alissa dinneen photography

we love photographers that take gorgeous photos of our work. and we love love photographers that not only take gorgeous photos, but get copies of said pictures to us right away. it's like instant gratification (almost!). cut to alissa dinneen who never fails to capture special moments and details of the weddings she shoots, and always lets us see the photos so quickly. she didn't let us down this weekend for our beautiful bride christina's wedding in old lyme with reception following at the saybrook point inn. the day could not have been more perfect, with shining sun and low humidity (i'm wishing we had a little more of that right now!). 

the bridal bouquet was a bold mix of colors:  magentas, blues and white with a bit of green. we used raspberry peonies, magenta vanda orchids, supernova roses, blue delphinium, white freesia, stephanotis, hanging green amaranthus, and green hydrangea. the wrap included material from the bride's mother's wedding dress, a sweet touch.


the centerpieces were a mix of high and low arrangements with the same color scheme--an awesome contrast against the muted colors of the reception ballroom.

women have all the fun

don't men get a little short changed when it comes to wedding day flowers? so much emphasis and focus is placed on the bouquets and attendants flowers with the boutinerres a mostly passing thought.  yet there really are so many fun and unique things to be done with them...and because they are just a single blossom or two somehow makes them all the more sweet and special.

here's a little round-up of some of my favorite boutinerres from weddings past.

thank-you to alissa dinneen, carla ten eyck, lam photography, nodo photography, tony spinelli, and megan labarbara for the beautiful photography.

may showers

i thought the saying went, "april showers bring may flowers." unfortunately it's going a bit more like "april showers bring on more may showers." i tell you, i'm done with the grey skies, and yet, as ever, bright flowers do seem to brighten my mood, and sunday's wedding at the wesleyan barn did just that. our bride maya wanted a natural, unstructured look with bright flowers in a nod to her indian heritage. as an added bonus i was given responsibility for the centerpieces, which was very exciting for me.  my work with jane has been a little like the karate kid movie...wax on, wax off, paint up, paint down etc. refining the basics. working on the centerpieces this weekend allowed me to put those details into a whole, the big picture if you will. i'm not doing the one footed crane just yet, but wait. i will.

photos courtesy of aunt sis.

the lace factory

last night we attended a celebration for the grand re-opening of the historic lace factory in deep river, connecticut which was hosted by cloud nine catering and bliss celebrations magazine.  recent renovations have improved on the open space into an even more desirable event/wedding location.

we took the historic essex steam train to the event which was a really charming part of the evening despite the cold drizzle. what wasn't charming was our missing the train back. (there is a taxicab company in essex that will pick you up just in case you were wondering). "leather and lace" signature cocktails awaited us upon our arrival, and the food and atmosphere was wonderful.

the lace factory is a blank slate for any event. it provides just enough charm with its high ceiling, old factory windows, exposed brick and concrete floor and serves as a great jumping off point for whatever theme or ideas you might have. for last night's event, the space was "broken up" with 2 lounge areas separated by sheer gauzy curtains. with the effect of making the space seem more intimate and manageable.  a black and white checkered dance floor was perfectly situated in the middle. it is a place that is absolutely worth exploring, particularly if you are looking for a spot out of the ordinary and something of a secret...at least for now.

congratulations to all involved in the party including jubilee events, datura: a modern garden, carla ten eyck, the white dress by the shore, rob alberti event services and ryan designs.

you will have to forgive the first photo as it was taken with my blackberry...

april 29th

i did indeed drag myself out of bed this morning at 5:30 to watch william and kate's wedding. i was surprised how emotional i became when i first tuned in. not so much because of the wedding itself, but remembering sitting with my father 20 years ago watching the wedding of charles and diana.  i miss my father terribly and moments like this just get to me. now take a look at this sweet picture of kate with her own father giving her away...
 
the bride's bouquet: one word, stunning. two more words, elegantly understated.  kate carried sweet william flowers in a nod to her new husband. also included---in accordance with royal tradition--was a sprig from a myrtle bush planted by queen victoria on the isle of wight in 1845. myrtle itself is an emblem of marriage and love.

other flowers in the bouquet included hyacinth, lily-of-the-valley and ivy. there is quite a bit of meaning behind the flowers. sweet william means gallantry, lily-of-the-valley the return of happiness, and hyacinth stands for constancy of love while ivy signifies fidelity, marriage, wedded love and friendship.

 congratulations to the duke and duchess of cambridge!

