is created in a footed compote style bowl, and it typically has a very natural look because of the way the flowers are placed in the compote and they have the ability to drape out in the way they would naturally drape on the plant or vine they came from.  In designing a compote you can use a floral frog or oasis, but the floral frog tends to give a more natural look.  The design is gorgeous, because it's full and lush and it is lifted off the table by the footed compote. 

Courtenay Lambert Florals is proud a member of a fabulous group of designers called the Chapel Designers, which is a group of women and men floral event designers across the US and Canada.  All of us met in New York City this past March, and we had a session with Ariella Chezar at Flower School New York where we learned the art of the compote.  It was so much fun, and we all enjoyed it so much, that we dediced to create compotes and link to each others designs....a progressive blog post.  So, check out the links below for more fabulous and stunning compote designs.  I'll post more of our compote shots later today, but for now the one above includes Clematis, Knockout roses, Honeysuckle, Veronica, Variegated Hosta, Coreopsis, and some other wild flowers and weeds I picked myself. 

Since we had a very busy event weekend, I actually created this design on Monday (yesterday) with all materials that I found in my aunt and uncle's garden and surrounding area up at their lake house.  It was 97 degrees yesterday and it was tough keeping these little guys alive.  But, it shows you that you can create a compote design too, with any foliage and flowers you have in your yard.   I'll post more shots of compotes later today, and again see below for more fabulous designs.

Isha Foss Events http://www.ishafoss.com/2012/05/floral-compotes.html
Alluring Blooms http://alluringblooms.com/ode-compote/.html
Floral Verde LLC http://floralverde.com/blog/?p=800
Flirty Fleurs http://www.flirtyfleurs.com/?p=9609
Celebration Florals http://bit.ly/K4Dkcz
Holly Heider Chapple Flowers LTD http://thefullbouquetblog.com/?p=20905
Fleur:ology http://fleurologydesign.com/?p=397
Exquisite Designs http://www.exqdesigns.com/blog/?p=1900
Petals & Hedges http://petalsandhedges.com/blog/?p=868
Bare Root Flora http://barerootflora.com/index.php/blog/45-the-art-of-the-compote-denver-wedding-flowers
Loda Floral Design http://lodadesigns.blogspot.com/2012/05/floral-compote-design.html
True Florette Floral Design http://trueflorette.com/succulents/the-compote
Grapevine Floral Company http://grapevineinbloom.com/?p=228
Modern Day Floral http://moderndayfloral.com/blog/?p=4036
Sweet Pea Floral Design http://sweetpeafloraldesign.blogspot.com/2012/05/amazing-compote-gandy-dancer-rehearsal.html

And here is a post by Naomi from Martha Stewart Weddings on compotes  - http://thebridesguide.marthastewartweddings.com/2012/05/crazy-for-compotes.html


More shots of the compote process:

As I mentioned above, I use a lot of wild elements (better known as weeds), and flowers that my aunt and uncle had planted around their lake house. 

And since I didn't have an actual compote vase, I used an old floral frog that belongs to my aunt.

I put it in a tupperware container and set it on top of a cake plate...you got to do what you've got to do!