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How to Create the Rustic Look… on a Cabo Beach

 

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As the Cabo floral experts, it’s easy to tap into trends.  We often hear the same words or descriptions from many different clients.  That’s how we know what’s truly popular with our brides and grooms.  The one word we keep hearing right now?  RUSTIC.

And we love rustic!  Now, of course, creating a rustic event on a beach in Mexico is a little bit different than having a rustic event in a barn, or on a farm, or in a meadow, or at a vineyard…wedding options that you may have in the U.S.

For us, most of our rustic weddings happen on a Cabo beach!  And we love that!  (Of course, we do create floral designs for weddings at Flora Farms, too, in neighboring San Jose del Cabo, which is a working farm.  But most of our weddings are on or adjacent to the beach.)

Keeping your floral decor rustic is all about keeping your Cabo wedding look simple and natural with clean lines, while at the same time keeping it elegant.

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So how do you do that?

  1. Incorporate a lot of white flowers into your floral design.  Baby’s breath is popular again as well in rustic weddings too.  (Line your ceremony aisle with bunches of it, for a beautiful and rustic look.)
  2. Use natural wood for many of your floral decor options.  We recommend drift wood or curly willow.  Create a chuppah with this natural wood, or let us design for you a table centerpiece made with some of our own Cabo beach driftwood with a candles incorporated into the wood.
  3. Use succulents and more wild flowers, than traditional flowers.
  4. Vintage metals look amazing with all of the above options.  Set these directly on the beach to line your aisle way and include them in your table design as well.

KEEPING YOUR EVENT DECOR FRUITY

We, at Cabo Flowers & Cakes, know a little trick to keep your event decor fabulous – and affordable – with a touch of whimsy!  Add a bit of fruit to your decor.  Yes….fruit!  Lemons and limes are our favorites, but really you can add almost any type of fruit.  Keep it whole or slice it…just make sure to showcase the true beauty and color of the fruit. And make sure it’s a match, color-wise, for your event’s theme and decor.

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These sliced lemons lining the tall cylinder vases were a perfect fit for this luncheon’s bright, airy, and natural look.  Adding the baby’s breath, Mason jars, and wrapping everything in raffia added the final finishing touches.

For this Cabo wedding’s natural feel, curly willow and tall cylinders of whole limes, lining the aisle walkway, were added to the ceremony decor.  What a perfect way to mix the colors of brown, green and white!  Very creative, very catchy!

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Interested in adding some color, texture and a hint of fun to your wedding decor?  Give our floral designers at Cabo Flowers & Cakes a call.  We’ll create something delicious for you!

http://www.loscabosflowers.com

FUNKY WEDDING CAKES – COLOFUL AND CUTE!

June 22 Sirena del MarWhile we at Cabo Flowers & Cakes are, of course, huge fans of the traditional white wedding cake, there is still something that just makes us smile about some of the colorful and somewhat funky cakes we’ve been asked to create for weddings here in Cabo San Lucas.

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Maybe it’s because our brides are on vacation when they have a destination wedding.  Maybe it’s the bright beauty of the Mexican landscape and culture that rubs off on our brides.  Maybe it’s just their own creativity shining through for their special day.  Whatever it is…enjoy these cakes (like we did when we made them) and let us know your bold ideas for your wedding cake.  We’ll bring our A-game and enjoy the fun of creating something just a bit different!

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FOR THE LOVE OF SUCCULENTS:

Let’s take a minute and celebrate the most popular plant to now be a part of the Cabo wedding scene!  It’s our little green friend…the succulent! It’s popping up everywhere… from rustic farm weddings to beachfront seaside weddings like we have here in our beautiful destination wedding location, Cabo San Lucas.  And we at Cabo Flowers & Cakes couldn’t be happier!!!

Destination Wedding Photos by Dino Gomez
Destination Wedding Photos by Dino Gomez

Succulents grow as an individual bloom and are the perfect shade of a mellow, mild green.  They add color and texture to any floral arrangement without stealing the glory from other beautiful blooms.  They are hardy and long-lasting, and add a bit of fun too!

