Sending Smiles ~

Planning a wedding is fun but expensive and I find that often brides & grooms over think their bridal flowers. Hydrangea to the rescue. Take these bouquets for example; simple but by no means small yet they are elegant, natural and as amazing as it sounds, quite budget friendly. In the case of these bouquets, extra touches such as chiffon ribbon and draping hanging amaranthus took them from boring to beautiful and only slightly added to the cost. Lesson to be learned here? No need to over think the flowers and by all means, take the budget friendly route. Your Maids won't mind, your guests won't notice and your wedding budget will love you for it! To see these and more of our everyday and wedding floral designs be sure to visit our website at www.sendingsmiles.com  

How cute is this? Love those little love birds on this bridal bouquet for Jeri this past weekend.   Adding a small item to the stem of your bridal bouquet - whether it's a hankie, fabric from your mom's wedding gown or a special wedding band or locket, is a wonderful way to add a special touch to your wedding flowers. Some brides do it out of tradition or to bring someone closer to them that is no longer living. No matter what the reason, it's a great way to personalize your wedding, don't you agree? 

Can you ever go wrong with an all white wedding ? One of this past weekends weddings had us using elegant flowers in shades of white with touches of crystals, candle light, diamonds and rhinestones. Jessica's bouquet was created using ivory roses, creamy white hydrangeas, white mini callas, ranunculus and touches of rhinestone sprays.  For Jessica's ceremony we provided our ivory satin covered chuppah accented with touches of fresh foliage's flanked by two elegant floral arrangements on garden pedestals.  In the ballroom, tall and lush floral displays were created up on 28" tall pedestal cylinder vases which are a rental item , then filled with clear gems, amber underwater lights, a single white cymbidium orchid bloom and fresh water. At the base were diamond like gems sprinkled over table mirrors and 3 crystal votive candles.  To formalize the chandeliers, we had 25 feet of crystals sprays to each fixture. I can only image what this looked like when the ...

I came across this blog that I wrote for the Nassau Inn in Princeton and thought it might be worth sharing here on my own blog. One minute you are engaged and then next minute you are deluged with ideas and dreams. How do you turn your dream into a reality? How do you find a florist that will not only make your dream come true but partner with you to help you decorate your reception and create memorable bouquets? You are looking for someone who will partner with you, not just tell you what you should do. First off, remember, you are looking for someone who will partner with you, not just tell you what you should do. Finding someone that listens and can interpret your floral wish list might take a little extra work at the beginning but will pay off in the end. This blog will give you some pointers to help you save time and frustration. Here are my 5 steps to follow to find a great florist! Step 1: Start by asking friends, family and other wedding vendors (includi...

Outdoor wedding? Great but you have to have a back up plan. In the case of today's wedding for Nicole and Josh, we had just that. What I love about weddings is that you never know what to expect. Each one is different and the challenge is to make it all happen. Unfortunately, today it drizzled and rained and after a long night of down pours, the outdoor setting at the Hilton Gardens was not to be. Never fear, the flexible florist is here! What I love about flowers on the chairs and rose petals on the ground is no matter where the wedding is, it works. Now in the case of Nicole's wedding, we were to decorate (using quite a bit of flowers and fabric) her dream gazebo but with not a gazebo in site, we quickly put up our own archway (not shown in this photo) and proceeded to decorate that. It's not really what the bride wanted but it was the next best thing. All I can say is, if you are planning your wedding for outside, you gotta have a back up plan!! To see more of ou...

Because of our heavy wedding and event schedule this week, we were not able to attend the Society of American Florist convention this week. One of the discussions I was looking forward to was color trends for 2012. Imagine my surprise when following the convention online, I noticed that the color most likely to trend for next years weddings was red!! Over the past 2 weekends, we have done two weddings for brides named Julia and both have chosen red bouquets! Last weeks bride, who's wedding had a casino theme complete with gaming tables, included fun elements such as feathers and tulle into her bouquet. This weeks Julia kept things simple and classic (see her bouquet above) by having us hand tie Black Bacara roses accented with tiny gems for a touch of sparkle. As brides start meeting with us for their 2012 weddings, I'll be sure to report back on the colors, flowers and other elements they will be using. That's what we love most about doing weddings... things are always ...

Well, the past two weeks have been a whirlwind at the shops. Between Earthquakes, Hurricanes, Flooding and Nuptials it's been a somewhat frantic time for us. It's always fun for us to style weddings because we not only get to be creative but our hands are on some of the most gorgeous flowers you'll ever see. We noticed a new trend with wedding designs and thought we share with you. Many of our brides this month have given us mementos to add to their bouquets. Case in point is the pretty broach below. We really loved how elegant this looked on Maritza's wedding bouquet this past Friday.  Bride Darlene was having her wedding at the Camden Aquarium last weekend and wanted to add a bit of sparkles to her bouquet. We found this rhinestone garland for her and did a slight spiral down her stems.    We guess you just might be getting the idea!! Bride Maggie gave us this gorgeous necklace for us to add to her bouquet. Isn't it stunning? It really poppe...

