Beautiful Garden wedding at Caramoor!

After waking up this morning to the first snow of the season in New York I thought it would be an appropriate time to share a beautiful garden wedding I recently created.  A couple of months ago I had the opportunity to design a gorgeous outdoor wedding in the spectacular setting of Caramoor Gardens in Katonah, NY.  

There are several garden settings throughout the property and our client chose to start off by holding their ceremony in the Sunken Garden.  To add to the already beautiful scene, I covered the benches behind the ceremony area with ferns and yellow floral and, as the couple walked up the steps to the ceremony they were flanked by 2 huge stone urns filled with a variety of garden flowers that enhanced the overall setting.

Given the setting, it is not a surprise that the Bride and Groom wanted all of the floral to look as if it was freshly picked from the garden.  The Bride also wanted organic elements such as Spanish Lavender, Rosemary and Chamomile so I incorporated those into to her bouquet.  The ring bearer's pillow was made entirely of mimosa flower as well as the bridesmaids' bouquets.  We even carried the theme through by covering the flower girl's basket in Rosemary.

Ring Bearer Pillow

Flower Girl Basket

Bridesmaids Bouquet

Bride's Bouquet

Following the ceremony guests were escorted to the Tapestry Hedge Garden where a true garden party was set.  I really loved the Escort Card "Wall" that I created using rows of twine strung between two trees and escorts cards then hanging with clothespins.  It was a great visual for guests as they arrived from the ceremony.

Escort Cards

After guests collected their escort card they were then free to roam the garden where we had incorporated farm tables and centerpieces using natural elements such as rosemary, lavendar and bowls of lemons.  

Following cocktails it was time to escort guests to the main tent for dinner and dancing.  To maintain the theme I actually brought the garden elements into the tent.  For example, I added branches and foliage to the 2 center tent poles so they became "trees" within the tent.  I also used more natural elements in the table centerpieces and created table numbers out of Rosemary.  Everything came together perfectly to create a scene that the Bride and Groom loved.

As I always say, no event is complete without a happy client and in this case the Bride and Groom were thrilled with their garden wedding.  I want to thank everyone at Caramoor Estate and Great Performances Catering for their help in making this wedding perfect and to Kat Cheng Photography for providing the images.

I hope this gives you warm thoughts on a cold day!

Cheers!

Wedding Trends for 2012

At the beginning of every year all of the wedding magazines, blogs, and websites come out with their take on wedding trends for the upcoming year.  While many are spot on with their predictions for the coming year, there are also many that I read and just think to myself, "They have got to be kidding!"

Being in the thick of it, I think I have a pretty good perspective on what you can expect to see in the 2012 wedding season.  I thought now is a good time to give you my take on 2012 wedding trends and to give you links to other resources that I think offer a good perspective as well.  Here are my predictions for the top trends of 2012.

1. Vintage is in.  Brides see this look as simple, but romantic.  With decor, I like to convey the vintage look with apothecary jars and floral that gives you the feel it has just been picked from the garden.  Simple, beautiful and definitely romantic.

2. Tied to the vintage feel is the extensive use of lace.  This clearly started with Kate Middleton's dress at the royal wedding, and is continuing into 2012.  Bridal gowns are using more lace and the look is even carrying into wedding cakes and decor.  Perfect examples can be found at TheKnot.com.

3. Bouquets will also feature a more natural, textured look, a belief that is echoed by the Washington Post.  Classic orange, coral and purple are being combined with natural elements to give bouquets a garden feel.

4. Add a pop of color.  Brides are moving toward adding color to the decor as opposed to all white or ivory.  Peach, tangerine, and raspberry are very popular as colors that are added to wedding centerpieces and bouquets.

5. With all of the options for invitations there has been a shift toward more personalized invitations that offer more character than the traditional invitation.  There is also more use of texture that helps give an invitation that unique look and feel.

6. Smaller is better.  There is definitely a trend toward smaller weddings and, with the continued uncertainty in the economy, it makes sense.  Couples I speak with want to have a beautiful wedding but need to find a way to cut cost.  The easiest way to cut costs is to cut the guest list.  You can still have the wedding of your dreams without the big price tag.

7. Another change in the reception is the move away from a formal, seated dinner to a cocktail style reception.  Of course, couples still want to make sure their guests are fed so they are combining substantial passed hors d'oeuvres with food stations.  The result is a more casual wedding that invites guest to mingle with each other.

