Katie Elfers Inspired Floral Design

great things are a-comin'

noreply@blogger.com (Katie) — Thu, 17 Dec 2009 05:21:00 +0000

Wow... what a year! 2009 has been a year of great strides, big changes, awesome opportunities, huge lessons learned and NOT ENOUGH blogging!! There are so many great photos waiting to be shared from weddings this summer and fall and the slow winter season will be a great opportunity for me to catch you all up on what we've been so busy doing. :)

As I begin to evaluate the year personally and professionally I'm deeply humbled by the amount of trust and support that's been given to me. Brace yourselves, I'm going sappy on you...

My family really embraced this crazy ride of running a small business along with me and everyone has begun to really own in their hearts this new family member we've found in Inspired Floral Design. My kids continue to remind of the joy found in "playing with flowers". My husband has even learned how to wire orchids at lightening speed. He encourages me when the hours are long and tiresome. He empowers me to keep dreaming and continuously reminds me why I started this journey in the first place.

The Inspired Floral Design family grew by 2 special people this year also. I wouldn't be able to do what I do without a team of equally devoted designers. Anne and Rachel were both answered prayers to me this year. We're family, and there's nothing "work" about it when the three of us are together. We challenge and support each other professionally and personally to be the very best versions of ourselves possible. There's something so awesome about working with a group of friends where we can crank out the work at hand while talking about everything from home decor ideas, swapping recipes, sharing stories about the wacky job of being a wife/mother/daughter/sister/friend, discussing our dreams for the future, even those things that scare the pants off us. You both are my family now and wherever the road takes each of us, it's been an awesome ride!

We are very fortunate to have an abundance of talent in the Cincinnati area. I'm so happy that 2009 brought opportunities to claim many of these brilliant men and women, artists and business owners as friends, not just associates in the same industry. The list of wickedly talented photographers, videographers, bakers, coordinators, stylists, and especially other floral designers that I look to for inspiration is long.

Of course, this year would be nothing without all the amazing couples I've been fortunate enough to work with. You are the backbone to all of this and I'm always so humbled when a couple entrusts me with the florals for their wedding. You challenge me to stay creative and fresh. You remind me of the love and joy that went into planning my own wedding and the infiite possibilities that come with being in love. It's what reminds me to do everything I do with love and to the very best of my abilities.

So... hang on until January. I'm hanging out with my family for a few weeks, but big things are coming and I will keep everyone posted :)

And, since blog posts are boring without pictures... a sneek peek at one of the photos of our work from the winter edition of Cincinnati Wedding Magazine that hits newstands today.

Schedule and Availability

noreply@blogger.com (Katie) — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 17:56:00 +0000

So, I hate that I'm having to use my blog to post this, but feel it's the best way to ensure that anyone needing to reach me knows what to expect.

Over the last 3 weeks, I have had quite a few different things demanding my time and attention outside of my usual work load making it difficult for me to get to everything as timely as I would have liked. I feel it's important to keep my current clients as a top priority and in order to devote as much of my time and resources to them as possible I must lighten the workload everywhere else.

Within the next few weeks I should be able to resume my full work schedule of both current and new clients. Anyone waiting on quotes/appointments/responses to questions from me will receive a response within the next 10 days. I apologize for any delay you've experienced and I appreciate your patience and understanding. Anyone interested in scheduling a consult request, I will begin scheduling new clients after Thanksgiving weekend.

I intentionally created my business to be smaller to allow me to focus on my clients and deliver the time and attention that I feel every wedding deserves. I purposely did not set myself up to operate like a traditional retail florist. I am a very small operation where I must wear many hats within the business. I cannot take on the same work flow and must schedule my time differently to allow time for both my clients and my personal life as a stay-at-home mother of 3.

If you need to reach me, it would be helpful to know that my schedule is completely dedicated to executing the given week's events from Wednesday afternoon until Sunday morning (except for a scheduled break to check email and voice mail for anything urgent pertaining to current events). I can best be reached Monday or Tuesday from 10 am to 4 pm or Wednesday morning until about noon.

