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/

Classy at the Venue

"No roses!!" was the only request shuttered by Monica Dorman who entrusted her wedding flower design for her September nuptials to us. She had a taste for perfection and a flawless vision. Clean, classy and simple were the three keywords she gave me at our first consultation and with that the creative juices ran. Monica also wanted something different, something that kept with the urban look of The Venue at Smith Brothers in downtown Columbus; an upbeat, modern building with exposed brick walls and a bit of an industrial flair.

Monica's bouquet was a hand-tied collection of white and green hydrangeas, white delphinium, white dendrobium orchids and splashed of green cymbidium orchids. Texture and dimension was her desire as she didn't want the ordinary. Her bridesmaids carried a tightly gathered bouquet of green fugis and white cremones accented by green hypericum berries. The men sported crisp white dendrobium orchid blooms on their lapels with a touch of green hypericum berries.

The ceremony was kept simple in the grassy area just outside the main doors. A classic arch was the backdrop with a Boston Fern on each side exercising her taste for simplistic beauty.

The reception boasted of candle glow and exquisite callas and orchids all around. Monica embraced a modern look by utilizing Tuscan-styled tables in the center of the room while surrounding the perimeter with smaller round tables for her guests to dine. The Escort table had a backdrop of three large cylinder vessels brimming of coordinating flowers and the ladies room was infused with the sweet aroma of gardenias. To date, this has been my favorite reception!

Monica and her husband, Wade, had only raving reviews for us when we saw them after the wedding. Her wedding has also been entered into a design contest! Wish us luck!! :-)

Ceremony Location: The Venue at Smith Brothers, Columbus, Ohio

Reception Location: The Venue at Smith Brothers, Columbus, Ohio

Flowers: Hydrangeas, delphinium, dendrobium orchids, cymbidium orchids, cremones, fugis, hypericum berries, bear grass, callas, gardenias, bamboo, river rock

Estimated Budget: $2800-$3300

Photography courtesy of: Kimberly Potterf http://www.kimberlypotterf.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/

Red Roses and White Candle Glow

Natasha Forth envisioned a simplistic elegance for her wedding coupled with a warm, romantic feel for her December 6th nuptials. To achieve this look, we paired rich red roses with crisp white stephanotis for her bouquet, accented by white pearls in the stephanotis as well as down the ribbon wrapping the stems of her custom hand-tied bouquet. Her bridesmaids carried white rose hand-tied bouquets, to compliment their sleek black dresses for a simple, yet elegant look.

For her reception at the OSU Golf Course, Natasha's wedding cake was crowned with red roses while the table had a sprinkling of matching red rose petals to enhance the ambiance. To add warmth to the setting, a trio of crystal cylinder vases were placed in the center of each guest table. A bedding of red rose petals rested atop a pool of water while a white floating candle laid on top of the petals, adding a soft, warm glow.

After the wedding, Natasha emailed me to say, "Everything went great with the wedding. All of the flowers were perfect. Thank you so much."

Natasha also writes for a popular wedding blog, www.bridalpartytees.com/blog , which she proudly featured us on earlier this year. Thank you, Natasha!

Ceremony Location: St. Mark's Episcopal, Columbus, Ohio

Reception Location: OSU Golf Course, Columbus, Ohio

Theme: Simple, elegant, warm and romantic

Flowers: Roses and stephanotis

Estimated Budget: $900-$1100

Photos Courtesy of the bride; photographer Jody McDevitt

Jennifer and Nick say, "I Do" by the Lake

Mirror Lake, that is. Jennifer Luebke explained her vision of the perfect wedding as being simple elegance, and her theme was, "sunset on a beach." She chose rich tones, such as golden yellows and reds to convey her message. Jennifer's bouquet was a beautiful collection of Circus roses, deep red Asiatic lilies and golden yellow gerbera daisies while her bridesmaids carried a scaled down version. The ceremony took place in the afternoon, with group photos at the Shoe, including a memorable image of Nick hiking the bridal bouquet to Jennifer. Her centerpieces consisted of deep red Asiaitc lilies paired with golden yellow solidago in tall vases at the Makoy Center. Her cake really popped withe the bold Circus roses carefully placed on the tiers. After the wedding, Jennifer told us she LOVED her bouquets and sent us these amazing images of her special day.

Ceremony Location: Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio

Reception Location: The Makoy Center, Hilliard, Ohio

Theme: Sunset on the beach

Flowers: Roses, Asiatic lilies, gerberas

Estimated Budget: $1200-$1500

Photos Courtesy of Life's Moments http://www.lifesmomentsonline.com/

Spring Nuptials at The Westin

Jeanea and Derek enjoyed one of the most beautiful Fridays ever in April of this year when they exchanged wedding vows at The Westin hotel in downtown Columbus, Ohio. Jeanea chose to accentuate her love of the color, Tiffany Blue, with deep red flowers that really popped! Her bouquet was designed of rich red roses with pearls carefully placed in the centers of the roses for a sophisticated look. She then selected four different flower types for her bridesmaids to carry, each with a monochromatic, monobotanical design. Derek's boutonniere was a stately red rose to coordinate with Jeanea's bouquet. The guests enjoyed a short cylinder vase brimming with fresh Dutch tulips in deep red with bands of Tiffany Blue ribbon adorning the top and base of each vase. I received an email recently to share with me her amazing photos as well as to let me know she LOVED her flowers and had many compliments on them!

Ceremony Location: The Westin Hotel, Columbus, Ohio

Reception Location: The Westin Hotel, Columbus, Ohio

Theme: Classic and modern

Flowers: Freedom red roses, red gerberas, red Peruvian lilies, red tulips, red carnations.

Estimated Budget: $1000-1200

Photos courtesy of Banks Photography http://www.bankspix.com/

O-H...

Audra Sowash chose the ultimate backdrop of any Buckeye fan--the Oval and the Faculty Club at The Ohio State University--for her July 2008 wedding to Travis Garrison. She wanted her formal wedding to be classic and clean, and we achieved her wishes with a classic bouquet of red roses paired with crisp white callas and green hyperiucm berries. Her bridesmaids complimented the formal style with their long black dresses and a sleek collection of three open-cut, large white callas for bouquets. Her amazing cake was adorned with two dozen rich red roses and her guest tables were home to a round bowl encompassing a fresh white lily bloom with buds (not pictured). Audra paid us the highest compliment possible by referring a bride-to-be for her 2009 wedding shortly after her (Audra's) own.

Ceremony Location: The Oval at The Ohio State University

Reception Location: The Faculty Club (At OSU)

Theme: Classic, clean and formal

Flowers: Freedom red roses, white miniature callas, open-cut large white callas, green hyperiucm berries, white Asiatic lilies (not shown)

Estimated Budget: $1000-1200

Baker: Bakery Gingham www.bakerygingham.com

Photos courtesy of Joy Kollmer http://www.kollmerphoto.com/