Two blogs in one week!  It sure has been a long time since I had the time to blog twice in one week…go me, ha! I have been feverishly working on getting our 2011 photo album together, and in doing so have had sooo much fun looking at last year’s wedding.  I wanted to take the time to blog this gorgeous white summery wedding that we did for Katie and Marc at Congress Hall in Cape May this past August.  Congress Hall has this amazing, striking reception room and I loved how the photos turned out.  Tiffany with Atlas Wedding Photography did an amazing job with the photos!

Katie looked stunning!  She carried a bouquet of all white vitality garden roses.

I loved her dress.  The bouquet of all roses perfectly complimented her gown.

GORGEOUS bridesmaids!  I loved their blue dresses!  They carried bouquets of all white dahlias (LOVE!) wrapped with this adorable blue and white striped ribbon.  A mono-botanical bouquet accented with a striking wrap like this is one of my favorite bouquet designs.

Check out the pretty pearl and rhinestone brooch that we added to Katie’s bouquet.

A simple white dendrobium orchid bout looks so elegant.

For her centerpieces we used our chic vase topped with a mound of white hydrangea, white roses, and hanging green amaranthus.  Hanging crystals added the perfect touch of sparkle.

The white flowers really stood out well against the blue walls and those amazing black and white checkered floors!

Next week is a busy one for us.  We will be displaying at the Running Deer Bridal Show on February 12th and then Valentine’s Day is right around the corner!  We are also doing lots of samples for our 2012 brides next week.  Don’t forget to give me a call if you are interested in seeing a sample of anything on your wedding order.

If you are interested in our floral design services in South Jersey, the greater Philadelphia area or Northern Delaware please contact us by filling out the form below:

Well the big major news here at A Garden Party is that baby Sam has arrive!!!  Mary and baby are doing wonderful and I am loving getting to snuggle him up everyday.  Look at how sweet he is! (PS – thanks for the photo Tina!)

I also wanted to show off these photos from a wedding that we did last spring at Trump National of Pine Hill.  Megan wanted a tall centerpiece with a lot of impact, but was looking for something very natural and gardeny. We came up with the idea of using our tall bell vase with a maidenhair fern planted into the top.

I was obsessed with how striking and different these centerpieces turned out to be.  It doesn’t always have to involve flowers (well as a florist I think it usually does, but in this case, the ferns were awesome all on their own!).

In the base of the vase we used a crystal sphere with natural birch branches standing up in the vase.  We added that little bit of bling, but kept the natural element that Megan was looking for.

I kind of loved how you could see the dirt and the roots through the clear vase.

 Now I know today’s blog was super short and super quick….but there will be more to come!  I have lots of weddings waiting in the wings to be featured on the blog so keep checking back!

If you are interested in our floral design services in South Jersey, the greater Philadelphia area or Northern Delaware please contact us by filling out the form below:

Well we are still waiting on Baby Coombs over here.  Mary’s due date is tomorrow and we are so excited!! We can’t wait to meet the new baby and find out whether it is a boy or a girl!  We have been steady working on lots of projects. We have a bridal show coming up, February 12th at Running Deer, so we have been tossing around some ideas for that.  We decided that we wanted to offer a 50% discount on samples for any of our 2012 and 2013 brides that would like to see samples of their bouquets or centerpieces.  Any brides that have already booked with us that would like to see a sample at 50% off please contact me (dawn@agardenpartyllc.com) asap to set up an appointment for Saturday, February 11th.  We will then be taking the samples to the Bridal Show on Sunday.   I am also working on our 2011 album and have come across so many pictures from weddings throughout last year that, at the time, we didn’t have time to blog.  I love going through all the past weddings, it is so much fun looking back at our brides and their flowers.  Kim and Brian were one of your favorite couples of 2011.  They are the sweetest two people and seriously are so much fun and so in love.  Every picture I see of them just makes me smile.  Their wedding took place on 9/10/11, which of course, was one of our biggest wedding weekends of the year.  They were married in a church in Ocean City with their reception following at Greate Bay Country Club in Somers Point. I really loved all the details of this wedding.  The color scheme was great, jade green and yellow, and we got to bring in some of those modern elements that we really love.  Jac & Jules Photography did an amazing job with the photos, so check it out!

