Stefanie & John - Vintage Pearls

Stefanie and John wanted a vintage inspired look for their wedding at Merion Tribute House. Colors were soft pink and white. We decided to use mostly large soft flowers like Esperance roses, hydrangea, and pretty lisianthus to promote a vintage feel. We included a touch of white pearls to centerpieces and a large entry piece as well as tablescaping with white milk glass. I think that Stefanie totally accomplished the look she was aiming for.

Stefanie wanted to use white peonies for her bouquet. However, it was very early for peonies during her wedding and I found them to be small nuggets which were not going to open up like the typical fluffy peonies we love. So we substituted with white football mums - which I think has the same look - and scattered pink ranunculus throughout them. I wrapped the stems with white satin ribbon and added an overlay of lace to give the bouquet a vintage nod. John wore a boutonniere made of stephanotis.

Bridesmaids carried petite bouquets of pink lisianthus wrapped in matching pink ribbon. Groomsmen wore matching boutonnieres.

Stefanie rented my antique typewriter to showcase a "letter" welcoming her guests. It was a perfect vintage detail for this wedding.

I added white hydrangea to white milk glass vases for the cocktail tables.

For Stefanie's entry table, I made an arrangement of hydrangea and roses on a very large Mercury glass candle holder. I draped it with ropes of pearls to add a vintage look to the arrangement in keeping with our "pearl theme".

Stefanie loves milk glass.  I cruised thrift shops and flea markets so that I could incorporate it into half of her centerpieces. But we added a little special something to the tablescapes. Each group of small vases was placed on a cake plate. I then added a layer of strands of pearls. And if you look closely, the cake plates were made by attaching a flat cake plate to a glass candleholder. I have directions about how to make these.

The centerpieces for the other half of the tables were made up of large glass bowls. I put strands of pearls in the bottom of each bowl and then filled them with white hydrangea and beautiful, large Esperance roses.

Thank you to Stefanie & John for having me help you with your vintage wedding.  I enjoyed working with you and collecting for you.  Many years of happiness!

Amy & Joe - New Year's Eve Nuptials

Amy and Joe were having a New Year's Eve wedding and I was so excited to be working with them. Amy wanted to use a color palette of white and silver with subtle but elegant flowers. And adding bling and feathers and winter branches was just fine with her. I used white flowers from start to finish beginning with Amy's bouquet. I mixed white roses with white ranunculus and scattered crystals throughout the flowers. Bridesmaids bouquets, not pictured here, were made up of white roses, snowflake mums, and white feathers which looked fabulous against their black gowns!

How cute are these young ladies and gentleman? I had the flower girl buckets hand painted with their names on them and filled them with silk hydrangea so they could play "wedding" after the party was over!


 Because of the time of year, naturally Amy and Joe held their ceremony inside their venue. Any just wanted a simple set-up. I set up pedestals with silver trumpet vases on them which I filled with hydrangea and other white flowers, silver ting ting, and white winter branches. Silver mint julep cups of white hydrangea and sprigs of silver sat on cocktail tables. I added silver acrylics to my glass and silver container for the placecard table. I filled the vase with silver branches and layers of white flowers. In keeping with a silvery, wintery theme, we used low bowls in my wintery rental crystal wreaths. I added more silver decorations to the wreath to make them even more glittery, and added a simple, but elegant gardenia to float in each bowl. We used silver candles, white feathers, large white football mums, and lots of hanging beading to bring some height, bling, and fun to the tables. 

A very Happy New Year and Congratulations to Amy and Joe!   I wish you many more wonderful years together with your beautiful family.

Retro Weddings - Remember the 50's, 60's, & 70's?

Retro decor encompasses anything from 20 to 50 years ago. Remember Flower Power, Peace Signs, and Love Beads from the 60's?  Elvis, Rock n Roll, and I Love Lucy from the 50's? There are so many fun things to do with a retro themed wedding. What about using old metal lunchboxes to hold flowers for the centerpieces? Include "retro" candy in your candy bar: wax sodas; candy buttons; and Mary Janes.  Bright, bright colors work perfectly for a 60's style wedding: lime green, orange orange, hot pink, bright purple, and lemon yellow. I've used elements on my retro table at Bridal Blossoms such as sisal, colored bubbles, ting ting, groupings of bottles, gerber daisies, and party balls to add more flash to the dazzling colored flowers.  Brightly patterned linens complete the look. Sitting on the tables is a black dial telephone from the 60's.  How cute would it be to use various area codes for your table numbers?  A "phonebook" could display your guest table assignments. I do have a few telephones to rent out to my Whimsical Welcomes brides who would like to use them for their wedding.  Just contact me for a consultation and we'll design a themed wedding together.
 

