One of my favorite Sacramento weddings of the year was Mindy + Matt’s Italian inspired wedding which took place at Young’s Vineyard in Plymouth, California this Summer.  It was also just recently featured on weddingchannel.com!

Catriona Arcularius of Arcularius Events helped Mindy + Matt plan their wedding, and no detail was left untouched!  From sandals for their guests to lounge in, to sparklers to finish off the evening…. the attention to detail didn’t go unnoticed.  { I just LOVE it when brides really shine their personality through from start to finish!! }

Mindy’s colors were cornflower blue paired with peach.  The wedding ceremony featured a burlap lined aisle with brown cones filled with flowers.  Guests enjoyed cocktails amongst wine barrels, mason jars filled with flowers and specialty drinks focused on Italia!

The reception took place under an open air tent { my favorite new spin on the traditional tent} accented with long king’s tables topped with burlap runners.  Table numbers featured Italian cities, custom created by the bride herself.  It was the perfect touch! Centerpieces in wooden wine crates were filled with peach blossoms as well as blue flowers.  Flowers used included: peach roses, peach stock, dahlias, delphinium, jasmine vine for a bit of fragrance and hydrangeas.  We added a variety of greenery to add to the outdoor-rustic feel.  The centerpieces were tied together with smilax vine lined with votive filled mason jars.

Mindy’s bouquet was created with peach garden roses, tuberose to add a tinge of peach color, green helleborus {so gorgeous!}, calcynia, freesia and a brooch from Mindy’s family.

Guests enjoyed great wine, a cool evening from the warm day, tunes from Joe with Extreme Productions DJ’s and a star filled sky!  Congratulations Mindy + Matt!

Here are some images captured by Ashley Forrette Photography.

Are you a Sacramento bride in need of some inspiration?  Want to come enjoy an afternoon of being pampered, as well as seeing some of the latest trends, beautiful gowns and awesome Sacramento wedding vendors?  Well, then you need to come to The Designer Showcase and Symposium hosted by Wish Bridal.

Admittance is free with a small donation:  bring in a gently used bra for the [BRA]VO Campaign for local homeless shelters and help support our community.

By Invitation Only:  If you are interested, please rsvp at idobridalconsignment@yahoo.com.

When:  Sunday, December 6th, 2009 from 1-4 pm

Where:  Negative Space Studio |  2114 P Street, Sacramento

For more information, please visit wishbridal.com

This is a follow-up to a previous post on the October wedding we worked on which will be featured on WE tv’s reality show “Platinum Weddings.” Frank and Charity’s reception transformed the already stunning Arden Hills into a masterpiece!

Along with their wedding planner, Aimee Wendell of 2 Chic Events and Design, Frank and Charity created an uber-chic lounge for their guests to enjoy cocktails, followed by a reception to remember!

The Heritage room was fully draped by CMC events, and finished off with hanging crystals and some awesome lighting!

For the tables, Charity wanted something very sleek and modern, and for someone who doesn’t looove flowers {….it hurts me to say this}, the focus was on clean lines and bling!  The five foot tall centerpieces were created with hand painted silver manzanita, a clear cylindrical vase filled with ice gems, and over 350 Swarovski crystals per centerpiece!  Totally bling!  Each centerpiece was lit by an LED platform to illuminate the gems and crystals in the branches.

A candy display featured upgraded couture linens from the fabulous Mimi & Co..  Mimi & Co. also did fully custom chair covers with a rose accent on the back of each chair!

Photo By: Christopher Kight Photography

Photo By: Christopher Kight Photography

Photo By: Christopher Kight Photography

Photo By: Allison Stahl Photography

About a month ago we were hired to do the flowers for a local wedding which will be featured on the WE tv series, “Platinum Weddings.” The crazy part of this whole story is that we were hired less than 36 hours prior to the wedding!  Considering that clients normally hire our services a year to nine months in advance, this was a rare occurrence, especially for a wedding to be featured on reality tv!

With six hours to meet with their wedding planner: 2 Chic Events and Design, put a floral order together, and make it to the S.F. Flower Market, we were extremely lucky that we got all of the necessary items needed….the day before the wedding! {FYI,  we normally place our floral orders with much time in advance so that we can guarantee the availability of the flowers, get in any specialty items and special order hard-goods. }

Frank and Charity were married at the St. Peter and Paul Catholic Church in Rocklin, with a reception followed at the beautiful Arden Hills Resort.  Their style:  Modern Elegance.

Charity’s bouquets for the bridal party and herself were created with ‘Vendella’ roses along with ivory spray roses.  Each bouquet was collared off with ostrich feathers.  Charity’s bouquet was finished off with the most gorgeous Swarovski crystal band, simply amazing!  The simplicity of her bouquet was the perfect compliment to her custom-made couture gown created by Miosa Couture.

