On Sunday, March 22, 2009, I had the honor to be the floral designer for the Brossman Center Meet and Greet event. This fun event was a collaboration with the Brossman Center, Always Fabulous Events (the always fabulous Randi Martin), and Just a Nibble Catering.

The event was designed to introduce the Brossman Center to a community of event planners. The Brossman Center also extended the invitation to their preferred caterers: Tuxedo Caterers, Cura Hospitality Catering, and Blue Monkey Catering and few other vendors, such as Party Favors Ink.

So of course we got to deck the hall! Yippee! I got 3 tables to dress up. One was for Cura Hospitality Catering and two just for me... I also collaborated with Randi by designing the centerpieces for her tables. ^_^

Here's what I did for Cura Hospitality Catering's table:





This is a DIY friendly project for any event!
The centerpiece is quite simple as it only consists of Orange-Glittered Mitsumata Branches with Green Spider Mum and Pittosporums Wreath.

The recipe:
2-3 bunches Mitsumata Branches (any color that you like)
- the amount technically depends on how they are sold in

1 (one) 12" Height x 5" Diameter, Clear, Glass, Cylinder Vase

1 (one) 8.5" Diameter Wet Floral Foam Wreath

10-12 stems of Spider Mums

1 (one) bunch of Pittosporums
- if these are not easily available, a great alternative would be Magnolia Leaves, Salal Leaves, or Boston Ferns (yes, that common fern you see in arrangements and there's nothing wrong with that!)

* In terms of flowers, you can replace with silk ones, too.

How to:
1. Soak the foam wreath according to the instructions. After it's well soaked, let it stand for 10 minutes before you poke them with flowers
2. Do the pittosporums first. Arrange them on the bottom.
3. Arrange the spider mums on the top of the wreath. Place each of them a little tilted so it'll cover the foam well and so they won't get crushed when we place the vase in the middle of the wreath.
4. Place mitsumata branches in the vase (you can use pebbles/marbles to secure if you want. I did not use any for this event) and place the arrangement in the middle of the wreath.


And here's what I did for Randi's tables:







As for my two tables...I requested to have rectangular tables instead of the typical 60" round for this purpose. Three 6-ft tables form a row. I called one "The West Garden" and the other, "The East Garden".


"The West Garden"

When I designed this, I imagined myself being a guest at the "Madhatter's Party". I love "Alice in Wonderland" because it is so whimsical and colorful. One of the Brossman Center "A Simple Delight" wedding packages will adopt a simpler version of this design, where some of the decor will be replaced with platters of Just a Nibble Catering's wonderful yummy creations! ^_^ Sounds like a win-win combo to me! ^_^

I designed the tables with budget brides in mind, particularly "The West Garden" table and here's why:

1. There were only 2 floral arrangements for the whole table, the rest were potted plants that were repotted into new containers and vegetables and fruits in decorated containers.

2. The plants, vegetable and fruits all were purchased from Produce Junction

3. The potted plants were seasonal
- I basically went to Produce Junction a day before and picked whatever they had that day.
For this event, I chose "Gloxinia", "Cyclamen", and a variety of "Aster". Each pot ranges from $ 3.50 to $ 5.00.













I have all the containers used in this design available for rent. Just email our rental division you are interested to rent any of these from us.

The artichoke candle holder? Yeah, that's a real artichoke. Not artificial. No kidding. ^_^
My dear friend, Judi, worked so hard making those with the help of a knife and pruning snip (THANK YOU, JUDESTER! ^_^). And by the way...this is another great DIY project! Just make sure you wear protective gloves when you work with artichoke, cuz they sure poke!

The recipe:
1 Large Artichoke (or small one will do too)
1 Votive Holder
1 Tealight Holder (the aluminum part that holds the tealight itself)

How to:
1. To make it, cut the stem of the artichoke so it can stand flat.
2. Pluck out the center "leaves" of the artichoke, snip and "dig" until you reach the core
3. Insert the aluminum container of the tealight upside down (flat bottom side up, this will be the "stage" to raise your votive holder). The goal is to have the flame from the votive be outside of the artichoke leaves.
4. Insert the votive holder and place it on top of the aluminum container

I highly recommend that you do NOT use tealight for this project for 2 (two) reasons:
1. Fire hazard (most important reason).
- The flame from the tealight will burn the artichoke leaves because it sinks deep.
2. You cannot see the lumination, cuz it's placed so deep inside the artichoke
- That's why I don't even bother to suggest using LED tealights, cuz....well, what for? ^_^

I actually got mine from Target; one of their small votive holders (it's about half the size of a regular one).
I've seen these at TJ Maxx, Home Goods, and Marshall's, too, so you have choices there.


"The East Garden"

I thought I would pay a tribute to my heritage by designing an East Asian infused table. ^_^ Again, I definitely keep the budget brides in mind when planning for this. Cost wise, this is a more expensive table compared to the West Garden. But if you are willing to make substitutions and are flexible in terms of color, you can strike a deal with Heaven (sounds like a line from a kungfu movie, but hey, it works! Hehehehe... ^_^)!









     


Again, I have all the containers used in this design available for rent, with exception of the pebbles/marbles and votive holders. Just email our rental division you are interested to rent any of these from us.


What I did for this design:

1. I got my tall Phalaenopsis Orchids from this place called, surprise, surprise...Produce Junction! ^_^
- I have never seen this plant sold for $ 10 a pot (8" diam) anywhere else! Holy bazoongas! In fact, I went back to Produce Junction today and they even sold these in a smaller pot (5" diam; shorter stem) for $ 8.50 each! Can I say "Holy bazoongas" again??
Here's the downfall...If you are to use this purchasing method, this is where your FLEXIBILITY is HIGHLY REQUIRED. They don't always carry white Phalaenopsis Orchid. The day before this event, I was lucky to get white ones. Today, when I went back there, they had tons of purple ones, zero white. So just remember to be as flexible as you can and happiness shall be rewarded. ^_^

- I repotted each orchid plant into a 6" x 6" x 6" clear, glass cube vase that I filled the base with river rocks/pebbles (Dollar Tree's product, baby...) and Spanish Moss (you can buy a bag of this from Michael's, AC Moore, Jo-Ann Fabrics or Walmart).

Doesn't it look pretty? ^_^




*** THE ART OF SUBSTITUTION ***

2. I used both Dendrobium Orchids and Stocks in this design.
- I got them both from Produce Junction also, so the price for the orchids wasn't bad ($ 1 a stem). But if you are to do this DIY because you're running on a tight budget, you may want to consider ditching the Dendrobium Orchids altogether and use all Stocks or Alstromerias (see the picture of Alstromerias in this arrangement style here). The cost savings could be up to 60% and the aesthetic impact is almost equal!

See it for yourself here...


Dendrobium Orchids


Stocks


3. I tinted the water light blue. I used a special "water dye" here (cuz I have tons of it...), but I've used food dye before and it works just the same.

4. I used fresh Cymbidium Orchid heads here, but you can replace that with silk ones (Michael's has the most "real" looking ones).

5. Those nice blue gems and the weaved balls, I got them from www.jamaligarden.com, so do check the site out! ^_^ I direct my clients there quite often because they simply have awesome stuff! Now, some of these can be pricey if you are trying to cover 8+ tables, so my recommendation is to replace these with those colorful small pebbles from IKEA ("FLORERA"; $ 1.99/bag) and mix them with clear marbles to get the bling-bling effect. Dollar Tree sells those weaved balls, they might be smaller though. If that's the case, just go to IKEA; I've seen them there before.

6. Yes, I used White Cyclamen that I repotted into a 4" x 4" x 4" clear, glass cube vase. So the plant itself only cost me $ 3.50. I also used Hyacinth (you can replace this with Star of Bethlehem if they're not available if you want).

7. The long green stalk looking thingy majigy is NOT bamboos. It's actually called Equisetum or Horsetail.
It is often mistaken as bamboos though. It is indeed a cool looking plants. The common variety is usually thinner than a bamboo (I've seen ones that are wider than bamboos though). They are flexible a.k.a bendable so you can shape them if you want. For this design, I just kept them straight. ^_^

8. The flat bamboo containers are actually soba noodles "plate". ^_^ I got them a long time ago from a friend of mine. If you want to purchase these, you may have to tour around Chinatown a bit, particularly if you want to get a good price; or you can also go to a restaurant supply store.



I really had fun being a part of this wonderful event! The food was awesome, the guests and vendors were nice, and the atmosphere was just perfect! ^_^

A BIG THANK YOU to Rita Faison at the Brossman Center for always giving me "a canvas to paint on" ^_^,  Randi Martin from Always Fabulous Events for her awesome advises and support, and last but not least, Gloria Webber from Just a Nibble Catering for providing those cute and yummy treats!

A special thank you for my assistants, Mandy and Judi, for all the hardwork they put into this event! ^_^

Thank you for reading this post and I hope you enjoy it and find the tips helpful!

For more pictures from this event, please visit Papertini's Online Album.

I must say, Regan's wedding is one of my favorites ever! First of all...Regan let me do fun stuff for her bouquet like...weaved pussy willow for the collar! I love doing fun, different stuff! Tee hee! So I was excited about that... Then... I fell in love with her request to do a simple potted flower plant for centerpiece! And...I love her theme color of Charcoal Gray, Yellow and Mint Green! All of these things just screamed the word "F-U-N" to me! I am forever grateful to Regan for this overload of awesomeness! ^_^ Okay, before I sink further in gleefulness, let's start with the basic...

Her ceremony was held at the Philadelphia Ethical Society, Center City and reception was held a few blocks away at the Westin Hotel (the banquet manager, Jonathan Hagens, is nice and cool!).

For her bouquet, I used White Regular Gerbera Daises, White Freesias, Yellow Mini Gerbera Daisies, Eucalyptus, and Pittosporums. I then weaved the Pussy Willow tips into a "wreath" and inserted that in as the bouquet collar. This is so my pride and joy... Seriously! ^_^ I was so happy when I finished this bouquet!



** photos courtesy of Angelique Buckley **

So the centerpieces were setup for the ceremony decor and then repurposed at the reception. We used a mix of daffodils and tulips (love the tulips!!). Then I made a few daffodils centerpieces for the food stations. This was a brunch time reception, by the way, which I thought was so unique! 

Regan gave away the centerpieces as gifts to the guests so they could plant them for their gardens - reinforcing our "GREEN" trend! Yippee!

I picked the charcoal gray planters and accented them with mint green ribbon. Besides having the yellow tulips and daffodils, I brought more yellow in by putting thin yellow ribbon on the table number. I would like to bring in the garden theme even closer by sticking the table cards on a wooden stick (easily found in any craft store), so they look like "garden signs". Tee hee!! I think it worked well! What I learned from this lovely wedding? LESS IS MORE. ^_^ I simply love it. ^_^


Here they are at the reception site:

  

And they're back at the reception:

  

I am definitely lucky to have crossed path with Regan's friend, Angelique Buckley, who happens to be an awesome photographer! I think her style is artistic and if you follow this blog, I like anything that's different. She really makes my works look so much prettier... Thank you, Angelique!! ^_^ She is a graphic designer by trade but also does wedding album business. I highly recommend her works, so do check it out! Here's the link to Angelique's wedding album site.

And one other thing...Regan and Brad created their own wedding website in a semi-blog format and I thought it was neat! Not only it's informational, but I find it more personal. So I highly recommend you to check their site out! ^_^

For more pictures from this simply sweet wedding, please visit Papertini's Online Album.


Congratulations, Regan and Brad!

Thank you so much for giving me the honor
to be a part of your special day!
Many happy wishes for you always! ^_^

I was referred to Meghan by Lisa, one of my first clients (THANK YOU, LISA!! ^_^) and was honored to be a part of her wedding day. ^_^

One special thing about Meghan's wedding is, she actually only requested to have her bouquet, the mothers' bouquets and the boutonnieres made. I was very excited to learn that her mother actually made the maid of honor's and bridesmaids' bouquets and the centerpieces!

I would like to share what Meghan and her mom, Sue, did for her wedding decorations. I hope you would find these inspiring!

There are many ways to Rome and yes, you do not always have to shed thousands of dollars to make things happen. But...as I always mention, low budget means more work and that means...do get your family and friends involved!

The ceremony and reception were held at the River Crest Golf Club and Preserve in Oaks, PA. Warm and lovely banquet hall with a nice view of the golf course. Earlier on that day, it was POURING rain! I was kinda worried, but the Lord sure knows how to make miracles, because close to her ceremony time, it was so bright and sunny, like the rain never happened!

Meghan opted to have her bouquet Biedermeier style, which basically means the bouquet is constructed as "layers". Her top layer is Ivory Mini Callas followed by a mix of White Hydrangeas and Green Hypericum Berries and the final layer is Ivory Roses. I used the Easter Palm Leaves to shape her bouquet collar. This type of bouquet is labor intensive, so be prepared to set aside a good amount of your floral budget if you like this style. It is pretty though, isn't it? I just love how the mini calla clusters look!



 




Now, here's the inspiring part...check out Meghan's mom's work of art!


** Maid of Honor's and Bridesmaids' Bouquets **




** Gorgeous Wreaths on the entrance to the reception area **

 


** The Lovely Decorated Gift Box **




** Neat Idea for Centerpieces! **
When I took the pictures, they were not fully set up yet. What Meghan and Sue explained to me, these vases would be filled with candles (I'm sure it would have looked lovely! I'll post the pics in the album if I happen to get a hold of them). Meghan got the cute picture frame/table number holder from an art shop, I believe.

 


Love the little rhinestones accent! ^_^



Here's another AWESOME idea... get your ceremony flowers from PRODUCE JUNCTION!!

Aren't these hydrangeas just as gorgeous?? And trust me, they probably cost less than $ 15 a pot! AND...you get to plant them for your garden! They simply repotted the hydrangeas into new containers, which worked just fine, I'd say! ^_^

So the verdict is....Low Cost + Green? It's the TREND, ladies! ^_^

I hope you find these as inspiring as I do. I understand that not everybody is as crafty as Meghan's mom, Sue. Good news for us is...there are so many tutorials that you can look up and easy to follow. For those who don't like to read and prefer hands-on experience (like me...), Papertini will be offering workshops for DIY Bride-To-Be!! So stay tuned for more details!!! ^_^

For more pictures from this lovely wedding, please visit Papertini's online album.



Congratulations, Meghan and Luke!!


** photo courtesy of lcapparella **

Thank you so much for the honor to be a part of your special day!
Many happy wishes always! ^_^