Dude, can’t believe it is almost June already. It is currently 90 degrees in our office (gotta love old houses, freezing cold in the winter, sweltering in the summer, even with the AC!) but I’ve decided to cool off for a few minutes and blog about Diana’s January 6th wedding at The Merion. I recall this wedding vividly because it was one week before my due date with Sam and I kept insisting on helping Dawn deliver the wedding. We decided to compromise: We both do all the designing, but she went to set it all up with Torey, our other designer. I guess she was afraid I would go into labor during the set up…that would be a wedding to remember! Dawn and Torey did a great job, and thanks for looking out for me sis!

Side note – Diana and her mom are so sweet! Total pleasure to work with!

Diana’s bouquet…..soft white peonies, anemone, ranunculus and dusty miller with crystals <3

All photos by Ashley Sorbello Photography.

What a beautiful bride, I know we say that a lot, but really, look at her!

Look how pretty the maids are! We just did one of her bridesmaid’s weddings a few weeks ago…thanks for the recommendation Diana!

Tall wintery centerpieces on our new tall silver metal vase, featuring silver birch branches, white hydrangea, white spider mums, roses, spray roses, dusty miller and hanging crystals. We are obsessed with these vases, so sleek and pretty. We just got in the coordinating silver bowls too!

A close up….the dusty miller makes it, right?

She loved candles, so the Diana trio (perfectly named!) lit the other half of the tables. Crystal votives sparkled at the base.

Anyone feel cooler yet? Yeah, me neither haha. Happy almost 5 months Diana and John! Sam serves as a good reminder.

WOW – wedding season has hit and Mary and I have been living in a sea of flowers for weeks! I can’t believe we haven’t done a blog since the beginning of May, and we are going to really try our best to blog at least once a week through the wedding season. We have been making it a point to post little wedding sneak peeks on our facebook, so pop on over there if you need a wedding fix.  The past few weeks have been insanely busy, but also so much fun.  My sister in law, Torey, is now designing for A Garden Party, and I feel so fortunate that I get to work so closely with my family and friends, doing something I love.  It has been so refreshing working side by side with Torey.  She brings in so many unique and creative ideas and I know between the three of us, we can accomplish just about anything.  It has been amazing to see our business grow, and bringing on a new designer was the next step for us.  We are so excited to see what this year is going to bring; so far we are off to an amazing start!

Today I want to share a stunning wedding that we did in February.  Leigh Anne was a gorgeous bride and I have been dying to show off these pictures.  Leigh Anne and Anthony’s wedding took place at The Westin in Mount Laurel.  Their wedding was an elegant black and white affair with touches of blush pink, lots of crystals, ostrich feathers, and candlelight.  I always love setting up at The Westin because we usually stay to flip the room after the ceremony, which means I get to hide out and hear the bride and groom’s wedding ceremony   Dan Lerro Photography did an amazing job with the photos, check them out for yourself.

Mary did an amazing job with Leigh Anne’s bouquet.  The bouquet featured white peonies, tulips, anemone, cascading white phalaenopsis orchids, strands of blush pink hyacinth florets, and rhinestone studded lily grass and stephanotis.

The bridesmaids carried bouquets of white peonies, tulips, and anemone.  The junior bridesmaids carried kissing balls of white spray roses. I love that each of the bridesmaids wore a black dress of their choice and the black fur wrap on the flower girl is just darling!

Many times we are set up and gone long before the bride arrives to check out the venue.  However, I had the chance to witness Leigh Anne checking out the room prior to the ceremony, and it is moments like this that make this job so worthwhile.  Seeing her walk down the aisle and the smile on her face was priceless.  We lined the aisle with our wax luminaries filled with blush pink ostrich feathers.  The luminaries cast the perfect glow and are ideal for lining an aisle.

On the place card table I used more luminaries filled with white hydrangea, ivory roses, champagne spray roses, and black ostrich feathers.

Here is a close up of the wax luminaries used to line the aisle.  I love the feathers!

