my fair bianca

march 2009

my bridal bouquet
[ photos by rachel mcginn ]

looking at the march cover for martha stewart living magazine makes me smile. and somehow, i knew the cover was shot by one of my favorite photographers, victoria pearson. vicky has this amazing ability to capture that perfect moment with the perfect light. the cover story was partially shot at the rose story farm in carpinteria, california. the farm has 18,000 rose bushes and grows over 120 varieties of roses! a couple of years back when i was planning our wedding, vicki had suggested us to go visit this hidden gem. it was definitely worth the trip and we met the most gracious co-owner danielle hahn and her team of experts there. for my bridal bouquet, i knew it had to be white - my favorite color! and i wanted something very personal and simple. i have always loved garden roses... i'm constantly in awe of their natural beauty. the challenge was really to find a single variety that can stand on its own even in the simplest arrangement. i ultimately chose david austin's 'fair bianca'. fair bianca is a modern (english) rose that has an old fashioned quality to it. each rose is densely petaled, almost like a peony, but much smaller and forms a shallower cup. and the fragrance is absolutely delicious - myrrh and a soft hint of lemon. you know how they say smell is our strongest trigger of memory? whenever i smell fair biancas, they just take me right back to that beautiful autumn day in palm springs. :)