Ceremony Location: The Church of Saint Vincent Ferrer
Cocktail Reception Location: A private residence on the upper east side of Manhattan
Color Palette: Peach, Bright Green and White
Flowers: Mojito Green Hydrangea, Peach Juliet Garden Roses, Peach Ilse Spray Roses, White Mini Calla Lilies, White Stock, Seeded Eucalyptus

Image Courtesy of CMOStr Photography

Annette and Peter first came across our work at their friends Sissi & Denny’s wedding. Annette was complimenting our flowers to a mutual friend of ours and found out that we were the floral designers. She immediately wanted us to do her own wedding flowers! In fact they booked us even before having any idea of decor or colors they wanted. All planning for this event took place over the phone and email. This is becoming quite common with today’s couple’s busy schedules. Sadly, we didn’t even get to see the lovely bride when we delivered and set up.

This design concept sprang from the couple’s wedding colors along with some beachy accent accessories like shell photo frames and capiz dishes that Annette’s Mother purchased for them from her native Philippines.

The Bride’s and Matron of Honor Bouquets. The Bride’s bouquet contained Green Hydrangea, Peach Garden Roses, Peach Spray Roses, White Mini Calla Lilies, White Stock and Seeded Eucalyptus with crystal ribbon detailing. The Matron of Honor’s bouquet contained Green Hydrangea, Peach Spray Roses, White Mini Callas and Seeded Eucalyptus wrapped in Bright Green satin ribbon.

Image courtesy of CMOStr Photography

Image courtesy of CMOStr Photography

We decided on adding the crystal detailing at last minute. We thought the bouquet needed a little extra something and this was the perfect touch to really set the Bride’s bouquet apart.

Image courtesy of CMOStr Photography

Image courtesy of CMOStr Photography

Image courtesy of CMOStr Photography

The Groom wore a single White Mini Calla Lily with Seeded Eucalyptus. We wanted something light and airy as he would be wearing a traditional Filipino formal dress shirt called a Barong which is worn untucked and without a jacket. Mothers of the couple and Ninang (Godmothers in Tagalog) wore corsages of Peach Spray Roses and Seeded Eucalyptus. The Groomsman, Fathers to the couple and Ninong (Godfathers in Tagalog) wore boutonnieres of Peach Spray Roses and Seeded Eucalyptus.

We took this picture of the centerpiece outdoors to show the true beauty of the colors in the arrangement as indoor photos don’t come out as good for us. The centerpieces included Green Hydrangea, Peach Garden Roses, Peach Spray Roses, White Stock and Seeded Eucalyptus. We added shells and glass pieces to the inside of the vase to coordinate with the accessories that had been brought over from the Philippines. The centerpiece was formal yet relaxed which suited the cocktail reception.

The little glass pieces were also a last minute add on. Not sure if anyone else noticed but we fell in love with the way the glass amplified the colors of the shells. The little things excite us :-)

And here you see the need for the outdoor photo. Although this still looks pretty, the colors are distorted and the Seeded Eucalyptus looks a bit harsh. But we wanted to show these nonetheless because of how perfect they sat on those little cocktail tables with the fabulous votives Annette scored at CB2

Congratulations to the happy couple! Thank you for choosing us for your wedding. We hope all enjoy these photos and as always we invite comments below. Plus, see how this wedding all came together on Pinterest.

Challenge Accepted! Blue Up Lighting, Modern Decor in a very Rustic Venue with Green incorporated somehow. These were the parameters we were given to design around. Our jaws kind of dropped at first but we think we nailed it! We played with the idea of enclosing the rustic pieces within modern elements, just as the modern decor was enclosed in the rustic venue. Both the teenagers and the adults were very pleased :-) Another special aspect of this event was that every item was reusable except for the Callas. Now that is “Green”. No matter the event, we always remain true to our design integrity and produce events that we love and are proud of. These pieces could easily work for other kinds of events like weddings or even office decor. The concept is quite versatile. See the full gallery below. Enjoy, and as always, leave your comments below. We’d love to hear what you think.

We placed blue LED lights inside the Silver Mirrored Votives to go with the blue lighting theme. The whole concept stemmed from light up lucite benches Rio and his sister fell in love with and used to create a club or lounge like setting.

These Green Goddess Calla Lily arrangements were used to line the ceremony as well as on the buffets, bars. We used submersible blue LED lights that cast cool blue swirls through the arrangement.

Jennifer, the beautiful mommy to be, simply loves baking. And so her dear friend Adelle, the organizer of this event, decided to do a “mini baked goods” theme for the shower complete with a gourmet bakery table for guests to “shop” from with lovely pastry boxes and featuring goodies from Balthazar, Flour, Payard and Sugar Sweet Sunshine. Once Adelle explained the theme to us, we immediately thought of using Ranunculus and Lisianthus. There is so much detail and layered beauty if those little flowers. Even the unopened buds add interest and playfulness to arrangements. And these flowers are perfectly sized for mini bud vases for which we knew would fit perfectly into the whole “mini” theme.