Half of the tables were done with tall square glass vases accented with a wide band of rhinestone trim.  In the vase we submerged white hydrangea and floated a candle.  Smaller square wax luminaries accented the tall vase.

I was obsessed with this centerpiece.  This was the first time that we used the wax luminaries with a square floral design and I LOVED how it turned out.  The luminaries that lined the aisle were moved after the ceremony and placed in the center of the square floral design.  We used white hydrangea, white football mums, ivory roses, and spray roses.

I love using scatter crystals…check them out decorating the cake table.

Our silver birdcage accented with two tall vases filled with submerged hydrangea.

Thank you Leigh Anne and Anthony for letting us be a part of your wedding day.  We really enjoyed designing your flowers and wish you both all the best, xoxo!

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:

Happy Friday Flower Fans! It’s Mary this time, I think it is about time to relieve Dawn of some tasks now that I am back to work full time (with Sam at my side!). Our schedules have been delightfully full of client meetings, lots of quotes mixed with lots of Pinterest boards (see some wedding inspiration here folks!), and planning for the Centerton Country Club Spring Bridal Show (don’t forget to register).

This weekend we are honored to be a part of Caitlyn’s wedding, so it got me thinking about another Caitlin we got to know last August. Her wedding reception to Richard was celebrated at Lucien’s Manor in Berlin, NJ, after their church ceremony in Cherry Hill; both full of bright orange, coral, hot pink and green. Caitlin was such a sweet bride, especially when I had to call her a few days before her wedding to let her know that the hot pink dahlias that I ordered came in looking rough. I just didn’t feel comfortable using them because the color was a little off and I couldn’t get a replacement due to short supply, so I called her to ask if we could sub them for hot pink gerbers instead. She happily agreed and let me know how grateful she was that I called to keep her in the loop. I try to run my business how I want other businesses to treat me, and I would certainly want to know about a change to my order and that all options have been explored. So anyway, let’s see how it all turned out!

Caitlin wanted a traditional look with lots of color, so we created a bouquet of pale pink dahlias, movie star coral roses, peach mini gerbers, green hydrangea, orange celosia and stephanotis with rhinestones.

The happy couple, congrats!

I thought this was a pretty way to incorporate flowers into an updo, even though it is a silk orchid, still looks so romantic!

Close up of a bout.

The sage green dresses were flattering on everyone and you know I am digging that little flower accent.

I like the printed dresses for the little junior bridesmaids!

The ballroom at Lucien’s was dressed up with 2 centerpiece styles: one tall chic vase with gerbers inside and a mounded arrangement of green dutch hydrangea, gerbers, roses, and gomphrena. Coordinating floral rings with candles adorned the other tables.

Thank you Studio K Photography for sharing the photos and a big thanks to Caitlin for being so understanding! We wish you many many years of happiness…

xoxo, Mary and Dawn

Time to get back to the next Caitlyn’s wedding..the damask print accents are so cute! Good thing Sam likes that carrier sling thing <3

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:

Mary and I are so excited about some new changes going on over here.  We are having new floors put in the flower shop (no more concrete!), they should finish up today.  Then we are going to reorganize our consultation area.  There is something to be said for getting everything set just right.  I love when brides come in to our shop and are so surprised at what they find.  Yes, we are located in the middle of a field, but we still want it to be fab!  Speaking of fab, I am excited to share this winter wedding with everyone.  I love winter weddings.  This past December we did a gorgeous wedding at The Philadelphia Racquet Club.  Thomas W. Lunt Photography shared these amazing photos with us.  I loved Kiera’s color scheme; the dark red and purple looked so striking.

The bridesmaids carried bouquets of dark red roses, purple stock, purple lisianthus, and touches of cedar.  We accented the roses with crystal pins.

Kiera’s bouquet was white peonies, dark red garden roses, purple stock, purple lisianthus, and a collar of cedar.  We added diamond pins to the roses.