 

              

countdown....

yes, i'll be getting up at 5:30a this friday to watch the royal wedding. i watched as princess diana married prince charles, so i feel like it's only fitting to watch their firstborn son marry his soon-to-be princess. i will admit, i love all the pomp and circumstance, all the rich traditions, so it should be an event to remember.

site of the wedding westminister abbey, inset of shane connolly
floral artisitic director for the wedding.

shane connolly, the floral artistic director (i think we should re-think jane's "title"...) for the wedding has said that westminster abbey, the site for the nuptials will be awash with a sea of seasonal british flowers and foliage when the happy couple say "i do" this friday. many of the trees and greenery will come straight from the royal estates. an avenue of trees, some up to 20 feet tall (!?) will line the aisle leading to the altar.

details of kate's bridal bouquet is still being kept under wraps, although it is rumored to be an all white bouquet in keeping with tradition. guess we'll just have to wait and see.

april 2nd

just a few weeks back, spring took a tiny step forward delivering a crisp but sunny day the first saturday of april.  our bride, cori, had a vibrant bouquet made up of contrasting colors:  free spirit roses a gorgeous coral color with petals that were ruffled at the ends were complemented with peachy garden roses and salmon colored dutch tulips. these were set off by brilliant purple blue hues of clematis, delphinium and sweet peas.  green berzilia berries, astilbe, white garden roses and maidenhair fern anchored the whole look.  the combination was a wonderful look to usher in a happy new life together.

the bridesmaids wore an absolutely gorgeous shade of coral which i am sure looked amazing with their bouquets. i am sad not to have pictures of those just yet...but stay tuned.

 

low centerpieces using some of the same flowers found in the brides bouquet carried on the contrasting look.

centerpiece round-up 2010

i thought i'd put together a round up of sorts, of some of our favorite centerpieces from 2010.  enjoy!



photos courtesy of carla ten eyck and val mc cormick photography




photos courtesy of jacob bergmeier and erik maziarz photography

michelle wade photography

orange orange everywhere...

i'm focusing on one color palatte today from weddings gone by...the same color used in so many different ways--sometimes warm, other times cool, sometimes cuddly, othertimes crisp but all the same lovely juicy, ORANGE...

and on this rainy april day, a welcome break from the grey.



courtesy of tony spinelli photography and jacob bergmeier














courtesy of tony spinelli photography, 
jacob bergmeier + just for you



in memory of elizabeth taylor

she was a mesmerizing beauty, a star among stars, fiery and passionate, tabloid fodder and graceful until the end. whatever else people may have thought or said, elizabeth taylor was a legend.

as we also know, she was married an astounding 8 times. is that a record i wonder? in any case i thought it might be nice to reflect on (some of!) ms. taylor's wedding flowers from her trips down the aisle.




2nd wedding to michael wilding


a lovely simple bouquet of lily of the valley.



4th wedding to eddie fisher

 again lily of the valley mixed with green cymbidium orchids. and how cool is it that she wore a green dress?

trading a green dress for yellow at the first of her two marriages to richard burton (husband no. 5 and 6) i'm surprised she carried a bouquet since she's wearing one on her head.



lastly a picture of the tulip and hyacinth bouquets et's bridesmaids carried at her very first marriage to conrad "nicky" hilton.

photography

i thought we'd try a little comparison. below is a picture from bethany and ben's wedding last year at the carousel pavilion taken by yours truly:

 

nice, right?  well, here's why you'd never hire me to do your photography and why it's best left to the professionals like sara at growing tree photography. 

beautiful!

here we go...

a cooler semi-filled with flowers means spring has sprung and bridal season is on it's way. believe me, our cooler can get a LOT fuller than this, but it is nice to peek inside and inhale a whole lot of flower deliciousness. more on these weddings to come...

more make-up from ultra-flesh

back in october i told you about the debut of my sister-in-law and her partner robin's new make-up line, ultra-flesh. panthera was the first of the collection a super sleek, super cool, super formulated black mascara. well, the next product from their line has just debuted at sephora, it's called BLACK MAGIC and is a collection of six deep, dark, black eyeliners in one box...the ultimate jet black eyeliner collection!  i'm thinking a super sexy look for your bachelorette party?