How sweet are these two!??!  For Kim’s bouquet we used yellow calla lilies, cymbidium orchids, yellow latina roses, and bupluerum.  I loved all this yellow, it photographed gorgeous!

The bridesmaids wore jade green dresses and held bouquets of all yellow long stem calla lilies.  We wrapped the bouquets with black ribbon and added a beaded jade green accent (I have memories of searching online for a jade green accent for these bouquets…I think it took 3 of us looking for hours before we found something that we all liked, ha!).

What a pretty little flower girl!  She wore a floral halo of yellow spray roses, so sweet!

The couple was flanked by our ivory pedestals with a mound of yellow roses on top and draped crystals.  Love it!

Brian and Kim exited the church with yellow rose petals raining down on them.

They had these adorable table number holders that held a single flower.  We loved them so much that we bought them after the wedding.  Let us know if you would like to rent them for your wedding!

Half of the tables had our smaller black cylinders filled with sandblasted manzanita with yellow roses, hanging crystals, and hanging votives.

The other half of the tables had our tall black cylinders with long stem yellow calla lilies cascading out one side.  We hung crystals from the calla lilies to add some more interest.

Their cake was accented with cymbidium orchids.  I love orchids on a cake, so pretty!

Thank you Kim and Brian for letting us be a part of your day.  We thoroughly enjoyed working with you two and loved how all of your flowers came out.  Best wishes to both of you!

If you are interested in our floral design services in South Jersey, the greater Philadelphia area or Northern Delaware please contact us by filling out the form below:

Last week Mary and I sat down and kind of caught our breath from the craziness that was the holidays.  We decided we wanted to set some goals for 2012 and also to check and see how we made out on our 2011 goals.  It was so rewarding reflecting back on the year and realizing that not only did we accomplish our goals, but we blew some of them right of the water!  In 2011 we did 99 events…no small feat for these two sisters!  We were published on several blogs, including Style Me Pretty, Glamour and Grace, and The Wedding Chicks.  We were also awarded The Knot Best of 2011 and Wedding Wire’s 2011 Brides Choice.  While we love seeing our work published and recognized, what really makes us happiest is the feedback we get from our brides.  Seeing their faces on their wedding days, getting their thank you cards, and developing friendships with them is what makes this all worthwhile for us.  Mary insisted we set some 2012 goals, which I kind of chuckled about (I kind of hate New Year’s Resolutions)…but thinking about it later I think this is one of the reasons Mary and I work so well together.  I tend to concentrate on the work that needs to be done now, the wedding that this weekend, and the brides that are calling today; while Mary is our go-getter.  She sets our goals and has this vision of what we can be in the future.  I keep us grounded in today and she sets us up for success in the future.  Today though, I want to take a look back on 2011 and highlight one wedding from each month.  I hope you all have enjoyed reading our blog this past year and watching our business grow.  We can’t thank our brides and our customers enough…you guys are what this is all about!

January began with Sarah and Simon’s Wedding.  This was the first wedding we got to use our luminaries for…love it!

Our very own April was married in February.  I was obsessed with all the lilacs we got to play with for her wedding!

March brought Lindsey’s wedding.  Lindsey was a dream to work with, gotta love a bride with so much style that she made it on to Say Yes to the Dress!

April kicked off with Danielle’s charming cobalt blue wedding.

May was full of weddings. One of my favorites was Anya’s.  I LOVED putting together her bouquet.

In June we did Brynn and Drew’s gorgeous green and pink wedding at Scotland Run.

In July things really heated up with Sarah and Rob’s gorgeous wedding at The Southern Mansion.

In August we partnered up with Art+Life Photography and Salon Nicole for our Rock the Dress photo shoot.

September kicked off the busy fall wedding season.  Jocelyn’s wedding has remained one of my favorites for the year!

