Candi's Floral Creations

I am so happy that Heather and Steven’s wedding at New Haven Lawn Club was featured so that more people can see it…..It was the quintessential Sweet Rustic Spring wedding!  It had all the makings…yellow, green and white, mason jars, burlap, twine, garden-style bouquets, antique wooden crates(that I have had for years!), tree stumps cake stands,(thanks to Hurricane Irene we had plenty of trees available to make these little buggers!) etc etc

Heather and Stephen were so involved with the planning, I loved it! The more detailed they got…the more creative I got!  I think there must have been 10 VERY long emails going back and forth one night……we were SO on the same page…it was RIDIC!  So much so, that after the wedding Heather’s sister emailed me to let me know how much I nailed their personality and she couldn’t believe how perfect everything was!  That was it!!!! The reason I do this!!!

I’m so thrilled that this  wedding was featured in Bliss Celebrations and was submitted by the awesome photographer Summer Street Photography!

You can see the full feature and read all about this special couple and their wedding right here on Bliss Celebrations,  but let me give you a sneak peek……

Did I mention this is a Purple Wedding?!?!  I love designing purple weddings as there are SO many different and unique flowers in so many shades, shapes, and sizes!

Love the simple Elegance of this Riverhouse at Goodspeed Station wedding captured by Candace Jeffery Photography.

It was the first time working with Candace and not only was she great to work with, her images are amazing!

It was also the first time working with Jay and Marisa from Social Decor!  (check out their facebook page for their most recent creations and happenings)They decorated the entire perimeter of the outdoor patio with fabric and instantly transformed the space into such a soft, romantic and private ceremony space…and they were awesome to decorate with as they bring their own music to rock out to!!! But, you’ll have to hire them to find out the type of questionable music they listen to…HAHA…just joking…everyone has a little Nirvana in us!

Enjoy!

One of my favorite themes to design…Rustic Elegance during my favorite time of year…Fall!  There are so many natural elements to choose from and I love bringing “the outdoors in” by using leaves, pumpkins, birch, branches, etc etc   And it all paired so nicely with the elegance of New Haven Lawn Club!!!

To top it off Diana( and Justin!) were so fun to plan with….she trusted me to take her vision and run with it and I did! Even scouring the entire state for mini white pumpkins well after their season…and found them! Also got to use my awesome dremel and wood burner kits for some great detail and personalization!

I was crying when I received their thank you card……..Love them!

This wedding was so fab that it got featured in a prestigious wedding blog, Rustic Chic Weddings!!! Click the link to see the feature.  We were all very excited to find this out as this wedding was made for that site!!!

It couldn’t have happened without the gal behind the lens….Sarah from Afterglow Photos….she knows how to work that camera!!!

Here are some of my favorite images of the day……

I have been waiting so long to blog about this wedding!!!  First off, Stephanie and Ryan were one of the best couples I have ever had the pleasure of working with.  Even though they came to me with thoughts of what they wanted the feel of their wedding to be , they let me run with my ideas and creativity….which is when I do my BEST work! Not only were they so very sweet, fun and flexible, they were so easy going and I think it’s because they did their homework.  They gave themselves more than a year to plan which gives time to really research vendors, see their work being featured, read their reviews…so once they figured out who would be the best fit for them, they were so trusting and let us do our thang!!!  But then again….maybe they chose me because they secretly knew that seashore themed weddings are my specialty since I got married on a beach in Cape Cod and the ocean is my everything…just saying…..

So to back up a little bit…when I first started to talk with Stephanie she sent me photos so I could get an idea of what appealed to her…Well, we had a good laugh because EVERY picture had bright blue hydrangeas…hence the title of this blog “Hydrangeas at Harkness State Park”.  So….needless to say, I gathered that this chic must like herself some Bright Blue Hydrangea!!!!  As you will soon see…….

I have to give MAJOR shout outs to Eric Foley Photography who is as easy going as Stephanie and Ryan.  Oh, and his photos are just to die for!!! He was just a perfect fit for this wedding and this couple. DJ Kenny Q was the best I have seen and was very impressed for working with him for the first time.  I truly hope that our paths cross again!  As always, Cloud Nine Catering are so much fun to work with!  A side note…PLEASE always tell your florist if you’re planning on having family style serving…STEPHANIE!!!!  That was such a lovely surprise to find out as I was filling up the middle of the tables with all of my creations!! Again, Cloud Nine and my team had a great laugh and made some on site changes and it all worked out.  A true testament to hiring professionals that have worked together before and have years of experience so when situations arise, which they always do, they know how to deal with it without missing a beat.

