Tatiana and Greg are a great couple who really wanted their wedding to be spectacular! The end result of lots of planning and work was truly an amazing event complete with gorgeous linens, florals, lighting and décor. The colour palette of purples, fuchsias, ivories and silvers created the lush, luxurious ambiance Tatiana and Greg were looking for. At the reception, Manzanita trees with hand wired dendrobium orchids were showstoppers, while on other guest tables, vases with cymbidium orchids and floating candles stole the show! (While I have larger versions of the Manzanita trees which I use for everything from ceremony arrangements to wish trees, if you’re looking to rent the smaller versions (perfect for a centerpiece) for your wedding, Tatiana and Greg actually decided to purchase 12 of them and have them available for rental- contact me for details if you’re interested).

I’ll let the photos speak for themselves, but check out all the amazing details including orchids on each guest napkin, mirrors lining the head table and the gorgeous cake!

- Samirah

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.

The adorable bride carried a bouquet of garden roses and callas in shades of pink, and cymbidium orchids in pinks and greens.

I’m loving this trend of vibrant shoes for the bride! (This can be a perfect way to infuse a bit of your wild side into an otherwise tame wedding dress).

The bridesmaids carried similar bouquets to the bride but we added in green berries to add a bit more pop against their chocolate brown dresses.

The Groom wore a calla-orchid combo while the groomsmen wore a single green orchid with berries.

Some great shots from the ceremony! –

Tamera ordered a custom monogrammed runner.  We framed the ceremony by decorating the mantle with a garland, orchids and candles and setting two large coordinating pink and green floral arrangements on deep chocolate brown stands. The finishing touch is the chandelier dripping with crystals and green dendrobium orchids!

In the corner tree, green orchids and candlelight “danced” above the gifts below!

The reception flowers were a combination of low full floral arrangements and tall willow arrangements that really suited the rustic elegance of Bellamere.

We “dolled up” the centre chandelier with strands of crystals.

A single green dendrobium bloom accented each napkin.

The cake is placed on a stand of single green cymbidium blooms in square vases. Pink and green cymbids adorn the cake along with a crystal monogram topper.

Love this photo! It almost makes you want to say “And they lived happily ever after!”

- Samirah

Photos courtesy of HRM Photography. See more photos from this wedding on their blog here.