Asters

Where it grows: Gardens
Best used for: Bridesmaid’s bouquets, boutonnieres
Asters are a beautiful full flower with bright yellow centers that are very versatile in the ways that they can be used, as they would look great in any aspect of wedding flower arrangements. They grow in colors such as white, pink, hot pink, red, as well as different shades of purple. This flower has many meanings, including “patience,” “love of variety,” “elegance” and “daintiness.” These flowers bloom in the late summer and early fall, making them a great choice for August of September weddings.

Chrysanthemums

Where it grows: Meadows, gardens
Best used for: Table arrangements, large arrangements, flower girl baskets, etc.
Chrysanthemums are another full flower, but they are a little bit smaller in size than some of the other flowers we have here. They grow in a variety of colors including white, yellow, gold, pink, orange, bronze, deep red, maroon, and violet. These are flowers that would look great in a fall wedding in the Adirondacks. The meanings for this flower are also a little different, as they have a general meaning, but also meanings according to color. In general, they mean “cheerfulness,” “optimism” and “with love.” Orange chrysanthemums mean “excitement,” while red chrysanthemums mean “love and affection,” and white blooms mean “trueness.” Orange, red and yellow chrysanthemums would look lovely with matching leaves falling from the trees in a late September or early October wedding, especially since these flowers bloom in the early fall.

Daylilies

Where it grows: Meadows, gardens
Best used for: Bouquets, large arrangements
Daylilies are a big, beautiful flower that is very full. Daylilies grow in a wide variety of colors, including red, orange, yellow, white, pink and purple. The meaning of daylilies is “forgetting worries” and “flirtation.” When daylilies are mentioned, most people think of the big, beautiful orange flowers on the side of a country road, because this is where daylilies are most commonly found. These flowers bloom in late spring and early summer–usually in late May and early June– but they are around for only a few weeks every year, so plan accordingly if these are a must-have for your big day!

Geraniums

Where it grows: Woodlands, gardens
Best used for: Table arrangements, large arrangements
Geraniums are another star-shaped flower that come in a wide variety of colors. These can be found in shades such as white, red, peach, salmon, coral, dark orange, pink, and purple. Geraniums mean “comfort,” so this is an appropriate flower to use in an area where you will be together with your friends and family. Geraniums bloom when there is a lot of sun during the day, but since it gets cooler at night, these flowers bloom most often in late spring to very early summer.

Hostas

Where it grows: Gardens
Best used for: Table arrangements, large arrangements, bouquets
Hostas have almost a bell-like shape, though their petals also make a star shape. They can be found in colors such as blue, green yellow and white. Being relatively small flowers, they would serve as an ideal filler with other types of flowers. The meaning of hostas is “devotion,” so this is another flower that could be very symbolic for your wedding day. Be careful with these blooms if you plan to include your furry friends in your wedding–they are toxic to dogs, cats, and horses.

Irises

Where it grows: Meadows, riverbanks, gardens
Best used for: Bouquets, boutonnieres, corsages, table arrangements, etc.
This beautiful classic flower grows in colors such as blue, purple, white, yellow, pink, and orange. Irises are another flower that have great meanings that tie in perfectly with weddings: “wisdom,” “promise of love,” and “hope.” These flowers would pair wonderfully with a bright pop of yellow or gold if you are planning to use the more traditional blue or purple variety on your big day.

Lavender

Where it grows: Gardens
Best used for: Bouquets, boutonnieres, large arrangements
Adirondack Weddings Magazine has featured lavender before, and it’s because we love it so much. Lavender can be found in varying shades of purple from almost white to a very rich, deep purple. Lavender means “love,” as well as “devotion,” so it’s no wonder that this flower is perfect for weddings. As seen in Volume 4 of the print magazine, lavender looks beautiful as the main focus of a bouquet, but it also looks lovely as a filler flower.

Dwarf Sunflowers

Where it grows: Gardens
Best used for: Bouquets, table arrangements, large arrangements
Dwarf sunflowers are a smaller variety of the normally very large sunflower. They grow in the traditional sunshine yellow, as well as gold, orange, red, bronze, and white. Sunflowers mean “adoration,” so they would make a lovely addition to any wedding. Sunflowers bloom in the summer when there is the most sun, so July and August weddings would be the perfect time to use these beautiful blooms.

Violets

Where it grows: Woodlands, gardens
Best used for: Table arrangements, flower girl baskets
Violets are another small and uncommon flower that would make a unique addition to any wedding flower arrangement. Violets are also very dainty flowers, and keeping them in soil helps to keep them from wilting. They grow in colors such as purple, blue, yellow, and white, and they can sometimes be more than one of these colors. This is another flower that has different meanings for different colors. In general, violets mean “modesty,” “virtue,” and “affection.” Blue specifically means “faithfulness,” and “love,” and white specifically means “let’s take a chance on happiness.” Violets are spring flowers, so keep that in mind when planning your wedding if they are a favorite of yours.

