Alaska Peony Retreat w/ Petals by the Shore

When I first learned about Kelly Shore’s Peony Retreat that’s during the Celebration in Homer, Alaska I knew I had to join in, especially creating a floral outfit, something I’ve wanted to try ever since I saw the bontical courter design installations at the Northwest Home and Garden Festival in Seattle a few years ago. 

The application process to attend had me submitting a sketch up with color pallet and outline of my design idea for the Fleur de Paeonia Bontical “dress.” The only rule was I had to use 80% peonies. I also knew I wanted to bring some flowers from my farm to celebrate American Grown flowers and the farmers who grow the blooms. The combination was pretty groovy if you ask me. 

During the retreat there were several floral workshops. I created a hand tied bridal bouquet, helped in a group foam-free hanging installation and a table centerpiece full of peonies, some of my flowers, and dahlias I harvested from Beth Vansandt’s Scenic Place Peonies. 

The group floral installation was at Diamond Ridge Peonies. As a farmer I loved witnessing the differences in peony bloom time amongst the different farms because of elevation. Diamond Rigde still had blooms in the field, while down by the bay at Alaska Perfect Peony season was pretty much finished, then we had Scenic Place Peonies who chose to keep some blooms on the plants just for us retreat participants. 

The epic trip to Seldovia for a styled photo shoot of our bouquets by plane and boat is something this Alaskan has never done before. Highly recommended.  

Although I like peonies I’m more attracted to the more none traditional colors like coral and yellow. In my bouquet I used lemon peonies, catchup and mustard columbine along with a sunflower, snapdraggons, stock and yarrow from my farm. 

My table centerpiece I stayed with the yellow color pallet using both yellow peonies, snaps, columbine and a few golden scepter ball dahlias.

I wish I could have kept up with the yellow theme but I can’t complain. The Alaska Peony Cooperative donated the white, pink and red peonies for my botanical design. My write-up says…

In paying homage to my flower power addiction, my love of Alaska and my “hippie” upbringing in my first ever “groovy” botanical design for Fleur de Peonia. Combining the flowers and wheat grown on my flower farm in Palmer with fluffy romantic peony blooms of Homer here is Bloom’in Babe. Celebrating Alaska Grown blooms and botanicals in true north “far-out” fashion if you catch my drift. 

I loved the instagram video the Alaska Peony Cooperative created. You can view it here.

Huge Special thank you to…..

Beth and Curt Vansandt of Scenic Place Peonies for hosting the retreat and for the deepening friendship.

Rachel Tweggs, A photographer I’ve wanted to work with it seems like forever.

Beth Kate, A photographer I’ve never met before, but fell in love with her captures.

Jennifer Reed of Jennifer Designs, The designing engineering queen. Her suggestions and assistance in all things structural where spot on.

Kelly Shore of The Floral Source, What can I say, other than I love your love for Alaska and American Grown Flowers.

And to all the other support people who made this event possible….thank you, thank you!

To learn about our elopement and wedding floral packages check out our page.