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Karen Tran: Her flower statement
Classic centerpieces: Floral designer Karen Tran poses with her newly launched Wedding Flowers book in Jakarta
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Classic centerpieces: Floral designer Karen Tran poses with her newly launched Wedding Flowers book in Jakarta.(Courtesy of Karen Tran) (Courtesy of Karen Tran)
Classic centerpieces: Floral designer Karen Tran poses with her newly launched Wedding Flowers book in Jakarta.(Courtesy of Karen Tran)
Stone carvings and wall paintings illustrate that ancient Egyptians were among the first civilizations to have adored cut flowers and to have used them for elaborate decoration at important ceremonies.
Today, Facebook and Instagram highlight the increasingly inseparable nature of flowers and celebrations with the continuous stream of gorgeous flower-filled photographs taken at weddings, engagements, birthdays and anniversary parties around the world.
Forget tiny bundles of roses and fern, a floral blast will be the thing that will transform your celebration into a whimsical bridal dream.
'I think using flowers in abundance, high concentration, lots of volume, is a trend right now ' anything that's out of the ordinary and not just a basic small centerpiece on the table. Something that's just flowing off the table, hanging on the wall, something that is unusual,' Southern California-based floral designer Karen Tran said.
She said the use of tens of thousands of flowers was usual in a lavish wedding as she once arranged 168,000 flowers for an island wedding.
Karen was on her third visit to Indonesia in the second week of December. She had been in Bali twice previously to hold a series of her master floral classes.
Named wedding innovator of the year in 2013, Karen has garnered international recognition for her exquisite grandeur and jaw dropping floral arrangements, designs that have made her a market leader in the luxury wedding industry.
During her recent visit to Jakarta, the author of the newly launched Wedding Flowers book showcased her signature high centerpieces on a dinner table at the presidential suite at the Ritz Carlton hotel in Pacific Place, where she beautifully married layers of pink moth and vanda orchids with roses, hydrangea, hyacinth and calla lily.
'Looking at the room, you want to use something that is fresh, more than simple in size, a concentration of local flowers, using them abundantly in different levels,' Karen said.
'We love to use layers. As you can see we have flowers in each layer. Instead of having one large massive garland in one layer, we use three or four different layering techniques in this tablescape.'
Karen also presented her floral touches in the suite's living room where she elevated the beauty of a crystal table lamp by embellishing the handle with a flowing purple orchid garland and adorned a table with a longer-flowing orchid garland.
Another key point to her feminine and romantic flower arrangements is her color palate selections. Karen said when decorating the presidential suite, she ordered a broader selection of other flowers, but had decided not to use them because they were not of the color palette that she desired.
'My design is very classic, very simple, very easy on the eyes. So, not too many colors. Just stay within a specific color palette,' she said, adding that accessories are also essential and should be congruent and consistent with color.
The mother of three adult children said she was not against synthetic flowers as they could be helpful when the required number of fresh flowers was not available.
'So, I think it [synthetic] is useful as long as you don't see them, as long as you don't feel them and touch them and they are premium quality. I think it's acceptable. But I think the beauty of using real flowers is that you can touch them and you know they are real flowers. It's all fresh and it will die in a couple of days,' she said.
While using flowers in abundance was embedded in her design, Karen said smart placement also played a role. It would be better to focus on fewer spots than to spread the flowers thinly.
'If you have a limited budget, just concentrate on a certain area to make that the feature focal point. I think a lot of the mistakes a bride makes involves spreading everything all over the room and there is no concentration that is a wow piece. So, definitely use fresh flowers, use them in abundance in a concentrated area,' she said.
Prominent Indonesian wedding organizer Tiara Josodirdjo said a number of wealthy people in the country had started to embrace the trend of using flowers in abundance.
However, she said some of them would rather focus on the number of flowers, to boost their pride, as apposed to focusing on fabulous designs.
'[Many] Indonesians overdo it, to show that they are rich. Someone told me that his or her flowers should be in a bigger number than the other wedding,' she said.
She said she hoped Karen's presence and master classes in the country could spark ideas on how to mix and use a high volume of flowers elegantly and that her visits inspired Karen to introduce Indonesian accessories into her designs.
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Tips
* Use flowers in high concentration
* Stay within a specific color palette when selecting flowers and accessories
* Focus on decorating a specific area rather than spreading flowers all over the room
* Use fresh flowers
* Artificial flowers are acceptable as long as they are of premium quality and placed in such a way that
they cannot be touched by guests
* Use different layering techniques to decorate a table
* Massage roses in order to help them bloom
