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.