I know how stressful of a process it can be planning a wedding and choosing vendors that will be the best fit for your asthetic, budget, personality, etc. I apologize to those who've been waiting to hear back from me. I realize it's frustrating and appreciate your patience and understanding.

~katie

Tag Team Champs, 5 Years Running

noreply@blogger.com (Katie) — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 14:59:00 +0000

I seem to remember the weather being equally rainy and gloomy on this day in 2004. But we weren't about to let the day be anything less than amazing just because of a little (okay a lot) of rain. Besides, it's good luck, right?!

5 years ago today I married my best friend. A man who loves me and supports me better than anyone in the world ever could... even when I'm tough to love.

Seems like everything around us has grown so much in the last 5 years... our family, our careers, our dreams, our worries, our goals, our patience, our tolerance, but mostly our respect and love for one another.

What a crazy ride, Ray... wouldn't dream of it being any different. Thanks for loving me, picking me up when I fall, pushing me to dream bigger and teaching me what it means to be a partner.

00
katie

photos by Steve Lyons

June Weddings

noreply@blogger.com (Katie) — Tue, 29 Sep 2009 02:07:00 +0000

so... been really behind on blogging, I know! This summer has been an absolute riot and we had so much fun with all our couples. The photos are starting to roll in and I have lots to share. Here's a look at a few of our June couples (July and August are coming next!):

Sarah & Jim 6.20.09

Now here's a girl who knew what she wanted! Sarah wanted a black and white wedding with pops of big personality. She got that and then some! Peacock feathers accented everything from her dress, the boutonnieres, ceremony decor and centerpieces.

Sarah wanted... no HAD to have white anemones with black centers. Like I feared it would've ruined her day if she couldn't have them. So seeing as how I'm always out to ensure that I do my part to make a happy bride I went on a mission.

Anemones aren't just 'kind-of' out of season in June... they're impossible. I tried every hemisphere on the globe to no avail. So with her options of other white and black flowers not measuring up on the sass-factor, we decided to go with silks to keep her original vision in mind. I had nightmares of cheap plastic flowers and went to the ends of the interwebz to find a high quality, life-like silk at a price point that wouldn't break the bank. I think the final product turned out just as pretty as that infamous bouquet off Martha Stewart. Take a look...

Photography: Daphne Photo Studio, see more of this wedding {here}

Venue: Bell Event Center

____________________________________________

Whitney & Nick 6.26.09

Whitney was one of my first clients. We met what seems like an eternity prior to her actual wedding. Love her, love her mother, love how much Nick just loves her and her crazy ideas.

The theme was red carpet-vintage hollywood using red, white and gold. Whitney pulled it off and then some. Her venue, her dress (props to Mr. Tony King for pushing the elbow length gloves to go with the dress... really completed the look!!), every detail reflected this theme and it all came together beautifully.

Whitney's bouquet was an all white mix of peonies, irises, gardenias and cymbidium orchids accented with ostrich feathers. Her bridesmaids carried more dramatic bouquets of burgundy peonies, Black Bacarra roses, burgundy dahlias, cymbidium orchids and black ostrich feathers. The boutonnieres incorporated complimenting cymbdium orchids and peacock feathers.

Vendors Included:

Photography: TM Photography

Venue: 20th Century Theater

Coordinator: Tres Chic Event Planning

_________________________________________

KC & Antwan 6.26.09

This black, red and glam wedding was chock full of fabulous! Black Magic red roses were the flower for the day showing up in the bouquets, centerpieces and petals everywhere we could stuff them. Accents included Black Bacarra roses, Shwarzwalder calla lilies, burgundy dahlias, red James Storei orchids, red dogwood branches and uhule fern curls.