We love to add succulents to bouquets (bridal and bridesmaid), table centerpieces, as boutonnieres (not usually the whole bloom but just a snippet of one), and as mini arrangements perfect for a cocktail table or in a restroom.

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Really, the only limit to what you can use a succulent for is your imagination or your budget.

BLACK AND WHITE WEDDING: A CAKE TO MATCH

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As black and white themed weddings have become more popular (even at destination wedding locations like Cabo San Lucas), we’ve upped our game when it comes to cake decor.  Black and white wedding cakes have become high-end and on-trend, and we here at Cabo Flowers & Cakes are specialist for this type of cake.

Here are some examples of how a black and white wedding cake stays traditional, elegant and yet unique.  A few things to be aware of for a black and white Cabo wedding cake:

1.   An expert cake designer, like we have on staff at Cabo Flowers & Cakes, must make sure your colors do not run!  The black stays black, and the white stays white.  This is the #1 consideration when creating a beauty like these cakes.P1010074

2. Keep it classy!  One way to do this is to have more white than black on your wedding cake.  This keeps your cake amazing, not scary.P1020208

3. Pull in the decor from your bridal attire and/or event decor.  Black polka dots or stripes on your event linens?  Pull that theme into your cake decor as well.

In the end, a black and white cake is a perfect way to pull together all of your black and white event decor.

http://www.loscabosflowers.com

ARCHES AND FRAMES – THE CHUPPAH’S COUNTERPART

Here in Cabo, the chuppah (also sometimes called a canopy)  gets all the attention.  With it’s four legs, and it’s beautiful draping…most of our brides start their wedding planning intent on a structure like this.  But, we wanted to let everyone know…at Cabo Flowers and Cakes, we love arches and frames too.  

What’s a frame?  It’s basically a two-legged chuppah/canopy, and so we add this to the arch category as well.  These ceremony structures are just as beautiful as many of the chuppahs and canopies we design (and they are more affordable).  Here are a few to convince you, too:Arch,wbranches&dendrobs 2013-05-25 15.22.51 2012-05-11 10.51.20CanopyDesigner Luis Fernando putting final touches on arch2012-03-31 14.30.15

Remember, in Cabo we are famous for our Arch.  So…maybe your wedding ceremony decor should include one as well!

CUPCAKES VS. CAKES – WHICH IS BEST FOR YOUR EVENT?

Remember being a kid and loving the cupcakes your Mom brought to school on your birthday?  People have always loved cupcakes…they’re cute, individual and easy to eat.  Face it, they’re fun!  It’s no different here in Cabo…we love our cupcakes too. 

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But cupcakes for your Cabo wedding?
Cupcakes have reached a new level of popularity with many of the cupcake reality shows like  “The Cupcake Girls” and “Cupcake Wars.”  However, unlike in the States, here in Cabo we don’t have a speciality cupcake shop on every street corner.  Therefore, if you want a cupcake, you need to order one from us, Cabo Flowers and Cakes.
But, again, the question, cupcakes for your Cabo wedding?
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Sure, if you want them!  Wedding cakes have always reigned supreme and probably always will.  But cupcakes add a touch of whimsy to what can be a very serious affair (your wedding!)  The brides that choose cupcakes do so for the following reasons:
  1. Fun!
  2. A variety of flavors
  3. As a unique decor item
  4. As part of a larger dessert bar
  5. In conjunction with a wedding cake
So, go ahead, order cupcakes for your Cabo wedding!  Let us know what flavors you want (yes, you can add a filling to a cupcake as well) and we’ll help you design something that will make your guests smile (and grab a chocolate one AND a strawberry one!)  Because, sometimes, with cupcakes, just one won’t do.

THE CARE & HANDLING OF YOUR FLOWERS

2012-01-14 15.28.28When planning a wedding in Cabo San Lucas, flowers should always be a part of your decor.  At Cabo Flowers and Cakes, we of course understand this and know that part of our responsibility when we provide the flowers for your Cabo wedding (whether it’s at a resort, private villa or even on the beach) is to make sure the flowers are delivered in pristine condition!

