The rain has stopped, so I picked some flowers

It has been raining here in southern New Hampshire FOREVER...at least it seems that way. This morning the rain stopped and I decided to go assess the damage. I did not find any, instead I found that the whole world was coming into it's own. Everything is lush and green, the lilacs, apples, cherries and mock orange are in bloom. The backyard is full of forget-me-nots.

After working on a wedding with Sasha last month I look a little differently at what is growing for free right outside my door. I became inspired and thought I might try my hand at a mid-May, all for free brides bouquet. Have I mentioned that flowers are Sasha's thing? Well they are and I hope that my novice floral eyes have done some justice the the beauty that surrounds us right now.

First I foraged in my own back yard, there I found lilac, apple, forget-me-nots, some purple weedy thing and some white weedy thing. Next I moved across the street to some "public" land and snipped some cherry, crab apple, more lilac and mock orange.

Having collected a stash of fragrant spring blooms to work with I am ready. I began with the lilacs all by themselves. Lilacs are nothing short of amazing. The flowers are so large and perfumed and their season is so short, they truly are a unique situation all alone. If you were putting together a late spring wedding in New England you could use nothing more than lilacs and manage a stunning, aromatic display. I was only able to reach the standard light purple lilac, though, there are many other varieties ranging from grey blue to deep burgundy to white, all of which are widely available in these parts.

Next I moved toward putting the rest of the blossoms together to create a meaningful and memorable display.

I think it came out lovely, whether for a simple brides bouquet or very fragrant centerpiece options. One thing I like about using blooms from trees and shrubs is their versatility. Urns filled with crab apple boughs and mock orange would be stunning at an alter. Snippets of small clusters of blooms can be used on and around the cake. Another thing to keep in mind is the span of the season. The lilacs are just coming out in my town, but they came out a week ago in the next town over. If I were to travel north a short way I would have access to things already going by here.