A French Garden Themed Wedding

It was a very, very hot and rainy July day when I made the bouquets for this wedding, but looking at the photos, it did seem like just another fresh spring day!  The biggest challenge for the design of this wedding was to recreate a French garden themed wedding in a contemporary church and gym (which is where we had the reception). One of the main features was this trellis we created using many wired fresh flowers and fresh leaves over the cake table. Carnations are a great sturdy flower for wiring and look great when wired en masse.

Above is the bridal bouquet I made with eucalyptus, lisianthus, garden roses, vendela roses and wax flowers. Below are the pew decorations made from hydrangeas and vendela roses. The flowers are held in paper "booklets" with a jewelled button.

A corsage for the sister of the bride with lisianthus, wax flowers and a rose.

A wrist corsage I created using a fuschia garden rose with wax flowers


 A fresh basket of flowers for the flower girl to carry made from green hydrangeas, pink roses and green pom mums

Celebrate Beautifully Goes Peach & Celadon!

It was an absolute joy to create the bouquets and decor for the wedding of my friends Mark and Harmony. The colour palette was peach, celadon, cream and pink and the result was a soft, romantic and beautiful garden wedding in the middle of october right before the big storm! The venue was Calvin Presbyterian Church in Toronto and One King West for the reception. Congrats!

Photography by Andreas Avdoulos / www.andreasavdoulos.com

Photography by Andreas Avdoulos / www.andreasavdoulos.com

Photography by Andreas Avdoulos / www.andreasavdoulos.com

The bouquet consisted of queen anne's lace, garden roses, ranunculus, star of bethlehem, lambs ear, and sage from my garden



I created two large alter pieces for the church.
Photography by Andreas Avdoulos / www.andreasavdoulos.com



The bride shared my love of ribbons and ruffles, so I created this bouquet handle with a bit of lace peaking through the bottom to match her dress.



I created the grooms boutonniere with roses and lambs ear.

The bride's ruffle cake with rose petals

Aerial shot of the head table from the balcony

The head table was decorated with roses, garden roses, and countless candles



I created two large rectangular planters with moss, roses and votives.

I decorated the dessert table in the same garden theme.

Congrats Angela & Marty

I know this post is on the late side, but I had to share photos of my friend Angela's wedding, which was at the gorgeous Hunt Club on Canada Day. Congratulations!

The ceremony overlooking Lake Ontario.
The cake in her colours of fuchsia and turquoise.

Head table flowers

Gorgeous tones of fuchsia orchids, peonies, mini calla lilies, roses and carnations tied with a turquoise ribbon.

Bridal Shower DIY and "No Sweat" Menu Planning

Recently some friends and I threw our friend Angela a bridal shower. I wanted to show you some pictures and a great DIY project that I came up with. I picked the theme and look of the shower up from her wedding invitations, which had a damask design. I found these wall decals from the dollar store and picked up a roll of white paper gift wrap.
I placed them onto the paper and voila- an instant custom table runner!
I made a large faux flower arangement for the centerpiece, and scattered real cymbidum orchids on the table.
When planning the menu, try mixing pre-made items with freshly made items. I purchased several cakes and tarts from a local bakery including the lemon curd cheesecake and key lime wild blueberry tart. A large serving platter of fresh fruit is always a "no-cooking" required idea!

Debbie made two fresh sandwich varieties: a roast chicken, strawberry and arugula sandwich, and adorable mini smoked salmon bagels with spinach lemon cream cheese.
A couple of other "no-sweat" menu included two bite brownies piped with fresh buttercream frosting, and a cake stand piled high with profiteroles from Costco. If you have extra time, you can make spun sugar and you've got an instant croquembouche!

Bridal Shower Ideas

I know it's been a long time since I last posted but i've been busy with our house. I just thought i'd quickly post up two of my favourite ideas from my sister in law's bridal shower the other week! Photos by Jenny Chung
Favours were these cute little apples with handmade tags.

A classic idea of writing encouragement notes to the bride to be is so cute presented on a tray using colourful notecards and envelopes.

My Bridal Shower!

I am truly so blessed to have a sister who loves to throw parties as much as I do. We have probably been planning each others showers almost as much as we have been planning our own weddings! The exciting itinerary included tea, and a "chocolate sommelier" who came in to do a very informative chocolate tasting.
I wish I had more pictures to share, as photos cannot comprehend the beautiful shower she threw. Thanks to my Sister for a beautiful event as always. Also, a big thank you to all those who helped contribute!My sister incorporated gorgeous shades of melon coloured chrysanthemums, succulents, gorgeous white dalias for centerpieces.
She also handcrafted tissue paper blooms in melon shades, using a large 24" white lantern as the form. Guests could choose from a tray of looseleaf tea bags of my favourite teas, and enjoyed them in glass tea cup and saucers. She rented white garden chairs, white linens and her coworker sewed sheer honeydew runners.
A gorgeous spread of the most delicious foods prepared by my sister and my friend Debbie. Highlights included melon coloured petit fours, miniature cupcakes with melon fondant icing (adorned by beautiful handmade sugar flowers (thanks Chris!), green tea shortbread, caramel pots de creme served in miniature ramikens and porcelain spoons, a selection of scones, endive topped with lobster & avocado, mini puff pastries with roasted tomato & basil. Delicious!!