The pretty little flower girl wore a crown of red spray roses and carried a wand of red roses.

At the church we used our large bell vases filled with cranberries.  We topped them with arrangements of red garden roses, purple stock, red amaryllis, winter greens, and winterberry branches.

The reception room at The Philadelphia Racquet is so pretty.  I loved the blue walls.  We wanted to bring a touch of that blue into the centerpieces so we incorporated the blue/purple dendrobium orchids with red amaryllis, purple stock, red roses, winter greens, and winterberry branches.

The arrangements were placed on top of our chic vase, which was filled with cranberries.  We also added hanging crystals (we love a touch of bling!).

I loved the amaryllis!

For the other half of the tables we did little arrangements in our Diana candle holder trio.

We accented each of the candle holders with dark purple ribbon and a crystal brooch.  We also added our crystal votive holders to each table.

Each napkin was adorned with a spring of winter greens.

We spruced up the gift table with cylinders of amaryllis and roses.

The cake was finished with a ring of red roses and purple lisianthus.  We like to leave vases for the bridesmaids bouquets on the cake table.  This is the perfect spot for bridesmaids to place their flowers.

Thanks Kiera and Ryan for letting us be a part of your day!  We loved every detail of this gorgeous winter wedding!

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 weeks ago Mary and I had the pleasure of designing and setting up the wedding flowers for Jenna and Mark at Running Deer Golf Club in Pittsgrove, NJ. The wedding planning started months in advance as Mary searched high and low for the perfect turquoise glass beads to use as an accent for Jenna. We really love how it all came together and are so excited to share the pictures with you. Issy Schmid was kind of enough to send us these fabulous shots. Definitely check out her website and blog, she does some amazing work!

The bridesmaids wore these cute little black dresses (love these!) and carried bouquets of yellow calla lilies. The yellow really popped against the black! Jenna carried an all white bouquet of roses, lilacs, calla lilies, tulips and stephanotis….and of course we accented with some turquoise bling.

Here is a close up of Jenna's bouquet. The rhinestones in the stephanotis were gorgeous. We also wrapped her bouquet with a handkerchief that had been handed down in her family, these are the kind of little touches that we love to add.

I had to add this picture because they both looked so awesome in it. You can also see how the handkerchief was wrapped around the stems of her bouquet.

Look at this gorgeous bride!!!

As usual the set up at Running Deer went perfectly. We used our tall bell vases with a stem of yellow orchids in the bottom and a mound of white hydrangea on top. We hung the turquoise beads from the top of the centerpiece and of course sprinkled some on the table.

For the low centerpieces we used this coordinating bowl with floating orchids and candles. Look at how pretty the glass beads are on that mirror.

Jenna and Mark were married outside at Running Deer underneath their new pergola. We hung these cute little bubble vases with hydrangea from the pergola. We had some strands of the beads left and didn't want any to go to waste so we decided last minute to add them to the pergola – I think this really made it all come together.

To line the aisle we hung these adorable little daisy pomanders from shepherds hooks.

Thanks to Issy for all of the great photos.  And congrats to Jenna and Mark – we had so much fun doing this wedding!

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 am so blessed to have such supportive/amazing/inspiring friends, you know, the kind of friends that make you want to be a better person. Tina is in that category for sure. It just so happens that we have become industry buds too, which adds to the fun. Whenever we are together, we swap stories about creative and awesome weddings that we have been a part of and we are always trading tips and advice. As A Garden Party grows and develops, I can’t help but think that Tina has something to do with it. She has been so generous with sharing her beautiful photos (see many more on her website), always sending me a cd bursting with tons of high res pics for me to play with…come see many of them in the new studio on display! So today’s post is showcasing her talent showcasing our work, cool huh?

This is a sample of Tina's wedding bouquet for her big day in October, we are IN LOVE with the texture/bulk/drama of this bouquet! There is nothing delicate about this baby except for the feathers! Many of our brides are interested in sample bouquets, which we think is a great idea. We do charge for the sample though, these things cost money ladies!