Vendors included:

Photography: Kortnee Kate Photography, see more from this wedding {here}
Venue: Ault Park (Ceremony) and The Phoenix (Reception)
Coordinator: Viva Bella Events
Lighting: Goodwin Lighting
Baker: Incredible Endings
Make-Up: Chenese Bean
Videographer: 28:20 Films

Cristy & Ben 6.6.09

noreply@blogger.com (Katie) — Tue, 25 Aug 2009 01:32:00 +0000

I love purple. It's my very favorite color, has been since I was little. Purple can be tricky when it comes to flowers. There are many choices in the light purple, lavender family and a few choices in the deep plum, eggplant family. But for true, bold purple... you have a much smaller range of choices.

So when Cristy said she wanted bright purples using unique textures and more uncommon varieties of orchids... I smiled and happily accepted the challenge.

The bridal bouquet is a mix of 'Vanda', 'Cattleya' and ‘Mokara’ orchids accented with rhinestones. The bridesmaids carried a mix of purple carnations (yes… the c-word!), lisianthus, burgundy scabiosa and 'Mokara' orchids.

Photography Credit: Michael Bambino

Make-up: Chenese Bean

Kristen & Justin 7.11.09

noreply@blogger.com (Katie) — Sun, 23 Aug 2009 03:18:00 +0000

Beautiful bride. Beautiful details. Beautiful weather.... not so much. Kristen and Justin were married back in July on one of those Saturdays where the weather decided to be completely uncooperative. Because of an impending storm photos had to begin several hours earlier than scheduled and so there aren't many photos of the flowers, but what we do have shows how wonderful this color palette of aqua, taupe and pink really was!

Kristen's bouquet was a mix of peonies, roses, freesia and hypericum berries handtied with silk dupioni fabric. The bridesmaids wore these amazing aqua and taupe dupioni silk dresses and carried complimenting bouquets of mixed pink roses and hypericum berries.

L-O-V-E their aqua cake!!

Photography: Mandy Paige Photography

Venue: Norman Chapel, Spring Grove Cemetary

Baker: Patricia's Cakes

Leigh & Brendan 4.25.09

noreply@blogger.com (Katie) — Fri, 14 Aug 2009 02:02:00 +0000

Thought a nice spring wedding would be a welcome breath of fresh air since we're in the height of our humid Cincinnati summers.

Leigh & Brendan were awesome to work with. They wanted an elegant and contemporary twist on a traditional spring color palette of pinks, blues and yellows. Can you imagine a more yummy combination to go along with her picture perfect smile?!

For Leigh's bouquet we used mixed roses, callas, agapanthus, tulips and fragrant stock, hyacinth and freesia. It truly smelled heavenly!! We pulled in the touch of blue with the satin ribbon on the handle.
The bridesmaids carried monochromatic yellow bouquets to pop against their deep magenta dresses. Flowers included mixed roses, tulips, freesia and stock. The stock blossoms carry a wonderful clove-like scent and freesia is a wonderful spicy compliment. It truly is my favorite combination of smells so these bouquets were super fun for me!!

Leigh and Brendan's team of vendors included:

Photography: Son Ton i2i photo studios

Ceremony: St. Mary's Hyde Park

Reception: The Millennium Hotel

Make-Up: Roderick Willis

Jody & Brian 4.2.09

noreply@blogger.com (Katie) — Mon, 27 Jul 2009 03:40:00 +0000

Next up for images from TM Photography is Jody & Brian's April wedding at The French House. The story goes that Jody let Brian pick the date and he pretty much opened the calendar to April, closed his eyes and pointed. So a Thursday wedding it was.

They weren't terribly interested in following "rules" about how a wedding "should" be. It was important to the couple that their wedding feel more like a fun party with friends and family. There were quite a few different "themes" being incorporated, but in the end they all came together quite nicely.

Everything revolved around their orange and green color scheme. Even family members were dressed in orange to tie in the colors. Jody carried a unique and richly textured bouquet of orange ranunculus accented with wheat colored feathers.

