Tag: flowers

All Things Marsala!

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Last month, Pantone announced Marsala as the 2015 Color of the Year. We couldn’t be more delighted! There are so many elegant ways to incorporate this stylish hue into your wedding, look below for just a few of our favorites.

Don’t you love how creative you can be with Marsala colored flowers?
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Whether a fun shoe accent, a killer bridesmaid dress, or even your wedding dress, marsala is a bold and elegant choice!
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From candles to cakes to invites – you really can’t go wrong with a color like marsala!
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For more marsala inspiration, we have a couple of blogs to recommend. We love all of the fashion choices on CeciStyle and the whimsical floral centerpieces found on Xaazablog.

Armin + Mike: Getting Ready

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I am so excited to blog about this beautiful, October wedding! When I first met Armin and her mother, they had about 90% of everything planned and needed help with the final touches.  I am so glad I was able to help out and be a part of the day! It was my last wedding of the season and it was a perfect way to end the year.

Ceremony + Reception: Loyola University
Dj: Style Matters
Florists: Poppy
Hair: Liv Caporale
Make-Up: Sonia Roselli
Videographer: I Do Films
Cake: Oak Mill Bakery

All photos taken by Averyhouse.

Armin bought her own font for all the stationary and this sign was hanging on the front door of her apartment.

This dress was stunning!


It’s always nice to have your bridesmaids help put on the dress.
The Bride taking her first look at herself all ready to go.


Armin picked classic fall colors with a pop of turquoise. The flowers were perfect!



The bouquet full of garden roses.


Before Armin left to see Mike, she shared a sweet moment with her mother.


In the meantime, Mike was getting ready at the hotel.


Armin and Mike during their first look at Olive Park.


First looks are such a good way to have a few private moments like this one.


Then it was BP picture time.


A great city shot of the entire group. One of Armin’s desires was to get a skyline shot. I think this one is perfect.


The bride and groom sneaking off for a couple more photos.


Next, I will post about the beautiful ceremony and reception.

Christine and Marc Part II: Ceremony and Reception

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Yesterday, I blogged about Christine and Marc getting ready.  Today’s post focused on the ceremony and reception.  If you haven’t been to the W City Center,  the W is very unique compared to other hotel ballrooms.  There is a smaller ballroom for the ceremony and a large ballroom for the reception.  Both ballrooms are on the same floor on the mezzanine level, overlooking the gorgeous lobby.  It was a perfect fit for Christine and Marc!

All Photos by Dennis Lee Photography.


The aisle had bright flowers, which was exactly what the bubbly Bride wanted.




The aisle was lined with tall arrangements


Christine had a custom unity candle made for their ceremony.

The monogram on the programs was designed by Christine’s Mother.

Marc walking up the aisle with his parents. Both families were involved in the family.  It is so wonderful when everyone participates in the planning.


Marc waiting for Christine.




Christine walking down the aisle with both of her parents.

The very chic bridesmaids all lined up.

I love a photo that catches a moment like this, during the ceremony.

Mazel tov!

The escort cards were also the favors!


A little special something for one of the guests?

Is this not the most amazing cake?  Yes, it is a cake.  Christine really wanted their dog to be apart of the wedding day but realized that it wouldn’t work out.  So, to surprise Marc, she had TipsyCake make a cake to look just like him!

The room set-up for the reception.

The room was decorated with two different centerpieces.  

Christine wanted pops of color with black and white.  The colorful centerpieces were so vibrant in the grand ballroom.

The cake was decorated with skylines of Chicago and Cleveland as well as swirls.  Christine came up with the clever design herself!

The hora is always my favorite part of the evening.

Congratulations Christine and Marc!  I had such a wonderful time being apart of your wedding day.

Dreaming of Peonies

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There isn’t a flower I wanted more in my bouquet than peonies. A few of them together give off the exact look that I have dreamed about having for my wedding…dense, puffy, romantic, soft. I used the picture below as my inspiration for the florist. Unfortunately, peonies are out of season and very difficult to get in December (meaning very expensive). At my appointment, I had to come up with a another bouquet option.

I was so set on using peonies for my bouquet, it was difficult to come up with a Plan B. I don’t want roses or calla lillies. I couldn’t find an images of a bouquet that I loved so I am piecing together a bunch of ideas.

I love the size. I want a small, dense bouquet.

This is too big, but I love the fullness of the bouquet and the hint of green within all the white.

These two bouquets are pretty close to a second option. I like the mixture of different types of flowers. I don’t like the anemones in the top bouquet…for me!



