June 2010

It was the Saturday of Memorial Day weekend and looking back, I was so fortunate Aimee and Mike were married at The Victorian, a lovely wedding venue only 2 miles away! LA traffic was so bad that day – I don’t know if everyone was coming to Santa Monica to celebrate the first weekend of summer or what – but the chuppah was stuck on the 405 and they were still waiting for the rabbi by the time we finished – five minutes before the ceremony! But as you know, everything always works out in the end. When we went back after the ceremony, all the guests were having a ball and the party was in full swing!

I loved Aimee and Mike’s idea to use a different type of white flower for each table centerpiece. It really got me thinking about which flowers would be best to use? Though white isn’t rare to come by when it comes to flower color, I wanted them to have flowers their guests would talk about. Either because used all together they would be showy, or because they may not be a commonly used wedding flower. In the end I chose gladiolas (so beautiful when used just by themselves), gerbera daisies (with modern black centers), anthurium, amaryllis (with large amazing blooms not commonly found in weddings), star of Bethlehem, calla lilies, hydrangea, irises (a lovely white variety called “casablanca”), dendrobium orchids, and of course, roses (so romantic!).

Last year my sister-in-law was married on the beach in Santa Barbara. This year I had another opportunity to deliver wedding flowers to Santa Barbara, enjoying the drive through Thousand Oaks, Ventura, and Carpinteria. You get to past by places with fun names like Summerland, Mussel Shoals, and Santa Claus Lane.

The wedding was held at the beautiful Bacara Resort and Spa. It was a really windy afternoon when we set up, but we managed to improvise with an on-the-job lesson in physics so that the arch didn’t blow over! The ceremony was held outdoors with a majestic view of the Pacific Ocean. The theme was simple elegance in whites and ivory. We used “polo” roses and white hydrangea for the bridesmaid bouquets, edged with a collar of ti leaves. The bride carried a bouquet of white peonies, sweet peas, and mini calla lilies. The reception centerpieces were all white hydrangea with accents of lily grass weaved throughout the flowers.

Yamashiro Restaurant in Hollywood makes a beautiful setting for an intimate wedding. The reception tables are arranged around a garden complete with a koi pond. Seating 6, each table is rectangular, which can allow for long and low table designs.

For Danielle and Cliff’s wedding in burgundy, we used large “Sumatra” lilies, deep burgundy peonies, James Storey orchids, and cymbidium orchids in white, pink, and burgundy.