It was windy this day and those feathers were dancing! Every bouquet needs a little bit of movement, that is my motto.

A centerpiece sample that you may have seen at our last bridal show…a trio of square vases with an electric mix of green cymbidium orchids and perfect blue hydrangea, this was HOT people!! Brides loved it at the show!

So we might have went a little overboard on the feathers that day, but you gotta love it. Peonies and roses are a romantic duo.

We got these new jeweled collars that are sooooooooo beautiful mixed with simple pink callas.

Purple mokara orchids (my new addiction), grape hyacinths and ranunculus are cute cute cute for bridesmaids. I think this would look great with black dresses!

We that is my little bit of randomness for today! Hope you enjoyed it as much as I did. Thanks again to Tina for sending me the beautiful photos and for being an inspiration. Love you 619 McKean!! To everyone that has no idea what that means, we were PSU freshman neighbors and loved every minute of that chaos. Looking forward to the weddings we are teaming up for this summer and of course your own wedding in October!

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:

1. Sisters are a funny bunch to work with (believe me, I know!) because the personalities are so different yet complimentary, which was certainly the case with Maria and Michelle. Loved em!

2. Upon delivery of her bridal bouquet, Maria was getting her hair and makeup done while her sweet dad took it all in. He asked her if she was going to wear a veil. Maria quickly replied, “There is no veil, the hair is the veil.” That was seriosuly the funniest thing to overhear, check out the pics, it is true! Her hair was totally veil like!

3. We never know what we are about to encounter while delivering at the reception hall. Thankfully The Merion welcomed us with a perfectly ready room and even some entertainment! There was a school fraternity that was using the room as a place for pictures and dance practice, it was the most entertaining set up of all time! They were great dancers!

4. I fell in love with our bell vases again <3

Check out the beautiful pictures from Joseph Clementi Photography (and a few from our own camera mixed in!). Thanks so much for sending them to us Joe!  Without further ado, I present Maria and Craig’s Marvelous Wedding….

See what I mean about the hair/veil comment! Jealous!

Maria’s bouquet featured 2 shades of ivory roses and stephanotis with pearl accents, you can’t get much more classic than that!

The happy couple…think this will be in their living room one day?

A close up of the bridesmaids bouquets: ivory roses + white anemone = simply chic!

Centerpieces stole the show with elegant white hydrangea, glittering branches and the adorable hanging table number!

Not that we had anything to do with it, but I loved her favors! Wawa coffee and the newspaper! Something tells me Michelle had her hand in this…

Well, I would love to add another pic of the beautiful bridesmaids in their lovely black gowns, but my comp is being insane and I am giving up! Use your imagination haha. I will try it again later. Oh technology!

So this is the post all of our winter brides have been waiting for! I just got the digital prints hot off the press from Tina and couldn’t wait another day to share them with you! Thank you Tina for ALL of the great photos from Sarah’s January wedding, you amaze me more and more with each wedding (or Lee photo shoot!). For those of you who don’t know who this beautiful bride is, she is my best friend and partner in crime, Sarah. I felt honored to design the flowers for her wedding day (and serve as her Matron of Honor!), she gave me all the creative freedom I wanted and only gave me one tip, “I like lots of candlelight!” Well, we didn’t burn down Waterfall Banquet Center, so I would consider that a success! Dawn and I put candles in every facet of this wedding, and the warm glow really lit up the happy couple. Let’s just get right to the good stuff…

Sarah's bouquet is one of my all time favs…I wanted to capture her sweet and simple personality so I choose white and cream garden roses, white fringed tulips, white cymbidium orchids and ranunculus. White feather trim added the perfect amount of texture and style to this classic bouquet.

Bridesmaids carried green and white orchids with fringed white tulips, of course we added feathers and crystal trim too!

The bridal party adoring Sarah…that was an easy shot!

Sarah and Joe share their vows….doesn't the background look magical? I took inpiration from an episode of Platinum Weddings, and I think my version looks better!!

