The bridesmaids wore these cute little black dresses (love these!) and carried bouquets of yellow calla lilies. The yellow really popped against the black! Jenna carried an all white bouquet of roses, lilacs, calla lilies, tulips and stephanotis....and of course we accented with some turquoise bling.

Here is a close up of Jenna's bouquet. The rhinestones in the stephanotis were gorgeous. We also wrapped her bouquet with a handkerchief that had been handed down in her family, these are the kind of little touches that we love to add.

I had to add this picture because they both looked so awesome in it. You can also see how the handkerchief was wrapped around the stems of her bouquet.

Look at this gorgeous bride!!!

As usual the set up at Running Deer went perfectly. We used our tall bell vases with a stem of yellow orchids in the bottom and a mound of white hydrangea on top. We hung the turquoise beads from the top of the centerpiece and of course sprinkled some on the table.

For the low centerpieces we used this coordinating bowl with floating orchids and candles. Look at how pretty the glass beads are on that mirror.

Jenna and Mark were married outside at Running Deer underneath their new pergola. We hung these cute little bubble vases with hydrangea from the pergola. We had some strands of the beads left and didn't want any to go to waste so we decided last minute to add them to the pergola - I think this really made it all come together.

To line the aisle we hung these adorable little daisy pomanders from shepherds hooks.

Thanks to Issy for all of the great photos.  And congrats to Jenna and Mark – we had so much fun doing this wedding!

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This is a sample of Tina's wedding bouquet for her big day in October, we are IN LOVE with the texture/bulk/drama of this bouquet! There is nothing delicate about this baby except for the feathers! Many of our brides are interested in sample bouquets, which we think is a great idea. We do charge for the sample though, these things cost money ladies!

It was windy this day and those feathers were dancing! Every bouquet needs a little bit of movement, that is my motto.

A centerpiece sample that you may have seen at our last bridal show...a trio of square vases with an electric mix of green cymbidium orchids and perfect blue hydrangea, this was HOT people!! Brides loved it at the show!

So we might have went a little overboard on the feathers that day, but you gotta love it. Peonies and roses are a romantic duo.

We got these new jeweled collars that are sooooooooo beautiful mixed with simple pink callas.

Purple mokara orchids (my new addiction), grape hyacinths and ranunculus are cute cute cute for bridesmaids. I think this would look great with black dresses!

We that is my little bit of randomness for today! Hope you enjoyed it as much as I did. Thanks again to Tina for sending me the beautiful photos and for being an inspiration. Love you 619 McKean!! To everyone that has no idea what that means, we were PSU freshman neighbors and loved every minute of that chaos. Looking forward to the weddings we are teaming up for this summer and of course your own wedding in October!  

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1. Sisters are a funny bunch to work with (believe me, I know!) because the personalities are so different yet complimentary, which was certainly the case with Maria and Michelle. Loved em!

2. Upon delivery of her bridal bouquet, Maria was getting her hair and makeup done while her sweet dad took it all in. He asked her if she was going to wear a veil. Maria quickly replied, “There is no veil, the hair is the veil.” That was seriosuly the funniest thing to overhear, check out the pics, it is true! Her hair was totally veil like!

3. We never know what we are about to encounter while delivering at the reception hall. Thankfully The Merion welcomed us with a perfectly ready room and even some entertainment! There was a school fraternity that was using the room as a place for pictures and dance practice, it was the most entertaining set up of all time! They were great dancers!

4. I fell in love with our bell vases again <3

Check out the beautiful pictures from Joseph Clementi Photography (and a few from our own camera mixed in!). Thanks so much for sending them to us Joe!  Without further ado, I present Maria and Craig’s Marvelous Wedding….

See what I mean about the hair/veil comment! Jealous!

Maria’s bouquet featured 2 shades of ivory roses and stephanotis with pearl accents, you can’t get much more classic than that!

The happy couple…think this will be in their living room one day?

A close up of the bridesmaids bouquets: ivory roses + white anemone = simply chic!

Centerpieces stole the show with elegant white hydrangea, glittering branches and the adorable hanging table number!

