Wedding: Sarah & Andy – Riverbend Golf and Country Club
I did the wedding flowers for Sarah’s sister Jenn in 2007 so I was very excited when Sarah contacted me for her wedding. The older I get (yikes) and the longer I’m in business, the more repeat families I get to see when siblings of my original clients get married. It’s always an honour when they choose to use Designs in Bloom again and I become the “family wedding florist”! It was great to plan a wedding with this great family once again! Sarah chose deep aubergine dresses for her bridesmaids so we worked with flowers in mauves, lavenders, aubergines, greens and ivories to compliment the colour palette. Sarah’s gorgeous wedding dress was vintage inspired so we added eucalyptus to the bouquets to give a wispy, vintage touch to the modern composition!
All of the photos below are compliments of Jennifer of Partington Photography. Check out her blog for more photos of the day…. And while you’re there check out the renovations she’s doing on her new beautiful studio space in Strathroy!
Love these flower close-ups! Can you tell which flowers they are?
- Samirah
Wedding: Angie & Jimmy – Windermere Manor
I get so excited about all the weddings I do and I love all the special couples I get to plan with! I put my heart and soul into every wedding, but this wedding was especially special and lots of fun to plan. Angie brought her dad to our first consultation and I could really see what a great relationship they had- her dad beamed with pride and love for his daughter. He really wanted the day to be so special for her and Jimmy. I later found out that he’d come to the consultation on no sleep after working all night. What a great dad! (As a side note, he also picked out the wedding dress than Angie ended up choosing!)
Angie wanted her flowers to really be different and unique. She is definitely not a “white wedding” kind of gal. Her and Jimmy are fun and funky and we wanted their wedding flowers to reflect that, but we still wanted to make sure they were elegant. “Funky elegant!” It can be done! Since the bridesmaids wore black, we had free range in terms of colours. Angie had complete trust in me and my vision (thanks Angie!) and was completely on board when I showed her examples using the colour palette of plums, magentas, deep purples, blues, fuchsia with a hit of green! We ended up with stunning, lush flowers that certainly didn’t fade into the background!
The Bouquets were composed of Coolwater roses, hydrangea, local dahlias, callas, phaleanopsis, cymbidium and dendrobium orchids. I really love how they turned out!
We kept the boutonnieres and corsages fairly simple by using callas and orchids for all.
In keeping with the unique, vibrant and lush floral theme, the centerpieces were a combination of amazing large green callas for the tall and a mix similar to the bouquets for the low.
The next series of photos were sent to us from HRM Photography. The very talented Heather did an amazing job capturing the day! You can take a look at her blog for more photos and details about the day. On HRM’s blog, Angie lists the flowers as her favourite detail! That always makes my day!
Angie’s dad surprised her by renting a horse and carriage for the day!
I love the contrast of the bouquets against the black bridesmaids dresses.
I’m always so impressed by the photos from HRM but check out this one, so incredible! And just to bring this back to the flowers- doesn’t her bouquet just look awesome against that stunning blue sky?
- Samirah
Professional photos courtesy of HRM Photography. More photos from this wedding can be seen on their blog here.
Wedding: Amie & Andre – Bellamere Winery & Event Centre
This wedding was one of my favourites of the season! When Amie first emailed me, she wrote that she was looking for a “vintage/wildflower look that still pops” and that is exactly what we managed to achieve through a unique and eclectic mix of flowers including orchids, dahlias, waxflower, vibernum berries, thistle, roses, callas, seeded eucalyptus, leucadendron and hydrangea! Whew, quite a mix! I worked closely with Amie and her mom Janet (as Amie lives 6 hours away) to pull off this vintage, wildflower inspired wedding with lots of “POP”!
