Say "I Do" at the Zoo

On Sunday, June 1st, Whimsical Welcomes Floral Design partnered with Elmwood Park Zoo to present a fabulous Bridal Party. We had some wonderful wedding specialist present to talk with brides as well as lots of food, entertainment, drinks, sweets, and gifts. A huge "thank you" to all of the great vendors that came out to help and to all of the hundreds of people who came out to enjoy the festivities. We'll be doing this again next year and hope to see you there.

In case you weren't able to join us at the zoo, here are some of the flowers we displayed. Enjoy!

If you choose to have your wedding at the zoo, the cost of having your ceremony in their theater is included. Quite a deal! Since there is a large tree growing in the center of the seats, I chose to integrate more branches into the decor. Two large flower arrangements on the stage and birch balls alternating on the aisle steps were filled with lavender, green and white flowers.

The beautiful ballroom has a rustic feel to it.  Walls and the fireplace are made of  beautiful stone.  The side facing the patio is all folding glass doors that let in so much light.  For Say I Do at the Zoo, I decorated nine tables in the ballroom.  Gala Cloths provided beautiful tablecloths.  Representative Nancy Bauman added various chair bows to the zoo's chairs for the lavender table that held an arrangement of peonies and lavender flowers.  To the right, the purple pintuck table held a colorful centerpiece with feathers and flowers in the colors of peacocks.  I was inspired by  the zoo's own Harvey.

In honor of the zoo, a ceramic tiger filled with orange lilies, fern, and Birds of Paradise. I used a zebra print cloth over a white base for this table. All linens by Gala Cloths - galacloths.com.

If you're having your wedding at the zoo, these jungle animal print tablecloths would be perfect. For the centerpiece I used rush - which looks like little bamboo - to line the vase and then filled it with brightly colored flowers including several tropicals.

Bunches of small bright colored flowers look adorable in the leopard bowls I've made. These can be rented for a shower or rehearsal dinner at the zoo.

 I filled a glass cylinder with a wide variety of animals and topped it off with tropical flowers.  This would be perfect for tall centerpieces or a placecard table at the zoo.

Because the ballroom has a rustic look to it, I designed some centerpieces that would work well in there.  The first grouping are mixes of flowers in jars held in wire holders. I have three sizes that I rent out that can be used together or individually.  I put colorful votive candles in jelly jars for lighting.  The Gala tablecloth has a garden flair to it as well.

We made log containers from trees that have fallen down in our backyard.  I filled one of our birch logs with roses, fern, and hypericum berries.  I also made the candleholders out of birch, raffia, and pine cone flowers.

On a orange and yellow plaid Gala tablecloth I arranged flowers in a rusty bucket and added sprays of rusty stars.  I wound rusty wired stars around ivory pillar candles sitting in small rusty trays. These work well for a rustic wedding.

 The beauty of the zoo's ballroom is that it lends itself to many different styles.  In this photo is a glass cylinder that I wrapped in a gold leaf wrap. I filled the vase with white hydrangea, white roses, white alstromeria, and while mini-calla lilies. I topped the flowers off with gold beading and gold pins in the roses.  Gold beaded candle holders add light to the table.

My final arrangement was my "bling" table.  I used three different sized crystal containers to hold flowers along with three matching crystal candleholders.  This arrangement was spot-lighted by Silver Sound and looked spectacular. 

If you have any questions about any of these arrangements, or would like to discuss more of the endless possibilities for your wedding, please contact Leslie at WhimsicalWelcomes@yahoo.com.