Whether showcasing one native flower or dozens, your flower arrangements are a colorful opportunity to display local pride. Trends may come and go, but incorporating natural elements into your Adirondack wedding will never go out of style.

— Story by Anna Keeler

Costume jewelry is wonderfully versatile. A brooch, such as the 1960s Schreiner ruffle pin pictured above, can be used to adorn your bouquet or even a sash tied around your waist. Clip earrings can be worn as intended, or repurposed as embellishments on boutonnières or bridesmaids’ bouquets.

Vintage costume jewelry, however, does not always age well, especially if it was well-loved in its heyday. Water, hairspray, and natural oils from the skin corrode once-shiny metals, sometimes even creating a greenish-blue mold-like substance called verdigris. Fortunately, with a bit of elbow grease and a few simple ingredients found around your house, vintage costume jewelry can be cleaned and restored.

Materials You’ll Need:
• Water
• Toothpaste
• Baking soda
• Paper towels
• Cotton swabs
• Toothpicks
• Window cleaner (ammonia free)
• Micro-fiber cloth

Step 1
Wash your hands to avoid spreading natural oils. (For extra vigilance, opt for latex gloves.)

Step 2
Find a workspace with good lighting, where you’ll see every detail (or blemish) on your jewelry.

Step 3
Lay your chosen piece of jewelry on a few stacked paper towels and inspect it for areas that need TLC. There are probably only a few isolated areas that need special attention. However, if the whole piece needs polishing, start at one end and systematically move across the piece.

Step 4
When you’ve identified the area you’d like to work on, grab your baking soda and toothpaste. Apply an equal amount of each onto a dish and use a cotton swab to mix it all together. (The size of the batch you mix will depend on how big of an area you will be cleaning.) Remember, a little goes a long way. If you end up with too much, just dab some of it off your cotton swab onto the paper towel.

Step 5
Using the cotton swab, gently rub the mixture onto the areas of blemished metal. When the cotton swab end begins to get dirty, flip it over and use the other side, or get a new one. At this point, you should be able to notice a difference from before you started cleaning.

Step 6
After polishing to your satisfaction, use a slightly moistened paper towel to clean any residue off the piece. (If your piece has rhinestones, however, avoid touching them with the paper towel, as the fibers could cause a scratch.) If there are any stubborn areas of verdigris, gently scrub them with cotton swabs or tooth picks dipped in an ammonia-free glass cleaner.

Step 7
Finally, polish your piece of jewelry with a micro-fiber cloth. These cloths are soft enough to avoid scratching the jewelry and are able to pick up any missed particles. Contrary to what was once believed, rhinestones can be safely polished with ammonia-free glass cleaner. After cleaning, always make sure your pieces are completely dry; lingering moisture is the primary cause of metal decay.

That’s it! Don’t be discouraged if your jewelry doesn’t turn out looking perfect. Your cherished piece is likely very old, so it’s important to go into this process with realistic expectations. Your jewelry will surely look brighter and shinier than it did before — the lack of perfection is exactly what gives it a special vintage charm!

— Story by Jenna Whitehill

Phlox

Where it grows: Open woodlands, fields, gardens
Best used for: Bouquets, boutonnieres, table arrangements
Phlox isn’t a traditional wedding flower, which makes it a unique choice for a country-inspired wedding, and it grows right here in the Adirondacks. The meaning of phlox is “our souls are united,” a sentiment perfect for weddings. This prolific bloom comes in colors including white, red, pink and lavender.

Baby’s Breath

Where it grows: Open fields, gardens
Best used for: Bouquets, table arrangements, boutonnieres, hairstyles
Baby’s breath is a versatile flower that comes in many different varieties and colors of white or pale pink. Baby’s breath means “everlasting and undying love,” “pureness and innocence,” “self discipline,” and “the ability to stay focused.” Baby’s breath has been a wedding bouquet staple for years, but don’t let its popularity dissuade you; classic flowers can be used in new and creative ways, such as to decorate a place setting or wedding signage.

Balloon Flowers

Where it grows: Gardens
Best used for: Table arrangements, large arrangements
Balloon Flowers are less traditional, but just as beautiful as more popular flowers, and grow in shades of pink, blue, and white. Their star shape would look lovely on a corsage for a mother or grandmother. The meaning of this flower is “endless love” and “honesty.” Because this is a larger bloom, consider incorporating balloon flowers into bigger arrangements that will showcase them without overpowering smaller flowers.

Coreopsis Flowers

Where it grows: Gardens
Best used for: Boutonnieres, flower girls’ baskets
These blooms, which mean “always cheerful,” have wide petals with yellow centers. They grow in yellow, hot pink, white, orange, and gold. These dainty flowers would look lovely woven into the braid of a flower girl’s hair, in her basket, or on the pillow of a ring bearer.

