Here in the midwest the chilly winter weather seems to just be getting started, but at the flower market the blooms of spring are starting to pop up. This includes one of my (and most peoples) all time favorite flower, the peony. I simply can’t get enough of them, and apparently neither can brides, it’s definitely our most requested wedding flower. Obviously I couldn’t resist sharing this gorgeous pink and white spring bouquet made up of pink and white peonies, and beautiful pink roses. A perfect clutch for a spring bride! Lovely pics by The McCartneys Photography, and flowers by Horants.
January 4th, 2013
Floral Friday: Brazilia Berries and Lavender
We’ve written about the color purple a few times now for Floral Friday, and the reason is that it’s been such a hot trend for the past few wedding seasons, and doesn’t seem to be going anywhere soon. Next to blush and pink, purple is one of the colors I, as a floral designer, get the most requests for. It works for all seasons, depending on what you pair it with. For this lovely wedding at Salvage One in Chicago, designer Tori of Fragrant Design added in lavender, and one of the recent trending items in bouquets brazilia. Perfect for turning a classic , romantic bouquet into eclectic perfection. Beautiful images by Anna Guziak.
December 31st, 2012
Real Weddings: Steff and Kevin, Cedar Falls, Iowa
We’re doing things just a little bit different this week, and sharing a real wedding today. Why you may be wondering? Because it’s a fabulous New Year’s Eve wedding, so what could be more appropriate? Steff and Kevin decided to celebrate their new lives together, on the same night as the new year, and made sure to make it a huge party for all their family and friends, providing lots of noise makers, hats, and tiaras, and even showing the ball drop in New York on the big screen at the reception. They stuck to a classic look, using ivory, silver, and black as their main colors, with pops of green and fuchsia for a bit of color. I can’t think of a better way to ring in the New Year with all your family and friends! A big thank you to Steff for sharing all the details of the day, and to Belltower Photography for the beautiful images.
Who, What, Where ~ Ceremony, Reception, and Food: Park Place Event Centre. Photographer: Belltower Photography. Flower: Love and Lace Florists. Cake: Ami’s Cakes and Confections. Bride’s Attire: Schaffer’s Bridal. Hair and make-up: Kate’s on Main Salon. Paper: Town Crier Advertising and Printing.
From the bride, Steff…
Kevin and I met in 2006. On a night out our circles of friends ran into each other. After I left Kevin asked some of his friends from work, who were also my friends from college, who I was. About a week later we began talking through Facebook and over the phone. After the first date we never parted. There was a instant spark!
After 4 years of dating Kevin proposed on December 21, 2010. We had decided to open our gifts to each other that night after dinner. As I was cooking dinner Kevin disappeared for about 45 minutes, telling me I couldn’t come downstairs. Finally he came upstairs with only two boxes, one of which was huge! As I anxiously opened the largest box I was surprised to find there was another wrapped box inside. So this is what he was doing downstairs…trying to make me work for my present by having to unwrap multiple boxes. So after 5 boxes wrapped tightly not only with wrapping paper but also layers of tape I finally got to the smallest box. I never suspected it would be a ring. As I looked at my hand I realized what was happening. It was a perfect proposal and such a fun story to share with our family and friends.
My parents had white handkerchiefs made for both Kevin and I embroidered with our names and wedding date. We each carried them with us during the day. I also wore my mom’s original wedding ring on my right hand. My parents had given me the pearl and diamond necklace I wore and Kevin’s gift to me was my diamond bracelet.
Kevin’s dad tragically passed away in a car accident in September. Right before his accident I had asked his mom if there was anything his dad carried in their wedding that Kevin could carry in ours. She remembered a money clip inscribed with his initials. She had placed it on their dresser to give to Kevin the next time we were together. After his dad’s accident we found out he had it with him in his pocket. It held even more meaning for Kevin on our wedding day. I also managed to find a money clip very similar to his dad’s and I gave it to Kevin with his own initials inscribed. I wanted this to be a special keepsake and memory we could share with our kids someday- a tradition for our family.
A favorite part of the day was our photographer, Pete and Emily’s 10 minute rule- where we spent 10 minutes after the ceremony together to soak in the moment. It was our time to just “be together” and celebrate our marriage. The rest of the night would be filled with friends, family and celebration with everyone but this was a small window of time that was just us- for the first time husband and wife. In the photos Pete and Emily captured during this time you can really see our excitement and glow. Just pure love and happiness! Perfect captured memories!
