Planning & Inspiration

Fall in Love : Designing the Perfect Autumn Wedding

It’s that time of year again, when the air turns cool & crisp, and the leaves light up with fantastic warm shades.  Fall is the most popular season for weddings, and with good reason. “Fall is when mother nature is showing off!” says Creative Director Lindsay Saltz, “and the fall foliage serves as a perfect design backdrop.”

 

 

We’ve found that a lot of clients don’t want to necessarily play into the classic fall colors – and we don’t blame them. While orange, red, yellow, and caramel can bring festive warmth to your color scheme, there are some great alternatives that will really play up the seasonal backdrop while keeping your colors modern and unique.
Read More

Planning & Inspiration

Interview with Ron Ben-Israel of RBI Cakes

Ron Ben-Israel / Photo by Kris Mae Weiss

Ron Ben-Israel / Photo by Kris Mae Weiss

 

World-renowned cake maker and a master in the art of decorative sugar, Ron Ben-Israel was aptly dubbed “the Manolo Blahnik of wedding cakes” by the New York Times in 2014.

After serving in the Israeli military and touring the world as a professional modern dancer, Ron began baking; a pursuit inspired by his Viennese mother, who passed on a fascination with the discipline and chemistry of cake construction.  He was discovered by Martha Stewart in 1995, when she was drawn to one of his cakes in a bakery store window. Stewart was starting a wedding magazine at the time and called Ron in to meet her, encouraging him to start his own business.
Read More

Bridal Bouquet - Hannah & Tonni Wedding- The Garrison NJ- By Melissa Kruse Photography

Weddings

Hannah + Tonni: Rustic Charm in the Hudson Highlands

Ceremony / Hannah & Tonni / The Garrison / Melissa Kruse Photography

Ceremony / Hannah & Tonni / The Garrison / Melissa Kruse Photography

 

Hannah and Tonni were married this past June before spectacular views of the Hudson River and Catskill mountains, at a sprawling countryside retreat in the Hudson Highlands. Hannah and Tonni spent a romantic getaway at a cabin in the Catskills early on in their courtship, after they met volunteering with Friendship Circle, an organization for kids with special needs in New York City.  It was at the very same cabin two years later, that Toni surprised Hannah by popping the question!

 

 

The ceremony took place beneath a marvelous wisteria archway with pops of peach, white, blush, and cream cascading down the front, adorned with lush woven greenery.  We love how these fresh blooms popped in the day and softened with the beautiful sunset come evening.
Read More

Thai Floral Garlands via Thai Top Wedding

Planning & Inspiration

Floral Wedding Traditions from Around the World

It’s easy to take for granted the wedding traditions we know so well, such as the first dance or tossing the bouquet. But our wedding ceremonies, rituals, and festivities vary greatly from culture to culture, including how we incorporate blooms & botanicals. Today we take a look at some floral wedding traditions from around the world, from competitive garland-giving to double bridal bouquets.

Italy

Italian Wedding Car Flowers via Whimsical Wonderland Weddings / Aynhoe Park / Alexa Loy Photography

Italian Wedding Car Flowers via Whimsical Wonderland Weddings / Alexa Loy Photography

 

We’ve all seen movies where the bride & groom clank away in their decked out wedding car, but in Italy it’s often a reality for the couple to make their first exit as man and wife in a car covered in fresh blooms.  As they drive off to wedded bliss, passersby will honk and shout “Auguri!” to wish the new couple a long and joyous marriage.
Read More

Nicole / Nicole & Frank / The Woodmere Club / Brett Matthews Photography

Weddings

Nicole + Frank : Modern Magic at The Woodmere Club

Nicole and Frank met in August 2007, on a cruise ship called The Norwegian Dawn, where they were vacationing separately with their families. After exchanging glances in the gym, their paths crossed again at dinner, where Frank claims it was “love at second sight.”

For years, Nicole talked about how much she wanted a black-and-white French bulldog to name Tuxedo, but always stopped herself from going through with the adoption due to her busy work schedule.  Turns out Frank was listening!

