Favorites of the Year-with more to come.....

I think of all 777 images of Jessie and Doug's wedding this one is my favorite.  I get to relive that happy moment when she stretched across a puddle to give me a kiss right after coming back down the aisle.    I'll never forget the happiness of this day.  I love that Matthew Tennison had his camera glued to his eye and didn't miss a single precious moment. I  also love seeing a man holding a bouquet.

Jessie and Doug adore their 5 little nephews. Just look at those cute little faces.

THE Matthew Tennison, our hero-and Sondra say cheeeze.

The perfect bridal party picture.

............what's on his mind?

He's checking out the bling on the bouquet stems!!

There are so many more fun pictures, but that's for another time.

Happy New Year everyone!

Wedding Art

Jessie and Doug received yet another beautiful wedding gift on Christmas Day:

 A painting of their wedding begun on-site by artisit Nancy Perotti.  We were so pleased with what she chose to paint and how wonderfully they turned out; what a treasure.

 Jessie and Doug really love art, in fact they first met in a high school art class, so they really appreciate this.

 Lighting their candle in prayer is a great reminder of the spirtitual significance of their marriage.

  I love how Nancy captured the details of pansies down the aisle and the hanging vases of flowers in trees.

In the shadows we can see Erika and Jessie's new sis, Sondra.

Nancy surprised us with another painting of the parade of children.

When I asked Nancy about the concept of painting on site during a ceremony she was excited about the idea, and agreed to do that for us.  The dampness in the air that day made it difficult to do, but she certainly didn't disappoint us.  She finished her work from photos she took while there and the end result was beyond what I imagined.  It meant a lot to me that she was willing to do that, and the best part is that Jessie and Doug will always have a piece of art to remember their wedding day.

Want to contact Nancy Perotti to paint your wedding?

sunflowergallery@yahoo.com

Welcome to My Home this Christmas

My intention was to get pictures of all my holiday decorating and starting with the back porch door, invite you in. (Don 't they say back door guests are best?) However I am a very, very poor, photographer and I couldn't get any lighting right with my little digital camera, so this is all I have.  Even this isn't good, but I wanted all of you blog watchers to know that I would've loved to welcome you into my home this Christmas to have a cup of coffee and some homemade sugar cookies and a little inspirational 'wedding talk'. 

This is the time of year that I really enjoy switching gears for a short time and focusing on the wonderful Christmas Season.  Then in January I'm diving into all my new wedding books (that hopefully will be under the Christmas tree), signing up for design seminars and looking for new ones to attend this winter.  I take some time to sift thru all of  the pictures I've tried to take of our work-and decide which are going to make it onto the website or blog, as well as gathering from my photographer friends some of their fabulous images of our work.

  I also love to have some of my 'wedding friends',  over for lunch to chat about all things wedding.  Last year we took a  'field trip together to NYC to a big Bridal Show, which was great fun!

 And best of all I spend lots of time meeting with brides, grooms and moms to plan their wedding flower decor.

It's been a great year and I'm so thankful for each wedding we were blessed to do.  So in closing on this last blog before Christmas (well, maybe I'll do another one-) I leave you with an image of this inspirational carved frame I have in my home.  It's one that makes me stop and think- and try hard as the New Year approaches, to remember to apply these things to my life. Hope you get something out of it too.

Merry, Merry Christmas

Best of Weddings Show 2009

Well, it was the wedding show of my dreams!  No cramped 10x10 vendor booths and a maze for the crowds to push thru.  It was wedding eye -candy to the max!!!  Such tremendous attendance and so much wedding buzz that it made all the hard work and expense so worth it. 
Jonnaysa Kirkham gets the credit for Wedding Show perfection! You wanna talk about passion, energy and attention to detail???....she had all the bases covered and was relaxed, calm and smiling all day long.

This was the Spring Display using Tulips swirled under-water with a floating candle and lovebirds.

Couples with a tight wedding budget appreciate the simple, yet unusual centerpieces.

Leslie Gilbert just sent me a few shots she took of our team's Heritage Ballroom on the third floor of the Lancaster Convention Center.  Check out her blog for the 2nd floor team's display.