For dinner, they modeled their menu after the Italian food from their first date and served everything family style to keep things informal. The orange linens and mahogany chiavari chairs complimented the centerpieces of terra cotta colored roses accented with wooden containers and wheat - another element to the various themes.

Symbolizing a bountiful future, Jody and Brian wanted a visible presence of the wheat and we incorporated it in the centerpieces, accenting candle displays and in a large wreath that was hung over the mantle behind where the couple sat at dinner.

I was lucky enough to get to help Jody in selecting many of her other key vendors and she really did put together a top-notch group of professionals.

Her wedding dream team included some of my personal favs:

Photography: TM Photography
Coordinator: Alison of Aviva Events
Make-Up Artist: Nancy of Brideface

Ellen & Max 3.28.09

noreply@blogger.com (Katie) — Fri, 17 Jul 2009 20:51:00 +0000

I just got a disc from Tine of TM Photography of images from a few weddings we worked together on this spring... and I'm super stoked about the eye candy :) First up is Ellen and Max.

Ellen and Max were married at the end of March. I actually did the majority of the planning with Ellen's mother and sister as she was planning from out of town. I truly can't say enough about how great this family is and the amount of love they share. It was an honor to be a part of such a special day in their lives.

Ellen chose a simple and elegant gown from J.Crew and everything down to the flowers followed suit. She carried a classic white bouquet of peonies, ranunculus and freesia mixed with cymbidium orchids and lily grass.

The girls each carried a bouquet of different pink flowers mixed with hypericum berries and aspidistra leaves (peonies, hydrangea, tulips, orchids).

The centerpieces at the reception were a combination of two different designs. The one below shows the hurricane and pillar candle with 3 tiny cluster arrangements of mixed pink flowers surrounding. These were then gifted to their guests in attendance so that more people could take the flowers home and enjoy them.

The cocktail tables had similar assymetrical arrangements in footed vases.

The cake mirrorer the bird and branch motif used throughout the different paper elements at the reception, including their table numbers, escort cards, etc.

The unprecidented team of vendors on this wedding includes:

Ceremony: St. Ursula Academy (as an alumnae you can choose to be married in this gorgeous chapel!)

Reception: Glendale Lyceum

Photographer: TM Photography

Baker: Maribelle Cakery

Makeup: Nancy with Brideface

Hair: Jen Nally (my new favorite recommendation for onsite hair. She's seriously amazing and does high-style 'red carpet' hair... not wedding 'updos'. She's a genius and adorable and I love her!!)

Leah & Greg 5.23.09

noreply@blogger.com (Katie) — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 04:11:00 +0000

Leah and Greg are such a fun couple... just look at how expressive Greg is in these photos!! Huge thanks to Mike Bresnen for sharing these great photos. I just love how he was able to capture such a great mix of classic elegance with whimsy and fun!

Leah's bouquet is made of velvety Black Magic red roses accented with black satin. For being a humble rose, this particular variety really holds its own with it's large size and irridescent color.

The bridesmaids carried a mix of raspberry red and sunny orange roses mixed with pink hydrangea, viburnum and lily grass to compliment their cranberry red dresses.

The men wore simple boutonnieres of Black Bacarra roses. (I just really loved this picture and wanted an excuse to post it!)

They infused black and white damask prints with red accents throughout their wedding. I usually steer very clear of aisle runners but when Leah and I met to talk decor she had 2 different bolts of damask fabric and we both felt the large print was too overwhelming for the tables. I took one look at that fabric and said 'go with me on this one'. And voila... one bolt of fabric equals totally chic aisle runner. I think the large print worked wonders and made a large statement in an otherwise simple and understatedly elegant ceremony. What do you think? (Again... love Greg's experssions!)