So enough about how I LOVE Eolia Mansion at Harkness Memorial State Park and how I LOVED  every vendor of this wedding and will miss working with Stephanie and Ryan…let’s see the goods……..

Kudos to Stephanie and Ryan for making their table numbers personalized and so much fun for their guests!!!

Johanna and Kamran wanted their day to truly represent them, their life together, their traditions, their style and their loves. There was so much thought put into every detail, everything had purpose, so I welcomed the challenge of making everything look cohesive.

Having their wedding at Saltwater Farms Vineyard, a beautifully renovated airport hanger, we included bi-planes into the favors and used them as table numbers. Keeping with the retro- vintage theme, which was certainly the couple’s vibe, old hankies adorned the bouquets and centerpieces, eclectic jadeite containers were the focal point of the guest tables, and an old typewriter was used as the guest book. Wanting the flowers to be very bright and have an effortless feeling, we used hand picked garden flowers with accents of natural elements such as succulents and willow! The bright retro style also came into play with their cake, which was the perfect replica of them and their dog, Arthur! Oh yeah…the Ring Bearer, A.K.A, Arthur had his own limo that dropped him up and picked him up…it was the cutest thing I ever saw! Of course, I decorated his collar so he could look as dapper as his parents!

It was wonderful to see them being faithful to Kamran’s Persian traditions during the ceremony.  The Sofreh table various housed organic elements that signified certain things.  For instance, there was a bowl of eggs to help with fertility.  My favorite was the honey that they sensually fed to each other to signify that there marriage and love may always be sweet.

Johanna and Kamran’s photographer is Kelly Prizel Photography, but I also asked my friend and professional photographer Kiva from Annandale Photography take detail shots for me since I did not want to miss a thing!  They both did an amazing job!  See for yourself……

I was recently looking through my photos and saw these bouquets…as you’ll see, it was very hard not to see them…they are SO bright and summery!

So I thought I would blog about them in hopes that summer would finally get here!

Lauren and Matt were the sweetest couple to work with and I loved that they were a bit daring!  Since they were having a nautical/seashore wedding in Mystic, we started with a more traditional seashore theme…a little safe… using blues, whites, greens, etc  Don’t get me wrong, that’s beautiful for a waterside wedding, but when your Bridesmaids dresses are blue and you’re wedding is in the summer…there are SO many color stories you could choose.  Lauren, hesitantly, showed me a photo of a VERY bright and colorful bouquet……I fell in love….not only with the color story, but with her as well!  I really love it when a bride can be a bit daring and has the guts to really show their personality on the biggest day of their life!

Needless to say, we went with COLOR and the results were fabulous! The couple decided to take a lot of the design on themselves by having lanterns as centerpieces, hanging mason jars with candles enclosed…everything came together perfectly for a Latitude 41 wedding in Mystic!  I am very impressed with her DIY skills…have to show them off!

It was also wonderful to work with Coastal Gourmet Catering, Meg of Creative Image Collections (her photos are stunning) and of course their wedding planner Christine of Piece of Cake Event Planning(we love to work together and you’ll see more of our collaborations soon).

Let the prettiness begin………

Newport, Rhode Island is the most beautiful place to have a wedding…especially when it’s at the Ocean Cliff Hotel!  Indian weddings don’t come my way often, but when they do, I can’t help but fall in love all over again with the traditions, the elegance, the saris and the sarongs, the culture…..It’s just truly magical!

I am so thankful for Ambiance Luxe Wedding Designs for introducing me to Deepti and Sunil because they were not only so sweet and so much fun to work with but they trusted in me and my team to make their vision come true and gave us tons of creative freedom.

