WEDNESDAY WEDDINGS:

A Perfect Day for a Harbor Side Wedding

Sometimes everything just works out perfectly. I think that these pictures are the best way to tell the story of a wonderful harbor side wedding. It’s seems easy enough – add beautiful weather, a spectacular venue, and a joyful celebration and you have the formula for a truly special day. For Grace and Anton it really did work out that way.

 I must admit that for this couple everything they wanted was pretty straight forward. Both of them were extremely relaxed, calm and enthusiastic. Grace knew what she wanted and since she was so busy with work, she was determined to make her plans quickly and without a lot of fuss. They picked the colors that they liked. The blue, white and pale yellow seemed just right for summertime and the water setting. It was simple and elegant. After our initial meeting it was just a matter of fine tuning the details. Perhaps the most difficult decision she had to make was whether to have an aisle runner or not. I recommended not because the uneven surface of a terrace and her spiky heels just seemed too treacherous to me and she agreed.  

Grace arrived at the venue, dressed and ready to go, minutes before the ceremony began. She picked up her bouquet (I hope she had a sip of champagne) and started down the aisle. The day was perfect and the celebration went according to plan. I know I’ve said it before, but it is so true, the attitude of the bride sets the tone of the day - and from what I understand that is exactly what happened on this day and the vibe was all about happiness and fun.

For Colony, the floral arrangements were a pleasure to make – I had the freedom to choose the materials using the colors and style that Grace wanted. The designers had the fun of putting everything together in a way that they thought was most beautiful.  I love giving the designers a concept, a color palette and a choice of flowers and let them do their thing. It's what they do best.

Designing flowers is not as easy as it appears and at Colony everyone has between 15 and 20 years of experience. For the casual observer or do-it-yourselfer one might think that designing is simple. But in fact, it isn’t. With an unlimited budget making an arrangement is not difficult, what makes the job of a designer challenging is creating something beautiful and staying within a budget. That is why the florists’ job is so important. Different designers can take the same budget and depending on the flowers they choose their designs will all be different. Talented designers make the ordinary extraordinary and in the end that is why you choose a florist who can interpret your ideas and make them a reality.

My advice in choosing how you want to express yourself with flowers at your wedding is to try and fall in love with a concept or a “look.” If you avoid selecting something very specific, a talented florist will be able to create something that looks and feels like what you want so that you will not be disappointed. And, that is whole other topic for discussion. 

WEDNESDAY WEDDINGS: 

A Greenwich Wedding With a Texas Flair

You might think that Texas style means a lot of yellow roses – at least that’s what I imagined. Well, I have news for you, we had the good fortune of working with Lauren who wanted to bring Texas home to Greenwich and it wasn’t with yellow flowers. It was red, white and blue. The ceremony and reception took place on the water so it was truly a blend of Connecticut and Texas.

This bride brought a great attitude and so much enthusiasm that planning her wedding was really fun for all of us. Her mom and I had a few laughs along the way too. Now I must admit that the patriotic color scheme is not something I generally see at weddings but since it was the overarching theme and very important, I didn’t have any trouble embracing it and helping her make it work.

Lauren had terrific ideas and we just needed to put our heads together, be creative and find a way to bring them into play without going overboard. It might seem easy but there are always limitations. We visited the venue to get a sense of what her priorities were and where she would get the biggest bang for her buck. We discussed lots of ideas and tried to “imagine” what the ceremony and reception would be like. I had confidence that with the Lauren's relaxed, positive thinking, nothing was going to spoil her special day. And, now that I have gotten to know her better – I know that is true.

I make a list of what I call the “floral opportunities” for the wedding and from there I can usually help the bride prioritize and decide what she needs. Once everything is considered it's not hard to make choices about what is really important. The flowers were just what Lauren wanted and everything she chose worked well together. There were plenty of flowers and lots of extra candles to give the romantic feeling that was also very important.

Lauren covered all the bases and we all thought that the flowers were terrific. I especially liked the archway we created (based on her vision) – it was one of a kind, that’s for sure, but it was special and expressed the carefree attitude and festive atmosphere that she wanted. It gave us all so much pleasure to see it complete and certainly put a smile on my face.

That is what I love about weddings – having it all come together and knowing that the bride is really pleased with the choices she made.  If they (and everyone else involved in the planning) can resist taking every detail too seriously, it makes the bride, groom, family and guests feel at ease and able to enjoy the celebration. From what I heard Lauren and David's "Texas" wedding was fun-filled and special for all.

The Mystery of the Missing

Funeral Flowers

I had an interesting experience today – it was a first for me. Colony had a special order for two funeral pieces, a casket piece and a statue of the Madonna surrounded by flowers. Remember this, it's important. As planned, we dropped them off at the church for the memorial service.  About two hours later, I received a call from the funeral director who was upset that the flowers hadn’t been delivered and he asked me, “By the way, why not?”

I assured him that they had been delivered and told him where we left them, the time and other pertinent details - but the flowers were nowhere to be found. I rushed over to the church to see if I could help since I knew they had been delivered and couldn’t imagine what had happened.

It’s hard to believe but it turns out that another family, who had their service an hour before, must have liked them so much that they took them. I’m pretty sure they knew that they weren’t theirs - the tags had the name of the deceased on them and they were not just your average floral arrangements, they were a casket piece and Madonna. Amazing!

So, the director and I went to the cemetery and waited in the pouring rain to try and recapture the flowers from the family when they returned for the burial.  I guess they decided to wait until the showers ended. In the meantime, we quickly made and delivered a replacement vase so that the family would have some flowers for their service.