I think this last shot is adorable. Their centerpieces were simple clusters of red carnations on the damask print with red votives. The dolls were just too cute to pass up :)

Malia & Dave 6.13.09

noreply@blogger.com (Katie) — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 17:49:00 +0000

I met with Malia and her mom well over a year ago to discuss planning their wedding flowers. They had a crystal clear vision of what they wanted and it was so nice to see their details finally come together. Pink was the color of the day, for sure. For now, here's a shot of Malia's bouquet along with her sassy pink shoes and purse. Her bouquet is a mix of cream and bridal pink roses, calla lilies, cymbidium orchids and stephanotis blooms. (Photo courtesy of Masterworks Photography)

Jinni & Nick 6.6.09

noreply@blogger.com (Katie) — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 17:31:00 +0000

I loved Jinni and Nick... within about 10 minutes during our first consult appointment we were laughing and having a great time. Nick was a great sport in feigning interest in shades of white, joking as to why pomanders shouldn't be hung in pairs and showing support for Jinni and all her ideas on how to make their wedding their own.

We stuck with a classic white and green color palette with modern and whimsical touches throughout. For now, here's a few pics (courtesy of Lucky Clover Productions) of her bridal bouquet (a mix of import and domestic Akito roses, green hypericum berries and aspidistra leaves).

Amanda & Nick 5.31.09

noreply@blogger.com (Katie) — Tue, 16 Jun 2009 01:16:00 +0000

Amanda & Nick were married at Drees Pavillion on a perfect Sunday afternoon. Amanda Egan captured these beautiful photos highlighting their classic and romantic details. See more from this wedding {here}

Her bouquets were a mix of warm peachy-pinks and coral tones including mixed roses and peonies handtied in lush clusters.

Doesn't she have the most gorgeous blue eyes?! Makeup by the always amazing Nancy of Brideface.

They were married outside overlooking the Cincinnati skyline under an arbor "blooming" with dendrobium orchids.

Their cake was from one of Cincinnati's best bakeries - The BonBonerie. The 'finish' on their work is always beautiful. The icing was so smooth it could've almost passed for fondant. The design was classic and elegant, perfectly fitting the rest of the details of the day.

Their centerpieces were 3 vases clustered together with simple groupings of flowers. The pinspot lighting on all white flowers really adds a warm ambiance to the whole room as the flowers reflect the light and really pop in a dimly lit room.

I told Amanda that I was simply amazed by this next picture. This was taken overlooking the city lights. Normally I would expect to see a 'fog' surrounding the lights this close to the city but this skyline shot is so crisp you can actually see the stars!! Great work, Amanda. It's been so great working with you so many weeks in a row. The eye candy has been awesome :)

Gayle & Jon 5.23.09

noreply@blogger.com (Katie) — Wed, 10 Jun 2009 03:32:00 +0000

Gayle is one of the sweetest and spunkiest clients I've gotten to work with lately - one of my favorite qualities!! We incorporated a trendy black and green color scheme with more unusual and organic textural elements.

All photos are courtesy of Amanda Egan with more photos from this lovely wedding {here}. This next photo is simply stunning!

Gayle's makeup was done by Mollie Elliott with Brideface. Her bouquet included a unique combination of china mums, white mini calla lilies, green goddess calla lilies, star of bethlehem, bouvardia, hypericum berries and camelia foliage.

The bridesmaids carried spunky green fuji mums, lisianthus, star of bethlehem and hypericum berries accented with laurel leaves.

I just love the fact that the Bell Event Centre allows so much candlelight... isn't this just beautiful?!

One of the first questions I ask my potential clients is how they're infusing their personalities into their wedding day. Regardless of your budget there are always one or two things that you can do to make your event unique and stand out in your guests mind. For Gayle and Jon it was their cake - or their lack of one, actually :)

They had yummy waffles from a vendor in Findlay Market come in and do custom order waffles in place of cake. What a fun and tasty treat and something that everyone will always remember about their wedding.

Kate & Thomas 5.16.09

noreply@blogger.com (Katie) — Wed, 10 Jun 2009 03:04:00 +0000

Kate and Thomas did the majority of their planning for their wedding while living in Michigan. And despite the obvious stress and difficulties that come with planning an out-of-town event their wedding by all accounts was fabulous.