While writing this post, the memories came flooding back; leaving the shop at 4:00am with a convoy of trucks;  watching the sunrise over the Newport bridge.  The anticipation of seeing the Ocean Cliff, the water and seeing Deepti dressed and beautified was overwhelming.  She was stunning!!!!!!…. but I have to say that Sunil was probably the most handsome groom I had ever seen! (besides my hubby, of course) And the weather….for October it was heaven sent for a waterside wedding…everything was just perfect!!!!

So, I will now just let the photos taken by Dennis from Binary Flips speak for themselves…..

Love it when my favorite couples get their weddings featured in great blogs that I love so much!

To see Lauren and Jeff’s original post, click here!

To see their wedding featured on Newport Wedding Glam’s website, click here!

Thanks to all the wonderful vendors that worked so hard on this wedding so make it perfect for the perfect couple!

Saltwater Farms Vineyard

Fancy Pants Wedding Planning

Coastal Gourmet Catering

John Galayda of Blackrock Photography

I am so excited to talk about Lauren Haymond and Jeff Zimmerman’s Enchanted Vineyard Wedding at Saltwater Farm Vineyard! (of course they are now referred to as Mr and Mrs Zimmerman…or should I say President and First Lady – he he…you’ll see why)

First I have to thank SO many players…. Lauren’s mother, Sharyn Haymond, for seeking me out after meeting with MANY other wedding designers!  We had connected right away and had so much fun talking flowers, colors, styles, etc  She made me blush every time she referred to me as a “New York” florist!  I hear that a lot!  I think it’s due to my persistent creativity, unique designs, thinking outside the box, and of course, my funky style!  But, enough about me…I was giving thanks…..

Thanks to Lauren’s Father, John Haymond, for being great to work with!

Day of Coordinators,  Margaret and Ann from Fancy Pants.  They were so easy going and kept on point. They did a great job and worked with my team seamlessly …thank you!

Michael and Kerri from Coastal Gourmet Catering for always putting down the table linens FIRST!  We love them!

Merrily and Michael, the owners of Saltwater Farm.  They are always so great with me and my team!  They refer me often and Michael said that the “Vineyard has never looked so good”…he was very impressed!  We thank you and appreciate you both!

MY TEAM!!!!  Two Words… A-Mazing!  Sarah, my team leader, really stepped it up at this wedding since ALL of the centerpieces needs to be designed ON SITE!  There was a ton of decor…17 tables; a chuppah; cocktail; ceremony aisle….etc etc AND we had to get it all done in 2 hours! Yup! That meant everyone was in overdrive and I appreciate their hard work!

And last, but certainly NOT least…. Lauren and Jeff’s Photographer, John Galayda of Blackrock Photography.  This is the first time I have had the pleasure of working with him and let me tell you…he was SO nice, so thoughtful, and so easy to work with; before, during and after the wedding.  Not to mention his work is fantastic!

It’s so fantastic that I’m not going to bore you anymore with details of the wedding…you can see them ALL through John’s lens…….

Their “guest book”!  Such a cute idea!

I can’t stand it!  So, I have to include some AWESOME black and whites!  Told you John has a great eye and captured so many of the special moments!

Ahhhh! I just adore vintage anything…especially vintage themed weddings!  I met Jamie, Sam and their families at the New Haven Lawn Club tasting the year prior. Being a preferred florist of the NHLC I get to design centerpieces for all guests table and  decorate the entire club for the tastings.

I remember meeting Jamie so clearly because she was so happy to see her centerpiece and had loved what I created , but there were a few problems…she said that it needed MORE roses and MORE bling! I thought “Uh, a girl after my own vision!  We’re going to get along just fine and have a ton of fun planning every detail!”.

The NHLC is the perfect venue and backdrop for a vintage wedding…with the building having been built in the early 30′s and those chandeliers….dripping with crystals!!!!

Jamie and Sam had an underlying theme of “an evening in the park” and all the tables were named after local parks.

My team was very instrumental in designing Jamie and Sam’s floral creations…I have the best team EVER!

Jamie was very happy with the results and my team as well, as you will see below:

“Candi, my flowers were unreal…I am still getting compliments from everyone. Thank you and your wonderful team. I loved the bling and vintage touches.”

I was so pleased when I found out that  they hired Cheryl  of Cronin Photography to capture their special moments because she is not only so great to work with, but her work is beautiful.  Enjoy these samplings and be sure to visit my website very soon for the full feature!