Dianthus Flowers

Where it grows: Gardens
Best used for: Table arrangements, bouquets
Dianthus, a unique flower with a tie-dyed type of look, simply means “love.” This flower, which also goes by the name of Sweet Williams, grows in red, purple, white, and pink.

Forget-Me-Nots

Where it grows: Streambeds, wet woodlands, gardens
Best used for: Boutonnieres, large arrangements, table arrangements
Forget-Me-Nots are tiny flowers that look great as filler mixed in with larger blooms. These delicate blooms, which grow in magenta, rose, pink, white, and blue, mean “youthful love,” making them very fitting for many weddings.

Lilacs

Where it grows: Gardens
Best used for: Large arrangements, table arrangements
For many, lilacs are synonymous with spring, perhaps even bringing back memories of childhood, when the sweet scent of lilacs in the air meant warm days ahead and the end of a long Adirondack winter. Lilacs come in a range of colors including white, violet, blue, lavender, pink, magenta, and purple. These flowers mean “first love,” making it the perfect choice for childhood sweethearts, or couples who found each other again after years apart.

Peonies

Where it grows: Gardens
Best used for: Bouquets, table arrangements, large arrangements
Peonies, garden flowers that can grow wild, are a popular wedding choice because they are big, stable blooms that help to fill out arrangements. Peonies, which can be found in pink, white, red, and coral, mean “happy marriage” and “compassion.”

Primroses

Where it grows: Open woods, gardens
Best used for: Table arrangements
Primroses are petite flowers that grow in white, cream, yellow, orange, red, pink, purple, and blue. With all of these colors, they are a flower that could be incorporated into just about any theme or color scheme. Primroses mean “I can’t live without you,” another appropriate sentiment for a happy union. Too add a woodsy look to your reception table, add a centerpiece of primroses in clay pots. This rustic addition to your decor could be gifted to guests to care for after the wedding.

We hope that these beautiful flowers that grow here in the Adirondacks give you some great ideas about what flowers to use in your wedding. And if you have enough time before your big day, maybe consider even growing them yourself! Next week we’ll have part two of these local flowers and their meanings for you.

- Story by Anna Keeler

Recipe yields two dozen cupcakes

Ingredients for Cupcake:

• 2 cups sugar
• ¾ cup vegetable oil
• 2 eggs, room temperature
• 1 cup buttermilk, room temperature
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1 oz. red food coloring
• ½ cup hot water
• 1 teaspoon white distilled vinegar
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 Tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder

Ingredients for Frosting:

• 1 (8 oz.) package of cream cheese, room temperature
• 4 tablespoons butter, softened at room temperature (do not melt)
• 2 cups powdered sugar

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
2. In a large mixing bowl, mix together sugar and oil until well combined.
3. Beat in eggs until mixture is uniform in color.
4. Add in buttermilk, vanilla extract, and food coloring and mix until everything is well combined.
5. Mix in hot water and distilled vinegar.
6. Add flour.
7. Mix together baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Add to bowl.
8. Add cocoa powder.
9. Mix to combine all ingredients.
10. Line a muffin pan with paper cupcake liners.
11. Pour ½ cup of batter into each cupcake liner.
12. Bake 18-20 minutes or until top of cupcakes are spongy to the touch (Don’t overcook. Hint: It’s ok if a few crumbs cling to the toothpick, if doing the toothpick doneness method. In this case, cupcakes will finish cooking as it cools in the pan and be perfectly moist when cooled).
13. Remove cupcakes from oven and let them sit in pan for 5 minutes.
14. Place cupcakes on a cooling rack to finish cooling.
15. To create the frosting, cream together butter and cream cheese. Slowly add in powdered sugar and beat until creamy.

A sweet addition to any couple’s recipe book, red velvet cupcakes are perfect around Valentine’s Day not only for the rich red color, but the rich flavor as well! To dress up your cupcakes for V-Day, you also might top your frosting with cute heart sprinkles or just plain red, white, and pink sprinkles, if you like. Either way, it’ll be hard not to indulge in something so sweet for a holiday as special as this. Share with your sweetheart and they are sure to “Be Yours” in a heartbeat!

Story by Anne McLean

If you live in the Saratoga Springs region, come visit us on Sunday at the “Only the Best” bridal show at The National Museum of Dance. We’ll be there talking to brides and grooms about wedding planning, the magazine, and how to be featured in our bridal announcements section. Have a burning question about the magazine or need an insider perspective on the local wedding industry? Come chat us up! This is our second consecutive year attending this event, and we’re very excited for another opportunity to meet with brides face-to-face. If you’re in the area, come say hi — we love making new friends!

When: 1 to 4 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 2, 2014
Where: The National Museum of Dance
Cost of Admission: Free!

As always, feel free to check out our events page on an ongoing basis to view any upcoming shows we plan to attend, and for links to past bridal show coverage.

Hope to see you there!