Rustic Weddings

I have more and more brides coming to me to design a rustic wedding for their celebration in a barn, outside venue, or historic building.  I've done several weddings in mason jars and wanted to come up with some variations on the theme.  So I began to collect buckets and baskets and tins and rusty containers.  When I began to look, I found containers with sunflowers and chickens on them; buckets with unusual finishes, produce baskets, berry baskets, wheelbarrows, and glass shaped like old milk tins.  Even clay pots work for a rustic theme. I've cut down tree branches and turned them into flower containers and used tall branches in a variety of ways.   I've collected small railroad lanterns and horseshoes and ceramic chickens.  I've wrapped bottles in burlap and twine and grouped beer bottles with interesting labels. There are so many looks to choose from.  But what I found are containers that replicate items found on a farm, at a produce stand, or have some type of farm animal on it, are the ones that reflect a country feel.  Nothing should look brand new - hence the use of rusty containers, old tins, and textured finishes.  What you choose to put into your vessels will also emphasize a rustic theme.   I filled some of the containers for my rustic Bridal Blossoms table with fruits, vegetables, and even blooming plants.  Other were filled with more rustic looking flowers including sunflowers, daisies, and mums. I love the combination of roses and sunflowers - bright and bold.  You want to be able to "light up"  a barn with color.  Choosing appropriate linens and other textured elements for the table will  set the tone for your bucolic wedding.

The items used in these photos are available for sale or for rent for your rustic wedding.  Please contact Leslie at WhimsicalWelcomes@yahoo.com with questions.

A big "Thank You" to Ron DLutz for sharing his rustic themed bridal portrait. Ron has wonderful ideas as to how to portray a rustic feel for your wedding photos. Dlutzphoto.com 

Romantic Style Weddings

When a bride wants a "romantic" look for her wedding, I suggest lots of candles and large, lush flowers. Hydrangea, roses, lisinthus, and peonies come to mind. Not the least expensive flowers - but boy are they gorgeous! Frangrant flowers such as stock, freesia, and gardenias add an "air" of romance as well. For my Romantic table at Bridal Blossoms we added some bling, crystals, silver, and lots of clear glass. All of these items are available for rent or purchase from Whimsical Welcomes Floral Design to my brides.  Many are one of a kind that I buy especially for my ladies. The matching vases and candleholders also come in a beautiful pink and are so reasonably priced. Email me at whimsicalwelcomes@yahoo to discuss your wedding flowers.



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Vintage style weddings

Rule of thumb is that something vintage is anything designed or made more than fifty (50) years ago but less than one hundred years ago. Any object created over 100 years ago is considered an antique. A vintage feel to a wedding has become more and more popular lately. There are a lot of brides who work with white milk glass pieces to achieve that look. I wanted to branch out from that and design flower arrangements using some alternatives. I've scoured antique shops, thrift shops, consignment shops, and flea markets for some different ideas. What I've found are soft colored ceramics, Depression glass (which comes in a variety of colors including green, pink, and blue) and pressed glass (patterns pressed into glass in molds). A “Shabby Chic” look would also have a vintage feel. In home decorating you think of distressed furniture and French linens. But at a wedding I think more about a look with a feminine touch or with tea stained accents, mismatched patterned linen patterns, and lots of white and soft colors like beige, sky blue, and mauve in ceramics. Worn garden items and lots of roses are also favored Shabby Chic elements. Art Deco was a movement that began in Paris in 1925 and spread to America by the 1930's and was most popular in the 1950’s. It is a symmetrical look more than asymmetrical. This style is often characterized by rich colors, bold geometric shapes, and lavish ornamentation. A calla lily is a perfect example of an "Art Deco" flower. Typical vintage flowers would include: Queen Anne’s lace, hydrangea, daisies, freesia, dahlias, and African violets. I've used wide open Campanella roses and Queen Anne's lace in a bouquet example on my table. My typewriter is a perfect vehicle to use to "write" a welcome letter to your guests or to display a menu.   I have filled a tall glass vase with rounds of thread.  Vintage linens are peeking out of a vintage style flower bos.  And I've used one of my many wooden soda boxes to hold flwoers in old Coke boxes.  All of the items and linens in the photographs are available to rent to my Whimsical Welcomes' brides.  If you have any questions - please send me an email at WhimsicalWelcomes@yahoo.com.

Victorian Style Weddings

If you were not able to come to the recent Bridal Blossoms Wedding Flower Show, I've got some photos of ideas to share over the next few weeks. If you have chosen to use a Victorian theme, keep in mind that the ladies of the Victorian era loved flowers with a strong fragrance and used lots of fern and foliage in their arrangements. Favorite flowers included: roses, lilies, orchids, grape hyacinth, tulips and jasmine. All of the flowers had meanings and were chosen for a wedding with that in mind. Most brides carried a white bouquet to symbolize their purity. Posy holders were popular at social events. Head-dresses of flowers were worn by many brides. And many of the ladies attending carried fancy hand fans. The Victorian era was a time of extravagance. Huge pyramids of flowers were not uncommon. Other types of arrangements included tall March stands, flowers in low concentric circles (Beidemeir style), and Pot a fleur style (foliage interspersed with flowers). While it would be quite expensive to replicate the extravagant arrangements that were popular in Victorian times, there are several ideas that will give a bride the same "feel". These ideas were displayed on my Victorian style table at Bridal Blossoms. Here are some of my suggestions as photographed: Collect ceramic or glass baskets for centerpieces. Use a white wicker basket for your flower girl. You can also use white wicker stands for the ceremony. You can make or purchase "corsets" for clear glass vases. Heavy cut glass vases of a variety of shapes work for a Victorian style wedding, particularly in compote or pedestal shapes. I've also placed peacock feathers in a glass fan shaped vase. In the center of this table I used a posy holder dripping with pearls. It holds sixteen different flowers. All of these items, plus more, are available for rent or purchase to my Whimsical Welcomes brides. Contact me for a consultation at WhimsicalWelcomes@yahoo.com