She rode in on a horse!

Getting married in Syracuse NY with a Western flair!

Cassandra and Jim will settle in Utah so it just seemed natural that their event would reflect that part of their life.

 Even we were surprised that the Bride rode in on a horse. Cassandra was in perfect control of her mount and all the rest of the well thought out details of the themed wedding. The location was the beautiful rolling hills of Central New York, which happened to be in the family's back yard. 

The Father of the Bride was either signaling the start of the processional or providing  a motivational moment for the  Groom. All in fun of course!

 The maids carried handtied bouquets of thistle, sunflowers, scabiosa pods and coral godetia with burlap ribbon trim. 

 The ranch style arch was constructed just for the ceremony. How perfect is the lush cornfield in the background. The Groomsmen wore dark blue levi's and a black sport coat. 

Do you love the Groom's white hat?

Black Shepard Hooks, hung with mason jars, lined the aisle. Wispy grasses, sunflowers and rustic burlap ribbon  were arranged  to reinforce the western theme. 

The Bride carried a nosegay of Eskimo roses, white hydrangea, curly willow and scabiosa pods including embellishments of pheasant feathers. The handle was ivory burlap and a tiny touch of rhinestone bling. The Groom had a matching boutonniere.

 

Oh my gosh, I love that smile. Cassandra and Jim, you created a wonderful event. Thanks for letting us be a part of the happy day.

S'More Allison and Kevin

As promised, here are more details of Allison and Kevan's wedding.

 I was especially captivated by the 

S'More Bar. 

What fun!!

 

Home made marshmellows

Event Designer: www.lovewelldesign.com/

Ceremony: St. James Episcopal Church 

Reception: Anyela’s Vineyard 

Florist: Whistlestop Florist

Rentals: Petunia Rose Vintage China, Hank Parker’s Tent Rentals 

Catering: Rosalie’s Cucina’s 

Cake: Biscotti’s 

Enterainment: Select Receptions

Skaneateles Wedding of Allison and Kevan

Detail, Details, Details. That is what I tell Brides. Pick a theme and stick with it. .And if you can't stay on track, then hire someone to help you.

Allison and Kevan worked with Kate Brown of Lovewell Celebration Design and together they created a standout event.

Pure white Rannunculas, Fressia, white and pink Majolica Spray Roses, Hydrangea and Queen Anne's Lace.

                                                           

 

 

S'more details to follow!

Ceremony: St. James Episcopal Church 

Reception: Anyela’s Vineyard 

Florist: Whistlestop Florist

Rentals: Petunia Rose Vintage China, Hank Parker’s Tent Rentals 

Catering: Rosalie’s Cucina’s 

Cake: Biscotti’s 

Enterainment: Select Receptions

Blush and Bashful

Cute as a button

Blush and Bashful Bouquet featuring Pink Gerbera, White Hydrangea and Pink Carnations.

We're loving these vintage canning jars for sweet summer bouquets. Besides pink, they come in aqua, yellow, lavender and clear. The buttons come in different shades as well.

We named this design Blush and Bashful.

Ribbon Embellishments

 
 Beautiful ribbon and jewel treatments for large vases.

This is not a casual look - but it is not entirely formal either. The jeweled brooches elevate the mood but the felted ribbon brings the tone down a notch or two. 

Why do I point this out?  Because it is the small details that make a difference. 

Think about how you could use this idea in your event.  The blue and yellow is so eye catching but sage green ribbon, pine cones, white hydrangea and evergreens could be substituted for fall or winter. 

Do you like this idea? Come in and brainstorm with us  



Photo and ribbon: D Stevens LLC (dstevensllc@q.com)

Tulips Funky or Fabulous?

Reposted from www.sprout-flowers.com
 and the amazing *Kathy Walsh.

Can you stand how amazing these fringed tulips are?!!!

I adore unusual varieties of flowers, especially of flowers that can be rather common place like the tulip. If I hadn't told you these were tulips, would you even have known?!

LOVE!

*Kathy passed away this past year and is sorely missed by the Floral community. 
She was one uber-gifted Florist! And an inspiration to many.

Brides - How do you choose a Florist?

 Unscientific Wedding Survey 
 reprinted from Sprout/Worcester Florist Cathy Walsh


I posted a completely unscientific wedding survey on the blog here, trying to get a feel for what's driving the calls for wedding consultations.

Every year we get swamped with calls in January for consults, and every year I can't keep up with them, so every year I try to analyse all this and try to figure out how to do it better.

I don't know that I have that all figured out yet.
But I keep trying.


Here is the survey question and responses -

Engaged Couples:  When you call a florist for a wedding appointment, you have -

A. Already decided who you want, it's just a matter of price.                               18%	8 (18%)
B. A tight schedule and need to meet with the one who can accommodate you.     9%	4 (9%)
C. Scheduled appointments with several florists and are still researching.              15%	7 (15%)
D. No idea who or what you need in a florist but you have to start somewhere.     22%	10 (22%)
E. A vision and want to brainstorm with a creative person.                                  34%	15 (34%)

I'm still not sure what to do with this information.  I thought for sure answer A was going to come out on top.  I figured that in the era of Pinterest, blogs, web sites, Facebook, etc., that most vendors were researched to death on the internet before the client meeting, that our creativity and skill had already been assessed and compared to other shops', and it was just a matter of whether our prices match the couple's budget.

(And personality fit.  Because it can make a big difference if you and the client "click" - or not.  You need to do that in person for sure.)

So imagine my surprise to find that a third of people who took the survey just want to pick our brains.  And that another 37% want to book an appointment without having a clear sense of what they want or need in a florist or flowers.

It's certainly ego boosting to think your creative brain is worth picking, but I can brainstorm until the cows come home.  Not only does that not pay the bills, too many ideas are ultimately confusing and lead to decision paralysis.  The client needs to have done some research and planning before we get to the flower brainstorming.

• Dresses need to be purchased.  I can't brainstorm on "the dresses will probably be coral".  
• Your personal style needs to be determined.  No one is rustic-chic-romantic-elegant-classic-creative-modern-vintage.  Never.  If you think that's your style, you will need to narrow it down a bit before meeting with a florist.
• An honest and realistic assessment of your flower budget.  I have never seen a cheap flower idea from Style Me Pretty or Martha Stewart.  If you are using styled photoshoots as your inspiration, then be prepared to have a magazine editor's budget.

By all means, get your girlfriends, a bottle of wine, and Pinterest together!  But after you have focused your ideas is the time to sit with your florist.  :-)