Having a great team of vendors is always helpful in pulling off such a feat and this wedding was no exception. The ceremony and reception were held at the Taft Museum of Art. Julie with Cincy Event Planning was on board to coordinate the whole affair and ensure everything went smoothly. All photographs are courtesy of Amanda Egan - we've been lucky enough to work together 5 of the last 7 weekends so be on the lookout for more photos from her!

As for flowers, we wanted to incorporate a fresh take on vintage southern charm. Kate's flowers were lush and fragrant including peonies, freesia, bouvardia, stephanotis, lisianthus, fresh rosemary and magnolia leaves tied with dupioni silk.

and just because I love this picture:

Valerie & Adam

noreply@blogger.com (Katie) — Mon, 18 May 2009 20:03:00 +0000

I just love bold monochromatic arrangements and Valerie's flowers were no exception. Valerie and Adam chose a red and black color scheme for their wedding incorporating a mix of bold modern accents.

The bridal bouquet is a mix of roses, ranunculus, anemones, parrot tulips and glossy black fern curls accented with black satin and a vintage brooch.

Each bridesmaid carried a bouquet of single type flowers as a simple but unique compliment to their bold black and white dresses. Flowers included gerber daisies, carnations, roses and french tulips.

I do particularly love non-flower boutonnieres... there's something so much more masculine about it, in my opinion. For Adam's boutonniere we used a collection of rosemary, hypericum berries and a glossy black fern curl tied with black velvet.

Photos are courtesy of Daphne Photo Studio and you can see more from this wedding on their blog {here}. And if you notice, Valerie's lipstick matches her flowers... love it! Beautiful makeup done by the always fabulous brush wielding genious Nancy of Brideface.

And just because I absolutely love this detail shot...

Julie & Brian

noreply@blogger.com (Katie) — Sat, 16 May 2009 20:54:00 +0000

Julie and Brian are a super cute couple who just love the stuffing out of each other. Julie’s bubbly fun personality is complimented by Brian’s quiet and dry sense of humor. These photos from Amanda Egan’s blog capture that connection perfectly.

Definitely warranting some blog love are Jenny from Brideface who did Julie's makeup and Jen with Your Wedding By Jen who wore the hat of wedding planner.

Sherri & Jacob 3.7.09

noreply@blogger.com (Katie) — Mon, 27 Apr 2009 17:34:00 +0000

Sherri and Jacob were married on the warmest early March date I can remember in the same church that her parents and grandparents were married in. Their wedding was the beginning of the spring wedding season for me and I can't imagine a sweeter couple to have gotten things moving!

Some of my favorite vendors were along for the day including:

April with Bluebird Photography (see more of their wedding here)
Matt Pine and the crew at Lifetime Video (see their trailer here)
Travis with Be Creative Catering (one of my easiest recommendations on catering - great food, great customer service and super reasonable on the budget!)

Sherri's flowers included hydrangea, roses, lisianthus and freesia.

More from Mandy & Jon

noreply@blogger.com (Katie) — Mon, 20 Apr 2009 19:58:00 +0000

Got a few more photos from Mandy that came from Steve Ziegelmeyer, a friend of hers and guest at the wedding. Definitely a very talented friend with a great eye for capturing the details!

If I haven't mentioned it before, I'm a sucker for papergoods. Nothing makes me happier than arriving at the reception site for setup and finding coordinated stationery. Mandy and Jon had their seating chart, table numbers, programs, seat backs... the works... all coordinated with this beautiful pink floral design. I think the choice in fonts is a super important detail and I think this mix of casual script and block fonts fit the 'preppy chic' theme perfectly. The seating chart was the very talented Kristen at Poeme. And the coordinating table numbers, chair backs, etc. were done by Mandy and John's planner, Kristen of Tres Chic.

These martini glasses with single cymbidium orchids and rose petals were on the cocktail tables. They are a simple classic way to add something extra to those often overlooked 30" cocktail tables!