these two women have extensive experience in the make-up industry and they know what they are doing. an added bonus? the collection is formulated WITHOUT:  parabens, sulfates, synthetic fragrances, synthetic dyes, petrochemicals phthalates, gmos or triclosan so your beauty regime won't kill you. seriously though, you don't want that garbage in anything you put on your face!

available exclusively at sephora.

what a girl wants

jennifer was one of our brides who came in knowing exactly what she wanted for her wedding at wickham park in manchester. for her bouquet we used green hydrangea with brown hypericum and her girls bouquets echoed her own with green hydrangea and white hypericum. thank you to eric foley photography for these images!

 

old friends and a river view

it's always interesting how brides come to us, and how sometimes our paths have crossed in ways we were completely unaware of. leanne was one of those brides. it turns out she was the daughter of a friend of lynette's from way back when. neither she nor jane (nor sis!) knew of the connection until leanne came in for her consultation and they got to talking. funny how life is, isnt' it?

the wedding took place in july of last year with the ceremony overlooking the connecticut river and the reception following at one of our favorite venues st. clements castle. leanne chose an amazing summery green apple green for her bridesmaids dresses--delicious just to look at! the rest was kept to a classy white palatte, leanne's bouquet made up of astilbe, dahlias, peonies, lysianthus, roses and hydrangeas.

erik maziarz was the talented photographer behind these wonderful images.

anna and mike

our darling couple anna and mike turned to their love of books as inspiration for their reception at the stonington harbor yacht club. centerpieces were placed on the the couple's favorite books making for a personal and intriguing setting. and dare we say, conversation starters for the guests? 

 the wedding florals had a summery, natural style to them in colors of creams and orange with hues of sage light green from the greenery. we also got a pop of contrast from the bold delphiniums.

the gorgeous sun-drenched photography was done by tony spinelli photography and captured the light and authentic feel of anna and mike's perfect day.

The Knot Best of Weddings 2011 Pick

although the awards were announced months ago, i wanted to let all of you know (those who don't already) that jane was selected for THE KNOT BEST OF WEDDINGS 2011 PICK  for connecticut florists. doubly satisfying is that she was not only chosen by recent connecticut brides as their favorite, but was also an editor's pick.

the winners were posted during jane's hibernation period. the cold months when weddings drastically slow down and she claims those precious few weeks for her own; to slow down, sleep, and recharge for the spring ramp up to the busy busy wedding season.

vintage finds

i wanted to share one of my favorite stores with you. it's a lovely little gem of a store in wallingford called the curiosity shop. for those of you brides who adore vintage jewelry and clothing i am sure you too will find something to love about it. i am also willing to bet you'll find something special for your wedding day. heidi, the store owner--a gem unto herself--has a well curated selection of clothing (mostly coats and dresses), hats and various decor for the home, and of course loads of jewelry.  looking for a unique broach or pin with which to decorate your bridal bouquet wrap? you'll find one here.

the store itself is a feast for the eyes with wonderful little vingnettes throughout, like a 1940s ladies vanity with interesting little bottles, jewelry and a mirrored tray (think 1940s hollywood glamour).  it's always so nice to have personalized, original touches for the wedding reception and...here she goes again...if I were getting married...i would find interesting objects with which to decorate the bar (one of a kind bowls and trays perhaps?), tables (vases, trays, old postcards?), cake table...something to make it special, romantic. 

216 center street, wallingford, ct. 
tel. (203) 294-1975
store hours are wednesday through saturday from 11a-5pm.

a gift for me

jane took a little trip to the philadelphia flower show and i get a gift!

this adorable little hanging wall vase (i'm sure there is an official name for it but i just don't know what it is) is made from chartreuse colored glass with small flecks of navy and another green thin almost ribbon like detail inside the glass. i know, it's hard to tell from the picture, but trust me, it's cute. in fact, when i first saw it, i thought, "oh cute!" and then once it was hung up with flowers inside it became "SUPER CUTE!" it's like a dress that looks good on the hanger but fantastic on.

it's been a long hard winter here on the east coast, but yesterday i noticed flower shoots in our front yard and it gave me some long awaited, long needed hope that spring is indeed just around the corner.