The wedding took place on the Sunday of Thanksgiving weekend. Thanksgiving weekend can either be amazingly beautiful or can be dismally cold and rainy. Luckily for Amie and Andre, the weather was PERFECT! They were married just outside of London in a small rural church on farmland that used to be owned by their family (Amie’s parent’s live in the family farmhouse just one road over and still own farm land in the area). I have to say that delivering and setting up this wedding was a real treat. I certainly can’t complain! From delivering to the family farmhouse, to the rural church and then on to the beautiful Bellamere Winery, I enjoyed the gorgeous day- the country setting was more than idealic! I could have stayed forever enjoying the warm October sun and watching the breeze travel over the fields.
The bouquets-
I just love the mix of blues, cranberries, ivories and plums! Love how they pop against the bridesmaid’s dresses!
Below are some shots at the charming Littlewood church.
At Bellamere, the centerpieces were a mix of low in galvanised silver buckets and tall on clear glass vases.
This wedding had lots of great personal touches. Check out the adorable owl cake topper that was made by Amie’s mom.
- Samirah
Professional photos courtesy of Jenn Stark Photographers. More photos are from this wedding are available on their website here.
Wedding: Tatiana & Greg – Hellenic Center
I was honoured when a well known Toronto wedding planner (Helen: www.weddingsbydesign.ca a division of Spectra Events) sought me out to help her plan and create the flowers for the wedding of her clients Tatiana and Greg!
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
Wedding: Amy & Daryl – Best Western Lamplighter Inn
I apologize for the wait! Wedding season has officially begun and the blog took the back seat for a little while. I’m excited to share some of the amazing weddings that we’ve already completely this season, but want to try and wrap up 2009 weddings first!
Amy and Daryl were married at a beautiful church in St. Thomas and then had their reception at the Best Western Lamplighter in London. The fresh colour palette of whites and greens is always one of my favourites as it is timeless and classic yet very fresh at the same time. The bouquets really looked great against the black bridesmaids’ dresses!
The bouquets consist of hydrangea, peonies, hypercium berries, roses and cymbidium orchids.
Since the groom is a Firefighter a fire engine was ‘borrowed’for a few shots. I just LOVE the vibrant red! What a great backdrop!
The centerpieces were a combination of submerged green orchids with a floating candle low hydrangea arrangements.
- Samirah
Professional photos courtesy of Toogood Studios.
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.
Wedding: Lauren & Chris – Sunningdale G & C Club – Part 1: Ceremony
Lauren and Chris were married at the magnificent St. Peter’s Cathedral and then celebrated their early June wedding at the beautiful Sunningdale Golf and Country Club. Sunningdale was the perfect backdrop for this elegant wedding. Lauren came to me a bit frustrated after having met with a couple florists and event decorators. Well, I’m glad she found me! We immediately “clicked” and I just knew I’d be able to incorporate her ideas, colours etc. to create something fantastic! Flowers were very important to Lauren and the key element in making her dream wedding a reality. No detail was left unattended to. I have to say, it was great fun planning this with Lauren!
We worked with colours that could be considered “classic” (whites and greens), but threw in some unexpected twists like succulents, gorgeous eggplant callas and deep plum cordyline leaves.
The bride’s bouquet consisted of roses, peonies, aubergine callas, orchids and jade plant.
The bridesmaids carried bouquets of aubergine callas that looked amazing with their gorgeous blue dresses!
Lauren was a stunning bride!
St. Peter’s really is awe-inspiring; a perfect place for this grand wedding.
We flanked the altar with two spectacularly lush arrangements. Flowers also adorned the pews.
The groom and groomsmen wore green orchid boutonnieres.
I just love this shot of the two mothers waiting in anticipation by the church doors. The mother of the groom wore a large white cymbidium. The bride’s mom wore her favourite flower: a gardenia.
The bride switched from a white flower embellished sash to a black sash for the reception.
Reception pics to follow in a separate post…
- Samirah
Professional photos courtesy of Ralph Heinze Photography.
Wedding: Beth & Jason – Windermere Manor
There is something very serene about the colour combination of this early May wedding. I did a couple blue, green and ivory coloured weddings last season, and I must say, I am very drawn to the colour palette. It is one of those rare combinations of colours that can be both fresh and fun and yet charmingly vintage at the same time!