It's amazing what a little candle light can do, don't you think? These floating candle centerpieces were just about everywhere at Katie's wedding at Triumph Brewery. Simple but effective they really are an economical but romantic way to decorate just about any venue. Drop the lights down low and let the candles do the rest.    We loved creating these centerpieces last weekend for Gennady and Maggie. Simple branches and purple hydrangea accented with an underwater light really made a creative table decor with a low investment. Add some coordinating lighting along the walls and the location turns from ordinary to extraordinary - don't you think? Not sure how to decorate extremely long tables? Who says that all the vases have to match? We don't and we think that was exactly what made these table scape's more fun. Cylinders, elegant pilsners  and even square vases, mixed together really keep the guests guessing and turn up the crea...

Did you know that we actually ave a Bridal/Wedding Consultation Room? Yes, we do although sometimes it serves as a Bar/Bat Mitzvah or other Party Consultation room at time.  How wonderful is this space for discussing a wedding? Recently I spent some time freshening things up, flipping the room around and doing an over all overhaul of the space. What a great feeling and just in time for Spring!  We've tried to display all our rental items such as our archways, pedestals, special rental glassware, silk trees and topiaries, urns and even our new decorative trunks. Don't you just love chapsticks? Our brides seem to like them a whole lot. A vintage wedding gown on display in our consultation room. Hey, wait, that's my wedding gown from 1985! Did I just call that Vintage? Well, I guess it is. :o) The grooms love our couch. If they feel a bit overwhelmed (and uninterested) by the whole wedding flower process, they can retreat to this quiet area to flip thro...

It's that time of year when our summer brides come in to plan their weddings. It still might be a bit damp and chilly outside but it's warm and sunny in my bridal consultation room! What a wonderful time of year the summer is for a sweet and simple wedding, don't you think? I really loved the bouquets we made for Keally and Dan last year. Shades of pink, peach, yellow and white were so adorable with the colorful green dresses. How about these cool blooms created for bride Caroline at the Princeton University Prospect House last summer.  Clear glass cylinders were lined with variegated  leaves that were filled with pale blue hydrangeas and deeper blue delphinium.  Who says big is better? I say to pop it out with color! Keeping the elements to a minimum make for an elegant but restful appearance. So see more of our wedding designs be sure to visit our website at http://www.perfectweddingflowers.com/ or check out the galleries at various wedding sites such as...

How adorable is this cute little button. Running towards the camera with her sweet bouquet of Circus rose, hypericum berries and deep blue delphinium. Shaped like a fairy wand, her loving Aunt May told us that she adored her bouquet. With a smile like that, I don't doubt it!! Thank you to photographer Annie Hosfeld for this wonderful photo! To see more pictures of our wedding flower designs you can visit our wedding website at http://www.perfectweddingflowers.com/

Well, this bouquet is not exactly the shade that was chosen by Pantone Color Institutes color of the year for 2011 - Honeysuckle but it's pretty darn close. With all the brides that I've met with over the last 2 months, I have to say that a bright reddish pink seems to be showing up high on brides wedding color wish list. We saw many brides returning to various shades of pink last year, just as we did for our bride Lauren this past fall. This hand tied bouquet was made using roses in different shades and sizes, hydrangeas, lisianthus, ranuculus and was accented with chocolate cosmos, pink astilbe and very cool scabiosa pods. Imagine this vibrant and cheery bouquet against chocolate brown brides maids dresses. An unexpected and feminine color theme for just about any time of year and apparently the inspiration for this years color of the year - Honeysuckle! To see more of our wedding designs visit our wedding site at http://www.perfectweddingflowers.com/ or our everyday flow...

What fun it was for me to write a guest blog on the Nassau Inn's wedding site. I'm happy with the results and thought I'd share the link on my own blog. The topic is "How to Choose a Wedding Florist" and I give my recommendations in 5 simple steps. If you are interested in this blog visit the Nassau Inn's wedding blog at the http://blog.nassauinn.com/2011/01/how-to-choose-a-wedding-florist/ I'd love to hear what you think and let me know if you found it helpful!

