Inspiration for Brides-to-Be

Last summer, I had the opportunity to work with Katherine Taylor of Jubilee Flowers on an editorial shoot for Mobile Bay Magazine. I knew I loved Katherine’s style when it comes to floral design, having worked with her on real wedding days. When we wrapped the editorial shoot, she and I both lamented that we didn’t have more time to continue shooting the floral elements of the shoot. I have long had an obsession with flowers and gardening. Katherine picked up on this pretty quickly as I squealed with delight upon seeing the beautiful blooms she’d gathered for the magazine shoot.

If only we could spend a whole shoot dedicated to photographing floral designs, I thought to myself. A few months later, that’s exactly what we did! I have wanted to do a floral focused shoot like this one for so long. I’m so thankful to Katherine for helping me make it happen!

Katherine designed two bouquets and three urn arrangements for this shoot. We worked non-stop for the entire day and I still wanted to keep shooting when our studio rental time was up! I’m thinking that means that I’m just going to have to make creative shoots like this one a recurring priority throughout the year!

Key Floral Elements: Sweet peas, narcissus, tulips, ranunculus, hellebores

Key Floral Elements: Garden roses, luxor primavera hydrangea, anemones, tulips, Japanese ranunculus, hellebores, mint, blackberries, camellias

Key Floral Elements: Garden roses, anemones, tulips, Japanese ranunculus, hellebores, mint, blackberries, lilac vine

Key Floral Elements: Garden roses, anemones, Japanese ranunculus, mint, ginestra, delphiniums

 

Meet Katherine

After the shoot, I sat down with Katherine to chat a bit more about her background in floral design, her love of colorful flowers, and her commitment to environmentally friendly design practices. Enjoy the highlights of our conversation, as well as some of my favorite photographs from our shoot!

How long have you been in the wedding industry and when did you get started in floral design?

 

I have been doing wedding flowers full time for 14 years. I got my start working with my mother, who started Jubilee Flowers in 1996. Before I moved to Fairhope, I would fly down from Asheville, NC to be part of her team when she had really big events. Ten years later, when my husband and I moved to Fairhope, I jumped in to work on all her weddings and events. She has taught me so much about the ins and outs of floral design.

What is your favorite bloom to incorporate into your designs?

 

That’s easy…roses! I adore roses and all their lovely ruffly petals. Roses are such an old-fashioned flower, and so romantic. I love the way they get even more beautiful as they open and age. I also love ranunculus for the very same reason, but my all-time favorite flower is the poppy!

Key Floral Elements: Garden roses, ferns, blackberries, tulips

You clearly love colorful designs, what do you love about working with color?

 

Although neutrals definitely have their place in my work, I absolutely love colors and prefer them over neutrals. I am an artist and have a Bachelor of Arts degree. Painting was my favorite medium and I was a painter for 25 years before I became a floral designer. I have always been drawn to colorful flowers due to their ability to express so many different emotions. When it comes to neutrals, I have discovered that combining deeper shades and working with textures helps to add depth to a neutral palette.

Why did you decide to stop using floral foam in your designs?

 

I decided to start working without floral foam (also known as Oasis) when I learned that it is all plastic and toxic to the environment. It never breaks down and just dissolves into millions of tiny pieces. Eventually, it ends up in either our oceans or our landfills. All of this is only adding to the horrific plastic crisis our planet is facing. It hurst my heart knowing that all of the beauty I can create for my clients could hurt the environment. As a wedding florist there is much I can do to lessen my environmental impact. I practice this philosophy in my personal life and it only makes sense to do the same with my business.

What are you seeing 2020 brides choosing for their bouquets?

 

Most of my 2020 brides have actually been asking for brighter colors, which is a change from what has been popular for so many years! Of course, I am all for it!!!

Visit Katherine online here!

Thank you to my friend Alexis Williams for taking some behind the scenes photos of me and Katherine working together and to Katherine’s assistant, Emily, who was a huge help for the whole day.

Special thanks to my friend Wendy, owner of Wendy Wilson Photography, for letting us use her beautiful studio!

VENDOR DETAILS

Ribbons | Silk & Willow

Styling Cloths | Silk & Willow and Honey Silks Co.

Styling Board | Heirloom Bindery

Candles | Yummie Candles

Votives | Accent Decor

Background Board | Erickson Surfaces

Vintage Props | We Raided our prop closets!