In the end, remember it is not about any trend, but rather a special day for the Bride and Groom that reflects their personality and love for each other.

Cheers!

Wedding at The Pierre

I was looking back at the archives of my favorite weddings and realized that I have never blogged about one of my very favorites, Helena and Svet's fabulous nuptuals at The Pierre, an iconic New York hotel.  I had a great time planning the wedding with Helena, and we added so many special touches that created a beautiful and meaningful celebration.

I have mentioned before that I love planning and designing weddings where I have the opportunity to blend cultures.  In this case, Svet is Serbian and Helena is Cuban.  It is certainly a mix of two very different cultures that really made me put my thinking cap on when planning this wedding.

The day began with a ceremony at The Serbian Orthodox Cathedral of St. Sava in New York City.  This is a beautiful old church and set the stage for many traditional Serbian customs to be carried through the wedding.  Following the traditional ceremony the Bride and Groom were greated with a hail of Flutter Fetti as they exited the church.

The Bride wanted an elegant wedding yet wanted to have fun and add some non traditional elements.  One of these was the New York Checker Cab that they chose to get them from the Ceremony to the Reception.  Rather than using a standard limousine, we contacted Silver Star Limousine to use an original Checker Cab instead.

The elegance of The Pierre created the perfect backdrop for Helena as she entered in the first of her gowns for the evening..

As guests entered the spectacular ballroom they were wowed by the stunning floral display consisting primarily of blown open casablanca lilies, calla lilies, orchids and roses in the colors of white and pink. The arrangements were accented with crystals and the tables had alternating high and low arrangements to create a flow in the room.  Additionally, I used a combination of long and round tables as part of the overall design.  To give the room and the arrangements the perfect glow, Frost Productions was brought in to handle the lighting and Fred Marcus Photography was hired to capture all of the special moments.

While guests dined on an incredible meal they were entertained by Synergy, a combination of a DJ and live entertainers, provided by On the Move Entertainment.  In addition to Synergy, guests were treated to a traditional Serbian band which really motivated the guests.

To top off the evening was the perfect wedding cake designed by the amazing Sylvia Weinstock.  I worked with Sylvia to incorporate my inspiration for the event design into the cake and the result was nothing short of amazing.  See for yourself.

It was so exciting to see how beautiful the end result was and to see how happy Helena and Svet were with everything about the wedding.  It was a perfect day and an amazing couple.

Until next time...

Cheers

The Knot Real Weddings

I am so excited to be featured in Spring / Summer 2012 issue of the Knot Magazine. 

If you have a chance to pick-up the magazine just turn to page 110 to see the photos by Lindsay Flanagan of this beautiful Winter wedding that took place in the ballroom of the W Union Square Hotel.  Elizabeth and Benny were a pleasure to work with and we are excited that the Knot chose their wedding to feature in the magazine.

Until our next featured wedding...

Cheers!http://www.theknot.com/

Destination Weddings - Charleston, South Carolina

While there are many great, exotic destinations for weddings, one of my personal favorites, and one of the most popular, is right around the corner in Charleston, South Carolina.  I had the pleasure of planning and designing a wedding in Charleston and want to share the history and beauty of this charming Southern city.

Given that the Bride was living in London, the Groom in New York and most guests were from either North Carolina or New Jersey, this was truly a destination event.  Travel logistics aside, we also had the challenge of bringing the Groom's Greek Orthodox heritage into the Wedding.  While it was a lot of work, the result was a beautiful, fun weekend in the perfect setting.

Guests arriving to Charleston were greeted at the gracious Mills House Hotel in Charleston's Historic district. 

The Mills House was perfect not only due to the fact that it is so close to the many wonderful sites in Downtown Charleston including exceptional restaurants such as Magnolias and SNOB.  I must say these are my favorites in Charleston and I definitely had to add a couple of notches to my belt after this visit!  The other great feature of the Mills House is that it was directly adjacent to the Reception venue, Historic Hibernian Hall.

After guests arrived they were transported to the rehearsal dinner at Middleton Place Plantation along the Ashley River.  If you ever get to Charleston a visit to the old plantations along Ashley River Road is a must.  You really do get a feel for the grandeur of the old south.  Guests for this dinner were treated to traditional southern cuisine courtesy of Duvall Catering and able to stroll through the magnificent grounds of the Plantation.