Beth LOVES hydrangea (as do I!!) and wanted a bouquet of ONLY hydrangea, without it being too plain. The combination of ivory hydrangea, blue hydrangea and snowball vibernum is simple yet elegant and lush!
How gorgeous is this bride!? I love the vintage inspired accents, right down to the red lipstick of the bride and the pearl necklaces worn by all the lovely ladies!
The groom’s boutonniere was a simple cluster of green berries in a leaf wrap.
- Samirah
Photos courtesy of Last Forty Percent Photography. See more photos from this wedding on their blog here.
Wedding: Leeann & Kyle – Delta London Armouries
This April wedding was one of the first weddings of the 2009 season and what a great way to begin! Leeann and Kyle wanted something organic and earthy but also fun, fresh and unique! We combined a palette of fresh greens, whites and blacks to create just that!
The bouquets were composed of ornamental grasses, green berries, ivory hydrangea, green spider mums and (mini green hydrangea and ivory roses in the bride’s bouquet only).
For the ring bearer we created a moss pillow. The flowergirl carried a pomander made out of green Kermit mums!
A few quick “driveway shots” before we’re off on delivery!
A few shots captured by Salt and Pepper Studios:
The black, white and green colour palette was carried through into the reception with alternating black and white damask linens paired with solid black linens. On the tables we alternated very simple tall leafy arrangements with low white and green arrangements in grass. For a bit of height and to add that earthy element, willow is incorporated into all the arrangements.
In lieu of favours, Leann and Kyle made a donation to the Canadian Breast Cancer Society. They then offered their guests a table of pink M&M’s to snack on! A great splash of colour for a great cause!
And check out the great cake! I visited Melrose Bakery a few times to make a template in order to be able to surround the cake with grass. I love how it turned out!
- Samirah
Wedding: Michelle & Justin – The Old Court House
Look out, there are new rules in town! Well, not so new really. Whoever said that you can’t mix pink and red, or brown and black? This wedding shows just how awesome pinks and reds can look together! For this September wedding at The Old Court House, we paired gorgeous pink and red flowers with rich chocolate browns, and light mocha browns to create a dramatic effect!
The bridesmaids’ bouquets consisted of hot pink roses, vibrant red roses and pink cymbidium orchids.
To soften things up a bit for the bride, soft pink roses were incorporated in her bouquet.
The sweet flower girls carried mini pink and red bouquets.
Two large vibrant arrangements framed the outdoor ceremony.
A couple of the groomsmen looking good in their coordinating pink callas!
Inside The Old Court House, the centerpieces were a combination of short and tall. See if you can spot the red dahlias, they’re locally grown in all sorts of glorious colours and my favourite for late summer!
An impressive “blooming” tree of pink and red orchids greeted the guests upon their entrance.
- Samirah
Professional photos courtesy of Photography by Yvonne
Wedding: Megan & Darren – London Hunt & Country Club
Congratulations to Megan and Darren who were married at the beautiful Hunt Club last fall. When asking for Megan’s address early on in our meetings together, I found out we had a bit of a connection. She lives on the same street as my fiance’s parents (a few houses down). And not only that, the house my fiance’s parents are in was sold to them years ago by her aunt and uncle. Small world!
The bride carried a vivid red bouquet of roses, callas and ranunculus with bear grass woven in. The groom wore a red calla to match.
Since the bridesmaids wore beautiful red dresses, they carried white bouquets of hydrangea, roses, freesia and callas.
I love photos that capture just how well the colour scheme all came together. (All that planning really does pay off!) Just look at the perfectly coordinated reds, blacks and whites!
Even though the Hunt Club is a bit more traditional, we decided to do modern and fun flowers! The vibrant red gerberas and roses really stood out among the fresh green grass! On each guest napkin we placed a single Kermit bloom.
- Samirah