Choosing flowers for your bridal bouquet can be daunting - to say the least. With so many options, how do you know you'll choose the flowers, style and colors you really love? When I meet with brides I remind them to remember that the flowers they carry will not only be viewed up close but also from a distance. Brides that are fearful of color should take note that soft shading differences, like the ones in this bouquet, make for interesting close ups and add a soft amount of color against their white or ivory gowns. If you are thinking that creams and whites are just too blah for you, why not add a touch of pastel? To see more examples of our wedding designs visit our wedding website at http://www.perfectweddingflowers.com/

I have to say that I'm so happy that bright colors seem to be coming back into fashion. Remember back in the early 90's when we thought nothing of wearing purple blazers or hot pink sweaters? Haven't you missed those bright, feel good colors? I know I have. Last week I had to do some shopping for a family that Kevin and I were sponsoring for Christmas. One of the family members had asked for a pink sweater. Thinking that it might be tough to find a bright and really cool pink sweater, I ventured into the women's department. I was delighted to see many to choose from and so many other pretty tops and sweaters in bright, vibrant shades. I see this trend also in floral design, from wedding to everyday orders. People are in love with color and I could not be happier! Just like this bouquet we created for a photo shoot for the Nassau Inn - http://www.nassauinn.com/ taken by Kyo Morishima Photography - http://www.kymorishima.com/ - most brides are coming in asking for r...

Yes, the funky peacock feather bouquet was ours! I write that line a bit tongue in cheek because one of our bouquets has become famous and known as the "Funky Peacock Feather" bouquet. I posted a photo almost 3 years ago onto my Flickr account and did not watermark or protect it in any way. Almost 10,000 views later that bouquet seemed to have caused the most buzz. I've seen it used so many times (mostly without credit to our shop - no worries, I'm not angry about that) in blogs and online. I thought it would be fun to show some of the other photos from that wedding. I often get asked if we really did that bouquet. Yes and here's the proof! The bride was Stephanie and the photographer was Jeff Tisman and the bride came to me very close to her October wedding date. Why? Because she was afraid that the florist would talk her out of using peacock feathers in her wedding. That was before she knew me and found out how much I love doing, not only what the brid...

I love this shot of our bride Caroline from her August wedding as she struts along the streets of Princeton University's campus. Boy, things have changed in the world of wedding photography. Back in my day, you just stood there and hopefully looked good! We especially loved creating her brides maids bouquets of all hydrangea. They contained three different shades - green, light blue and then medium blue. Tied with a simple ribbon, they really complimented their blue dresses. Caroline's bouquet was created using flowers of different sizes and shapes from white, to pale blue with accents of sapphire. Blue has been a popular color for 2010 and I predict that trend will continue right on into 2011. That sounds good to me being blue is actually my favorite color! To see more of our wedding designs visit our website (and you'll see it's very blue) at http://www.perfectweddingflowers.com/

Did you just find out that your flower girl is not allowed to throw petals at your church wedding? Never fear - a suggestion is here! Ok, sorry, that was corny but that happens all the time during my consultations. I ask brides what they would like their flower girls to carry and they seem to think that tossing flower petals is not only the only option but that it's allowed everywhere. Well, it's not. Most churches these days don't want petals being tossed for fear of tripping a guest on their marble or tiled floors. Other venues may want a runner to be down so that the petals won't get dug into the carpet and possibly leave a stain. If tossing petals is not an option at your ceremony site, why not consider a cute basket of flowers in the wedding theme. This one was created for little Rebecca for one of last weeks weddings and it's not only easy to hold but just darling!!

"I'm on a budget of about $1,000 for my wedding flowers. What's the best way to spend my money"?  Sound familiar? I get asked that question all the time and so I was inspired to write this blog.  I know it seems like a lot of money but if you need a bridal bouquet, 4 brides maids, flower girl, boutonnieres and corsages, altar decor and even centerpieces... wow, it can be a hard one to maneuver! My advise in this budget range would be to concentrate mostly on the personal flowers such as the bouquets, etc. Keep the flowers to one or two colors so that you can keep the bouquets smaller and more chic. Also, be sure to keep to seasonal flowers. No, peony are not in season in October - come on, I know you were thinking they were!! I'm going to hang a sign in our consultation room that says "spring flowers are mostly in season during the spring"!  It's ok to want pink flowers in November but with a little research you'll find that roses, lil...

We had great fun creating the wedding flowers for Kate and Chris. Colorful rose and gerbers - our favorites! Love this shot by Jeff Tisman photography which shows the natural beauty, up close and personal, of our flowers! We really loved the pop of the oranges and yellows against these deep pink dresses! How cute are these flower girls. I love the dresses and the tiny babies breath halos were the perfect touch, don't you think? Kate carried a big bouquet of all pink roses in three different shades. Simple but elegant. So sweet - love the sky in this photo. Makes me want to get married all over again, just so Jeff Tisman can take my wedding photos!! :o) Clear glass cube vases filled with hot pink, orange, green and yellow flowers really popped and made a summery statement! Simple touches of colorful flowers makes such a difference on this gorgeous cake! Our designer Holly did such a great job! I think you'll agree that Kate and Chris's wedding just screamed summer! To see th...