We had seen floral cupcakes in a trade magazine surprisingly from a florist in Russia! They were very basic and inexpensive but were a hit with their clients and we saw how you could take the basic idea and make it so much more with flower selection and then adding the cake stands and cupcake domes took it to a whole new level of elegance. This design is very versatile. We see it being used for bridal showers, birthday parties and could even grace a desert table at a wedding. It’s cute yet sophisticated. See the full gallery below.

Guest tables alternated between the cupcake domes and bud vase trios.

A trio of bud vases filled with Pink Ranunculus, White Tulips and Pink Lisianthus.

This three tier cake stand was the centerpiece to an amazing mirrored table used for the gifts. With a skylight and crystal chandelier overhead. The whole room filled with light, reflection and an airy feeling.

Guests were asked to design a hanger for the baby’s closet. The fun arts and craft supplies were lined up at the bar. What a cute project for the ladies to enjoy and for Jennifer to have as memorabilia of a special day surrounded by all her best friends.

This is a picture of the Imperial 9 room prior to set up. It is a gorgeous room all on it’s own but you can really see how our decor really sprung this event to life with subtle pops of color. It was meant to compliment the room’s already fabulous decor and not compete. See how the design all started and came together with a Pin Board on Pinterest

We hope you enjoyed this “sweet” little shower as much as we did. We invite your comments. Come again soon. xoxo

What’s in it? Blush Dahlias and buds, Pink Ranunculus, White O’Hara Alexandra Farms Garden Roses and Peach Juliet David Austin Garden Roses hand-tied in burlap accented with ribbon from the bride, Dana’s Mother’s gown and a super cool and unique charm from Kristin Victoria Designs. Some fun facts about this bouquet:

• It took both myself and my mother to wrap it.
• Hidden inside the handle was a mess of floral tape and water tubes to keep the Dahlias fresh. Such beautiful and fussy flowers they are!
• The Peach Garden Roses were a last minute surprise addition. Those roses were earmarked to be broken apart and tossed on the aisle for the ceremony. They were considered “work roses” which is an industry term for roses that can be discounted because they have been at the wholesaler too long. But they were in excellent condition and we knew Dana would love the color so we added them in last minute. It was the perfect pop of color and ended up matching Dana’s shoes perfectly. They were meant to be!
• Dana had this vision for a piece of her Mother’s dress to be wrapped around the bouquet handle. Well when we received the dress, it was not preserved and was yellowing! I had no idea how we would make it work. I even asked if we could have veto power not to use it. She wasn’t going for it. LOL So we cut the dress into ribbons to find a usable piece and then frayed the edges. Voila! Presto Change O! Magically Dana’s vision came to life. It was a miracle and it looked fantastic. The perfect little extra something to give this bouquet a much sought after rustic elegance.

Weddings… They are always an adventure, even for the flowers. Have you had a “make it work” moment? Tell us about in our comments section. Thanks for reading. Come again soon. :-)

Spring has sprung and the gardens are just beginning to fill with color. This sweet little Easter arrangement contains Red Tulips, Pink Hyacinth and Dog Wood Branches and buds all from the gardens of Fleur-Di-Re arranged in a whimsical sugar bowl.

Image Courtesy of Ulysses Photography

Jill & Brandon’s wedding, a gorgeous antique chic styled event is one of our favorites. It did take many a twist and turn in the design process (colors, flowers, containers and bridal party members just to name a few!) to get it there. In addition, taking place during a blizzard of historic proportion in October! Jill would joke that the wedding was becoming a circus.  But we pride ourselves on being flexible in all phases of the design process, including when it comes to making changes. In Jill’s own words taken from the Style Me Pretty feature:

“Rachel and Merry of Fleur-Di-Re Custom Floral and Event Design, really helped to bring my vision to life. They used varying antique gold vases and table numbers with garden roses, seeded eucalyptus, ranunculus and hydrangea and wrapped the bouquets and boutonnieres in bark twine. I wanted a vintage romantic feel with a fall twist, and I couldn’t have dreamed of a more fitting floral design. When my Grandma passed away less than three months before the wedding, I changed my entire floral concept to incorporate her favorite flower, the rose. When I saw how beautiful everything turned out, I immediately thought of her, and felt like she was there.”

When we arrived we thought we may find Jill in tears over the storm but we were welcomed with hugs and kind words. Jill was a vision of grace. Despite the weather outside, the wedding was warm, swoon over romantic and the snow made it even more magical. And I can tell you there were certainly no circus side shows! ;-)

We didn’t stay, braving the snow to make it home to our families but we were secretly wishing our cars would get stuck  in the snow so we could join in on the festivities.