For the church decor, each pew end had a pillow of roses with long ivory hanging wide satin ribbon.  At the altar, two full arrangements of roses framed the couple.

We can’t wait to share more of the details, especially the stunning reception, so stay tuned!

Photos By:  Christopher Kight Photography

More and more brides these days are trying to cut costs for their wedding day by hiring a “friend” or “family member” who knows how to make a cake, take photography, do flowers or create videos.  I am sure you have heard this before…. or are you one of these brides?

As a wedding professional, yes, I said professional– this is not a hobby, not something I do every now and then, this is what I do week in and week out. Here’s a question:  Would you hire a friend to invest your money in the stock market because he/she has “had some experience,”  I think not, so why would you trust a hobbyist to handle the biggest day of your life?  The point I am trying to make is that I have heard countless horror stories of how these so-called helpers actually turn out to be hindrances on your most special day.  Who wants a wedding cake that is toppling over because Aunt Suzy didn’t properly place dowels through the tiers, or who wants their photos to be ruined because they  let an amateur capture their day?

Your wedding is just too important to put into the hands of people who don’t do this for a living.  Here’s a little bullet point list of why you should hire a professional when it comes to your wedding:

• No room for mistakes. A professional has a reputation that is at stake, he/she is there to make all of your requests come to reality.  Having an official contract and expectations… because you are paying them, holds people accountable for their services.  If a friend or a family member is providing a service, they may cut corners or do things inexpensively because they know you on a personal level, not business level.

• Experience, experience, experience. As I mentioned before, a true wedding professional does weddings throughout the year, and knows how to deal and prevent bad circumstances from happening.  There have been many times where I as a florist have been asked to help to fix a problem other than flowers on a wedding day because somewhere along the lines a professional was not hired.

• It’s not a personal relationship, it’s business. Sometimes mixing family and friends into business dealings can create for some unneeded tension and unfortunately burned bridges. Telling your future mother-in-law that her contribution of hand-made invitations is not your style is much harder than just hiring a professional to create exactly what you are looking for.

• Professionals have connections. Getting in touch with the right professionals can have many added benefits.  As for my business, I am often asked for advice when it comes to colors, decor, ideas, and other vendor referrals in addition to flowers.  My clients see the added benefit of “picking my brain” to solve problems because they know that I do, attend, and see weddings all the time.  There is more than just the service of floral designs that I offer for my clients.

• Is it worth the time? When it is all said and done, is it worth the time and risk invested in doing it yourself?  Will your family and friends really enjoy your day while they are stuck working?  For myself, I have found that hiring a professional can be well worth the dollar sign, rather than trying to figure out how to do things, and ending up with sub-par results.

What it ultimately and unfortunately comes down to is price for these brides.  Now, I am not saying that you have to spend a fortune to have a wedding with no hiccups, but you are definitely going to pay for a professional with professional services.  For the biggest day of your life, I don’t see why anyone would chance hiring someone without experience and having doubt, rather than hiring someone who’s dedicated to surpassing your expectations.  So, before you set your mind on saving a few extra dollars by hiring a “friend” or “family member,” consider what could go wrong, why you might want to hire a professional, and what you truly want for your wedding day.  Happily Ever After!

In Early Spring, I was asked to create some flowers for a photo shoot held at Carvahlo Family Winery at the Old Sugar Mill in Clarksburg, California.  The sweet, and oh so talented Sharon Hoyt with Sharon Hoyt Photography captured the day.  You can check out Sharon’s work by visiting her captivating website, I just love it!

Carvahlo Family Winery at the Old Sugar Mill is one of Sacramento’s newest, chic venues for weddings and events.  Mixing a rustic backdrop of what used to be an operating sugar mill with an indoor facility that can suit any brides taste, this venue has so many photographic opportunities!

This plum hand-tied style bouquet was created with burgundy dahlias, pink miniature calla liles, pink hydrangea, and tulips.  Embellishments of iridescent orbs and a few hanging ribbon tails adds a fresh look to this hand-tied style bouquet.

Sacramento is showcasing new trends in the event industry and we are taking it “Beyond

Platinum.” “Beyond Platinum” will highlight the top vendor talent from Sacramento, San

Francisco and Napa Valley to create a showcase of ideas and inspiration unlike any the

region has seen before.

The event will expose attendees to a unique atmosphere where guests can feel, taste,

experience and touch the latest trends and styles.

Beyond Platinum was created by Exquisite Events & Entertainment and Arden Hills

Resort Club & Spa to bring you the latest trends from New York to San Francisco while

highlighting some of the top wedding & event professionals in Sacramento, Napa Valley

and the Bay Area.

Be the first to incorporate the latest ideas to make your event a trend setter.

Be inspired as we take you coast to coast and country to country for the latest trends,

table décor, floral design, over the top cakes, delicious cuisine, and much more. The goal

is to leave guests with inspiration and ideas for taking their event “Beyond Platinum.”