Now offering e-Design services

New E-Design Service for Weddings!

E-Design wedding service Finch Thistle Weddings
I have exciting news! After running Finch & Thistle as a full-service event design and planning studio for the last nine years, I have decided to branch out into e-design services for clients who cannot afford to hire a designer but still want to achieve a beautiful and cohesive look to their wedding or event. Working remotely with clients enables me to bring my design services to clients all over the world in addition to continuing to provide full event design and planning services to clients locally.

Here’s a little bit of information about how the process works:

1. Purchase the design package in my ETSY SHOP
2. Fill out the detailed questionnaire that I will email to you.
3. Add a link to your Pinterest Board(s)
4. I get to work putting together a detailed branding and event design board that you can implement yourself or hire local vendors to implement.
5. Turnaround time is around 10 days from the time you send back your questionnaire.
6. One revision is included.

…and here’s what you will receive:

A PDF DOCUMENT that gives you…

1. A cohesive color palette for the event
2. A separate color palette for the floral design
3. Branding examples for stationery/website
4. Decorative rental suggestions within your described budget
5. Floral design suggestions
6. Display ideas (dessert table, guest book, photobooth, seating chart etc)

PLUS, I can also include rental shopping lists, vendor referrals, and sources for decorative pieces in a customized package. Event design at a fraction of the usual price!

Here’s a peek at an example of what you would receive and some pictures from the actual wedding to show how the design could be implemented…e-design, mood board, design board, weddings

Finch Thistle Weddings E-Design Service Etsy Finch Thistle Weddings E-Design Service Etsy Finch Thistle Weddings E-Design Service Etsy Finch Thistle Weddings E-Design Service EtsyFor more information, check out our new shop here: Finch & Thistle Weddings. 

Summer Corson Building Wedding

It’s always fun to watch an old friend get married and even more fun when that friend is a fellow artist with excellent taste. Sarah is an art history professor who specializes in ancient Italian art so the decision to host her August wedding at the Corson Building was an easy one. Sarah and Mark wanted their wedding to feel like a large Italian dinner party and the Corson Building’s Tuscan style villa and beautiful gardens were a perfect match. For the event design and floral, I drew inspiration from the landscapes and gardens of Italy, with lush garden flowers in soft pastel tones, bowls of oranges, persimmons, grapes on the vine, and organic herbs. Guests feasted on locally caught, foraged, grown, and harvested products, served family style. I can personally guarantee that not only was it the best food I have ever eaten at a wedding or event, it was the best food I have ever eaten. Period. Each moment of this gorgeous gathering was beautifully captured by Ryan Flynn and was published on Elizabeth Anne Designs.

Corson Building Wedding Corson Building Wedding Corson Building Wedding Corson Building Wedding Corson Building Wedding Corson Building Wedding Corson Building Wedding Corson Building Wedding Corson Building Wedding Corson Building Wedding Corson Building Wedding Corson Building Wedding Corson Building Wedding Corson Building Wedding Corson Building Wedding Corson Building Wedding Corson Building Wedding Corson Building Wedding Corson Building Wedding Corson Building Wedding Corson Building Wedding Corson Building Wedding Corson Building Wedding Corson Building Wedding Corson Building Wedding finch_thistle_ryan_flynn_photography_corson_building_wedding17 Corson Building Wedding Corson Building Wedding Corson Building Wedding Corson Building Wedding Corson Building Wedding Corson Building Wedding Corson Building Wedding Corson Building Wedding Corson Building Wedding Corson Building Wedding

Photography: Ryan Flynn | Venue: The Corson Building | Floral and Event Design: Finch and Thistle Event Design | Stationery: Gogo Snap! | Calligraphy: La Happy | Favors: Fran’s Chocolates | Cake: Bakery Nouveau | Hair Stylist: Oohla’s | Makeup Artist: Marina Pirkle | Gown: BHLDN | Bride’s Shoes: Salvatore Ferragamo | Ties: Salvatore Ferragamo

Published: Once Wed Lavender Shoot

finch and thistle, bryce covey photography, seattle weddingAll the way back in July, Bryce Covey and I ventured out to Sequim on Washington’s Olympic Peninsular to create a styled shoot inspired by Sequim’s beautiful lavender fields. Today that shoot is featured on Once Wed and I am so honored to see some of my work alongside the illustrious stylist Joy Thigpen’s!