November 2nd, 2012
Floral Friday: Succulents and Protea
I should’ve known before I even looked at the vendor list, that the bouquet in this inspiration shoot was created by the ever talented Jackie of Munster Rose (see her Featured Vendor post here). Jackie is super duper sweet, and her work is, well by floral standards, to die for! It also doesn’t help that that model is adorable. I absolutely love, love, love the “brides” necklace, so I had to include a gratuitous shot of it, even thought it’s not flower related. Thanks to Dette Snaps for the lovely images!
Who, What, Where: Photography: Dette Snaps. Flowers: Munster Rose. Hair and Make-up: Amber Rose. Fashion Designer: Something Borrowed Bride.
August 30th, 2012
Real Weddings: Susan and Jason, St.Louis, Missouri
If I could pick one single word to sum up Susan and Jason’s wedding it would be classic. From the gorgeous white bouquet, to the beautiful bride and her lace dress, the beautiful monogrammed cake, and the elegant gold and white reception decor, everything about it seems timeless and romantic. Susan says she had always dreamed of getting married, playing dress up, and planning her special day. Fortunately for her her older brother introduced her to Jason, and the rest is history. A big thank you to Susan for sharing all the amazing details of the day!
Who, What, Where ~ Ceremony: Salem in Ladue United Methodist Church. Reception: Greenbriar Hills Country Club. Photography: Timothy Pastor, Artisan Photography. Floral Design: Bloomin’ Buckets. Wedding Invitations and all Printed Materials: Courtney Callahan Paper. Day of Coordinator: Mary Lou Willbrand. Makeup: D’Shannon Llewellyn. Hair: Minerva O’Toole. Chair and Charger Rentals: Weinhardt Party Rental. Linen Rental: BBJ Linen. Wedding Cake: McArthur’s Bakery. Wedding Gown: Lazaro from Maiden Voyage Bridal. Bride’s Shoes: Kate Spade. Bridesmaid Dresses and Necklaces: J.Crew. Groom’s Bow Tie: Brooks Brothers.
Even more loveliness…
From the bride, Susan…
A formal yet fun tone was set for our wedding starting with our engagement. Jason enlisted the help of our dear friend and incredibly talented stationer, Courtney Callahan of Courtney Callahan Paper. She designed a heartfelt invitation that I found in our mailbox from Jason inviting me to a “celebration of our love…past, present and future”. After an amazing engagement weekend last July, the wedding planning began!
We both grew up in Missouri and knew the wedding would be in my hometown of St. Louis. My parents joined Greenbriar Hills Country Club the year I was born, it is such a special place to us and there was never a question that it would be our reception site.
To add to the magic of the ceremony, my oldest and closest friend Shannon and her husband Garrett sang a duet of One Hand, One Heart as we lit the Unity Candle. It was the most beautiful and breathtaking thing I have ever heard, I get teary eyed just thinking about how amazing they sounded (they have both sung professionally). We chose the song because our wedding date was my aunt and uncle’s 40th wedding anniversary and they had One Hand, One Heart at their wedding. It was a meaningful and special moment in so many ways!
With an April wedding date we had an array of gorgeous spring flowers to choose from. My vision was for a very romantic, elegant yet warm candlelit reception. I wanted lots of white flowers but left the rest of the creative decisions up to genius floral designer Barb Wehking of Bloomin’ Buckets. My bouquet was filled with fragrant peonies, gardenias, English garden roses and stephanotis.
Both of my grandmother’s are no longer with us, but it was important that they be a part of our wedding. Both had impeccable class and style so it was easy to incorporate their chic vintage pieces. I wore one grandmother’s broach as a hair piece and carried her hand beaded pearl clutch. And due to the unusually cool April temps, I wore my other grandma’s silver fox stole to keep me warm! Additionally, my mom and her sister’s all wore the same veil of handmade Belgium lace at their weddings. It had become too fragile for me to wear so we used it as an overlay on the cake table. It stood out beautifully against the federal blue linen and provided a focal point as guests entered the dining room. Another touch of family sentiment came with Jason’s mom and her siblings surprised him by singing an incredible a cappella prayer before dinner.
Since Courtney Callahan Paper did such a fabulous job on the engagement piece, we hired her to design our custom save the date and invitation suite. She completely understood our vision and helped bring a modern twist to our traditional wedding. The paper details on our wedding day matched our invitation perfectly. She created a custom monogram and flourish that were used throughout from the programs to the menus to the signage around the reception. Other touches included monogrammed cocktail napkins and guest towels, Mr. and Mrs. signs tied to our chairs, place cards, a Thank You banner, Sparkler Sendoff and Guest Book signs and kitschy late night food labels.
Looking back now, the day brings a huge smile to my face and will continue to do so for a lifetime. It was filled with love, elegance, unimaginable joy and most of all FUN! It was an amazing celebration that represented Jason and me perfectly.
