Wedding: Lauren & Chris – Sunningdale G & C Club – Part 2: Reception

Now for the fabulous reception! … (see previous post for ceremony) … Details, details, details…

A few details worth noting: Black chivari chairs with leatherette cushions and white silk linens were brought in from Toronto. Exclusive Events covered Sunningdale’s curtains in black and white silk. They also created a fabric canopy above the head table which I then decorated with orchids and crystals! The centerpieces were a combination of lavish tall and lush low. Each centerpiece was surrounded by 3 vases filled with either hydrangea, succulents or orchids. Atop each guest napkin is a green and white orchid. Crystal candle holders along with regular votive holders were used to add sparkle and tie in all the crystal details. Even the table numbers aren’t simply numbers, they are Italian places and food the bride and groom would be experiencing on their honeymoon!

No matter how many weddings I do, I’ll never get over how much life flowers can bring to an ordinary reception room. This wedding demonstrates what a powerful impact flowers have in transforming a room.

Flowers abundantly surround the guest seating chart.

Some shots of the amazing crystal and orchid canopy! This sure had the guests talking!

I absolutely love what I do but most people are not aware of the time and labour that goes into creating and setting up the flowers for an event. Here are a couple of rare shots of us in action! I’m on the left and my fiancé was brought in (on the right) for crystal duty! His engineering skills come in handy when it comes the mechanics of wire tension vs. weight of the crystals… and “technical” things like that! Plus I just like his company!  He was one of the 4 workers who along with myself, worked to transform this room.  For those of you interested in the process: Usually I get the flowers on Wednesday for a Saturday event. Because they are perishable and I want them to be as fresh as possible, I don’t have the luxury of starting earlier. On Wednesday, the entire day, right into the night is spent conditioning the flowers, cutting and putting them into buckets. Thursday and Friday are usually long days of designing, for a big event like this one, I would have only slept a few hours Thursday night and gotten no sleep Friday night!  Saturday, the entire day is spent setting up and going from bouquet drop off, to church, to venue, and back again! Sunday is pick-up day. Monday and Tuesday, my studio gets put back into order- recycling of boxes, sweeping, washing buckets, sorting supplies, washing any rental vases etc. I also must prepare for the next weekend of weddings and meet with clients for upcoming weddings. And then Wednesday it starts all over again! When do I rest you ask? I don’t- not during wedding season!  You really have to be passionate about what you do to stay in this business. As my massage therapist can attest, standing and designing for 2-3 days straight, can sure do a number on your back!

You’ll have to forgive my appearance here- At this point I’m on day two of no sleep!

But the hard work is totally worth it when I make a bride and groom’s dream wedding into reality!

- Samirah

Professional photos courtesy of Ralph Heinze Photography.