And with that, we would like to share with you an email that came to us from our friend and client Mary:

I want to thank you SO much for all your help from start to finish.  Your professionalism and expertise made me confidant that I chose the right florist for our wedding.  I knew once I gave Martha the concept I was thinking of, she would not disappoint me.  It was one part of the wedding planning that I no longer had to worry about because I knew I was in good hands.  Again, many many thanks and I will be sure to send all my bride friends your way!”

Best Wishes,
Mary

After submitting a portfolio of their floral creations and resumes, Spina and Sheldon were granted access to participate in the designing and decorating of the Tournament floats.   The two had originally hoped for the opportunity to participate in even the smallest way, but things quickly took a different direction.  Parade design directors quickly took notice of the duo’s efficiency and design skill and before long Spina and Sheldon were working hands-on helping to design the float for Cunard Cruise Line, marking the company’s first debut in the parade.

NJ Wedding Florists Help Decorate Cunard Float at Tournament of Roses

Spina and Sheldon helped to decorate the Cunard float entitled, “A Grand Celebration at Sea.”  The float illustrated the Cunard fleet of Queens – flagship Queen Mary 2, Queen Victoria and the new Queen Elizabeth – and depicted ballroom dancing, a big band orchestra, champagne toasts, and multigenerational families celebrating on board a luxury cruise vacation with Cunard. The Cunard float subsequently won The Queens Award for best use of Roses.

After their whirlwind experience, the NJ wedding florists are now considering another visit to Pasadena to help decorate for the 2012 Tournament of Roses Parade.

According to Spina, the trip is both gratifying and exhausting. “Working at the Tournament of Roses parade designing floats was a dream come true for us. The trip takes so much out of you, but at the same time is so fulfilling.  I’m still deciding whether or not I want to be on the front lines working on the floats again or if I want to enjoy watching the parade from home knowing all of the hard work that goes into every inch of every float,” he says.

This year’s parade will be held January 2^nd 2012.

Another thing that stood out to us with this bride is how much she valued her family. In an age where people rarely live in one place for very long, it was delightful to see a bride who never had to show up to an appointment without the support of one of her family members.  Being a bride is hard work; it was wonderful to see how much this bride’sfamily loved her.

Because the choices made for this wedding were so specific and exacting we took extra care to make sure we delivered  precisely what we were asked to. We measured heights of centerpiece samples, counted flowers, took photos and triple checking color swatches all in an effort  to ensure all of the wedding flowers looked exactly how the bride envisioned them to be on her wedding day.

Meeting the bridal party at the hotel before the wedding ceremony this last Saturday was a delight. There are no better moments in my career than the ones where I meet a bride with her wedding bouquets and I have made her dreams a reality.( I imagine it must feel a bit like a doctor handing a baby to it’s mother for the first time.)  It was magical.

Glad to have made the bride happy I noticed I was lucky to have arrived to find the bridesmaids dressed and ready to go.  They were gorgeous and I was so thankful they they let me take some pictures of them.

After visiting the church to deliver and pin on the groom and his groomsmen’s boutonnières, I waited on a bench in front of the church to see if I might be able to see the bride. Being a floral designer means I often don’t get to see my brides all dressed in all of the wonderful things we both  have have planned all year for.  Sadly, by the time most of my  brides are ready to walk down the aisle as I am often needed somewhere else.  This day was no exception.  I did not have much time to wait as I was scheduled to meet with another bride back at the shop who lived far away; today was the only day I would be able to meet and see her before her wedding in September.

It was my lucky day!  I got to see the bride!  She was breathtakingly    beautiful!  I tried my best to get some photos while also remaining politely in the background.  The bride’s limo driver saw my efforts and took me right up to the limo window and let me take pictures.  I felt like paparazzi

A fun addition to this day is my bride back at the shop heard I was up the street trying  to see my  bride de’ jour and she joined me at the church!  How fun is that?

It was one of the best days, ever! I tried to stop and enjoy it all that I could. … I felt so lucky that day that I bought a lottery ticket on my way home!!

Here’s to your happily ever after Kristin and Ken!

My fist advice to brides when they are thinking about wedding decor is to ask the church or venue what rules they may have regarding decorating their space. Often couples marry in churches or spaces that they are not parishioners or patrons of on a regular  basis. Asking a venue about their guidelines not only gives you valuable information but it also shows that you are respectful of the  business or place of worship and that treating it well is important to you.

After finding out what will and will not fly regarding wedding decor,  is to ask what has been done, both successfully and not,  in the past.   Some of the best ideas come from people at your wedding site.  Most brides want their ceremony to be original and different and therefore don’t ask about previous weddings.  This is not wise;  building upon ideas that have worked well in the past and staying away from things that have not is a great tool to developing a ceremony that is  beautiful and suits your style while also being functional and avoiding past disasters made by other brides.

The next step I take in developing ceremony decor is to evaluate the space itself.  I often have some great ideas and elegant plans for wedding ceremonies that don’t end-up working  in a space once I see it.

