Real wedding at Tumblebrook Country Club

August 3, 2010 by Jessica Robinson

By now you know... one thing that absolutely brings a smile to my heart is the way a bride looks at her flowers for the first time and just glows!  (may times it will bring a tear to her eyes)  Which means we simply did our job and hopefully did it better than she would of ever imagined.  It's like reality hits her and the day has actually come to life.  And of course, I'm thrilled to say that Alissa Dinneen was there to capture the look on the lovely bride's face! 

This pretty spring wedding was held at Beth Israel in West Hartford, Connecticut and a lovely reception following at Tumblebrook Country Club.

 The bride carried a stunning hand-tied bouquet of pink peonies, ivory garden roses, pink ranunculus and pink cymbidium orchids, wrapped partially with ivory raw silk ribbon and pearl pins.  Boutonnieres coordinated with this beautiful bouquet.  We grow many different varieties of peonies in our gardens.  During the spring you'll also find tulips in our gardens along with blueberries and raspberries (that we pick unripe to use in our weddings).

Even a little rain couldn't put a damper on this happy couple's wedding day.  Smiles all around!

Real wedding at St. Clement's Castle

August 2, 2010 by Jessica Robinson

With all of good intentions when planning an outdoor ceremony, sometimes it's a good idea to have a backup plan.  We designed this wedding last October at St. Clement's Castle in Portland, Connecticut.  The old saying in New England about the weather is.... wait a minute and it will change.  It was cold, snowing, raining and sleeting on the October day that Kimberly and Gaetano were married. (the bride said her wedding was unique because of the chaos that surrounded the day)

Alissa Dinneen Photography captured all of the beautiful details of this romantic fall wedding.  The bride and groom originally had planned for a ceremony in the sunken gardens at St. Clement's... but Mother Nature had other plans.  So we created a warm and inviting ceremony space inside the ballroom.  After the ceremony, we transformed it into the most romantic receptions ever! 

It's important to keep in mind, while in the search for a great photographer, to find someone that can capture fabulous photos no matter what the weather throws at you!  As you can see, Alissa did a wonderful job being able to capture details of this couples day, even with the cold, wet snow that was falling out of our New England sky's. 

 This beautiful, hand-tied bouquet consisted of dark eggplant color mini calla lilies, 'milva' roses, 'black magic', rose hips and cinnamon color cymbidium orchids.  The stems were wrapped partially with a eggplant and mustard color striped ribbon.

 Her stunning gown was San Patrick which she purchased at Harold's in New Haven, Connecticut.  The bridesmaids gowns were also purchased there.

For a dramatic entrance piece, we created an over the top curly willow 'tree' centerpiece for her escort card table.  The tree was set in the center of a round table and completely surrounded by her favor/escort cards candy apples.  At the base of the tree were mini pumpkins, moss and more flower touches.

Custom created centerpieces with a rustic wooden base were overflowing at top with antique hydrangea, 'milva', 'black magic' and 'sexy red' roses, along with rose hips and seeded eucalyptus.  Detailed on the table with lady gala apples and moss.  Nothing said a wedding in New England more than these stunning centerpieces!  Cakes by Donna designed her delicious cake.

Real wedding at Hopmeadow Country Club

Another photographer that really grabs my attention is Joyelle West Photography.  Her work is simply stunning and perfectly flawless.  We had the absolute pleasure of working with her last September on this gorgeous wedding in Simsbury, Connecticut. 

Next October we'll be working with her again for a wedding at The Barn at Gibbet Hill.  There are so many stunning custom pieces we'll be creating for this wedding.  Including a canopy for the couple to be married under, created from old barn wood we salvaged.  The details are endless!

Her dress was simply divine.  Simplistic, but yet so pretty and romantic.  Her gown was from Felicity Couture.  The bridesmaids gowns were created by the fabulous Coren Moore.  The bride let each bridesmaid choose the gown that fit their style best.

The couple chose an afternoon ceremony at Ethel Walker Chapel and reception following at Hopmeadow Country Club.  The weather couldn't of been more perfect!  I LOVE September and October weddings in New England.  The weather is generally not too hot and not too cold.  The surroundings of Mother Nature during that time of year wrap us in beauty.  Colorful leaves falling in a cool breeze, pumpkins ripening in open fields and the smell of freshly squeezed apple cider remind of us home and comfort.

Fizz Paperie created all of the couples stationery, including some pretty spectacular invitations!  Here are some more of the details from this GORGEOUS wedding!  Her bouquets were a stunning collection of white mini calla lilies, white dahlias, button mums and our own farm picked snowberries.  I planted them a few years back when I realized they weren't easy to buy commercially. 