It still has me wondering – I can't imagine that something like that would happen in a church but I guess after all these years nothing surprises me. It’s probably one funeral I won’t forget.

WEDNESDAY WEDDINGS: 

Color Makes It Happen

Last weekend, we provided special flowers for a very colorful bride and groom at L’Escale. It wasn’t a large wedding but it was festive. I worked with the immediate family, since the bride was out of the country and didn’t have time to make any of the plans. Talk about trust.

It was refreshing that the family had confidence that Colony would do a great job. They wanted to create a special atmosphere by chosing beautiful flowers AND not over think it. Their enthusiasm was contagious and I knew the flowers would be perfect.

The wedding was intended to be beautiful but not necessarilly traditional or formal. That allowed us the freedom to be creative and have fun with the flowers. We started with the table linen. The groom was Peruvian and so the wedding would have a colorful, Peruvian flair.  The cloths had similar patterns but had either a white, red or blue ground, typical of the country. We tried all different combinations of color and flowers and yellow became an important part of the plan. We finally agreed upon yellow with purple and red.

Everything went smoothly and within a few weeks we had made all the decisions that we needed. The bride’s bouquet was going to be monochromatic - with different shades of yellow roses. To add texture we used Crespedia which looks like a small little ball on a stick.

Check out the flowers. There was purple stock, bright yellow roses and red gerbera. Imagine the room filled with assorted colors of table linen and beautiful flowers to match. How could the wedding be anything but fun?

The flowers set the mood and the meaning of the colors complimented the beginning of their relationship perfectly. The yellow symbolized happiness, the red was for love and  purple for a successful marriage.

SUMMER FLOWERS:

Enjoy Them Whenever You Can

In general, a flower shop gets very quiet in July and August with the exception of parties and weddings. Don’t  misunderstand, there is always plenty to do, but the pace slows considerably and the jobs that get done are usually those that are pushed aside during the rest of the year when the shop is busier.

  

The main reason that Colony Florist gets quiet, besides the fact that people are out of town, is that many of my customers have the good fortune of being able to cut flowers from their garden. I encourage it because flowers should be enjoyed and if possible, you brought inside to reap the benefits of how they great they make you feel.  If you have a garden that is plentiful, this is a wonderful opportunity to experiment with your design skills and use different combinations of flowers and color. If you don’t have a garden,  plan ahead, start planting, and make sure you include the variety that you like best for next year.

What I love most about the summer flowers is the diverse selection of color. There are unlimited choices from bright to pastel shades.  The selection of blue, yellow, orange, and pink colors are uplifting. They make me happy.

Hydrangeas are one of the most popular and plentiful summer flowers. They come in a wide spectrum of colors but blue, pink and white are by far the most common in this part of the country. In arrangements, they’re beautiful whether they are used alone or combined with other flowers like snapdragons and roses. I am always sad to see them fade because the multiple blooms,  in their prime, are so spectacular.

One trick to help keep hydrangeas looking good for a longer time is to cut them lengthwise along the stem and expose as much of the inside surface area as possible. Doing this allows them to drink more water and keeps them looing healthy longer. It is also advisable to use a sharp knife instead of scissors. If you see them start to shrivel, cut them again and submerge them in water until they drink – they should literally come back to life.

Summer is a perfect time to relax and have fun. Include flowers in your daily life because they will make you happy. Research shows that they can have an immediate and positive impact on your disposition.

WEDNESDAY WEDDINGS:

Summertime Celebrations

                                       

Summertime weddings are always special. Most often, the flowers that brides chose in the summer are tied to the garden with the idea of bringing the outside in and using it as an integral part of the celebration. The weather is unpredictable and you have to roll the dice because the outside venue can be a very important part of the wedding plans. I’m a positive thinker and always hope for the best. If it is outdoors, we always discuss a contingency plan but I never intend to use it.

Themes seem to be more common during the summer months and they are all appropriate. Brides will choose a natural or organic feeling where the garden is an important consideration. Others will pick a nautical or beach theme and some choose an exotic or tropical theme just to name a few. Each has its own unique feeling and so the flowers that are suitable are wide and varied and all are fitting for this time of year.

Weddings can be informal or formal and everything in between. I see all different interpretations and each bride brings something unique to the party. That is what makes it so much fun. Everything we do is customized and so we rarely do anything twice. That is the challenge because each bride is special and deserves to be treated that way.

During the summer, there are more flowers that are part of what’s available and many come right from the garden. As special as a wedding is, having a relaxed approach to flowers is always recommended. Flowers can be a bit unpredictable and regardless of what time of year you get married it’s best to be flexible.  It can be risky to count on using these flowers because many factors come into play – rain, drought, heat and luck – all unpredictable. I would suggest that brides use garden flowers as an add-on or “if available,” but never as the primary component of their floral arrangements.

 I love that many of the weddings take place literally in the bride’s backyard or in other special outdoor spaces. Many water’s edge facilities, whether lakeside or seaside, and gardens become outdoor playgrounds. Beautiful patios and porches are become unique settings for wedding ceremonies. Within a few hours, the tent goes up providing shelter and allowing a country club or home to have a spectacular wedding venue where previously there was none. Add to this decorations, dressed-up tables, and flowers and the transformation is magical.

What makes a summertime wedding special is there is often a casualness associated with this time of year. If the party is outside with the days longer and temperatures warmer, the atmosphere seems more relaxed.  As a result, it usually follows that the guests feel that way too and that makes a good time for all.

And, even if you do have a little rain on your wedding day, remember the the old saying - Rain will bring good luck!