Real Wedding: It's All About the Guests

It's the long weekend and I finally had time to pick which gorgeous pics from Christina and Tom's wedding to post. The wedding took place at the Scarboro Golf Club in Toronto, featuring shades of fresh spring greens accented with tones of chocolate. Christina honoured both her Chinese culture and her husband's Korean culture by wearing traditional dresses in addition to her white gown. Thanks to our 'faithful' reader Christina for sharing your wedding with us!!

Her Wedding in Her Own Words:
Our wedding was the perfect extension of the dinner parties we host in our 648sq ft condo. Whenever we have dinner parties, we always obsess over little things we think our guests would appreciate, so we figured, why should our wedding be different? For my husband and I, the overriding theme was a simple dinner party...for 140 of our closest family and friends. Our venue was perfect for it. It was old and intimate, but large enough for us to have the ceremony, cocktails and reception all at one location. Smaller single-purpose rooms made the difference. The cocktail in the main sitting area equipped with a baby grand, the formality of dinner in the main dining room, and a separate ballroom for the dance set the tone for each stage of the day. A few little things we hoped they enjoyed: Guest boutonnières to honour everyone who came to celebrate; homemade jars of apple wine jelly favours that also doubled as table seating cards; four rounds of toasting the tables to make sure everyone’s glass was always full; a bride-and-groom speech that kicked off the reception so that all the formal stuff was out of the way and our guests were relaxed right when the first course was served.

"Prince & Princess" First Birthday Party

A couple weeks ago I attended an adorable "Prince & Princess" first birthday party. The birthday boy's aunt prepared little magnet invitations and carried the logo throughout the whole party. (Notice the little fondant crowns atop carrot cupcakes!). Fare also included a buffet of healthy salads and baby burgers, of course. Another great idea were these printed "cutlery envelopes", pre-stuffed with cutlery and coloured napkins. Happy birthday Caleb!

Wine Tasting Bridal Shower

Over the weekend, we threw a Wine Tasting bridal shower for our friend Jess. We had Heather Anderson, a certified sommelier pick out 5 different wines from regions in Germany, France, Greece, Spain and Italy, plus a blind tasting. The wines represented a "European Trip" that the bride has always wanted to embark on. Each guest had a "passport" to write wine notes in.

Debbie, one of the bridesmaids and resident gourmet chef cooked up a storm, pairing up the wines with food from the various regions perfectly. The menu included calamari with olives and roasted tomatoes (Greece), rosemary-oven roasted rack of lamb tapas style (Spain) and mini potato rosti with chive sour cream (Germany).
After tasting 5 courses and 6 wines, we all enjoyed a slice of gorgeous chocolate raspberry fondant cake baked by Christina, one of the guests. Thanks everyone for all your wonderful contributions!

Applying Your Wedding Theme

Darcy Miller (the editor of Martha Stewart Weddings) has finally posted some pictures up of her own wedding on the Martha Stewart website. There is no single event that has inspired me the way this wedding has. I admire the way the same look and feeling was articulated throughout the wedding, the utter sophistication and delicious details. The inspiration for her wedding colours- the trademark Fauchon bakery cake box. The cake says it all!
One of my favourite details was the petit fours, all of which bore the French patisserie feel, arranged in immaculate rows on silk covered boxes outlined with seam binding. They also had loaves of handmade Poulaine bread flown in from Paris, and hand-blown sugar "glass" fruits.My dream hors d'oeuvres! Included on this plate: hand cut potato chips with tuna tartare and caviar. The food was catered by the venue, Four Seasons New York. An unforgettable favourite- hand rolled white & dark chocolate cones with mini scoops of sorbet, served on a cloud of cotton candy.Signature hand calligraphed items such as invitations and fortune papers proved that elegance is best achieved with simplicity.
Lastly, the Vera Wang dress that has nearly inspired my whole wedding. Hand pleated ruffles in chiffon and silk duchesse satin give this dress such gorgeous and lush texture.

Beach Wedding

Photos Courtesy of Tim Zielenbach

For those of us who are dreaming of a "White Christmas" (white sandy beaches, that is), these wonderful photos from wedding photographer Tim Zielenbach were sent to us by bride, Krystin Walker Brinker to spark our imagination. The wedding took place on the beaches at the Hilton Head Marriott Resort & Spa, which perfectly complimented the color palette of blues and yellows.

Holiday Party

A few weeks ago, my sister threw a Christmas party for family at her eco-friendly condo. The colour palette- sparkling silver, deep burgundy (a nice twist on the traditional "poinsettia red"), accented with bold black. She complimented the silver chandelier by using polished silver chargers and candlesticks on a slate silk dupioni pintuck tablecloth. She also rented black napkins and decorated glass vases with handmade paper pomanders, which took minutes according to my crafty sister. The result: a polished, yet warm and inviting atmosphere to compliment the "mediterranean potluck" menu.

Surprise Engagement Party

Photo By: S.Roberts
This past weekend we hosted a surprise engagement party for my sister and her fiance. The theme was pink and orange polka dots, and each aspect of the decor was carefully designed to incoporate this concept. A close friend of the future bride handmade invitations complete with pink and orange polka dots to set the tone of the party, and the room was filled with handmade personal touches which included:

• personalized water bottles
• circular menus featuring a picture of the couple's dog the night of their engagement
• personalized drink straws
• polka dot cupcakes in shades of pink and orange
• table arrangements of pom pom lumieres in pink, orange, and polka dots placed on glass cylinders set down long family style tables
• accents of crystals and polka dots (inscribed with important marriage values, for example "trust") hanging from the lumieres

The event was held as a sit down dinner for 40 family and friends in attendance. In order to ensure that a good time was had by all, several activities were planned to encourage mingling:

1. Humorous photos of the couple were attached to long strings of ribbon. "Thought bubble" stickers were provided and guests were able to add funny comments or thoughts to the pictures
2. A photo corner was set up with props that guests could use to imitate the future bride and groom as their picture was taken
3. A dance instructor was hired to teach the guests basic dance steps in preparation for a night full of dancing at the wedding!

The whole evening was united by the celebration of an impending marriage in a sea of pink and orange polka dots. Congratulations Kim and Nick!

Baby Shower Ideas

I just had to post up these photos from a baby shower featured on Orange Beautiful's blog- they are too cute! On the left are book name plates that guests signed. On the top right a pretty way to present the classic "baby name guessing game", and below, are the party favors- mini salt and pepper shakers with tags that say "Sugar & Spice and Everything Nice".

Building a Colour Palette: A Winter Celebration Brunch

When looking for inspiration for parties, often I consider the guests of honor. I think about all of their favorite colors, activities, foods, and interests trying to find a central theme to build the party around. This past winter I hosted a congratulations brunch to celebrate the success of a dear friend securing her dream job, and the engagement two friends. In considering their favorites, I decided to base the color scheme of the event on two things: 1) the black and white coloring of my friend's little dog Zoe, 2) purple, the favourite color of the bride-to-be. With these two colors in mind, I began shopping for inspiration at the local fabric store. After finding a modern black and white toile fabric, I set out looking for accents in black, white, and purple.

Renting cloth napkins from your local party store in bold colors is one way of dressing up your table and adding character. You might also consider incorporating your colors in stemware and dishes, as I did with the use of black martini glasses and chargers. The table decor was complete with mirrored tiles from the local hardware store, white carnations tightly packed in black vases from the home decorating store, and glass tealight holders. The eye catching black and white toile and accents deep purple worked so well that it inspired the bride-to-be to use this color story in her own wedding!

The Finished Product:

Photo By S.Roberts

Simple Elegance on a Manor

Photos Courtesy of D. McInnis
The stone façade of a manor inspired by the 1920’s, it's surrounding lush gardens, and the ivory walls of it's formal ballroom were the perfect inspiration for this timelessly elegant wedding. The bride chose a classic palette of ivory, champagne and celadon green, which flawlessly complimented Graydon Hall Manor, an era hideaway in the heart of Toronto, Canada. The bride’s bouquet was composed of ivory stephanotis blooms, with pearls embedded in each bloom. She walked down a canopy draped aisle on the manor’s terrace, lined with fresh rose petals and celadon hydrangeas. The bride and groom said their vows under a grapevine arch woven with freshly cut green and ivory hydrangeas. Afterwards, guests enjoyed cocktails and hors d’oeuvres served in white glove fashion in the manor’s lush gardens, while being serenaded by a string quartet.

Guests then dined on plated gourmet meals of their choice, in the ballroom over vases overflowing with beautiful ivory and green hydrangeas, and luxurious oversized ivory roses. Afterwards, guests retired to the glass observatory for a late-night selection of classic petit fours, crème brulee served on silver tasting spoons, aged cheeses and enjoyed a nightcap of fine liqueurs.