bridal boot camp...

recently, i participated in a mini bridal boot camp organized by the wedding salon at scully & scully. a great group of experts including the knot, face time cosmetics, matthew wagner photography, and nana pearls wooden spoon came together to give advice on planning your wedding and choosing your vendors. there were two pieces of advice that we all agreed on, make it personal...make choices that are going to show your personality! the second is to choose vendors based on their work but also make sure you choose vendors that you feel very comfortable with and trust completely because that's going to make all the difference. most of all enjoy the process and have fun!

photography by matthew wagner

baby it's cold outside...

the winter may seem to be going on forever but spring will be here before you know it! walking through the flower market you would never know it's a snowy and slushy day outside. dutch imports bring us spring a few months early and there are some amazing choices available. one of the most popular choices are dutch tulips, along with hyacinth, daffodils and hellebore. these flowers won't start springing up in your garden for weeks but there is an abundance of dutch varieties available now...grab a bunch to brighten up your day and start to look forward to those spring days ahead....ahhh sunny days...

dutch tulips "cilestia"

dutch hyacinth "city of bradford"

dutch hellebore "mount hood"

cost effective callas...

yes it's true, you CAN use calla lilies and still not ruin your budget! calla lilies (aka Zantedeschia) are a more expensive flower option but there are so many ways to create an amazing design without using many flowers. you can have a sleek, contemporary design without spending a fortune. here is a sample for client who loved the idea of white callas but didn't love the idea of a huge price tag...

.

calla lilies (which are not lilies at all) are long lasting, versatile and available all year round in tons of different colors. you can see some of the colors available at most floral shops at transflora, they show a range of colors in their calla lily catalog section.

callas are great to use in your home as well...here are a few tips when choosing and caring for them:

1. Make sure the stems feel strong and are not "mushy". Look for any brown around the edges of the flower...you don't want that!
   
2. Once you get the callas home use a sharp knife to cut - don't use scissors! That will crush the stems.
3. Callas need only 1-2" of water in the bottom of the vase.
4. Avoid touching the actual flower head...this will cause the flowers to bruise and start to decay much more quickly (this is true for all flowers).

remember, don't limit yourself on flower choices! choose what you love and create a design that makes sense for your budget!

the process...

i'm often asked how i come up with a design. i suppose everyone has their own "creative process" but here's a glimpse of mine. after meeting with a bride & groom i try to create something that will truly represent the look and feel they are trying to accomplish. candace was looking for a elegant, relaxed yet stylized feeling for her nyc loft wedding...we started with black and white as the main colors and played around with different ideas for an accent color...

here's a storyboard that went along with the proposal that i sent to candace...

1^st row calla lily arrangement, blade nyc, black and white damask; mixed white arrangement, bladenyc, candelabra, MOMA

2^nd row coffee table, white tufted ottoman, island couch, taylor creative; black urn, jamali garden

3^rd row Lucite tables, taylor creative; Studio 450, feather clip, luv weddings

4^th row black glass vases, jamali garden; candlelight, blade nyc; black glass candle holder, barreveld; black pedestal, signature rentals

the wedding was at studio 450, a nyc loft which is a blank canvas. the bride and groom wanted a full cocktail party with lounge furniture but needed help with the layout of the room. i created a floor plan to help them visualize the room...

we finally decided that we wanted something to break up the black and white and decided on a combination of hot pink and reds...romantic & flirty with accents of black feathers....loved it!

photography by belathee

the wedding party

what an amazing event!! i was thrilled to be a part of it and to be surrounded by such a talented group of vendors. for my table design i decided to use a color palette that i've never used before, combining vibrant tones of yellow and warm hues of buttercup with deep navy blue....i was so happy with result...i think the added touch of silver brunia really completed the look...check it out below...




btw...you can find out more about the wedding party and the fabulous services they provide at The Wedding Library.

let the blogging begin...

welcome!! i'm so excited to share with you my work, ideas and my often random bits of inspiration. enjoy!