Nicole & Tuxedo

Nicole & Tuxedo

 

On a Wednesday night in November 2014, Frank was moving the last of his boxes into their new shared apartment in Williamsburg.  But when Nicole opened the door to help him carry what she assumed was a box of clothes, she was greeted instead by an eight-week-old black and white French bulldog with an engagement ring around his neck. “I will never forget that day!” says Nicole, “I did not know what to pay attention to first – the puppy or the ring?”
Read More

Birch Archway / Shelley and Safa / Gurneys Montauk / Flora and Fauna

Beach Chic at Gurney’s Montauk

There’s nothing quite like saying “I Do” with the sea as your venue! Shelley and Safa embraced the last of the summer sun in their wedding at Gurney’s Montauk.

 

 

The beautiful couples’ relaxed vibe was felt through the entire space with natural and overgrown floral elements, whimsical touches, and a Bollywood-pop flash mob at their reception! Shelley and Safa have a very funny story of meeting as told by their maid of honor. “Safa, you met Shelley…when she was your boss,” their maid of honor started. “And now she’s your wife, so really not much has changed!”

When it came time to celebrate their love in front of their friends and family, Shelley and Safa commissioned the services of husband and wife planning team Whimsy Weddings, who we’ve worked with on quite a few beautiful nuptials!

The theme of the day was beach chic – a kind of low-key elegance that perfectly matched this couple’s playful demeanor. The bride wore a gorgeous long-sleeved A-line lace wedding gown with a simple bateau neckline and a beautiful brush train. Her bridesmaids coordinated with her blush, mauve and burgundy palette wearing different shades of purples and pinks in a variety of silhouettes, reinforcing the casual chic theme of the day.

Shelley insisted on a refined and elegant flower crown to accompany her gorgeous updo. It featured baby’s breath, ruscus, jasmine and spray roses. Everyone carried whimsical bouquets of cafe au lait dahlias, roses and spray roses, ranunculus, scabiosa, astilbe, jasmine, dusty miller and Italian ruscus, tied in gold and ivory satin. “With Shelley and her lovely maids bouquets, we kept the focus on creating rustic elegance by giving the bouquets movement and creating an organic shape,” recalls Bride & Blossom founder Rachel Trimarco. The groom coordinated with his beautiful bride with a boutonniere made of ivory garden rose, jasmine vine and ruscus, tied in ivory ribbon. The groomsmen sported interesting boutonnieres of cream astilbe, ivory spray roses and Italian ruscus.

With less than 175 guests, their intimate beach ceremony faced the calming ocean and featured a beautiful white birch wedding arch adorned with cafe au lait dahlias, quicksand and tibet roses, cream astilbe and hydrangea, plum scabiosa and a variety of greenery including jasmine vine, Italian ruscus, lemon leaf and dusty miller. The setting September sun created a warm glow and the couple recited their vows and became man and wife.



We typically see brides and grooms embrace florals for their escort card tables, but Shelley and Safa had a different idea in mind to welcome guests to the reception. Instead of traditional place cards, tequila shots awaited each guest with a lime wedge and their names displayed on toothpicks, which looked like little sailboats! It was definitely a fun and silly way to welcome guests into a night of great food and dancing. A miniature Hulk Hogan also made a few appearances, our favorite in which he held up a sign encouraging guests to take pictures on disposable cameras and sign the couple’s guestbook! The reception featured beautiful and large low centerpieces to keep the space intimate. Sitting atop low birch cylinder vases, we arranged cafe au lait and plum dahlias, quicksand and juliet roses, scabiosa flowers and pods, jasmine vine, dusty miller and Italian ruscus into a rustic and romantic centerpiece. Guests enjoyed their night on the dancefloor when a massive flash mob came out to get the party started!

Wedding Film

 

Wedding Vendors

 

Planner: Whimsy Weddings

Venue: Gurney’s Montauk

Photographer: Love Flora Fauna

Videographer: SparkStory Wedding Cinema