Not that we had anything to do with it, but I loved her favors! Wawa coffee and the newspaper! Something tells me Michelle had her hand in this…

Well, I would love to add another pic of the beautiful bridesmaids in their lovely black gowns, but my comp is being insane and I am giving up! Use your imagination haha. I will try it again later. Oh technology!

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Sarah's bouquet is one of my all time favs...I wanted to capture her sweet and simple personality so I choose white and cream garden roses, white fringed tulips, white cymbidium orchids and ranunculus. White feather trim added the perfect amount of texture and style to this classic bouquet.

Bridesmaids carried green and white orchids with fringed white tulips, of course we added feathers and crystal trim too!

The bridal party adoring Sarah...that was an easy shot!

Sarah and Joe share their vows....doesn't the background look magical? I took inpiration from an episode of Platinum Weddings, and I think my version looks better!!

The aisle was lined with our new pedestals, which were linked with a crystal strand and a feather boa. Floating candles and orchids added some more drama!

A screen of willow trees decorated with crystals, votives, mirrored garland, snowflakes and orchids. Vases of pinecones and candles added some extra warmth to the ceremony location.

Windowsills were dressed with our diana candleholders, pinecones and orchids to warm up the room.

 

Adore the steamy lighting here in front of the waterfall!

 

The fireplace in the lobby was a perfect place for a big show of candles, roses, ornaments and my personal favorite, amaranthus!

 

Manzanita trees with orchids, crystals and hanging votives are taken to the next level with a lush floral ring at the base. Guests were able to take the ring home!

Coordinating candlelit centerpieces in a classic silver bowl, these were so elegant! The bowl is a rental item and the arrangement is designed to be given away to guests at the end of the party.

 

A simply beautiful cake stamped with snowflakes and adorned with orchids.

 

I know this has nothing to do with flowers, but I just had to include this shot! Silversound DJs (Dan Breslin was awesome!!) even got Gram Brooks out on the dance floor! Best wedding DJ I have ever heard!

I just had to include this one because I love when couples do this! She made her thank you cards with this shot!

That was just a selection of all the great photos from her wedding day, I hope you enjoyed a look into their special day! It was my pleasure to do what I love for the lovable Sarah, thank you for your total confidence in Dawn and I, but more importantly, thank you for our friendship. Love you 620 McKean (our freshman dorm at PSU!) 

Stay tuned for my next blog entry about my wedding toast to the lovely couple…I have had lots of requests to publish it! There are more farmer’s wives out there that need to hear this!

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Getting the mail now is such an adventure! Whenever my little Lee is fussy, we head out to the mailbox (he loves being outside!). We grab the mail and slowly make our way back into the house, sometimes taking garden strolls to check out all of my flowers. I am ready for spring now, can you tell?!?! When we get back in the house, I have one arm full of perfect baby rolls and one arm full of flyers, newspapers, magazines, catalog, bills and every now and then…a card! Much to my delight, I recently received this card from one of our brides, Clarisa, and her new hubby, Dan. I love how she used one of her wedding photos! Of course, a little part of me is also featured on the card – her bouquet!

A beautiful holiday card from one of our beautiful brides!

 As I looked at the front, I thought, “Oh, how sweet, she sent us a Christmas card!!” but as I flipped it over, I realized it was a thank you card AND and Christmas card! What could be better? I hope she doesn’t mind if I share it with you…

Her hand-written note was so sweet, it totally made my day! Maybe my week!

I think my favorite line is “…we found your ideas very refreshing and exactly on point with what we were looking for. I also really appreciated your willingness to work with our budget, it was such a relief to know we could still have such classy, beautiful arrangements without breaking the bank.” That statement says a lot to me! Dawn and I try very hard to help each bride select floral designs that reflect their personality and style, but still at a reasonable price, and I think we hit this one out of the park. Here is a flashback from her wedding day.

An all white bouquet with white callas, stock and orchids with bear grass loops.

Submerged cymbidium orchids in orange tinted water with floating candles in our belle vase.

Her second centerpiece option, a simple arrangement of floating candles in tinted water and rose petals. I love how the dark grey tablecloth makes the colors pop!

Thanks for the note Clarisa…I am still blushing

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 I get a lot of emails and calls requesting appointments and all of my brides have the same question,”what do I need to bring to the meeting?” To help you out, I have made a list of suggestions:

1. Your happy face!

Wedding planning should be a happy time and we think that choosing your floral designs is one of the most fun parts, ok we are a little biased, but we can’t help it. So many of our brides say that the one thing they are most excited about is seeing how the flowers pull everything together on that special day. We agree! While we do understand that there are a lot of decisions to make, we are here to help. Don’t stress about all the little things at the first meeting, we will send you a little “to-do-list” to help you remember to ask your dear Granny if she wants a pin on corsage or a wristlet.

A happy bride!

2. A Wish List

It will save a lot of your time at the meeting if you have a list of all the things you will need from us on your wedding day. If your wedding is 6 months off, we don’t expect you to have the exact centerpiece count, but a rough idea will help. Don’t fret if you decide to add or delete a few things, we can make changes to your order until 30 days before your wedding. Here is a list that might help….

Bridal Party flowers: bridal bouquet (duh.), bridesmaid bouquets, groom’s bout, groomsmen bouts (we will need names for labeling), father and grandfather bouts (with names), mother and grandmother corsages (with names), flower girl and ring bearer flowers, reader or soloist bouts or corsages

Ceremony flowers: alter vases or urns, aisle runner, pew or chair decor, presentation flowers, unity candle, wreaths, toss petals for guests

Reception flowers: cocktail tables, head table or sweetheart table, guest table centerpieces, votives, cake flowers, place card table, bar decor, throw bouquet, gift table

Now I am sure you feel overwhelmed about all of the things on that list, but just reeeeeeeeeeelax. We can discuss all the options at our meeting, but it is a good idea to think about everything that you will need prior to sitting down.

3. Wedding Day Details

We encourage our brides to go about their wedding planning in this order…..get the man, get the ring, book the venue, find the dress, call A Garden Party! Your venue and dress will help set the tone for your wedding floral designs, so it helps to have those decided on. Also, choosing a bridesmaid gown is recommended so we can get a color palette going. To help estimate the price for delivery, we will need to know the general wedding timeline, like where and when you are getting ready, where and when the ceremony is being held and what time the cocktail hour and reception will begin. Dawn and I also like to contact the wedding photographer and bakery prior to the wedding day to firm up arrival times. Many brides will look for suggestions for a photographer or cake designer, and we are happy to recommend Tina Jay Photography  and Sweet Life Bakery…we adore them!

Sweet Life Bakery....I want a piece of this right now!

4. All of your hard work!

Dawn and I are sticklers about making sure the wedding flowers compliment all of the other wedding day details, from the invites to the favors! We would love to see a sample of the invitations, programs, favors or anything else that you have been working on. Believe me ladies, all of those little details add up and make a big statement! Let us help you pull it all together! For example, one of our brides wanted a country chic wedding and planned to make homemade jam as her favors. We used coordinating mason jars for her centerpieces and for her aisle decor. It was so cute and totally country chic!

Mason jars hung on shepherd hooks down the aisle for this outdoor ceremony.

5. Pictures!

We love when brides come to us with stacks of inspirational pictures, it gives us a head start! We all know you have that huuuuuuuuuuge pile of wedding magazines at home, take a night to go through them and tear out any pictures that you like. Or head on over to TheKnot.com for lots of ideas and inspiration (be sure to add us as your vendor)! Bring them to the meeting and we can review them and create a custom look, just for you! If you have them, bring pictures of the ceremony and reception location too. A beautifully ornate church may not need the same decor as a simple country church. We can make copies of your pictures to keep in your file.

6. Some help!

We love when brides bring their moms, mother in laws, bridesmaids and even the groom! We kinda go with the motto “the more the merrier”. Everyone has a good time and likes to be a part of the planning, just be prepared to hear lots of opinions We have lots of books and albums to keep everyone busy while we discuss all the details. I have a big table so everyone can fit!

