Samirah and Jonah – Punta Cana, Dominican Republic – PART 2
Okay… so we are VERY behind on our blog updates! 2011 was one of our busiest seasons yet, plus I have been working on a new creation for the last 9 months… (We have a baby on the way this December!) Wow, I can’t believe what changes a year can bring. So for those of you who have been very patiently waiting, here is part 2 of my own wedding almost a year ago! We will be updating the blog as well in the next couple of months with our 2011 weddings (almost 50 of them!) So keep checking back (lots of great ideas for all of you planning future weddings and just some fun, beautiful flowers to look at for those of you not planning a wedding!)
For our Dominican reception I choose to have one long table set up on the beach lined with flowers and candles! It was perfect!
One of my favourite photos of my beautiful bridesmaids!
Favours given to each guest, lovingly made by my friend Rokhsana (who also did the make-up for the wedding). (Handmade organic/all-natural soap, body butter, a candle and bath salts- perfect for those who were by now sunburned and made good use of the soothing products for the rest of the trip!)
I put my family and friends to work creating tissue pomanders which the resort staff hung above our dance floor! (When planning a destination wedding as a wedding florist it was really hard not to exceed the luggage weight requirements- I wanted to bring my whole studio with me! But tissue paper is light and was perfect in creating a great atmosphere for the dance as well as incorporating our wedding colours- fuchsias, greys, berries, plums).
The next series of photos were taken by the amazingly talented Heather from HRM Photography. We decided to avoid complications by doing the legal paperwork at City Hall the day before we left for the Dominican. We had a small civil ceremony witnessed by our friends Rokhsana and Andrew. Heather generously offered to take all the photos!
- Samirah
Samirah and Jonah – Punta Cana, Dominican Republic – PART 1
This next wedding has been 12 about years in the making… I’m VERY excited to share some photos from my own wedding!
A little bit about us:
My husband and I are high school sweethearts, we’ve been together since we were 17 but we’ve been in the same school since kindergarten. It is no secret to my family and friends that I had a crush on Jonah (my husband) since grade 3! Well after a very long engagement of 5 years, and after 12 years together, we finally made it official!
Although Jonah has his own full-time job, he is very involved with Designs in Bloom. He is the technical person behind my website and anything web-related. (I’m not very technically savvy and actually think that computers might hold a grudge or something against me!) Jonah is also getting pretty good with a camera, he is the one who takes many of the great photos you see on my site- most of the shots that aren’t from the professionals have been taken by Jonah.
Because much of what we do is wedding related, we thought long and hard about what we’d like to do for our own wedding. Two years ago, after a good friend’s wedding in Cuba, we decided that we were going to do a destination wedding! After a very busy and amazing wedding season, it was so nice to get away for a vacation with 45 of our closest family and friends! We decided on a resort in the Dominican that one of my previous wedding clients recommended to me.
I put most of my wedding planning on hold until my busy wedding season was done, except for buying the dresses and a few other things, I left all the resort wedding planning until about 1 month before we left! It as a bit stressful, but I learnt to work on “Dominican time” and there is something to be said for that! After a few emails back and forth, Claribel, the resort wedding planner thought it best if I deal with their recommended florist directly. Gary from Innovart did a great job! He was always quick in his responses and took his role very seriously (one florist to another!) He personally designed my wedding bouquet which was a real honour as generally staff would do it.
As we were in the Dominican and I couldn’t have all the trusted vendors I work with and love around here, I decided to have the very talented Anh from Maria Bikas, show my youngest sister Amina how to style my hair and Amina would reproduce it on the day. Amazingly Anh came to my house one snowy December day (the day after my bachelorette party so we were a little worse for wear) to patiently work her magic in enough detail that my sister could reproduce it: Here are a few snap shots of the day. (Remember I’m very tired with no make-up- just look at the hair and the talented Anh!) Oh, and I should also mention Anh was on partial mat leave at the time with 2 kids and a very busy schedule so this was a very special visit indeed!
My very good friend Rokhsana Purdy who is an aesthetician and make-up artist did all the make-up for the day. I was so lucky to have her there as a friend and as my make-up artist! Her company is Karmic Soul. I can’t say enough good things about Rokhsana, she is amazingly talented and everybody who knows her loves her! She sells an amazing all natural skin care line and products- if you need additional information about her services and company, please contact me! (I highly recommend her!) She had a busy wedding morning doing the make-up for my mom, my aunt, my two sisters, my cousin and myself. She hardly had time to throw on her dress before the ceremony. THANKS again Rokhsana!!
The following photos were taken by Jorge Allocco:
If you’re looking for awesome, fantastic jewellery, you have to check out this local London company- Rachelle Leighann. My gorgeous pearl bracelet and earrings were designed by the talented duo of Rachelle and Leigh Ann. I also purchased my bridesmaids earrings from them and have to admit I own many, many stunning pieces designed by them. They are also on Etsy so check them out you won’t be disappointed (oh, and great pricing too!)
A few other vendors I must mention and credit:
Endo Jewellers: My beautiful eternity wedding band and engagement band were created by Kevin Endo. Endo Jewellers is located in London on Richmond street.
Safa Tailors Alterations: I had very little time during my busy wedding season to shop for my own dress. I bought a dress off the rack at Nicolas and Elizabeth and then took it to Zia and Safa Tailors. Zia worked under a tight deadline to transform my dress from an A-line to a tight fighting mermaid style. He also added a bow detail. Zia worked overtime to get my dress ready to go in just a few weeks from start to finish with several fittings squeezed in!
- Samirah
A bit of news to share!
We have received two very nice accolades recently: (It’s always nice to get a pat on the back for the work we do!)
 1. Designs in Bloom was once again featured in Weddingbells Magazine! Weddingbells selects from some of the top vendors in the area to be featured in their magazine. We are in the Spring/Summer 2011 issue on page 465. It is a great magazine to use as a planning resource and in our feature I’ve given a few tips that will help in planning your wedding flowers! |
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2. We’ve won the Bride’s Choice Award for 2011! This means that Designs in Bloom was among the top 5 % of WeddingWire’s wedding professionals throughout Canada and the U.S! The top five percent is selected based on quality and service excellence and overall professional achievement within the wedding industry. |
- Samirah
Exclusive Events Is Having A Studio Open House!
Check out London-based Exclusive Events’ studio open house.
Saturday, January 29th
12 noon to 5pm
199 Wellington St, London, On N6B 2K9
RSVP – (519) 667-0223 or email exclusiveeventsinfo@gmail.com
January 2010: So it begins…
I am going to attempt to keep a blog! We have so many regular visitors to the site who are planning their weddings or just want to explore and revel in the beauty of flowers! Since the regular “gallery updates” aren’t so regular -only one wedding posted from the 2009 season- sorry! – Hopefully this new blog will allow us to remain more up-to-date. But I’m going to admit something from the get-go… I am not an eloquent writer, really not one who should be keeping a blog. So I will keep my thoughts to a minimum and let the photos speak for themselves! Speaking of photos, some (the good ones!) will be from professional photographers, while others we have taken ourselves. There will always be a link to the professional photographer’s website at the bottom of each post. So if you like what you see, check them out for yourself!
The next series of posts will take you through our 2009 wedding season in random order. Enjoy!
