Wild thyme philosophy

Keep it simple, keep it imaginative and always keep it sophisticated. Very much like these flowers by Christian Tortu.

When in doubt, opt for one colour and one flower type and do it in abundance. Sixty pure white tulips make a fantastic bouquet and will always impress. This is a particularly successful formula when certain flowers are in season and are very affordable; tulips in March, lilacs in May, peonies in June, hydrangeas in July and dahlias in August.

If the choice is between a $15.00 bunch of inferior flowers or one exquisite bloom that costs $10.00 - go for the latter. The experience will be much more satisfying and luxurious.

Flowers are about the moment. They are not about four days from now. It's all about the moment you received them, the moment you impulsively bought them, the moment you gave them to someone special.

And remember that flowers are your calling card. They say so much about you and your style.

Totally digging the Vogue (US July) cover

Marion Cotillard is the beautiful woman gracing the cover. Now this is a look I understand. I love her hair, her makeup, the dress. It's all so womanly and gorgeous.

Can't wait to pick up this issue. In fact I may take out a subscription to Vogue if it continues in this mode. Love it....

Flower dislikes: "overly coiffed bouquets"

That was how one of our brides' described a look she did not want for her wedding.

A very sassy, stylish young woman she knew precisely the ambiance she wanted to create for her guests.

Our brief: Imagine an elegant, easy going affair with loose, seasonal flowers. The wedding was happening in the city so "please steer clear of that country or just picked from the garden feel". However, she requested that we work with flowers available at this time of year - delphiniums, peonies, sweet peas, wild carrot and astilbe - classic country blooms.

Our plan: To keep the look urban and chic, we opted for curvy glass vases with a slightly retro, feminine vibe to complement our soft flowers. We chose a limited yet sophisticated colour palette - gun metal grey, lavender, purple, very soft greens with hints of the palest shell pinks.

I think we succeeded. Have a look.

Would do you think ?

Romantic rainy weddings

Personally, I love the rain. Mind you, I wouldn't want an entire season of it, but I do love the moody nature of it all. The sound of a light drizzle hitting the roof makes me want to get all cozy - make tea, delve into a great book or just while away some hours with my favourite magazines and perhaps a wonderful glass of something. Even a dramatic burst of thunder followed by a heavy downpour brings out the kid (or TOAST model) in me. I suppose it's the element of surprise and the unexpected pursuit of suddenly running for cover and giddily laughing along the way. Blame it on TOAST, my childhood, whatever.

Anyway, despite what some grumpy Brits (that would be my relatives by the way) might think about their own weather system, I happen to find it rather romantic.

Brides nearly always want a perfect sunny day for their wedding and worry about inclement weather imposing on planned events. Particularily an outdoor wedding. We try to reassure them that a rainy day wedding is far from being a spoiler. For one thing, it's a known fact that photography is best on an overcast or rainy day. And in some cultures rain on your wedding day is a sign of good luck. Ok maybe that's a stretch.......Well maybe it is, who knows !

We've certainly had our share of rainy weddings. But you know what ? They were really lovely. Here's a few snapshots we took.......

Miller Lash House, an Arts and Crafts manor in Highland Creek (Toronto)

I love this house. It is sooo gorgeous. Even the rain doesn't distract from its beauty. In fact I think it only adds to the romance of the place. It has such lovely paths and is surrounded by incredible lush greenery and huge evergreens. The landscape has a slight rolling hilliness about it.

It was a tented affair in the garden. We did simple, lush peony bouquets for centrepieces. I actually loved the sound of the rain gently falling on the tent. Everyone just quietely worked away at setting up.

Snapshot of peony bouquet at the studio.

The bridal flowers

This garden wedding took place at the bride's family home located in a gorgeous neighbourhood in Toronto known as Hoggs Hollow. It's a little hidden Eden in the north part of town and has the some of the loveliest homes and gardens.

The home (though you don't see it in the picture) has a charming white picket fence and you're only seeing a very small portion of the front garden. It was so lush and green (wet summer). That's me pointing my finger somewhere towards the house.The sky was overcast and yes, it did rain that evening.

The back garden had a pool that had to be covered over to accomodate the guest tables, the band and bar. The tenting was quite lovely.

The company that erected the tent allowed for the

Japanese Maples and other foliages to be part of the setting. Isn't it pretty ?

The flowers included hydrangeas, dahlias, roses and orchids with ivy tendrils.

A bouquet of dahlias and ivy wrap with black silk ribbon.

All photographs taken by David Evans