Best of 2007

Shannon’s Winter Bouquet.

Shannon wanted a unique, funky bouquet that emphasized the best that the December season had to offer. She gave me creative freedom which gave me the chance to really explore what was fresh and unique in the market that week. I was able to import beautiful calla lilies, anemones, ranunculus, nerine lilies and baby green hydrangea from Holland. Locally I was able to get cedar, pine, dried crocisma and dried lotus pods. These elements combined to create the soft, yet winter in the woods feel that you see above.

Just by looking at Shannon, you can see that the bouquet was perfect for her. She was a beautiful and unique bride as she wore an heirloom dress (her grandmothers) and a delicate white hat.

Favorite Centerpiece:

Tara’s Branch Centerpieces with hanging crystals.

I had so much fun working with Tara for her October wedding at the Lexus Club at PNC park.

These were by far the largest centerpieces we have ever built and the end result could only be described as magical. The room just glowed. For these centerpieces, I used my tall, chunky square vases filled with river rocks and real tree branches. I constructed bird’s nest votive holders wrapped with gold wire. To top off the look, I used large hanging chandelier crystals in various shapes and sizes that really sparkled in the candlelight. The centerpieces were surrounded with vases filled with cream hydrangea, green hypericum berries and one votive per place setting.

The other half of the tables were topped with a five tier pillar candelabra filled with lush cream hydrangea, vendella roses, ranunculus, kermit mums, jade green roses, snowberries, baby green hydrangea, grapevine, dried lotus pods and green hypericum berries.

Both the branch centerpieces and the candelabras are now available as rental items for your event. Here they are again as we are setting up for an event at the National Aviary.

Favorite Ceremony Site:

Jen and John’s outdoor ceremony at the Grand Hall at the Priory.

Jen and John were married in the courtyard right above the brick fountain at the Priory. Again, we used the branch arrangements with crystals and they added their own unique twist of fresh orchids hanging from the branches and cascading roses. Kate and I created a floral garland with fresh roses and orchids that met in the center with a rose pomander. The pictures do not do it justice. It was gorgeous!

Kim and Cody’s wedding at Longue Vue Country Club. Classic elegance is what comes to mind when I think of Longue Vue. This historic site in Oakmont, Pa is simply perfect in my opinion. It is a great venue to work with as the decor is neutral, but beautiful at the same time with the champagne colored drapery, inlaid wooden floor, golden Chivari chairs, polished silverware and simple, elegant chandeliers.

Kim chose a palette of pinks, white and green and used the best of what the early June market had to offer (including my favorite- three different kinds of peonies. You would not believe how heavenly the peonies made this room smell!)

Kim complemented the room with a shimmery pink blush table linen from Mosaic, gold plate chargers, extra tall white taper candles in an elegant glass holder and personalized menu cards.

Favorite Color Combination:

This one is a tie. I just couldn’t decide between these two palettes.

The first one is from Tara and Frank’s wedding that I mentioned above using the combination of chocolate brown, cream and green. Here’s a shot of their flowers prior to assembly. The white and cream bring in a clean, pure feeling. The brown is earthy and natural. The green is fresh and fun. The overall look was beautiful as you can see in the “favorite centerpiece” category above.

The second palette comes from Amy and Nori’s wedding (check out the previous blog for more photos of this look). Amy chose a mix of aqua and coral/ salmon. Who says weddings have to match? Their wedding is a perfect example of taking a color palette and mixing it up and it had amazing results. I love this photo which shows that, no your bridesmaids do not all have to wear the same dress.

Favorite Flower:

I said before that it is nearly impossible to name my favorite flower, but for 2007 my vote goes to ranunculus. I think that ranunculus is perhaps one of the most under appreciated flowers out there. It is soft, delicate and it has the highest petal count of any other flower. It comes in almost every color and every single bloom is unique. The best part- it is actually affordable and available almost every month of the year. The ranunculus pictured here were shipped in from Holland in December.

Favorite Photographer:

Joanna Fassinger: http://www.joannafassinger.com/

There are so many amazing photographers in the Pittsburgh area, but after working with Joanna twice this year she wins my vote as the best of 2007.

After weddings, my brides often send me links to the photos from their weddings. When I saw the photos from Joanna’s weddings, I was was truly amazed with her talent. This photo of Laura and Dave from their July wedding speaks for itself.

Jeremy Ganss of http://www.jeremyganss.com/

Wow. That’s all I can say. I rarely get the chance to speak with the DJ, but luckily I had the opportunity to meet Jeremy at a wedding in May. I also had the pleasure of hearing him in action for a few minutes while we finished setting up. Classic, elegant and fun.

The music on his website gives you a good idea of his style. (I do have to admit that I loved the music on the site so much that I left my browser open for over an hour to listen to more!)

Preston Bailey is simply a flower god. He is the florist to celebrities and royalty and travels around the world setting up events like you would never believe. I find his blog very inspiring and I check out his blog regularly to get new ideas. Even if you are not a flower person, you have to be amazed at the behind the scenes work that goes into these multi-million dollar events. Make sure that you check out the entry for Nov. 16th!

It has absolutely nothing to do with flowers, but if you live in Pittsburgh, it should be a requirement that you read The Burgh Blog on a daily basis.