Heather and Anthony

The Renaissance Hotel provided Heather with an amazing backdrop of the downtown Columbus skyline for her wedding to Anthony. A stunning white arch (provided by Bloomtastic) decked out in brown curly willow branches and red mokara orchids was the backdrop for their ceremony. Heather carried a classic collection of white lavish roses accented by crisp white callas and fragrant gardenias. She selected black baccara roses (deep, velvety red) and circus roses (reddish-orange and golden yellow) accented by fresh green hypericum berries for her six bridesmaids and two junior bridesmaids.

A modern twist was taken with the unity candle; submerged red mokara orchids and swirls of fresh green bear grass swam underneath white floating candles in the etched glass cylinder vases.

My favorite aspect of her wedding was her centerpieces! Her guests dined at tables embellished with modern flower decor and warm candle glow. Ten of the 26 tables hosted a tall fluted vase with curly willow branches extending up and out, towards the heavens, draped with fine crystals catching the glow from the candles below. A single spray of red mokara orchids added color inside the vase. The remaining 16 tables were home to a trio of cylinder vases, each boasting swirls of green bear grass or red mokara orchids and all crowned by a white floating candle.

The perfect finishing touch to her cake provided by Short North Piece of Cake was single red mokara orchids, perfectly placed on the tiers.

Ceremony and Reception Location: The Renaissance Hotel; Columbus, Ohio

Flowers: Black baccara roses, white roses, circus roses, red mokara orchids, white callas, gardenias, curly willow, bear grass

Budget: $2300-2500

Photography provided by: Betsey Holley http://www.betseyholleyphotography.com/

Baker: Short North Piece of Cake

Brandy and Brian July 17, 2009

I met Brandy in January of 2009 at the Columbus Bride: The Show at Vets memorial. Shortly after we sat down at the shop and crafted her ideal look: formal, elegant and all ivory.

Goddess Divine: Brandy's dress was stunning. We didn't want her bouquet to compete or to overshadow, so Brandy chose a sophisticated collection of lush ivory roses accented by ivory miniature callas. Two rhinestone bracelets encrusted the natural stems with an elegant sparkle that seemed to compliment her dress perfectly.

Brandy chose bouquets of all ivory roses to be carried by her bridesmaids while the flower girls had halos of billowy babies breath with champagne colored satin ribbon streamers gracefully flowing down the back.

Stately Men: Brian sported an ivory calla finished with black satin ribbon down the stem while the remaining men wore an ivory rose with black satin ribbon down the stem.

A Family Affair: I'm a BIG fan of Tuscan tables. For one reason, you don't feel like you are on "display" and two, you are now a part of your wedding and not just someone watching it. Brandy felt the same and chose a large Tuscan table to be her centerpiece of the ballroom at the Renaissance Hotel. Tall crystal fluted vases showcased large, open cut callas and champagne colored branches while short crystal compotes were brimming with abundant hydrangeas. In between the tall and short arrangements were cylinder vessels to house the bridesmaid's bouquets during the reception.

Brandy's guests dined by candlelight in the spacious ballroom and ivory rose petals delicately decorated the cake table. The altar arrangement of ivory Oriental lilies and roses played double-duty at both the ceremony up on the pool-deck and as decoration at the reception.

I caught up with Brandy about two weeks after her nuptials and via email she shared these kind words with me: "Everything was amazing! I got so many compliments on the flower arrangements. My favorite was my bouquet. Thanks, Brandy."

Ceremony and Reception Location: The Renaissance Hotel, Columbus, Ohio

Flowers: Ivory roses, callas, Oriental lilies, hydrangeas, curly willow branches

Estimated Budget: $1400-1600

Photography Courtesy of: Shannon Williams Photography http://www.shannonwilliamsphotography.com/

Something Blue...and Lime Green!

Jennifer Kennedy had a clear-cut vision of her dream florals...she wanted something linear, blue and green. Her fresh approach to hand-tied bouquets led us to create an amazing bouquet of tall green Bells of Ireland encompassed by electric blue Dendrobium Orchids. Her bridesmaid's carried a stunning collection of all blue Dendrobium Orchids (yes, they are naturally blue!) while the men sported boutonnieres designed of blue Dendrobium Orchid blooms. Her ceremony at the Renaissance Hotel in downtown Columbus boasted handmade paper cones with white rose petals inside tied to the ends of the chairs lining the bridal path (sorry, I don't have a photo). Jennifer was very happy with her flowers, so much that she just referred her friend and we met with her this past Thursday!

Ceremony Location: The Renaissance Hotel, Columbus, Ohio

Reception Location: The Renaissance Hotel, Columbus, Ohio

Flowers: Green Bells of Ireland, Blue Dendrobium Orchids

Estimated Budget: $300-500 (for bouquets and boutonnieres, only)

Photos courtesy of the bride; Photographer Leah Stafford http://www.leahstaffordphotography.com/