Bridget’s shore wedding in October was another one of my favs.  I love doing something different, and everything about this wedding was unique!

In November we hosted a DIY party for Jaime, truly one of the sweetest brides we have ever met.

We ended the year with some gorgeous December weddings….but those photos are yet to come.  Stay tuned for everything to come in 2012, we are so excited about the upcoming year!

If you are interested in our floral design services in South Jersey, the greater Philadelphia area or Northern Delaware please contact us by filling out the form below:

 I hope everyone enjoyed the holidays!  Mary and I took a week off to get ourselves ready for Christmas and it sure felt strange not working!  I have been working on this blog post off and on for days.  It is a lot harder to blog from home with two little kids ‘helping’!  We LOVED this wedding.  Bridget and John were a joy to work with.  She came to use wanting untraditional wedding flowers, but gave us lots of leeway in flower choices and design concepts….we love creative freedom!  They were married in Stone Harbor in October, with their reception following at The Princeton in Avalon, NJ.  I loved all the extra little details and how south Jersey beachy their wedding felt!

Bridget carried a bouquet of cream garden roses, dill (yes, the herb dill!), ivory dahlias, nigella, succulents, and pitcher plants.  The pitcher plants and dill were a last minute add….and I really think they made the bouquet!

The bridesmaids carried bouquets of soft green hydrangea, ivory dahlias, yellow zinnias, white nigella, dill, and succulents.  I loved the soft colors with the pops of the yellow zinnias in front of the yellow gowns.

Bridget’s bouquet was wrapped with burlap and had an ivory lace accent.  The bridesmaids were wrapped with yellow satin and accented with twine.

The flower girl carried this adorable pomander of yellow button mums with green pins.

The bouts featured a succulent, pitcher plant, dusty miller, and a touch of the white nigella.  They were wrapped with the twine as well.

At the church we tied yellow oncidium orchids to the pews with ivory satin ribbon.  I love these orchids and they were the perfect shade of yellow for Bridget and John’s wedding.

Looks like a fun bridal party!

Check out all this stuff they had set up!  All we had to do was come in and dress it up a little with flowers.  A few dahlias, touches of moss, and a candle and the table was perfect!

For their card box they used an old lobster box…so cute!  We added sandblasted manzanita, succulents, and button mums.

They strung this burlap banner between two manzanita trees that we set up.  Extra details like this are what really makes a wedding memorable!

I am obsessed with their lobster card box!

Instead of a guest book, they had their guests sign this surfboard!

Amazingly delicious looking appetizers!

The Princeton is a bar so it wasn’t set up like a traditional reception.  We made these smaller arrangements for all of the hightops.  They were done in these sleek tin containers and filled with zinnias, roses, dahlias, air plants, succulents, and touches of moss.

I loved these arrangments.  They weren’t your typical centerpiece, but were gorgeous, and fit the venue perfectly.  Each arrangment was slightly different and the guests/family got to keep them at the end of the night!

Yet another adorable sign!  They didn’t forget even one little detail!

The pitcher plants were added because a local supplier mentioned them in her availability earlier that week and I just couldn’t resist.  I love being able to add last minute finds like that!

On the other tables we did a larger version on the tin container filler with air plants, succulents, roses, dahlias, protea, and dusty miller.

 All the different textures in these arrangments were truly amazing.

This wedding was so fun to work on.  Looking back on it has really made me feel ready to get back into the flower shop!  Thank you, Bridget and John, for letting us be a part of your wedding day.  Your wedding was one of a kind and we were honored to be a part of your day!

If you are interested in our floral design services in South Jersey, the greater Philadelphia area or Northern Delaware please contact us by filling out the form below:

In June, Dawn and Mary had the pleasure of creating the flowers for Jenna and Drew’s wedding at The Golden Inn in Avalon, NJ. The Golden Inn is one of their favorite reception venues.  Located right off the beach, this venue is perfect for the couple looking to have a beach ceremony within walking distance of their reception venue.  This beach wedding featured tons of fun yellow and green flowers that looked gorgeous with the bridesmaids’ “sprite” dresses and the groomsmen’s light gray suits. Mirka Photography captured all of the lovely details in these great pictures.