seattle wedding designer rachel bowesfinch and thistle, bryce covey photography, seattle weddingI wanted to keep the décor soft and simple to complement and not distract from the stunning setting of the lavender farm so I chose a color palette of sage green, white, lilac and a faded orange. To decorate the beautiful rustic cake table I created a floral runner with a garland of seeded eucalyptus and worked in purple scabiosa, garden roses, sweet peas and lavender to add some color. I added antique English vinegar bottles and vintage lavender glass from my personal collection for texture and height and draped the runner into a Provencale market basket.

finch and thistle, bryce covey photography, seattle weddingfinch and thistle, bryce covey photography, seattle wedding finch and thistle, bryce covey photography, seattle weddingfinch and thistle, bryce covey photography, seattle weddingfinch and thistle, bryce covey photography, seattle weddingI created several bridal bouquets for this shoot. Simple single arrangements of lavender and creeping oregano kept the look very simple and elegant and would be a perfect choice for bridesmaids or flower girls, whereas the bride’s bouquet was an organic mix of cream and faded orange garden roses, papery soft lilac scabiosa, sage, lavender and creeping oregano with purple nepeta (or catmint) and astilbe from my own garden. Some salmon berry leaves and seeded eucalyptus added texture.

finch and thistle, bryce covey photography, seattle weddingfinch and thistle, bryce covey photography, seattle weddingThe sweet lavender-lemon vegan cake by Kerissa Bakes was garnished simply with stems of fresh lavender on top of the rough white buttercream icing and displayed on a scalloped white cake platter from Rosanna.

finch and thistle, bryce covey photography, seattle weddingfinch and thistle, bryce covey photography, seattle weddingfinch and thistle, bryce covey photography, seattle weddingfinch and thistle, bryce covey photography, seattle weddingfinch and thistle, bryce covey photography, seattle weddingfinch and thistle, bryce covey photography, seattle weddingPhotography: Bryce Covey Photography | Floral and Event Design: Finch & Thistle Event Design | Location: Martha Lane Lavender Farm, Sequim, WA | Cake: Kerissa Bakes | Model: Erika at Seattle Models Guild | Hair and Makeup: Swink Style Bar

Long Live Gin and Tonic!

All the fun British details from this Diamond Jubilee party on Bainbridge Island yesterday had me feeling quite patriotic over the weekend. Lots of Union Jacks, commemorative tins from M&S, tiny flags in the Pimms, festive flowers and classic British food – sausage rolls, flapjacks, victoria sponge, tea sandwiches…and chicken curry. Obviously. The Queen was there and Will and Kate put in an appearance over by the bar. As you can imagine there were lots of fascinators and hats among the guests and even a tiny corgi wearing pearls.

coral peonies and pink garden roseslarge urn arrangementenglish victoria spongecutout queendiamond jubilee commemorative tinfloral centerpiecepeonies ranunculus garden rose centerpiecepink tree peony jubilee commemorative tincoral charm peonycorgi wearing pearlspoppies and peony centerpiece

Published: Hand Picked Vendor The Wedding Chicks

Finch & Thistle is featured on The Wedding Chicks today! Please take a look and leave a comment…

I went to high school in Salt Lake City and am a frequent visitor to the state as my parents still live there. I love Utah – beautiful mountains, red rock, clear blue skies and lots and lots of brides! – so I am thrilled to see my flowers on the cover of the premiere issue of Salt Lake/Park City Bride and Groom!

Finch and Thistle and Salt Lake Bride and GroomI dream of spending the winter months skiing and designing winter weddings in the Salt Lake/Park City area so if you’re looking for an florist and event designer and you like my work, please contact me via the Finch & Thistle website. Let’s talk!

The new magazine hits newsstands on July 5th and in the meantime, here’s a sneak peek on Utah Bride Blog.

