C + B Elopement

200 blooms. A night spent foraging. An intimate ceremony on top of a mountain. The help of loving friends and family of the bride + groom. That's what went in to this DIY boho elopement. We're so grateful to have played a part in their beautiful day!

Local. Hellebore. We've recently been OBSESSED with Hellebore. We hoard it when it's in the shop for extra special projects... like Becky's elopement. We used holly-leaved Hellebore grown locally in Clayton GA by our dear friend Katrina. We love seeing her car pull up to the shop because we know she'll talk flowers with us and always has a carload of wild goodness for us.

Wild. We try to use an element of "wild" in every arrangement we make. From daily vase arrangements and Friday hand wrapped bouquets to weddings; we like to respect the movement of the flowers we use and let it "do its thing" for the wild shape we're in love with.

Romantic. Becky has an incredibly talented family. Along with her bouquet and hair piece, she ordered bulk flowers so her sister and mom could decorate the twig swing that she rented from us to add that perfect earthy feeling to her big day. Her mom also designed and made the macrame backdrop for the arbor and it has us swooning big time! All the love that went into creating this picture perfect day and the love between Chris + Becky is the definition of romantic!

Foraged. In order to achieve that boho look, Lauren and Patience went out after work and clipped Dogwood, Honeysuckle, and Spirea from friend's yards and even went to Lauren's dads house after dark to get that perfect piece of dogwood we were looking for. Our friends and family know if they have something blooming on their property, it's fair game!

Lush. Everything about the florals for their elopement was lush. We're lucky to have so many great brides who love texture and movement as much as we do which allows us to be more creative with the types of flowers and greenery we use to make everything more grand. Becky's bouquet (created by Lauren) features, Anemones, Spray Roses, Veronica, Honeysuckle, Hellebore, Eucalyptus, an Air Plant, and many other stunning flowers.

We wish Becky + Chris many more years of joy and thank them for letting us play a part in this truly special day! It was an honor.

xoxo Sweet Stems

Rubber Tree Plant

Looking for a nice houseplant that is low maintenance + beautiful? Look no further than the Rubber Plant. This popular houseplant is from the Ficus family, which means little work = healthy plant and the envy from all your friends of your new found green thumb.

The Rubber Tree plant can grow from 1 foot to 8 feet tall making it the perfect plant to place next to a fireplace, entryway, on top of furniture or anywhere else your heart desires. It can be very sculptured and an incredible accent piece to the minimalist house.

What it needs:

1) Sunshine:

Rubber Tree plants thrive best in indirect light. A little sun goes a long way.

2) Water:

The worst thing you can do to your Rubber Tree is over water it. To make sure this doesn't happen, you need it in a pot with good drainage holes. The best way to tell if it needs some H2O is to check the soil. If it feels try to the touch, water until it's moist.

3) Feed Me + Tell Me I'm Pretty:

If you're wanting your tree to grow taller, fertilize it. The best time to feed your tree is during Spring + Summer. Dilute a liquid fertilizer and feed every two weeks.

4) Pruning:

If a 8 feet tall Rubber Tree isn't what you are going for, you'll want to prune it. If your tree gets too tall for comfort, cut the top off at the desired height. Spring + Summer are your ideal times to prune too, but it won't hurt if you do it in the Fall or Winter.

B+T Wedding

526 Blooms. 3 sets of hands. 16 hours. 1 Beautiful Bride. That's what went into creating magic for Brooke + Travis' mountain top wedding.

Local. Downtown Bryson City NC

Population of 15,000 + elevation 1,752.

A gateway to Great Smoky Mountains National Park, with wildflowers, streams and part of the Appalachian Trail. This small town will give you the true meaning of small town hospitality. Board The Great Smoky Mountains Railroad train and take a ride through the beautiful mountains. September through October the streets fill with people who come to get a glimpse at the most beautiful leaves as they change there color over the season. I bet they didn't expect to see Brooke + Travis strolling the streets. It was the icing on the cake.

Wild. Pulling unexpected "wild" into arrangements for surprise elements is a Sweet Stems signature. Brooke's desire to have natural garden shape bouquets allowed for us to have freedom with her arrangement. Texture and movement are the key traits of a garden arrangement. We love to layer out flowers so you have to really look to capture all her beauty.

Romantic. Hand dyed silk + crisp November air + breath taking views. Their Bed and Breakfast venue, The Hemlock Inn, was cozy, quaint and filled with so much love. Is there anything more romantic than getting married on top of a mountain surrounded by family + friends? Nope!

Lush. Amaryllis - One of my favorite flowers, maybe its because they remind me of growing them as a child. Planting bulbs in Terra-Cotta pots and watching them spring from the dirt like magic. That's exactly how we grew these planting bulbs, and carefully nurturing them to grow up and steal the show.

P.S Did you know?!

In a hurry to make a bloom pop? Boil hot water and pour inside the hollow stem for 30 sec, and wait for the magic.

Forged. I am all about pulling items from the woods + friends'/families' yards for

arrangements but Brooke + Travis topped me on this department. Yes Makers Mark!!! Why you ask?!? A true southern tradition. Southern folklore says that if you bury a bottle of bourbon at the site where the bride and groom are to be married, it won't rain on their wedding day. According to many believers, this must be done exactly one month before the wedding, the bottle must be completely full, and it must be buried upside down to ensure maximum weather persuasion. Looks like it worked because it was an absolutely beautiful day!

Photographer : Angie Mcpherson Photography