Jenna carried this gorgeous bouquet featuring craspedia, succulents, freesia, silver brunia berries, burpluerum, green cymbidium orchids, yellow roses and dahlias.

The matching groom boutonniere looked great against Drew’s light gray suit.

Dawn and Mary lined the aisle with shepherd hooks and tin pails filled with monstera, succulents and craspedia.  The hooks and the pails are both available as rental items.

Behind the bridal party, Dawn and Mary arranged bamboo poles and sheer white fabric.  These poles can be customized with any color fabric and are perfect for a beach wedding.

The bridemaids bouquets, which featured craspedia, succulents, silver brunia berries, burpluerum, dahlias and one monstera leaf, looked amazing against the “sprite” colored dresses.

I love the monestra leaf in the bridesmaids bouqests.

What a gorgeous group of people!

This picture makes me wish I was at the reception. They look like they know how to have fun.

They are such a beautiful couple.

Half of the tables had these high centerpieces that featured green hydrangea, bupluerum, yellow dahlias, a monstera leaf and  succulent in a bell vase.

The rest of the tables were decorated with monstera, manzanita  and assorted blooms such as craspedia, freesia, orchids and dahlias under glass cloches.  Each napkin was accented with a green mum for the perfect final touch.

This stunning cake was decorated with green cymbidium orchids.

Jenna and Drew, congratulations on  your marriage. We wish you many years of happiness and love.

If you are interested in our floral design services in South Jersey, the greater Philadelphia area or Northern Delaware please contact us by filling out the form below:

A few months ago, I introduced you to a great website Mary and Dawn discovered called Pinterest. Since then, Dawn and Mary have become obsessed with this website that lets you create virtual inspiration boards. (I’m in love with it too!) We all use it for personal inspiration; for instance, Mary has a board of nursery ideas for her second baby she is expecting in January, Dawn has a board of recipes she wants to try and I have a board of crafts I want to make, but the best part of Pinterest is all the wedding ideas.

Dawn and  Mary both create boards for wedding ideas they love. They also are willing to create boards for bride’s who need some inspiration. If you want Dawn and Mary to love you forever, create a wedding board before or after your floral consultation and share it with them. Don’t include just flowers. They want to see all your wedding details including dress ideas, cake ideas and favor ideas. (In case you haven’t noticed, Dawn and Mary love everything about weddings. Seeing all the details helps them get a better sense of your overall theme and style, so they create flowers that coordinate.)

For a little inspiration, check out these boards Dawn and Mary have already created.

Baby’s Breath Inspiration

These ideas are so simple, inexpensive and beautiful.

Fall Wedding Ideas

I love the idea of lining the aisle with pumpkins.

Fab Bouquets

If I got married again, I would totally carry this.

Winter Wedding Inspiration

I am obsessed with this cake!

Pine Cone Decor Ideas

This would be beautiful at a winter wedding.

Ali and Sean Wedding Ideas

I love this bouquet!

We would love to see your wedding inspiration boards!

One of the best parts of being a wedding florist is seeing how excited the bride is when she sees her wedding flowers for the first time. That experience is even more exciting when you get to watch the bride and her bridesmaids create the flowers themselves. Some people might be scared of doing a DIY party because they fear that the flowers won’t look as good as those done by the “professionals,” but these pictures from Jaime and Justin’s wedding at the The Bradford Estate prove that DIY flowers can be just as beautiful.

Jaime and her bridesmaids made these beautiful bouquets at the DIY party hosted at the Garden Party Studio. The bouquets consisted of pink hydrangea and garden roses.  Gorgeous girls!!!

The girls wrapped the bouquets with pewter satin ribbon to match the gowns, and they used rhinestone pins to accent.

Jaime made her father’s boutonniere at the DIY party, which makes this moment even more memorable.