So many people and so much preparation goes into putting together an editorial for a magazine like Seattle Met Bride & Groom.  From a design and styling standpoint, there are usually weeks of preparations – sourcing props, planning the design, ordering flowers, putting together the arrangements and lots of running around picking everything up. Then the shoot itself is a hive of activity with editors, art directors, photographers, fashion stylists, and hair and makeup stylists. As promised, here are a few behind-the-scenes images from the latest issue of SMBG…

hair and makeup stylists, photographers and fashion editors at Seattle Met Bride & Groom shoot

Jewelry Closeups…This shoot was my first time styling jewelry and accessories and it was so fun but very twiddly work. It took about an hour to style each scene. Ever wondered how they get the closeup shots of jewelry and details that SMBG is known for?

bridal jewelry and details Prop Styling…I bought or borrowed all the props from vintage stores, friends, Ebay and Etsy. The larger items (tables) and vases were from my personal collections.  I am obsessed with antique dress trimmings and a family friend has a huge collection. I also loved the Charles and Diana souvenir wedding biscuit tin that a friend of my mum’s dug out of storage!

books, teacups and biscuit tinsFlowers...It was the perfect time of year (March) for Spring blooms in royal hues – jasmine, anemones, ranunculus, hellebore, mock orange and Amnesia roses. I got to use all my favorite flowers in this shoot!ranunculus, jasmine and anemone bouquet from cover of Seattle Met Bride & Groom

flower details from Seattle Metropolitan Bride & Groom Royal ShootAnd perhaps my most favorite part…the jewelry and accessories!

jewelry from Seattle Met Royal Shoot Be sure and check out all the hats and details in the Summer/Fall issue of Seattle Met Bride & Groom!

I got pretty caught up in all the Royal Wedding coverage last week, in part due to the fact that I was working on the design of a Royal Wedding Viewing Brunch for Seattle Metropolitan Bride and Groom magazine. Working with Seattle Met B&G editor Laura Cassidy and publisher Nicole Vogel, we devised a plan to turn Nicole’s gorgeous new South Lake Union condo into an English tea party for the day.

Lisa Dupar catered with inventive tea sandwiches (mint and cucumber!), blood orange mimosas, pots and pots of tea, and at my request, Wills and Kate cookies and Union Jack shortbread. I used vintage tea tins, teapots and apothecary jars to display the candy buffet and decorated the space with stacks of teacups, postcards from Charles and Diana’s wedding and antique fairy tale books.  Guests arrived in elaborate hats and fascinators and had their picture taken with Wills and Kate in the photo booth. King Arthur even made an appearance!

Seattle Met Bride and Groom Royal Wedding Brunch Dessert TableSeattle Met Bride and Groom Royal Wedding Brunch details

Published: Nonpareil Magazine

Nonpareil Issue 7 Cover

I have been dying to show off the projects and pictures from the shoot I styled and designed for Nonpareil Magazine in October since well, October! Check out all the details of the 20(!) page article here – NP Issue 7: A Buzz Worthy Bride

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Kathleen Ullman of Twig and Thistle created the mood board that inspired the shoot. Her dream wedding would have a “Farm to Table” theme with handcrafted details, natural elements and pink and sage green florals.
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I then designed and styled the shoot based on the mood board. Here are some behind-the-scenes pictures from that cold, wintery day out on Bainbridge Island…

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Apart from the pink roses, all the flowers, herbs and rose hips in the bouquet and arrangements came from my own garden.

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I used vintage marmalade pots found on Ebay for the two smaller centerpieces and the white metal vase came from a flea market. The Mr & Mrs runner project was inspired by the burlap runners one of my brides made this summer and the herb pot favors seemed a sweet and inexpensive take on the Farm to Table theme. Details and step-by-step instructions are available here – Mr & Mrs runner template and here –Herb pot favor template

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Our baker fell through at the last minute, so I improvised and decorated simple white cakes from Bainbridge Island’s Town & Country supermarket! Some scattered Secal pears, Black Mission figs and olive branches kept the farm feel a bit more sophisticated.

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It was such a pleasure to work on this shoot with Angela and Evan. Not only is their work stunning, but they are a lot of fun to hang out with!

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Our hair and makeup artist, Teryl, was fantastic. After an hour with her, our already gorgeous model Kara was just stunning.

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As the sun set, Kara posed for some shots under the trees and then we moved down to the water to catch the last of the light.

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Dress designer Chrissy Wai-Ching stands by with some hot tea for our freezing model!

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Inspiration Board: Corporate Holiday Party


Palette: Champagne, gold and white with natural brown elements
Theme: Natural, chic, elegant
Location: Benaroya Hall, Seattle
Date: December, 2010

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