Hiring a friend

With the tough economic times, many couples are trying to figure out ways to cut corners and save a few dollars.  Keep in mind, if considering asking a friend to do something major for the wedding you might be sadly disappointed and possibly adding extra stress to your life.

I really believe that photography is a key component to any wedding.  After all is said and done, that's what you will have left to remember each and every moment.  Hiring a professionals photographer is tremendously important for stunning visual memories for years to come.  Some of my favorites are: Jamie Collins Photography, Alissa Dinneen Photography, Candace Jeffrey Photography, No Eye Has Seen Photography, Steve Depino and Justin & Mary Marantz.  Though you really need to interview them yourself, in person to see if you connect with them and how their pricing structure fits your needs.  Most of those photographers will go out of their way to accommodate you in every way, creating custom packages that fit your style and budget.

This is a wedding that Alissa Dinneen captured last summer at Jonathan Edwards Winery.  Such a gorgeous location!  She's an amazing artist capturing every detail in such perfect grace.

We recently worked with Jamie Collins Photography on the most fun photo shoot (although, to be honest I was really sick and had lots of great friends to help out that day)

After hearing other couple's experiences with friends saying they'll do something major for the wedding.  I would recommend using some caution.  You might have a friend that owns a bakery shop and they bake cakes for a living.  That might work out perfectly fine.  Many times, unfortunately things just don't work out and feelings end up hurt or you end up with an end result you are simply not pleased with.  Your wedding is probably one of the biggest events you will ever plan (or pay for) and it needs to be an event to remember. (no regrets)

You might think, oh I can do my own flowers.  But, where do you order the flowers from?  Who's going to help you put together bouquets on the morning of the wedding?  Where will you store the flowers?  Who's going to deliver them to the reception venue?? and so on.....Do you really want to stress over something like this?  You should relax and savor every little moment of your wedding day.  Leave the stress and the hours of putting together the flowers to us!  Planning such a big event requires organization and lots of man hours coordinating everything. 

Now, this is not to say I don't encourage some DIY elements to a wedding.  If you can take a few days off before the wedding to make last minute favors (like my chocolate caramel apples covered in toasted coconut)... I say do it!  I love adding personality to a wedding with DIY projects.  Create your own menu cards.  Things like this.  But, remember to plan ahead of time and don't overload yourself with a ton of projects that completely stress you out!  For my own wedding, I purchased a bunch of lanterns to line the sidewalks of our reception venue.  I dropped them off a few days prior to the wedding and left detailed instructions of what I wanted to do with them.

Real wedding at Society Room

This gorgeous hand-tied bouquet featured 'vendella' roses, white cymbidium orchids, ranunculus and fragrant sweet peas.  Twisted with ivory satin ribbon.

I love bouquets of white and green flowers.  Different textures and unique flower combination create a stunning bouquet.  One of the most beautiful flower for spring is ranunculus.  It's this delicate, yet stunning flower with a ton of petals that comes in a wide array of colors.  We've recently had a ton of new inquiries for spring and summer 2011 weddings.  I absolutely LOVE meeting new potential clients and coming up with new design concepts that will completely thrill the eye. 

Images were all captured for this beautiful wedding by Tony Spinelli Photography

The Society Room is one of the most stunning reception venues you could ever ask for.  The overall atmosphere is incredible!  With so much history, The Society Room is the perfect local for anyone fascinated with history and architecture.  Let their staff take care of everything and you'll be beyond satisfied.  Besides wonderful hospitality, you're taste buds will be thanking you over and over again.

Sara Faella's couture pieces

Sara Faella is the new and upcoming couture designer of accessories and head pieces for weddings and events.  She's also a make-up artist that will travel to you on the day of and take care of your every little need.  Sara has this amazing personality and can custom design something that fits your needs.  We recently had the pleasure of working with Sara Faella at our photo shoot a few weeks back.  She's just amazing!

Photos by Jamie Collins Photography

First Bloom Farm

I had the pleasure of meeting Maggie from First Bloom Farm today.  She grows seasonal flowers, herbs and so much more, organically.  I'm loving all the things she grows and we'll be ordering some for our Farmer's Museum wedding in late August.  Millet, basil and salvia will make the perfect addition to Caitlin's wedding. 

We have many things growing in our gardens for our weddings this year.  Including a number of grasses, lavender, mint, dahlias, statice and hydrangea.  This fall we'll plant over 1,200 tulips to harvest in the spring for weddings.  In the spring, our gardens are heavenly with nearly 40 peony plants.  I love picking unripe blueberries out of the garden for an organic touch to boutonnieres.  In September and October we have snowberries to pick for the most beautiful addition to any bouquet.