There's something kind of magical about this picture of the flower girl watching the party down below. I love this next photo... showing off the "bracelet" style wrist corsage - simple, classic and age-appropriate (no mini-roses here!). Something about the composition in this photo screams product ad to me. Can't you just see it in a magazine as an ad for a piece of jewelry or something?!

Mandy & John 4.4.09

noreply@blogger.com (Katie) — Mon, 13 Apr 2009 19:36:00 +0000

Mandy and John chose a 'preppy chic' theme for their wedding incorporating the colors of navy, hot pink and silver.

Mandy's bouquet was a mix of whites and blush pinks using peonies, roses and cymbidium orchids. The girls carried bouquets of fuschia and hot pinks with roses, gerber daisies and hypericum berries.

Venues and Vendors include:

Ceremony: St. Cecilia, Oakley

Reception: The Grand

Coordination: Rick and Kristen with Tres Chic

Photography: Ian Pascoe and Christopher Lowry of LowryPhoto

Baker: Marilyn's Cakes

Heather & Joe 3.21.09

noreply@blogger.com (Katie) — Wed, 08 Apr 2009 18:24:00 +0000

Heather and Joe pulled off a simply stunning affair. And I mean, they pulled if off! They are both attorneys living in and planning from New York City. Since I met Heather last year they have figured out and overcome some major hurdles including passing the bar exam, being unemployed and finding work, health issues, the death of close family members, etc. etc. Despite all of this they never waivered on their attention to detail and their desire to create a beautiful event for those family and friends lucky enough to be in attendance. I'll have to do a seperate post sometime on all her DIY projects!!

The amazing photos are courtesy of Steph Carson - Talk about someone who has a passion for what they do and the talent to back it up! I really admire the dedication she shows to her work and her clients and am continuously amazed and the gorgeousness she creates. Heather and Joe wanted a very 'Old Hollywood - vintage glam' affair and the photos really emphasize that vibe.

On to the details... Heather incorporate bright bold green flowers to pop against her black and gold color palette. Her bouquet is made up of calla lilies, hypericum berries and cymbidium orchids wrapped with ribbon and pins to match the detailing on her dress.

Along with Steph, the dream team of vendors included:

venue: Cincinnati Club (both ceremony and reception)

baker: Maribelle Cakery

videographer: Lifetime Video (check out their pre-trailer here!)

makeup: Nancy with Brideface

day of coordinator: Kristen with Tres Chic

And despite having nothing to do with the flowers, some serious eye-candy for your viewing pleasure :)

Olivia & Jason 3.28.09

noreply@blogger.com (Katie) — Wed, 01 Apr 2009 03:24:00 +0000

This wedding is particularly special to me. Jason was the Best Man in my own wedding and Olivia has quickly become a very dear friend. It's been a long time since I boo-hooed so hard at a wedding but these two really have something special. Thanks, guys, it's been such an honor to be included in your wedding day.

On to the details...

Amazing photos provided by super-fun, super-talented Amanda Egan. Ceremony held at St. Agnes Church in Ft. Wright and the reception at The Gardens of Park Hills.

Olivia wanted bright citrus colors with modern textural elements. Included in her bouquet are hydrangea, Supergreen roses, parrot tulips, gloriosa lilies, hypericum berries, pin-cushion protea, hypericum berries, craspedia and fern curls.

The bridesmaids carried mono-chromatic green bouquets to compliment their pewter gray dresses. Their bouquets were made up of green hydrangea, Supergreen roses, cymbidium orchids, hypericum berries and loops of lily grass.

I get asked all the time about alternatives to boutonnieres. While I love incorporating unusual textural elements for the guys, I'm also a big fan of a classic pocket square and have no problem recommending this look to my brides. Look closely, my handsome hubby's in this picture :)

The green flowers carried over to the reception details. The cake was made by Olivia's aunt and was brought up from Lexington. I would've been holding my breath the entire drive!!

