Autumn Wedding and Coronado Ballroom Celebration

Nicole and Andrew were married last fall at St. Raphael and enjoyed a celebration with their friends and family at Coronado Ballroom.  Their style was very organic and textured while still romantic and vintage.  Take a look at these photos from Jordan Brittley.

Nicole's bouquet was a mix of all white and ivory blooms with accents of seeded eucalyptus and berries for some fall texture.

Lucy is the couple's furry baby.  She wore a collar of greenery and roses for the photos!

These fresh boxwood wreaths were hung on the doors at the church.  They were moved to the Coronado for the cocktail hour after the ceremony.

An asymmetrical piece for the placecard table outside the reception gave the guests a glimpse of what was coming in the ballroom.

The textures of the ceremony were repeated on the guest tables with the addition of some deep jewel tones for a pop of color.

Gold accents were used on the tables to compliment the gold in the room.

Best wishes to the bride and groom and their families.  It was a sincere pleasure working with you!

Inspiration Pictures from Pinterest- Submerged Flower Centerpiece

We see a lot of inspiration pictures this time of year, as we are meeting with many newly engaged couples.  Pinterest has exploded in the last few years and has become a widely used tool for wedding planning and flowers are no exception!  We welcome any kind of inspiration picture from pretty much anywhere, but most of the pictures we see come from Pinterest.  Because of Pinterest's popularity, we often see the same pictures repeated through consultations over one or two wedding seasons.  More often than not, clients are surprised to learn how much some of these inspirations cost.  We thought it may be helpful to potential clients to give an idea of what price points some of these pictures entail. (Please note that all the pricing references will vary from market to market and that we are simply giving an idea of what level of expense to expect.)

The following picture has been a popular pick for about two seasons in our wedding market.  It is very classic and seems simple and somewhat understated in design.

First of all, this is a gorgeous design.  We wish we could do this, as pictured, every time a client brought it to us.  What's difficult to really focus on in this picture is how much real estate is being taken up by this centerpiece.  It's a pretty large footprint and, therefore, involves at least five vases that we can see/count.  Just the glassware puts this out of some people's price ranges.  But how would anyone who isn't in the business know that?  As we continue on, there are four or five types of flowers seen, one type in each vase.  These types include tulips, full stems of orchids, and calla lilies.  These are the perfect flower choices for submerging as not all blooms are submersible.  Calla lilies and orchids are higher-end blooms and can be price-y, especially in the quantities we see here.

Let's do some general pricing for just the flowers.  A very conservative estimate would be that each vase contains between $15-100 (retail) of flowers depending on the type and stem count.  So, for our purposes, we are going to assume around $40 of flowers per vase.  This figure multiplied by five is easily $200, just for the flowers.  Some vendors may rent you vessels, others may want you to purchase them.  Either way, vases of that height and shape are not found every day at the discount dollar store and will certainly add to the overall price.  Something else to consider is just how many gallons of water (added labor cost) it will take to fill these vases.  We have LOTS of stories about this!  :)  Another time........

This is all a lot of information, but the take away is this- you don't know what you don't know.  We never fault a client for not knowing how to price any of the inspiration pictures they bring us.  Pricing and figuring the designs for clients is our job.  A good designer can take a client's vision, likes, and dislikes and come up with an idea that encompasses the important elements within a reasonable budget (see our previous blog about budgets).  Because the pictures you fall in love with may have costs and elements that you are unaware of, just be willing to give a little and listen to your professional vendor on ways to make it happen for you!

Look for another installment of "Inspiration Pictures from Pinterest" coming soon!



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Coral Peonies In St. Louis Bride Magazine

We are tickled to be featured in the latest issue of St. Louis Bride Magazine!  As a part of the "Fabulous Flowers" piece, we were asked to design a "dream bouquet."  As artists using a perishable medium, we always appreciate the unique or extraordinary products that nature can produce.  When asked why this particular design represents a dream bouquet, one of our designers said it best,

"To see these amazing coral peonies at market in November is so unusual.  Having peonies be so full and vibrant is really a dream any month of the year- they showcase the very best of what fresh flowers can be."

Looking forward to a dream-filled 2015!!



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