Enjoy these photos and stay tuned for a DIY post on how we created the unique table numbers used in this wedding. :-)  Also make sure to check out the full gallery in the SMP feature. You won’t be disappointed!  A big thank you to Ulysses and Jenni of Ulysses Photography for sharing these ah-mazing images with us. And of course thank you to Jill & Brandon for allowing us to take part in their special day. Congratulations guys!

Image Courtesy of Ulysses Photography

Brandon and his groomsman all wore White Ranunculus boutonnieres with Seeded Eucalyptus wrapped in a rustic bark twine. Boutonnieres are usually one of the easiest items to make in a wedding but the bark twine on these was sooo difficult to work with. It kept unraveling and had to be glued at the ends repeatedly. The look was totally worth it but if other floral designers are reading this, beware and practice wrapping with the material in advance!

Rustic charm with soft elegance.

Jill’s bridal bouquet was made with White Hydrangea and Ranunculus, the most amazing Lavender Lisianthus (the colors looked painted) and our favorite Garden Rose from David Austin Roses, the Peach Juliet all hand-tied in bark twine. It was breathtaking.

Though Hydrangea are a more expensive flower, you get a lot of bang for your buck because of their size making them budget friendly when used smartly. Jill’s Bridesmaid Bouquets literally contained two stems of Hydrangea and two stems of Seeded Eucalyptus, making them very cost effective.

Image Courtesy of Ulysses Photography

Image Courtesy of Ulysses Photography

Image Courtesy of Ulysses Photography

Image Courtesy of Ulysses Photography

I love that there was nothing matchy matchy about this wedding yet everything coordinated beautifully. Kudos to Jill for choosing stunning Jenny Yoo Bridesmaid Dresses in a super flattering shade of eggplant. When I first saw the bridal party, I couldn’t get Jill’s circus comments out of my head and just thought, well that’s one classy circus ;-) They all looked amazing! The flower girls are wearing matching hair wreaths of Baby’s Breath with ribbon streamers at the back. They were precious.

Image Courtesy of Ulysses Photography

Image Courtesy of Ulysses Photography

A great way to way to cut down on spending for your wedding decor is to repurpose your bridesmaid bouquets in simple vases. Especially if you have a large bridal party. You can place the bouquets on the cake table, window sills, mantles, bars, bathrooms and anywhere else they look pretty.

Image Courtesy of Ulysses Photography

These little paper cones filled with preserved rose petals were made by Jill. They are a simple, inexpensive DIY project that really adds to the ceremony bringing in a little fun factor for your guests and they sure are pretty.

Image Courtesy of Ulysses Photography

The Manzanita Branch arrangements at the sides of the Hoopah were also repurposed after the ceremony as table centerpieces. As long as they are easy to move and you have someone to do the moving, there is no harm or shame in repurposing items from your ceremony later on in the wedding. All these little money saving tricks will add up to quality versus quantity.  Personally I’d rather have fewer really special pieces than a bunch of run of the mill ones.

Image Courtesy of Ulysses Photography

Image Courtesy of Ulysses Photography

Image Courtesy of Ulysses Photography

We got a little obsessive and even painted the silver wires on these hanging votives gold to coordinate with the wedding. No one but us probably noticed but that’s just how we do things. We pay big attention to even the tiniest of details to bring an event together. Each piece is created how we would want for our own wedding. We don’t skimp on anything.

Image Courtesy of Ulysses Photography

These boxes are from my very own wedding. They were originally silver and green and we painted them gold just for Jill & Brandon. We still have them and they are available for renting or purchasing. Renting is another great money saver. As part of your florist’s fees you will pay a mark up on any hard goods they purchase for you. If they have items you can rent, you may be able to get the same containers you love at or below cost. If you’re concerned your guests won’t be able to take home the centerpieces (which most people love to do), your florist may have tricks that will allow the flower portion to be removed. These boxes have liners in them that are easily removed.

Image Courtesy of Ulysses Photography

Mixing up your centerpiece containers and their heights will add interest to your room. Even the most amazing centerpieces may lose their impact when there is no variation throughout the room.

Image Courtesy of Ulysses Photography

These unique table numbers are actually the tops to the decorative boxes that some of the centerpieces were made in. We’ll post a DIY how to on these soon so stay tuned.

Image Courtesy of Ulysses Photography

Image Courtesy of Ulysses Photography

The cake was decorated with fresh Orange Ranunculus and Peach Garden Roses.

Image Courtesy of Ulysses Photography

This image gets my vote for one of the cutest cake cutting photos!

Well that’s all for now folks. Thanks and come again soon! xoxo

Image Courtesy of Ulysses Photography