This amazing boutonniere was also made at the DIY party.

Jaime and Justin both look amazing. Plus, the lace wrapped around her bouquet matches the bottom of her dress perfectly.

The church is decorated with the arrangments made at the DIY party. The girls used hydrangea, stock, and garden roses in tin pails that Jaime purchased to create this beautiful look.  The aisle was lined with pale pink hydrangea tied to the pews with pewter satin ribbon.

The lace accents on the vases are gorgeous! It coordinated perfectly with the other wedding details.  The girls made the centerpieces in a trio of cylinders using roses, hydrangea, and stock.

Even the cake has stunning lace details.

She was thrilled to catch the toss bouquet. Maybe it is because she knew it was made by the bride and her bridesmaids.

Unfortunately, Jaime didn’t have too many pictures of the centerpieces because the venue lost power right before the bride and groom arrived. (Yes, you read that right. Their wedding took place during a power outage.) But as you can tell from the other floral arrangements, Jaime and her girls did a great job putting together the wedding flowers.

If you are interested in booking a DIY party, check out the DIY page on our website. (On the page, you’ll find pictures of Jaime and her bridesmaids arranging her flowers. They looked adorable in the flower aprons!)

If you are interested in our floral design services in South Jersey, the greater Philadelphia area or Northern Delaware please contact us by filling out the form below:

Everyone has been anticipating Bella and Edward’s wedding, and the Breaking Dawn nuptials didn’t disappoint. Although the movie has been receiving mixed reviews, we give the wedding details five stars. Here are a few ideas you can steal from the lovely Alice Cullen who planned Bella and Edward’s big day.

An Elegant, Long-sleeved Dress

Bella looked beautiful as she walked down the aisle in a long-sleeved, lace -back dress designed by Carolina Herrera. Alfred Angelo has designed a replica of the gown that only costs $799. The long sleeves and cut-out lace back are elegant, classic and beautiful. This gown would be perfect for a fall, winter or church wedding.

Host the Wedding at Home

The ceremony and reception took place at the Cullen home. The setting made the wedding personal and unique. This is a simple idea that anyone can use and personalize. Consider your parents’ homes, family members’ homes or even close friends’ homes. Some fun possibilities include beach houses, lake view homes and family farms.

Use Tons of Flowers

The most breath-taking part of the Breaking Dawn wedding was the flowers. According to Blooming Envy LLC, the ceremony took place under 160,000 white wisteria that cascaded down from trees, and the aisle was lined with arrangements consisting of delphiniums, sweet pea, viburnum, ranunculus, Australian ferns and moss. The ceremony flowers also featured cherry blossoms and white lavender. The flowers set the tone of the wedding and provide a beautiful backdrop for the ceremony.

Decorate the Cake with Flowers

At the reception, Bella and Edward’s cake was decorated with roses, viburnum and sweet pea. The flowers make a simple cake extravagant.

We’d love to know, what did you think of the Twilight wedding? Are there any ideas you are dying to steal?

Hope everyone is loving our new website and blog!!!  We have been a little behind on our blogging, while we got the new website up and running, but now we are back and are vowing to get back into regular blogging.  Check out this gorgeous purple wedding that we did this past summer.  Megan and Daniel got married at Brigalia’s in Sickerville, New Jersey. The bride loves purple, so her colors were green and purple. (One of my favorite color combinations!)

 Her bouquet was a variety of purple flowers including picasso calla lilies, stock, alstroemeria and orchids.

I love the bridesmaids’ pistachio gowns! The purple bouquets look great against the green.  The girls carried bouquets of purple stock and green gladiola blooms.  Gladiola are one of my favorite flowers!

The flowers looked beautiful on this elegant cake. We used purple orchids, dark purple stock, purple gladiola blooms, and green button mums to coordinate with the bridal party flowers and dresses.

Thank you Megan and Daniel for letting us be a part of your big day. We hope married life is treating you well!

If you are interested in our floral design services in South Jersey, the greater Philadelphia area or Northern Delaware please contact us by filling out the form below: