Christmas Eve in Syracuse

 Santa Says "Celebrate"

 

The Whistlestop was extra busy this Christmas. We have added a new design talent to our staff - Sharon is a welcome addition and it seems like she's been here forever. It seems like we have all been here forever. Christmas is a loooong holiday for floral designers.

Now Christmas Eve is finally here! All the poinsettias have been sold. There are just enough centerpieces for the last minute shoppers. And we are scrubbing the pine sap off our hands and preparing to depart to be with our families.

We will be closing at 2:00 pm today and will be closed the day after Christmas. The shop will reopen on Tuesday. But there is no break in the rush...we have three weddings on New Years weekend.

Thank you and Merry Christmas, Happy Kwanzaa, Happy Hanukkah, Happy Festivus to all our customers and friends.

Fall Wedding with Artichokes and Dusty Miller

Mother of Bride Clutch with burlap wrap

Grooms man boutonniere with burlap stem wrap and fresh wheat.

Bridesmaid bouquet of seeded eucalyptus, dusty miller, dahlias, sweet stock, hypericum berries, fresh artichokes, thistle and scabiosa seed heads.

Flower girl pomander

corsage

Church arrangement

Pew decoration of dried hydrangea in a cone with raffia

Here a a few "in house" photos of a wedding that stood out from the usual color schemes of the season.
I'll re blog it when we get the professional photos.

Halloween Sale Now!

All our Halloween decorations are on sale. 

50% off

Peacock Blue, Purple and Cerise Wedding

We just got some images from Jessica and Dan. A late summer early/fall wedding of vivid jewel tones. The Bride was regal in all white. But everywhere else the colors were bright and happy.
This photographer is new to us. Check out his website. www.koverphotography.com
There are lots of great shots of friends partying at the Bellevue County Club.

Bouquet of Eskimo and Majolica roses, freesia and  hydrangea.

How do you take a photo like this?

The Bridesmaid's bouquets were placed in tall julep cups to decorate the reception. A super way to get more mileage out of the flower budget

I love the curls and the smile!

Lots of variety in these bouquets. Pink freesia, Sahara and Cool Water roses, robin egg blue hydrangea, purple lisianthus and dark pink celosia. There are two shades of roses (a red and hot pink) that I can't remember the name of...so sorry.

Holidays at the Mansion

The Second Annual Holidays at the Mansion  has opened for tours and shopping. The event runs through October 21-30. The Barnes Mansion has been beautifully decorated by area interior designers and florists. For more information email  info@grbarnes.org

October in Upstate New York

If you are a native of Central New York then we share the memories of  Autumn. You can't deny it - it is in our bones. The smell of falling leaves and that exact color of golden sunlight that you can't describe, but you know it when you see it. One morning you realize that the birds have gotten quiet and a coworker will announce that they have seen a tree that has reddish leaves. Of course, the State Fair has come and gone so we accept that summer is gone as well. So let the pumpkins come! Put a hardy mum on every door step!

Or, you could get married.

We didn't get pictures of  each Bride this weekend. But we did find time to click a few photographs of our pretty wedding in Skaneateles. There will be more details when the professional photographer shares the pics with us.

Let me caption what I liked about the flowers that Kim created .

The Bridesmaids bouquets were based with an armature of curly willow. The dahlias, coxcomb and hypericum berries set the main color scheme with accents of silvery foliage.

 

The church decorations were mainly silvery foliage with accents of reddish hypericum berries and ribbon.

The accent color became the main color in the pew bows which was a terrific choice for blending with the fabric.AND it became more interesting!.

The mantle was very traditional. All the florals and colors were combined with a bit of draping to break the parallel lines of the architectural elements.

Each guest table was named after an apple variety. And there were two different styles of centerpieces.This low version featured the curly willow armature. The silvery foliage and red flowers dominated. Notice that the golden shades were deleted.

The second version was taller. The curly willow was used to create some height instead of being bent into a ring as in the low centerpiece. Vine maple from California returned the golden colors to the theme. And the texture blended the willow with the deep placement of  the dahlias and hypericum berries. And, of course, the silvery foliage was again the unifying agent.

When a Bride places her trust in us we are humbly grateful to share in her special day. But some Brides will give us additional room to be more creative while still staying true to the overall theme of the event. And that does not add even one dollar to the budget!

Fall wedding flowers

Sunflowers, garden roses, freesia and stock.

The Brides Father cut the rustic wooden rounds for the wildflower  vases.

Amethyst dresses and fall colors

 

I like the wheat colored linen jacket. The colorful boutonniere is a standout.

Thanks to www.reneejulia.com for the attractive photos of Mary and Tom on their special day.

Syracuse Makeup Artistry - Riki and PJ

The beautiful and talented Riki of Syracuse Makeup Artistry sent me some new photos of her wedding so I am re-posting the event. I think it deserves a second look.

Riki's bouquet was adorned with vintage brooches tucked amidst peach garden roses, Sahara and Bluebird roses and dusty miller.I especially liked the black ribbon handle wrap she chose.

If you have gorgeous shoulders and back, show it off!

You will understand the choice of black satin if you see the details of the reception.

Go to www.lovewellpost.com

for more photos. It is certainly worth a click.

P.S. I enjoy following Lovewell Post. Kate finds interesting wedding ideas.    

I love the subdued color palette and how beautifully it works with the dresses.

 

Summer Wedding with Sunflowers

If there is a more iconic flower for late summer than a Sunflower, I don't know what it would be. (Well, maybe a gladiola but that's a whole different generation.) At a glance, sunflowers are bold and friendly and lend a "Country Weekend"  feel to your event. Or you can tweek the companion flowers and change the design style a bit and voila! French Provence.

Kim and our Bride Mary chose sweet and colorful dahlias, freesia, roses, stock and veronica to accompany the sunflowers. The ceremony and reception were adorned with sunflowers as well.

Classic Cascade Wedding Bouquet

 Early in my career, I had the opportunity to learn how to properly construct a classic cascade bouquet. I then  had the good fortune to have a business that allowed me LOTS of practice. At that time, all wedding work was what Florists called "wired and taped". Meaning that each individual flower had a wire stem that was wrapped in floral tape. All very time consuming. The more accomplished designers were able to create a very precise but flowing design.

Today, time is money but Florists are still called upon to create a custom handmade product. Thank goodness for all the amazing supplies that Floral Designers can utilize for short cuts. And these tools not only speed up the design process but also benefit the longevity of the fragile blossoms. However there is a downside.

It is my opinion that these gadgets are generating designers that are only able to create within a very narrow repertoire. In addition, modern brides love (and purchase) simple hand tied bouquets. We do them every weekend. But I lament that decades of technique is disappearing.

If you are interested in seeing some fabulous wedding bouquets in many classic styles with modern twists, check out Rene Van Rems new book.

www.renevanrems.com/store.html

It is a humbling experience to "practice" my craft.  Hey, all you newly engaged girls...would you consider a cascade bouquet?

Beautiful Wedding Flowers

To you all at Whistlestop, especially to Kim, I would like to thank you for creating such beautiful flowers for my daughter’s wedding last week-end. When we visited the shop on Friday, we were just blown away at the beauty and imagination that was evident in the work that was done. Jen loved being labeled “the fun bride” by the staff and she was so amazed at how Kim just “got her” and knew just what she would like…who knew it was “shabby chic”! The ribbons in church were so awesome and we will be able to relive the memories of the wedding each time we wrap something special using those ribbons.


The ballroom at the Genesee Grande was just beautiful – and I appreciate so much you being able to re-use the flowers at the church there. The huge arrangement on the memorial table was commented on by so many guests – it was so gorgeous. The two arrangements on the alter at the Cathedral are still in excellent shape and I smile each time I look at them.

I have attached two photos which give you an idea of how happy Jen was on her way to church and how lovely the bridesmaid’s flowers looked at the Cathedral. I am sure Rebecca will have some amazing shots that she will share with you too, if you like.

Kate, an old high school friend of Jen’s, and a client of yours who will marry in November, stopped by the house yesterday to say hello (she lives in Colorado) and I got to show her your work. She was thrilled with it all too and it only seemed to make her more excited about how wonderful the flowers will be at her own wedding.

My husband and I are so very grateful for your terrific work and we will wholeheartedly recommend Whistlestop Florist to our many friends and family members facing their own children’s weddings in the coming years.

Best wishes to you all,
Michele Fletcher

 
We work so hard for each and every Bride. The lovely and gracious e-mail made our Monday! All I can say is "Thanks, it was our pleasure!"

Pink * Fushia * Cerise. Hot by any name!

Attendants in a variety of dresses is rather fun but lets not go renegade with the footwear! Everyone in matching shoes please.

The black Chevari chairs look great with the linens. Sparkling glass vases are reflected in the mirrored place mats. And the whole look is tied together with the fabulous colors of the centerpieces and Japanese lanterns.

Need to cool off? Just dew it!

Our Friend Emmanuel sent these photos last summer and I felt refreshed when I looked at them. It sure is hot and dry for weekend wedding celebrations.

My advise to Brides and Attendants...keep your flowers out of the sun. Especially if you purchased hand-tied bouquets.

Hot Dog - Beach Travels

Every once in awhile I post something that has nothing to do with flowers. Who could resist this little
frou-frou dog. And the puppy seems to enjoy the outing. However, if one's posterior is robust, perhaps a leash would be safer.

I found this image on one of my favorite blogs. www.thebuzz.dianejameshome.com

Red Hot July Wedding

Thanks go out to Pat for sending Kim some photos from last weekend. Latin Lady and Black Bacarra roses made a sizzling combo for a July Bride. The maids carried hand tied bouquets of Latin Lady roses to compliment the Bride. Please note how  the sleek hair style and pretty details on the Bridal gown create a Mediterranean feel.