I find that most of the churches I have designed in over the years to fall into two categories: Traditional and Modern.  Both of these different architecture styles have their pros and their cons.

Traditional Church- These  churches tend to be heavily embellished with woodwork, frescoes and elaborate windows.   Most seem have every inch of them so heavily ornamented that adding more seems like chaos.   These churches also tend to be  very dark  or dimly lit inside.  Good choices that always seem to  work in spaces like these are flowers or greenery embellishment on every other or third pew and some kind of floral design on either side of the alter.  If your church is dimly lit it is a good idea to use white flowers or very bold colors. Pastels and diminutive foliage do not have the power to stand out in dark, ornate spaces, unless a WHOLE lot of them are used.  Candles are often very effective in traditional churches and very dramatic if used in profusion.

Modern-  These churches are challenging to work with as they are built with an asymmetrical feeling in an effort to convey an open, all encompassing worshiping environment.  Modern churches are particularity hard to work with for weddings as it is costly to decorate an entire open church nave as well as difficult to create a center of focus for the bridal party to enter and place themselves in this kind of space.  Pew decor is especially helpful for guests and photographers in Modern church settings as they help to establish an understanding of where the nuptials will take place and where guests are expected to sit and focus.  Similar to traditional church settings, flanking the alter with some kind of frame of foliage tends to work well.  Modern churches often have a lot of open space around the sanctuary area which can often overpower a bridal party.  By placing tall flowering branches and oversizes containers around the alter area one can help give visual weight to the  empty space around the alter while also adding drama and romance to the space. Modern churches often are full of light which is wonderful for great photos to be taken however, a church that has too much light can be as difficult to work with as one that is too dark.  If the church you have chosen to say your vows in is extremely light filled using colorful flowers rather than whites or pastels will help absorb light and reduce glare for you, your guests and, most importantly , your photographer.

Alternative Ceremony Spaces- For many reasons many people are gravitating away from  traditional church ceremonies toward nontraditional wedding ceremonies.  Here, again, non traditional  ceremonnies seem to fall into two categories; indoor and out door.

Indoor-If your ceremony is to be held inside many of the same rules of church decor are appropriate.  Floral embellishment help explain to your guests where they are expected to stand and where you are expected to say your vows.  Having a ceremony in a building other than a  church leaves way for a lot of personal expression.  Because there are no religious rules to worry about brides are as free with the design of their ceremony as they are with their reception. With the use of such things as: garden arches, branches, hanging candles, fabric, ribbon and chandeliers a bride is able to create her wedding ceremony to be as romantic, reflective of her style and dramatic as she would like it to be.  In addition, choosing to have an indoor ceremony not only allows for in-climate weather but, also offers a ceiling and walls for one to hang or attach decor to.

Outdoor-  Choosing to have an outdoor ceremony  has only one draw back: weather.  If you choose to have an outdoor ceremony it is important you have an indoor back up plan.   Other than Mother Nature, choosing to get married outside is a great choice. Outdoor light is wonderful for photos. If the right place is chosen no decorative support is needed for an alfresco ceremony.  Flowering shrubs, trees, water ,or  hills of green grass all make for the most romantic and tear jerking wedding ceremonies of all.  Also special are wedding ceremonies where the inside is brought outside.  Chandeliers hung from trees, carpets on the ground, elaborate chairs for you guests…the ideas are endless.

There is no “bad’ choice for a place to say your vows,only a “right” place; the one you feel is best for you.  By being true to yourself, your choice for a traditional, indoor or outdoor ceremony will then set into motion the appropriate ceremony decor to surround you and your fiancée  as the two of you begin the first moments of your “happily-ever-after” together.

Here are some images of a few of my experiences with these roses. Tulips are also available with the rainbow effect but I personally have never worked
with them.  Rainbow roses and tulips are not right for every occasion but when they are right , they are PERFECT!  Worth every penny for the excitement andwonder they bring to any occasion.

It took visiting every flower wholesaler in NYC but we were able to find enough of the “right” purple flowers for her bouquet and the rest of her wedding.  It was hard work but so worth it as this couple was so much in love and flowers were important to them.  It is rare to meet people who feel about flowers as I do alone, but to also  be around for an entire courtship and  the wedding of flower lovers…. remarkable.

Flowers are a wonderful thing but it is the sentiment behind them that makes them so meaningful.  This couple knew this and it showed in every aspect of their magical first days together right to their gorgeous, elegant and heartfelt wedding ceremony and reception.  Sitting up at night making flowers out of dress remnants for the bridal party bouquets and all the  shopping for perfect crystals and flowers were a privilege for me.  THIS is why I wanted to be a floral designer to begin with. Because of this I remember this couple and the “right” color purple often and with fondness.

Be sure to look for Ashley on Jerseylicious on Sunday March 21st at 10pm on the Style Network. She is a wonderful girl and we look forward to creating the flowers for her wedding later this summer.
Check out the show’s website here.