The aisle was lined with our new pedestals, which were linked with a crystal strand and a feather boa. Floating candles and orchids added some more drama!

A screen of willow trees decorated with crystals, votives, mirrored garland, snowflakes and orchids. Vases of pinecones and candles added some extra warmth to the ceremony location.

Windowsills were dressed with our diana candleholders, pinecones and orchids to warm up the room.

 

Adore the steamy lighting here in front of the waterfall!

 

The fireplace in the lobby was a perfect place for a big show of candles, roses, ornaments and my personal favorite, amaranthus!

 

Manzanita trees with orchids, crystals and hanging votives are taken to the next level with a lush floral ring at the base. Guests were able to take the ring home!

Coordinating candlelit centerpieces in a classic silver bowl, these were so elegant! The bowl is a rental item and the arrangement is designed to be given away to guests at the end of the party.

 

A simply beautiful cake stamped with snowflakes and adorned with orchids.

 

I know this has nothing to do with flowers, but I just had to include this shot! Silversound DJs (Dan Breslin was awesome!!) even got Gram Brooks out on the dance floor! Best wedding DJ I have ever heard!

I just had to include this one because I love when couples do this! She made her thank you cards with this shot!

That was just a selection of all the great photos from her wedding day, I hope you enjoyed a look into their special day! It was my pleasure to do what I love for the lovable Sarah, thank you for your total confidence in Dawn and I, but more importantly, thank you for our friendship. Love you 620 McKean (our freshman dorm at PSU!)

Stay tuned for my next blog entry about my wedding toast to the lovely couple…I have had lots of requests to publish it! There are more farmer’s wives out there that need to hear this!

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 beautiful holiday card from one of our beautiful brides!

 As I looked at the front, I thought, “Oh, how sweet, she sent us a Christmas card!!” but as I flipped it over, I realized it was a thank you card AND and Christmas card! What could be better? I hope she doesn’t mind if I share it with you…

Her hand-written note was so sweet, it totally made my day! Maybe my week!

I think my favorite line is “…we found your ideas very refreshing and exactly on point with what we were looking for. I also really appreciated your willingness to work with our budget, it was such a relief to know we could still have such classy, beautiful arrangements without breaking the bank.” That statement says a lot to me! Dawn and I try very hard to help each bride select floral designs that reflect their personality and style, but still at a reasonable price, and I think we hit this one out of the park. Here is a flashback from her wedding day.

An all white bouquet with white callas, stock and orchids with bear grass loops.

Submerged cymbidium orchids in orange tinted water with floating candles in our belle vase.

Her second centerpiece option, a simple arrangement of floating candles in tinted water and rose petals. I love how the dark grey tablecloth makes the colors pop!

Thanks for the note Clarisa…I am still blushing

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

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For those recently engaged brides out there, congrats! We have seen quite an increase in inquiries since the holiday engagement season…who said the winter months were supposed to be slow for florists? We are busier than ever and loving every second of it! Dawn and I love to hear engagement stories, we really are that sappy.

I get a lot of emails and calls requesting appointments and all of my brides have the same question,”what do I need to bring to the meeting?” To help you out, I have made a list of suggestions:

1. Your happy face!

Wedding planning should be a happy time and we think that choosing your floral designs is one of the most fun parts, ok we are a little biased, but we can’t help it. So many of our brides say that the one thing they are most excited about is seeing how the flowers pull everything together on that special day. We agree! While we do understand that there are a lot of decisions to make, we are here to help. Don’t stress about all the little things at the first meeting, we will send you a little “to-do-list” to help you remember to ask your dear Granny if she wants a pin on corsage or a wristlet.

A happy bride!

2. A Wish List

It will save a lot of your time at the meeting if you have a list of all the things you will need from us on your wedding day. If your wedding is 6 months off, we don’t expect you to have the exact centerpiece count, but a rough idea will help. Don’t fret if you decide to add or delete a few things, we can make changes to your order until 30 days before your wedding. Here is a list that might help….

