Wedding Floral Design Continued

As a follow-up post to the Comprehensive Wedding Design Classes at Longwood Gardens, here are a few snapshots. Please keep in mind I am NOT a photographer! The classroom spelled like heaven - roses, Japanese Sweet Pea, Jasmine, Calas, Gerberas and more filled our senses. The below pictures are of modern twist on cascade designs. Two of them are more "c-shaped" and the white gerberas are meant to be held laying a bit on your arm. I ran out of time finishing it off, but I think you will get the idea. Also, I don't think I would have put the blue hydrangea with it, but a white peony {we had to use what was in our buckets and I'm certainly not complaining!}. In the industry as a whole we are seeing less and less of the real tight bouquets, things are opening up just a bit and Nancy, or instructor, is predicting the cascade will make a return! ~Happy Planning!

{The above design was done by Nancy Gingrich Shenk, our Instructor.}

Comprehensive Wedding Design at Longwood Gardens

This past weekend was chock-filled with flowers! It was a real privilege to sit under the tutelage of Nancy Gingrich Shenk at Longwood Gardens for their Comprehensive Wedding Design classes. The four day class gives you intensive hands-on experience and Nancy's experience of doing over 3,000 weddings! (This weekend was part one, next week more pictures will follow.) From now until March 2nd Longwood Gardens has the Orchid Extravaganza on display. If you get a chance to see it you will be in for a delight of the senses! If you are having a party, wedding or would like something pretty for your home, give me a call - I would love to help you! ~ Happy Planning ~


 

 

Wedding Invitation Etiquette

So you thought picking a the perfect invitation design was difficult? What about wording them? How do your address the envelopes? Click HERE to see what the Real Simple editors have to say. ~Happy Planning!

 

Top 20 Wedding Predictions for 2013

20 top wedding bloggers were asked what they felt would be hot for 2013...I think my favorite are food trucks for an after party! Click HERE to read more and get the links to these bloggers.

Love the food truck idea? Click HERE for information from the knot to make sure you have the scoop on all you need to know about incorporating this idea into your big day!

Happy New Year and Happy Planning!

 

Look Great in Every Photo!

Prevent a fake smile, double chin, red-eye, and more. You don't have to look perfect to take a perfect picture. "The most photogenic people are not necessarily the most attractive," says wedding photographer Denis Reggie. ....check out this article from Real Simple to learn more. Happy Planning!

Three Main Points When Meeting with Your Venue/Caterer

Three great points from Debbie Quain from 'Weddings for a Living' about what to expect from your wedding caterer....

MEETING WITH WEDDING CATERERS

Schedule an initial face-to-face meeting with each wedding caterer and your clients. During this initial meeting, the caterer should:

• Provide information on their services and packages.
• Discuss wedding logistics such as number of guests, venue, etc.
• Go over any dietary restrictions (your initial screening should make sure that selected caterers are able to handle any such requests.)
• Do his/her best to get to know your clients and make a connection
• Be excited, ask lots of questions about your client’s wedding and want the job!

THE WEDDING CATERER PROPOSAL

Following this initial meeting, the caterer should create a personalized but professional proposal for your clients. A winning proposal lets your clients know that the caterer was paying attention to the couple’s needs and should:

* Be well written and describe the wedding reception menu in detail
* Be personalized and include your clients’ name, venue, wedding date and time
* Include any notes regarding special dietary restrictions mentioned during the initial meeting
* Include a line-by-line listing of all the associated costs (labor, equipment, etc.)
* A schedule of payment
* A cover letter telling your clients why this particular caterer is the best company for the job.

WEDDING CATERER TASTINGS

Just as you might expect, a tasting gives your clients an opportunity to sample the food they are considering serving on their wedding reception menu.  Some wedding caterers will only agree to a tasting after a contract is signed.

Others (especially smaller and fledgling companies) may charge for tastings that happen before receiving a deposit (which is totally acceptable–just try and negotiate applying the cost of the tasting to the caterer’s fee if your client selects them).

But many wedding caterers realize the importance of complimentary tastings as an important marketing tool and can’t wait to ‘wow’ your clients and show off their catering skills.

Anemones: Parisian Chic Meets Modern Bride

These anemone prove to be chic and timeless with black buttoned centers and snowy white petals. They also come in a variety of colors, but the black and white prove to be the most striking!  Anemone also mix well with other varieties and various colors....pink, yellow, red and purple....the options are endless. Images curtesy of Russ on Flowers. ~Happy Planning! 

 

     

   

In a Jewish wedding ceremony, the bride and groom as well as their parents, stand under a chuppah, or wedding canopy, while the ceremony is performed. The chuah is generally interpreted as a symbol of the home that the bride and groom are about to create with their marriage; as well as the creative and religious expression of the hope that their new home will be filled with God’s presence. For many, the fact that the chuppah remains open on all four sides symbolizes the welcoming nature of the newlywed’s home to family and friends as Abraham’s tent was to passing strangers as told in the Bible. Thanks to Evantine (http://blog.evantinedesign.com/) for the explanation and beautiful picture!

Think Inside the Box?

Blumebox wants to change the way you think about vases.

What does clear glass say about your personal style? Probably not very much. And, unless every room in your house is the same color, and every party you throw has the same theme, you might want to diversify the way you display flowers and the way you set your table.

During a cleaning rampage, blumebox founders Wade and Whitney Flanagan opened up a cupboard to find enough nondescript glass vases to fill a florist shop. After a dozen trips to the recycling bin to get rid of the dust collectors, they were determined to develop a smart alternative.

The Flanagans (Whitney, a marketing executive, and Wade, an engineer) asked themselves what were the most important aspects when it came to vase design. They determined that a vase should be a beautiful complement to the flowers without competing with them, should reflect the personal style of the person using it, should be environmentally friendly, and low-cost. With this in mind, they set forth to design an innovative container that can be personalized for any event, and easily transported, even when full of flowers. After numerous prototypes and a lot of refining, blumebox was born!

When it comes to design, function and cost, blumebox kicks glass! Its smart design includes streamlined packaging, allowing the blumebox to be shipped and stored flat. It is literally a snap to put together, and just as easy to fold back down to be stored between uses.

The wide array of colors makes it easy to match a blumebox to the color scheme of a flower arrangement or the theme of an entire event.

Be sure to visit them at: http://www.blumebox.com/index.shtml

Washi Tape Guest Book

Friends and family will have fun posting a message in an interactive scrapbook album. Just set out a pair of scissors, a few rolls of tape, and a stack of blank cards trimmed with pinking shears. Then affix a note on the first page to beckon guests to follow suit. (Great for any party!)

Read more at Marthastewartweddings.com: Get Wedding Inspiration – Martha Stewart Weddings