This was a guest table in our Winter display.  We used white birch branches in our footed cylinder vase with crushed ice and white tulips.  Tulips are one flower that continue to stretch and grow in the warmth of candles and the lighting in the room.  These tulips definitely stretched that day!

In our Fall display we used a giant artichoke for the center of long tables that formed an X. It was filled with purple artichokes, Scarlet O'Hara Peonies, Silver Dollar Eucalyptus, Purple Intergrefolia and Parrot Tulips.

 It would be ideal for a small wedding where all the guests sit at one large table for a wedding feast, or as an over-sized Head Bridal Table.

And then of course the purple Cauliflower.

It was fantastic working with a first-class team of Central Pa. wedding vendors.

Rod Shumaker,

Renee Connors

Martine Cajas

Jeremy Hess

Cynthia Fry

Events Central

If you want to see Jeremy Hess' pictures then log onto:  www.pictage.com/758759

The event key will be: November22

As of today, Tuesday the 24th, they are still being prepared for publishing. But keep checking back in.

More images will be posted when I receive them.

Happy Thanksgiving Everyone!  Let's be mindful of all our blessings.

Would you believe... Purple Cauliflower?

On my weekly trip to one of my many favorite  'happy places', which is downtown Lancaster's Central Market, I saw something that inspired me for one of the 4 Season's table displays at the Best of Weddings Show.
 If you come to the Show, find me and mention that you saw this on my blog and you will have your choice of flowers from any of my 4 displays at the end of the show.

The Halloween Wedding

The couple planned a hot air balloon wedding but the weather didn't allow for the balloon to launch, so the wedding took place at the Eden with just the closest family members.

The Bride's favorite holiday is halloween so she wanted her flowers, centerpieces and wedding cake to reflect it.

I designed her bouquet with Orange LA Lilies and black raven feathers.  The stems were wrapped in black ribbon with orange button details.

Centerpieces were hurricane globes with lots of spiders crawling over it and black candles. Flowers used were  orange mini Gerbera, Pumpkin tree, Japanese lanterns, Kangaroo Paws and Curly Willow tips.

The wedding cake was made by Renee of Bella Manse.  Notice the 2 little bats flying against the moon!

Only 2 more weeks until the biggest, best wedding show around: 

http://www.bestofweddingsbridalshow.com/

Are you coming???

Catching up on a couple recent weddings.

 From the first wedding at the Cork Factory.  Green Mini-Cymbidiums

                       

Kristi was a wonderful bride to plan wedding decor with.  She had so many decorative elements that she really loved and  wanted to somehow have all of them.

The elegant reception was held at the new Marriott in downtown Lancaster.

 The beautiful bride carried an all white bouquet of Hydrangeas, Lisianthus and Freesia.

  Bridesmaids wore gorgeous black dresses, and carried hot pink and light pink Roses with pink Hypericum .

Rehearsal dinner centerpieces made of Spider Mums in black vases did double-duty on the credenza in the pre-function area.

A classy display of Manzanita branches with Good Wish cards to hang and rose petals was the first taste of all the good things awaiting inside the ballroom for the guests.

The Head Table was a grand size with a gorgeous lacey, sequined overlay that sparkled like diamonds under the professional lighting done by Studio Jenz, a local event company. One hundred -twenty white Super Dendrobium Orchids were bursting out of our new footed cylinder vases and placed down the length of the extra-long table.  If you look closely at the head table, you'll see the place cards are those folded paper finger games we used to make when we were kids to guess who we would marry.  Kristi loves the details....my kind of bride!

An elegant pink candy buffet was being set up by Marriott staff when we were leaving.  (Sorry, no picture )

Wedding Planner Jonnaysa Kirkham and her team were as always, a delight to work with.

Beautiful wedding cake by Rosie's Creative Cakes

Leslie Gilbert Photography documented the day.  Her blog slide show is amazing!

Congratulations Kristi and Jeff. We loved being involved in such a wonderful day in your lives.  ATB wishes you a happy lifelong blessed marriage.

Next post:  A Halloween Wedding!