7. A Budget

Many of our brides are unsure about what the cost of the flowers will be, which is totally understandable, you have never ordered wedding flowers before! According to the wedding experts, 10-15% of your overall wedding budget should be spent on flowers. Of course this varies greatly since every bride is different and each case is unique, but let me give you an idea of price ranges. Most bridal bouquets start at $125 and can range to $175, depending on the floral selection and design. We have done simple tulip bridesmaid bouquets for $50 to more elaborate designs for $85 with roses, callas and orchids. Bouts are usually $15 and corsages are $25. Since centerpiece options are so varied, the range does too. We have candle rentals starting at $20/table or more elaborate designs priced around $150, depending on floral selection and season. There are plenty of options everywhere in between too!

A trio of floating candles and bear grass in rented candle holders.

Lush pink elevated centerpieces on silver flower tower.

I hope that this blog has helped! Let me know what you think and if I missed anything!

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The beautiful bride with her bouquet

Close up of Staci's bouquet; which featured orange mini calla lilies, asters, deep purple dahlias, lisianthus, and stunning purple phalaenopsis orchids.

We lined the aisle with orange rose petals and strung the chairs with satin ribbon. Purple hydrangeas were tied to every other chair to add that extra little touch.

The new pergola really sets up the perfect area for a beautiful golf course ceremony. We draped tulle to create a Chuppa and hung hydrangea in 'floating' vases from the top.

From each corner we hung these coordinating pieces of hydrangea and trailing crystal beads.

LOVED these centerpieces. We used our popular bell vase and created a mounded arrangement for the top of hydrangea, orange roses, and green spider mums. We accented with the same crystal beads that were used outside on the pergola and uses a stem of the phalaenopsis orchids in the bottom. The arangement on the top was done in a seperate dish so that they could be lifted out of the vase and sent home with guests. We heard that some of the orchids lasted a month once they were taken home!

The other half of the tables we did smaller centerpieces in the coordinating vase with hydrangeas, spider mums, orange roses, and purple dahlias. We added more of the crystal beaded garland along the bottom and all the tables were accented with orange rose petals, votives and scattered crystals. We loved the extra bling on the tables, everything really sparkled.

Congratulations Staci and Justin and thank you for giving us the opportunity to be a part of your special day!

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Wedding season is back in full force and Mary and I are doing weddings every weekend. On Sept. 5th we had the pleasure of helping set up a gorgeous wedding at the Smithville Mansion. Tiffanie and Donald were a very fun couple to work with and Tiffanie, a wedding planner (http://www.epiphanyevents.com/) had a great vision of what her special day could be. The weather was gorgeous and we loved the final outcome. Mary and I had some ideas of our own and Tiffanie was eager to add some unique elements to her day. The final effect was stunning, with tons of hydrangeas and sunflowers helping to create a vintage, yet modern look.

A monogram ‘S’ signified the new couples’ last name and the bride’s bouquet took center stage on the sweetheart table.

Chocolate Brown seems to be the new color this fall. These tablecloths were beautiful and really showed off the flowers well. Another great money saving tip is these vase rentals. This bride chose to use these vases on 1/2 of the tables and had her bridesmaid’s just drop their bouquets in for a gorgeous final affect. The vase in the center is surrounded by attached votive candles which help add that romantic glow to the reception tent.

The other 1/2 of the tables had these tall silver flower towers (also a rental) topped with mounds of flowers and striking curly willow. The green hydrangeas, sunflowers, roses, dahlias, hypericum berries, celosia and hanging amaranthus created just the look we were going for.

Here is a close up shot of the flowers on the tower. These can be arranged on floral dishes so that after the event the couple can give the flowers away to their guests if desired.

For the outdoor ceremony every other chair going down the aisle was accented with an orange Gerber daisy tied with a chocolate satin bow.

Mary and I were so excited to try this out. The couple had an arbor and wanted to really play that up. We hung beaded crystal curtains on each side and glued in fresh flowers. It turned out better than we had even imagined and we can’t wait to do this again. The beaded curtains are a rental and have endless options.

To help define the aisle we strung the chairs with the chocolate brown ribbon and then scattered rose petals down each side. In this photo you can see the mansion in the background. This truly was a beautiful setting for any couple that is interested in an outdoor ceremony.

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All photos courtesty of Perfect Day Photography.

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