We wanted to take a moment to share with you how we ensure a smooth delivery of your personal flowers (that’s your bridal bouquet, bridesmaid bouquets, boutonnieres, etc.).

The main concern for us is that your flowers stay cool in our heat.  We know and love Cabo, but let’s face it, it can get very warm here.  (It’s one of the reasons we all love it.)  Good for us, not so good for our flowers.2012-07-17 19.00.22

We also know that you will need your personal flowers for your pre-ceremony photography.  So we want to make sure that your flowers are delivered in time for that, but not too much time before your ceremony.

We will work with you (and/or your wedding planner) to determine your flower delivery timeline, but we usually plan on delivering your personal flowers directly to you two hours before your ceremony start time.

We keep your flowers refrigerated for as long as necessary before transport. Then, once they are delivered directly to you, please keep your flowers in a cool place (an air-conditioned room is fine) and in a vase with a tiny bit of water if possible.  (Make sure the bouquets do not drip on your dress when you take them out of the vase for photos. Just a dab with a paper towel or napkin will work.)

If you care for your personal flowers early on in the day, they will last beautifully throughout your whole celebration.

DON’T LEAVE YOUR CHAIRS NAKED

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When we at Cabo Flowers and Cakes work with you to create your Cabo wedding decor, we have a checklist of sorts.  We know every element that can be made to shine with flowers, and there is ultimately one part of ceremony decor that many brides overlook.  Their chairs!

Please, we beg of you, don’t leave your ceremony chairs naked.  They flank your aisle, where you will walk as you greet the love of your life.  Your aisle will be prominent in all of your photos and so will the chairs that line the aisle.

Chair flowers are fun, festive and they tie together all your ceremony decor.  Use them just on the aisles (for a more affordable option) or place one on each chair (either on the back or on the side.)  Even if you are using a chair cover or a chair tie, there is always a beautiful space for a flower as well.  The results will be…phenomenal!

BRINGING YOUR BRIDAL BOUQUET BACK TO THE U.S.A.

You’ve had the most breathtaking wedding in Cabo!  Everything went perfectly, and your flowers from Cabo Flowers & Cakes were truly gorgeous.  Now what?  Can you leave Cabo, head home to the U.S. and take your bridal bouquet with you?
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The U.S. Customs and Border Protection website (www.cbp.gov) is pretty clear about this.  Yes, you may bring your bridal bouquet (or any other wedding flowers).  BUT… you must declare it, and it may be taken from you and disposed of if it is found to not meet the inspection standards. 

photo - blog - flowers into USA

Here’s the actual verbiage:

Certain items brought into the United States from foreign countries are restricted according to U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) regulations. Prohibited agricultural items can harbor plant pests and foreign animal diseases that could seriously damage America’s crops, livestock, and the environment – and a large sector of our country’s economy.

All travelers entering the United States are REQUIRED to DECLARE meats, fruits, vegetables, plants, seeds, soil, animals, as well as plant and animal products (they may be carrying. The declaration must cover all items carried in checked baggage, carry-on luggage, or in a vehicle.

Upon examination of plants, animal products, and associated items, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) agriculture specialists at the ports of entry will determine if these items meet the entry requirements of the United States. Always DECLARE agricultural items by checking “Yes” on Question 11 of the CBP Declaration Form 6059B.

Avoid Fines and Delays

Prohibited items that are not declared by passengers are confiscated and disposed of by CBP agriculture specialists. More importantly, civil penalties may be assessed for failure to declare prohibited agricultural products and may range up to $1,000 per first-time offense for non-commercial quantities.

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So, your best bet is to bring them with you, declare them, and then be ready to give them up if the Customs agent deems them not acceptable to import.  Brides, we at Cabo Flowers & Cakes would love to hear your personal experiences.  Were you able to bring your flowers across the border?