One of my favorite vendors to recommend is Brideface. I love how excited my brides are after their trial and finally realizing why I so enthusiastically recommend Nancy and her crew. Part of my wedding gift was Olivia's makeup... that's how much I am a fan of Brideface. Mollie, one of the lead artists, did Olivia's makeup. I just knew that in the hands of Brideface she'd look and feel great all night long. As a guest at this wedding... I can vouch that she did!

And a few more because the eye candy is too great to pass up! Jason and Olivia went to Union Terminal for a few photos before the wedding. I know it was a second choice because of the uncooperative weather, but what amazing shots!

This one makes me well up a little... I see them look at each other like this all the time.

Have you seen a bride more intent on getting down the aisle to get her man?! Love this one, too :)

email trouble - ugh!!

noreply@blogger.com (Katie) — Fri, 13 Mar 2009 04:15:00 +0000

In an attempt to reduce SPAM I switched my email server earlier this week. However, in the transition several incoming and outgoing messages from earlier in the week have been hanging out in internet limbo. If you've tried to contact me within the last week and have not received a response from me... I didn't get your email or my response never made it out. Please resend so I can get in touch with you :)

Thanks for understanding and being patient while I figure this out!

Becca & Jon 1.31.09

noreply@blogger.com (Katie) — Wed, 25 Feb 2009 20:56:00 +0000

Becca & Jon were married on January 31, in the midst of the snow/ice storm. The weather created some really tricky logistical issues but despite the headaches, their flowers - especially the bouquets - turned out to be one of my favorites to date. Those who know me well know that I'm a sucker for purple... always been my favorite color, even before it became trendy. So when Becca said she wanted bold purple flowers and gave me creative license I was thrilled!

Becca's bridal bouquet was a mix of classic white and ivory mixed with rich purple and modern chartreuse greens. She wanted texture and visual interest, which means lots of different types of flowers. Included in her bouquet were 'Limona' roses, hypericum berries, freesia, 'Picasso' calla lilies, cymbidium orchids, spray roses, hydrangea, stock, blackberries and loops of lily grass.

For the bridesmaid bouquets, we went with a modern mix of the purples and greens using 'Schwarzwalder' and 'Twilight' calla lilies, dark purple tulips, 'Limona' roses, cymbidium orchids, hypericum berries and lily grass.

For her cake, Becca chose to have her cake topper be her toss bouquet. I love this simple way of "repurposing" flowers. The calla lilies and freesia were loosely gathered and tied with satin ribbon that draped down the side of the cake.

Special shout out to Bob with White Photography - thanks for sharing these beautiful photos. Check out his blog (here) to see more of Becca and Jon’s wedding.

Dramatic Table Setting

noreply@blogger.com (Katie) — Tue, 24 Feb 2009 17:49:00 +0000

Thanks to Pottinger Photography, I have a few photos to share of the table I worked on with Jen Pritchard, of Your Wedding by Jen, for the Dress to Remember event held at the Contemporary Arts Center. We went for a distinctly edgy look for the table taking into account our own personal style, the venue (CAC) and the theme of "Urban Chic". Love it or leave it, there was no doubt our table had a personality all it's own!

Jen picked out the super cool gunmetal-gray fringed pin tuck linens which brought on this tattoo/rock 'n roll theme that we kind of just jumped on. She then added hammered metal and glossy black accents with the chargers, plates, goblets, votive holders, etc. The super cute menu cards (courtesy of AMO-ink) really helped to tie in a lot of the details. I used clusters of burgundy red flowers to mimic the red heart on the menu cards. The tall branchy center vase echoes the rays extending from the heart on the menus with pearls and satin strewn about adding an air of something sassy. The medium height vases were corset wrapped in black satin and the high and low vases were tied with galvanized wire (kind of like broken guitar strings!). The flowers were then brought low to the table by placing individual blooms in mixed height black taper candle holders placed in between clusters of candles (albeit fake ones since the CAC doesn't allow for real ones, but Jen had her clever hat on and covered the plastic LED candles with black clay so they didn't look so awful!)