For my bridesmaids, I knew I wanted small bouquets that were mostly green but with a few white flowers. Then, I saw this bouquet and fell in love. The anemones are a beautiful, yet simple touch and I think will look wonderful against their black dresses. The only change is less white and more green.



I’m so looking forward to the moment when the flowers are delivered to the hotel room!

Meridel + Wes, the reception

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Yesterday, I posted the first part of the day with Meridel and Wes. Today, I am posting all about their Newberry Library ceremony and reception.



All photos are by Robert Wojtowicz.


I have been in love with the Newberry Library ever since reading The Time Traveler’s Wife.


Don’t you love the silhouettes on the programs?



The peach flowers on top of the cake were dreamy.


Cutie pie.


Seeds make for a great favor.


Tulips are perfect for an early spring wedding.





The gorgeous arrangements on the head table.


A sign of a great party!

Reception Flowers

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I recently discovered how beautiful baby’s breath looks in bulk. It is simply perfect for my wedding. It gives a dreamy, romantic look and is exactly what I needed to make my reception look wintery. I am going to have 8 tall centerpieces like the picture below. I will also be using them to line my aisle during the ceremony!

I love the tight, bulb look it gives as well…simple, yet elegant.

Because I’m having 8 tall and 8 short centerpieces, I wanted to include a variety of flowers. I still want to keep baby’s breath in the short centerpiece. I love this picture with the hydrangeas, anemones and baby’s breath. I think it ties my colors, black and white, perfectly together!


The last item to find to bring in the silver component are vases. I’ve always loved solid color vases over clear ones filled with flowers, water, etc. These are on my wish list but are most likely over my budget…I am thinking about maybe this becoming my first DIY project.

Picture from Pottery Barn

Kristen + Scott: The Details

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As mentioned earlier this week, Kristen and Scott were recently featured in Brides Magazine. My first post highlighted Kristen and Scott’s ceremony. My last post showed their reception photos.


All photos by Olivia Leigh.

The flowers in Kristen’s jewelry were complemented by her beautiful Oscar de la Renta shoes.


I love all things paper, and I definitely appreciate a cohesive stationery suite. Here are their programs.


The bridal bouquet incorporated hydrangeas and orchids.


They used a book from the Art Institute as a guest book. It was fun for out of town guests to flip through the colorful pages about Chicago.


Their modern centerpieces included moss, orchids, carnations and succulents. Here is the arrangement on the head table.


These books from the Art Institute doubled as favors and escort cards. I did the calligraphy on the belly bands, which matched the invitations.


Decor included letters from Anthropologie and framed family photos.


This was such a fun wedding. Thanks for letting me be a part of your big day!

Clare + Tom, the party…

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Yesterday, I posted about Clare + Tommy’s morning.
Today’s post is going to focus on their gorgeous wedding reception!
In lieu of traditional escort cards, the couple tied labels to Izze bottles of soda.

For their signature drink, the couple ordered custom stir sticks…

… as well as custom napkins.

I am never a fan of a boring guest book. Clare + Tommy had a gorgeous framed photo made for them on etsy.

The room was lovely! With the long tables, the bride worked with Scarlet Petal to come up with the most gorgeous decor. When guests brought their bottles of Izze soda, it just made the table look more colorful!

A close-up of the flowers. Like me, Clare favors dense arrangements.

I love this shade of sherbert orange used for the card box.

The couple’s cake was very chic and modern.


Since the venue boasted an extra long bar, the couple set the candy buffet at the far end in lieu of favors.

It was a sweet treat for the guests to take home that evening.

Clare + Tommy, I had a wonderful time spending your wedding day with you!

DIY Flowers + Pastries

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Planning to arrange your own flowers?  Or, maybe you need to make dessert for a friend’s shower. Head to Hotel Sofitel for a class to learn how to out-Martha everyone else.


Flower Arranging + Pastry Class

Saturday, April 25th

10 – 2:30PM

Hotel Sofitel

$60

To RSVP, call 312.324.4000

 

Allow Sofitel’s resident floral designer, Colin Collette, to walk you through the methods and techniques that consistently help him create the renowned arrangements that adorn the hotel’s lobby.  After a delectable lunch in Le Bar, the afternoon will include a hands-on experience with Executive Pastry Chef Suzanne Imaz as you learn how to create pastries that thrill the taste buds.  She will demonstrate how to create her famous chocolate ginger soufflé with lemongrass ice cream.

 

10:00 am       Flower Arranging Class with Colin Collette

11:30 am       Prix fixe lunch

1:00 pm         Pastry class with Executive Pastry Chef Suzanne Imaz