Small packages

Are most definitely the best packages!

If you are a regular reader of Moss & Vine, firstly thanks, secondly you'll know I've been lusting after the beautiful velvet ring boxes from The Mrs Box for quite some time. You will also know from this post that it was my birthday last month. Some girls drop hints to their men about jewellery. I dropped hints about the vessel jewellery is traditionally presented in. 

I didn't want a ring. 

I wanted a ring box. 

A velvet ring box made from French velvet estimated to be between 40 and 100 years old, just to be precise. He's a switched on man, this man of mine. Actually, I wasn't overly subtle about my desired birthday present. He'd need to be really quite dim not to have grasped my hints outright requests for my very own Mrs Box.

I think it must be the most beautifully tactile object I own. I can't stop looking at it, turning it over in my hands. It is stunning.

If you're getting married, you should put your wedding bands in a Mrs Box for the wedding ceremony.

If you're planning to propose, you should do it with a Mrs Box.

If you already have a cherished ring, you should have a Mrs Box to put it in when it's not on your finger.

Shout out to The Mrs Box for dreaming up and producing such an exquisite thing!

Kate  x

Styling and Photographs by Moss & Vine

'The Gardener' Mrs Box from The Mrs Box

Say yes to thinking outside the trends

I pursued floristry because I was all about the flowers. Now that I am a florist, I am all about the wedding flowers. Wedding floristry is what I am most excited by, by a long way. But strangely I've seemingly become all about wedding details across the board. Like I've hinted at in previous posts, I spend a great deal of my spare time on wedding blogs. A great deal! Predominantly my focus has been on the flowers, and then the decor and wedding photography as secondary interests. But lately my brain space is being consumed by wedding dresses. I have no clue why I'm interested, but I am. And like any arm-chair expert, I have fervent opinions. In the last three or four weeks I have watched an embarrassingly large amount of Say Yes to the Dress and I Found the Gown and Don't Tell the Bride.

Don't judge me too harshly.

Whilst these shows are fun, they don't quite satisfy my fascination for wedding gowns. And I think it's because they lack variety. Apart from the odd statuesque and overly self-assured New York bride who confidently picks a structured, art-deco inspired gown, the majority of the dresses walking out the door at Klenfield and Bridals by Lori are white, strapless ball gowns, with sweet-heart neck lines. Even the consultants in the bridal stores concede to camera that the majority of the off the rack dresses fit this precise formula. Why? Where is the choice and variety?

Where is the antique lace in off white?

Where are the high neck lines?

Where are the delicate buttons as an alternative to corsets?

Why has everything been embellished with crystals masquerading as diamonds?

And for the love of all things chic, where are the sleeved gown options? 

Below are some links to dress inspirations that don't fit the cookie cutter bridal aesthetic from Wedding Sparrow.

25 Best wedding dresses for the fine art bride

Blue wedding dress inspiration

Blush pink wedding dress inspiration

Black wedding dress inspiration

And yes, I know I just dissed the sparkles, but below is an example of chic, show-stopping embellished dresses.

Sequin wedding inspiration

But at the end of the day, if a white, jewel encrusted, strapless, cinderella-type ball gown rocks your socks, then wear it. There must be an abundance of them for a reason, even if I don't recognise it. Don't let anyone dull your sparkle, least of all me. I just want to see some variety!

K xx

Styling and Photographs by Moss & Vine

Photographed open magazine spreads are from Hello May magazine and

Bride to Be  magazine.

Wedding photograph is my own Nan at her 1950s wedding.

The foraged bouquet, long weekend x2

The 'foraged' and 'I just picked these' look in floristry remains ever-popular. You know something is truly fashionable when you can find Pinterest boards dedicated to its existence. The foraged bouquet is no exception. And why wouldn't it be an admired and imitated look? It's beautiful. So delicate, so textured, so interesting.

But don't be deceived, it is not always an easy look to recreate. It can often be easier to construct a perfectly uniform and domed bouquet like this one. The foraged look is ambiguous, open to interpretation. After all,  beauty is in the eye of the beholder.

It's not easy to photograph either. So many elements. So much to capture.

Here are some examples of foraged done right.

A wild foraged bouquet

10 foraged foliage bouquets

Modern, eco-friendly wedding inspiration

Wedding decor with foraged greenery

DIY foraged bouquet

Just-picked wedding flowers

Wedding flowers: wildflowers

Summer daisies and peach roses

I spent this past (long) weekend foraging. On the beach. And in the garden. With some of my finds I threw together my own foraged arrangement. I really love the emerald tones from the foliage. I'm a foliage devotee.

K xx

Flowers, Styling and Photography by Moss & Vine

Watch this space!

I was recently part of a creative collaboration involving some of the coolest creatives I know. The end result was a beautiful collection of images for my floristry portfolio.

A massive thank you from the depths of my gratitude reserves goes out to Erin Black, the dizzyingly talented photographer, who brought the whole thing together with faultless professionalism. And to the stunning singer songwriter, Sarah Bird, who put her model hat on for the occasion. And while I attempt to conquer technology and get these photographs up on Moss & Vine, here is a tiny sneak peek.

This is a wired posy bouquet of roses and hypericum berry (also known as St John's wort, also known as a noxious weed, and at $10-$12 per bunch wholesale at the markets, it is a rather expensive weed). This design is characterised by the formal and even placements of the flowers and its perfect dome shape. It is 'dressed' with camelia leaves ringing the base of the dome, and a decorative handle bound with a complementary ribbon. It is a popular choice as a wedding posy as it won't lose it's shape. Each flower, leaf and bunch of berry is individually cut from it's natural stem, wired onto an artificial stem, and then taped with special floristry tape. All of the individual elements are taped into this final arrangement.

More images to follow.

K xx

***P.S Erin was also behind the header and footer pics here on Moss & Vine.
Contact her at erin.a.black@gmail.com
You can check out Sarah Bird's music at www.sarahbirdmusic.com
Flowers by Moss & Vine