I’ve had the pleasure of working with Elizabeth and David on their upcoming wedding at the Ivy Room! We’ve been assembling an all-star cast of vendors, including Limelight Catering, The Flower Firm, and Avery House, the fabulous photographers who sent me these beautiful engagement photos to share:
Meet Maddy, Elizabeth & David’s adorable boxer who absolutely had to be included in the shoot!
Elizabeth is so, so pretty!
All photos courtesy of Avery House
Did you see Part 1 of Meredith & Brad’s wedding?
Just look at those beautiful red amaryllis blossoms crowning the escort card table… they are actually in a vase of milk! Very cool and unusual, by Asrai Garden.
Meredith & Brad’s beautiful invitation suite by Orange Beautiful.
One of the many fun details was the friends and family wedding photo wall that we helped them assemble. Guests had a wonderful time looking for their photos!
Meredith & Brad individually spray painted tons of glass vases white so that they resembled milk glass, and then Asrai Garden filled them with striking red and white blooms! Love the look of collection centerpieces.
I’m just obsessed with their red, white and grey color scheme… perfect for December without being too holiday-theme-y!
Wow, you have no idea how hard it was to narrow down our favorite pictures to feature… there were SO MANY gorgeous ones!! Shoutouts to our friends at Pen Carlson!
Happy Rainy Friday! This dreary weather is a nice reminder that it is in fact, Spring! And not some bizarre hybrid Spring/Summer.
Today I’m featuring one of my favorite flowers: the Anemone! (Yes, spelled and pronounced just like the sea creature). They come in a beautiful rainbow of pastel and jewel tones, but what I love most is their black centers. So striking and dramatic, yet ruffly and feminine.
Via theknot
Via Chiaroscuro
They are gorgeous en masse by themselves, or nestled as accents in a lush bouquet of spring bloom like peonies and ranuculous:
Branching Out Floral Design via Crooked Stove Top
Have a wonderful weekend!
Our last wedding of 2011 was Meredith & Brad’s wedding at Architectural Artifacts, one of the most unique venues in Chicago! (If you haven’t been to AA, you definitely should, it’s open daily to the public!) The husband and wife team of Pen Carlson were photographers on my *I WANT TO WORK WITH THEM* list for ages, and they did not disappoint! Asrai Garden created lush florals in shades of white and silver with pops of red.
Meredith was a stunning bride, rocking the bright red lips and an old Hollywood glam look… not everyone can pull that off, but she certainly did! Meredith and Brad were such a relaxed and gracious couple, we loved helping them pull together their wedding which was a wonderful reflection of their warm personalities … what a great way to end our 2011 wedding season!
I loved her white and silver bouquet of peonies, anemonies, garden roses, brunia berries and dusty miller!
I love this Kiss shot!!
Part 2 coming up next week!
Venue: Architectural Artifacts
Photographers: Pen Carlson
Wedding Coordination: Sweetchic Events
Caterer: Hearty Boys
DJ: Rachel & Kate of Toast & Jam
Floral: Asrai Garden
Lighting & Draping: Chicago Lighting Design
Hair & Makeup: Tigerlilie Salon
For someone who is not a florist, I sure do talk about flowers a lot!! Only because I lurve, lurve, LURVE flowers!
One of my June brides and I had a meeting with her florist Fleur yesterday. We had a conversation about orchids… which made me realize that with so many varieties, brides are having a hard time determining what’s what! So here are the top 4 orchid varieties I see most frequently used in weddings. Keep in mind that there are thousands of varieties of orchids, and they are available in almost every color – and color combination – imaginable!
Dendrobium Orchids: Probably amongst the most cost effective and economical variety, but delicate and dainty with many blossoms to each stem
Mokara Orchids: In my opinion, the mokaras look more tropical and exotic than the dendrobiums, with smaller petals and often with “speckles” all over
Cymbidium Orchids: Available in a “mini” size as well as a larger size. Cymbidiums are super hearty with thicker petals and a deep colored speckled “throat” area
Phaelenopsis Orchids: So many brides LOVE phaelenopsis orchids, and with good reason! But they come with a hefty price tag!!
Are you an orchid fan and do you have a favorite?
My name is Charlene Liang, owner of Sweetchic Events, Inc. a boutique event-consulting firm in the Chicago area, specializing in full service wedding planning and month-of coordination. For more information, click here to send me an email.