The day of the wedding was the type of warm, sunny day that you expect in the South.  The wedding began with a traditional Greek Orthodox ceremony at the Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church.

The Bride was stunning in her Oscar De La Renta gown and the happy couple and their bridal party were able to take advantage of the beautiful weather and all of the gorgeous parks and spectacular settings for photos that can be found throughout Charleston.  From the waterfront to all of the historic buildings, Charleston provides ample photo opportunities that are perfect for a wedding.  For Cate and Mike, Shannon Michelle was the perfect photographer to capture all of their wedding images.

Following the ceremony guests were escorted to their white trolleys, provided by the terrific staff at Absolutely Charleston.  They were then taken back to Hibernian Hall for a grand Southern reception.  The Bride wanted to keep the floral and decor simple and traditional.  With a beautiful historic space we did not want the decor to be overpowering and kept the colors light, and the atmosphere garden like.  Light pinks and green were the dominant colors and the room looked beautiful yet simple, just what the bride wanted.  

East Coast Entertainment provided the band and the 200 guests kept the party going well into the night. 

Overall it was a beautiful destination wedding in a truly charming city.  Thank you Charleston for being so accommodating!

Until the next great destination..........

Cheers!

Wedding of Meredith & Jason

I have another beautiful wedding to share with you today! This is the wedding of an incredible couple, Meredith & Jason, who got married at The W Union Square, one of my favorite venues! Meredith & Jason are such a sweet couple and I am so happy that I was able to design their decor for their special day.

The bride carried a stunning bouquet that was designed with all white anemones, roses, calla lilies, and orchids.

The couple was married underneath a sleek chuppa that was designed to have a strong presence, yet with a romantic feel. Accenting the chuppa was a beautiful layer of flowers that consisted of roses, white and ivory stock, and hydrangea. Robert Stark Lighting did a fabulous job highlighting the entire chuppa to make it appear as if it were glowing.

For the table arrangements, half were high and half were low, but designed in the same manner. The tall arrangements were designed in a large glass cylinder with white hydrangea, roses, white and ivory stock, as well as curly willow bursting from the top.

Ron Ben Israel created this stunning cake that mimicked the lace on the brides dress.

Big thanks to Cody Raisig Photography who did a wonderful job on the photography for Meredith & Jason's wedding. For more amazing photos of this wedding, be sure to check out his website here! We look forward to working with him again in September!

Cheers!

Shawn 

Wedding of Camille & James

I have another fabulous wedding to share with you today! This is the wedding of Camille and James, such a fun and loving couple! They were married at a fabulous location here in NYC, Bridgewaters near South Street Seaport! Check out the amazing photos below courtesy of The Wiebners!

I love Camille's green shoes and all of the touches of green that we used throughout the entire wedding!

The bride's stunning bouquet was designed with primarily white flowers with green accents. The flowers that were used included white roses, white and green cymbidium orchids, white and green dendrobium orchids and touches of white stephanotis. The bouquet was designed in such a way that there was texture and movement to it without it being too tight. The handle of the bouquet was then finished off with a handkerchief provided by the brides mother.

The bride and her father walked down a custom made aisle runner created by The Original Runner Co that was lined with glass cylinders that were filled with white pillar candles and green dendrobium orchids.

For the escort cards, Camille's mother had green notebooks made with the guests names on the spine, which we then arranged on an antique desk brought in by the brides mother and father! We then used arrangements of green cymbidium orchids as book ends! Guests were able to bring their notebooks home as a little favor!

I cannot get enough of these unique table numbers! For the bride and groom, they were seated at table "love."

We also designed an "&" symbol made from green dendrobium orchids, which tied the bride "&" groom's chairs together at their sweetheart table. 

Placed in the center of each of the tables were modern, yet full centerpieces designed with white and green roses, white and green cmybidium orchids, white and green dendrobium orhcids, and variegated lily grass. In addition to the arrangements, we also used alternating heights of floating candle holders that not only received floating candles, but orchids and variegated lily grass beneath the candle. Also, other satellite arrangements and green apples were added to create depth, texture, and fullness to the overall design.

I absolutely love this cupcake stand and cupcakes from Sweet Sisters Cakes! They did a fabulous job! And look at the lights from The Brooklyn Bridge in the background! What a stunning view from Bridgewaters!

I hope you enjoyed these photos as much as I loved working with this incredible couple! I wish them all the happiness and success in the world!

Cheers!

Shawn