Bridal Party flowers: bridal bouquet (duh.), bridesmaid bouquets, groom’s bout, groomsmen bouts (we will need names for labeling), father and grandfather bouts (with names), mother and grandmother corsages (with names), flower girl and ring bearer flowers, reader or soloist bouts or corsages

Ceremony flowers: alter vases or urns, aisle runner, pew or chair decor, presentation flowers, unity candle, wreaths, toss petals for guests

Reception flowers: cocktail tables, head table or sweetheart table, guest table centerpieces, votives, cake flowers, place card table, bar decor, throw bouquet, gift table

Now I am sure you feel overwhelmed about all of the things on that list, but just reeeeeeeeeeelax. We can discuss all the options at our meeting, but it is a good idea to think about everything that you will need prior to sitting down.

3. Wedding Day Details

We encourage our brides to go about their wedding planning in this order…..get the man, get the ring, book the venue, find the dress, call A Garden Party! Your venue and dress will help set the tone for your wedding floral designs, so it helps to have those decided on. Also, choosing a bridesmaid gown is recommended so we can get a color palette going. To help estimate the price for delivery, we will need to know the general wedding timeline, like where and when you are getting ready, where and when the ceremony is being held and what time the cocktail hour and reception will begin. Dawn and I also like to contact the wedding photographer and bakery prior to the wedding day to firm up arrival times. Many brides will look for suggestions for a photographer or cake designer, and we are happy to recommend Tina Jay Photography  and Sweet Life Bakery…we adore them!

Sweet Life Bakery….I want a piece of this right now!

4. All of your hard work!

Dawn and I are sticklers about making sure the wedding flowers compliment all of the other wedding day details, from the invites to the favors! We would love to see a sample of the invitations, programs, favors or anything else that you have been working on. Believe me ladies, all of those little details add up and make a big statement! Let us help you pull it all together! For example, one of our brides wanted a country chic wedding and planned to make homemade jam as her favors. We used coordinating mason jars for her centerpieces and for her aisle decor. It was so cute and totally country chic!

Mason jars hung on shepherd hooks down the aisle for this outdoor ceremony.

5. Pictures!

We love when brides come to us with stacks of inspirational pictures, it gives us a head start! We all know you have that huuuuuuuuuuge pile of wedding magazines at home, take a night to go through them and tear out any pictures that you like. Or head on over to TheKnot.com for lots of ideas and inspiration (be sure to add us as your vendor)! Bring them to the meeting and we can review them and create a custom look, just for you! If you have them, bring pictures of the ceremony and reception location too. A beautifully ornate church may not need the same decor as a simple country church. We can make copies of your pictures to keep in your file.

6. Some help!

We love when brides bring their moms, mother in laws, bridesmaids and even the groom! We kinda go with the motto “the more the merrier”. Everyone has a good time and likes to be a part of the planning, just be prepared to hear lots of opinions We have lots of books and albums to keep everyone busy while we discuss all the details. I have a big table so everyone can fit!

7. A Budget

Many of our brides are unsure about what the cost of the flowers will be, which is totally understandable, you have never ordered wedding flowers before! According to the wedding experts, 10-15% of your overall wedding budget should be spent on flowers. Of course this varies greatly since every bride is different and each case is unique, but let me give you an idea of price ranges. Most bridal bouquets start at $125 and can range to $175, depending on the floral selection and design. We have done simple tulip bridesmaid bouquets for $50 to more elaborate designs for $85 with roses, callas and orchids. Bouts are usually $15 and corsages are $25. Since centerpiece options are so varied, the range does too. We have candle rentals starting at $20/table or more elaborate designs priced around $150, depending on floral selection and season. There are plenty of options everywhere in between too!

A trio of floating candles and bear grass in rented candle holders.

Lush pink elevated centerpieces on silver flower tower.

I hope that this blog has helped! Let me know what you think and if I missed anything!

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: