5 Ways to Create an Avalanche Themed Wedding // Rocky Mountain Wedding Inspiration

Living in Summit County, Colorado, there are numerous reports of avalanches throughout the winter. These are real threats to life and limb and are NOT TO BE TAKEN LIGHTLY when traveling in the backcountry of the high mountains. Please travel safe, have the gear and knowledge and the wisdom of when and how to apply them.

A great local resource is the Colorado Avalanche Information Center.

[ CAIC - Vail and Summit County ]

However, if you're planning a destination wedding, you have a little creative freedom. Here's a few ideas I thought of...

1. After arriving in Denver, check out the local NHL team, the AVALANCHE!! Here's a link to the schedule. This allows folks to adjust to the altitude before heading up to almost 10,000 ft., which is Breckenridge's elevation.

2. Schedule an Avalanche Class with your bridal party with Babes in the Backcountry, Outdoor Adventure Workshops. This local Breckenridge company can customize an avalanche-based outing where you learn something that just might save your life.

3, After a day on the slopes, finish the afternoon at the Breckenridge Brewery for a pint of the Avalanche Ale. Mmm.

4. Rent gear from Avalanche Sports. Guess what? They're right next door to the brewery. So, you can drop your gear when you're done and head straight to the bar.

5. Instead of favors, make a donation to the local rescue team, the Summit County Rescue Group. These guys are all volunteer, and literally carry people off mountains in the middle of the night if they have to. A well-deserving group of individuals that don't get enough credit for what they do. Here's a a link to some pics from their ongoing avalanche training. The guy in the silver helmet in the top right pic is Shawn, but some folks like to call him "Punchy."

Copper Mountain Winter Wedding

Gorgeous Bridal Bouquet

Boutonierre

The shop van in front of the Copper Mountain Community Church. For info, contact Karen at cmcmmntych@aol.com or call 970 262 1080, and be sure to tell'em you found their cute little church on our blog.

Altar Arrangement

Some plants were brought in to add to the altar scene.

Bridesmaid bouquet

Bridesmaid bouqet

Outdoor Winter Wedding in Summit County, Colorado

This bouquet was for a Breckenridge Elopement package this winter not too long ago. The bride and groom decided to elope to get married in the mountains of Summit County, Colorado with a few close friends.

[ sapphire point wedding information ]

One of the newest married couples in the mountains of Colorado!

The bride making her way towards the overlook at Sapphire Point. A full-length fur dress was used to keep warm before the ceremony. No bridesmaid flowers were requested, just something for the bride and a boutonierre for the groom.

Another angle of the bouquet. This all-white winter wedding bouquet was created with Dusty Miller greens, Viburnum berries, and white Anemones. The handle was then wrapped in white ribbon.

If you're thinking about hoppin' a plane to get married in the mountains near Vail or Breckenridge, give us a call and we can help you plan everything.

Why Buy Eco-friendly Flowers on Valentine's Day?

Why Buy Eco-Friendly Flowers?

[ Flower Label Program ]

Well, to support your local flower shop that is conscious and aware that such products offer fair wages and sustainable practices on the flower farms that provide the beautiful flowers that you buy from your local flower shop.

This in turn, supports your local economy with taxes that go back into the local government, and not to mention all the money spent by the employees that live in the area. So, in turn, you are supporting your local economy and environment.

When you buy our roses, you support sustainable choices. Eco-friendly flowers are from certified sustainable farms accredited through such organizations such as the Florverde, Veriflora and the Flower Label Program. These farms then choose organic practices and thereby lessen chemicals used in the production of this living commercial product.

Suporting "green flowers" should become the norm as it would lessen the chemicals that can end up in the soil and groundwater, eventually becoming part of the local food chain.

We appreciate the folks that choose to make decisions that affect not only themselves but the health and well-being of others. In this case, the folks that work long and hard to grow and nourish the flowers from seed to bloom.

My Favorite Winter Flower // Purple Anemone

I love purple anemones. They're only available for a short period of time in the winter. So, if you're looking for something different for your winter wedding bouquet, consider this beautiful flower.

They could look great paired with viburnum berries, lamb's ear or even celosia. They also come in white, red, and hot pink, so you could always get more creative with those palettes opening up other possibilities.

What other questions do brides or planners have these days regarding winter flower choices? Any other favorites anyone else would like to share?

- Dina, the Flower Maven

7 Valentine's Day Tips for Guys from a Guy

Is your girl expecting something this Sunday? She just might be.

Hold on now, there's some key words in there. Might and expecting are the two I'm thinking of. It really depends on your girl. Now, up here in the mountains the girls tend to be a little more laid back, than say, your urban female.

But, should you happen to forget, you better hope or better yet, KNOW your girl doesn't care two craps about Valentine's Day and all its hype. But, for the girls THAT DO care and expect something, here's a few tips I thought of that might help out.

1. PLAN AHEAD. Seriously, go buy a card at least a few days in advance, so you get "one of the good ones" and aren't stuck getting the kiddie ones that let you slip in a lollipop. Better yet, call your local flower shop ahead of time to know whether to deliver your gift or you'll be picking it up in person. That way, you get first pick of the best flowers and not getting what's leftover at the end of the night. I've seen too many guys knocking on our glass doors, with sad looks of desperation on their face as we give them what we have left.

2. UPHOLD TRADITION. Yes, Roses are the tried and true Valentine's Day Gift, but there's a reason for that. Yes, there's all those other commercials telling you why their gift is better than the classic dozen roses, but if you show up with anything else, you're gonna get looks, trust me. I've delivered flowers for years now, and it DOES make everyone in the office look at our flowers and then wondering who's the lucky girl.

Open the door for your girl for once and prove to her that chivalry isn't dead. Besides, then you can say you were the romantic guy at least once, by giving the girl the gift of roses or flowers. Out here in the mountains we climb mountains for the sublime alpine experience, but also for the bragging rights to say to others that we climbed the mountain.

You can't say you've been the classic romantic guy without at least upholding the one classic flower-oriented commercialized holiday (As a flower shop, we'd love for all the business to be more spread out, but the powers may be organized the festivities to fall all on one day).

3. KNOW WHAT SHE EXPECTS AND DOESN'T. Like I said before, some girls make a big deal about certain stuff, others don't. So know which one is yours. If you have a princess, then do your best to treat her like one the way she would like to be treated and recognized. If she's a low-key mountain girl, then perhaps a quiet ski in the woods with a toast of hot chocolate is all you need.

4. BE CREATIVE. Now here is where it gets fun. Think for a few minutes and do something that will help her remember the night or experience you have created together. Cook her something that you've never tried before or do something that SHE would've picked for you two to do together. I don't know, just put a little bit of effort, and trust me, they notice that you've put some time and energy into the deal.

5. DON'T BE TOO CREATIVE. Ok, so don't go overboard. If you're not already the crafty type, showing up with the latest homemade lotion is not what she might be expecting, when in fact a nice bunch of simple Tulips would've done the job. Saving you time, and in the end, money. Done deal. Support your local florist and let the pros do the work.

6. HAVE FUN. Yes, there's a lot of hype about getting flowers, or being all romantic, but iin the end, you should just go and have fun together doing something that reminds of why you two got together in the first place.

It doesn't have to be a half-day scavenger hunt through Breckenridge (even getting a flower in our shop was one of the stops by this clever fella) or an expensive dinner out. Just a few quiet moments of acknowledging the special person with you and reminding eachother that you WANT to be together..

7. GIVE THANKS. Say thanks to your woman for putting up with you, cooking you dinner and that you couldn't survive without her, which is basically true. Yes, we can get by a few days on frozen pizza and leftovers, but it's nice to have some experience in the kitchen. This lets her know that you NEED her.

Say I love you because it tells her that she is LOVED. Yes, she wants to hear those words more often than we think.

And make sure long after Valentine's Day has come and gone, that you stop back at your local florist to pick up a quick bouquet on a weekday night for no reason other than to say you've done it.