Wednesday, March 21, 2012

Blooming Bridesmaids

Lately I've been seeing some deviations from the traditional solid color bridesmaids dresses. I especially like the idea of mismatched or bold floral dresses! Such a refreshing change from a more formal look, and if done right, your crew won't end up looking like the cast of Little House on the Prairie.







Some of my favorite floral dresses at the moment:
What about other seasons? How about plaid for winter? Stripes for a summer beach wedding?.....What are some other good ideas you've seen?

Friday, March 16, 2012

Tea Time: Orange and Cinnamon

We are starting a new series, it's called Tea Time - this will be a monthly post on the A. Hana Design Blog. We are mixing up some hobbies we love the most (flower arranging and eating of course!) to share our style in a more personal way. We hope you enjoy!
Today's post is all about embracing Spring - it features a traditional Moroccan tea and a simple and elegant orange dessert to introduce some of the season's freshest flowers.
Ingredients are for two...
Moroccan Tea:
1 fresh orange juice (squeezed)
1 tsp green tea
2 cups of boiling water
4/1 cup fresh mints
2 to 3 Tbs sugar

To make the tea, begin by boiling 2 cups of water. In a separate tea pot, pour in the green tea, juice from one orange, mint and sugar in the tea pot. Add boiled hot water in the tea pot and let steep.


Slice Orange Dessert (adapted from here):
1 or 2 navel oranges
1 teaspoon orange flower water
Granulated sugar (or powdered sugar)
Ground cinnamon

Peel the oranges and removed the pith. Slice the oranges into rings, about 1/4 inch thick.
Arrange the orange slices on a plate – make a pattern if you like – and drizzle with the orange flower water. Generously sprinkle the slices with sugar and cinnamon, and serve immediately.


Flowers:
White sweet pea
White freesia
Orange ranunculus

This loose arrangement features white and a delicious orange sherbert color. I placed in a vintage inspired mint pitcher for a more relaxed look.







 
Enjoy!



Monday, March 5, 2012

Put Down That 10lb Binder....3 Wedding Planning Apps to Save Your Sanity

Your wedding day is likely going to be both the happiest, and most hectic, day of your life. Colors, inspiration boards, budgets, seating charts, vendors, travel, dress fittings, finding a band that doesn’t look like Flock of Seagulls…..I’m exhausted just writing about it.
There a number of weapons brides have used in the past to keep things running smoothly – color coded notebooks, excel spreadsheets, calling and leaving themselves voicemails (you've done it....) – but for the tech savvy bride of 2012, keeping it all in one spot app, will be a life saver.
Since you're already a busy bride-to-be, we’ve done the leg work for you and tested a dozen wedding apps. Here are our top choices to help your day go off without a hitch:
Mindy Weiss
Why we like it: This app features the basic to-do list functionality, but throws in easy access to trends and inspiration from one of wedding planning's biggest names. Our favorite feature? Being able to link photos of your gifts to guests.  Genius.

Why it might not be for you: Style differences may be a problem, the designers discussed may be a bit limiting for brides looking beyond Tinsletown for inspiration.

Rating: 3/5




Bride Guide:
Why we like it: We love the cute user interface of this app. But, it’s not just nice to look at, it’s easy to use! The app includes a countdown to your wedding date (with suggested milestones), pre-populated to-do list items, vendor information (with suggested questions to ask), links to photos, guest lists and your budget.
Also, it’s free.
Why it might not be for you: The app isn't rich in terms of multimedia content. She's pretty basic.

Rating: 4/5

iWedding Deluxe:

Why we like it: This app has it all - budget, venue information, contact information and to-dos...all included alongside tons of extras like tools for finding nearby vendors, links to wedding favors, photo storage for items that inspire you, guest list details, and even a function that lets you record entrĂ©e selections. There’s also a countdown timeline that provides advice on things you should get accomplished as you lead up to the big day.

Why it might not be for you: We don't know, this is the mother of all planning apps.

Rating: 5/5


Have one you love that's not on the list? Let us know and we'll check it out!

Now, step away from the Sharpies...

Wednesday, February 22, 2012

Wedding Snapshot: Lynne and Chris

This wedding snaphot features Lynne and Chris, who exchanged vows in August 2011 at the Vine Hill House.
A gorgeous, warm, lazy summer day met these two love birds. This wedding had lots of fun details including Peach Cardamom Jam favors (umm...yum), fun polka dot straws and an elegant but laid back outdoor reception.

The flowers for the couple featured Dahlia, Roses, Garden Roses, Sneezewort, Hydrangea, Mint, Eucalyptus, Passion Vines and Fig Tree. Perfect for their Napa surroundings.

All image credit goes to Sabine Scherer Photography:









We're so glad we could be a part of tihs special day, congratulations Lynne and Chris!

Monday, February 20, 2012

Wedding Snapshot: Angela and Praphant

We spent Valentine's Day with a lovely couple, Angela and Praphant, as they said their "I Dos" in an intimate ceremony. We love the idea of a quiet, elegant ceremony, so we made the flowers for their day simple - just a boutonniere and a bouquet.




We wanted to make these flowers look like they were just gathered from a garden, so we used seasonal picks: Ranunculus, Sweet Pea, Anemone, Jasmine, Geranium Leaves, Inky Viburnum Berry. Blue berries were added to the bouquet and matched perfectly with Angela's navy mini skirt with (love) red shoes.

Congratulations Angela and Praphant, best wishes for many years to come!

Tuesday, February 14, 2012

Valentine's Day: Things We Saw and Loved

We hope everyone is enjoying a their cherry heart lollipops and cheesy cartoon cards. Here are some other great Valentine's finds we stumbled upon this week:




We hope you all enjoy your evenings out (or in!). Have a Happy Valentine's Day...

Thursday, February 9, 2012

Crafting the Perfect Valentine's Bouquet

The arrival of Valentine's Day also brings pressure to find the perfect sweet gesture for a significant other. Gorgeous blooms are always a hit, but they can also be bland. This year, why not assemble a fun an unexpected bouquet by yourself! Follow Asako's easy DIY advice and add a super sweet touch to a Valentine's classic:

For this bouquet, we used: Cherry Blossom, Hyacinth, Tulip, Parrot Tulip, Ranunculus, Hellebore and Jasmine
1. As soon as you bring flowers home, take off all the excess foliage. Cut the stems at an angle and put them in a container while you work.



2. Cut the flowers at an angle to the length you like. Use clippers to cut the thick stems. In order to help with water in take, shave the stems. If the branches are very think, split and crosscut at the bottom. You could also hammer the stems. 


3. Place your branches in the balance you would like.

4. Take the largest variety of your flower first, and arrange one single stem at a time. Two, three or more different types of flowers placed in random intervals create a pleasing shape and a balance of color.


5. Bella! But we're not done yet. Finally, add your Jasmine. These vines will soften the arrangement.


Gorgeous, and oh so much better than a dozen roses. We've paired ours with delicious macarons instead of the usual chocolate.


Where can I find great flowers: We love Trader Joe's or Whole Foods
Do you have to have a vase? No! This time Asako used a small vintage vase that she picked from her home. The vase is about same size as drinking glass, so you could make this arrangements in glasses or jars. 
Why we love it: We love it's natural style. The colors - soft and sweet picks with an accent of purple - are very elegant.
Those Macarons look pretty fabulous...: They are! We love Chantal Guillon Macarons. Divine.

Happy arranging!