Rose Petals--How and How Many?

Many brides ask me about rose petals.  How many will they need to go down the sides of the aisles?  How much will it cost, etc.  So I purchased a bunch of roses at WalMart and did my own scientific study.

First, don’t feel like you have to purchase rose petals from the florist.  They are very easy to make, and you’ll save yourself a ton.  Here’s how you do it:

1.      Hold the rose with both hands, one hand holding the stem up close under the rose and the other hand around the rose itself. 

2.      Rock the rose back and forth gently till you feel the petals disconnect from the stem.

3.      Hold the rose (now disconnected from the stem) over a box, place your thumbs in the hole where the stem was, and gently work the petals apart letting them fall into the box. 

4.      Fluff the petals in the box to make sure they are all separated.

5.      Remove any tiny center petals that don’t look nice.

6.      Once you have done all your roses, place them, by handfuls, being careful not to bruise them, into large zip lock bags, and store them in your frig for up to a week.

Now, how many petals do you get from your roses?  I think you would be surprised how many petals are in a single rose!  Usually 30-45 petals!  It depends upon the variety of rose of course.  So what can you expect coverage wise?

This is a 1 square foot area marked off on my desk:

Here is one rose, made into petals.  These roses had about 35 petals each:

Two roses made into petals:

Three roses:

 

 

 Five roses:

As you can see from these photos, the more roses you use, obviously, the heavier the coverage will be.  Now, how does this translate to putting petals down your aisle for your wedding? Well, if you want roughly the amount of coverage that one rose gives you, and you have a 30 foot aisle, (don’t forget you have to go down both sides, so that’s actually 60  feet of petals!)  Then if you have a 6 inch wide band of petals up each side of a 30 foot aisle, you are going to need to use 30 roses.  If you want it to be really heavy coverage, like the 5 rose photo, then you will need 150 roses to make a 6” row up both sides.  It just depends upon the look you want.

How about on your tables?  If you want petals around your centerpieces, you can use the same photos as a guide.  If you just want a few petals around the centerpiece, say, half the amount you see in the 1 rose photo, then if you have 30 tables, you’re going to need 15 roses.  Personally, I like to see a heavy coverage of rose petals around a centerpiece, with somewhat random edges.  This “grounds” the centerpiece, ties it to the table, as it were.  You need something under your centerpiece that accomplishes this, whether it’s a mirror, a charger, a round of wood, a doilie, petals, moss, rocks, whatever goes with the theme of your wedding.  It gives your table a cohesive, “all together” look.

Since your centerpiece will be sitting in the middle of the petals, you can figure that in your calculations, depending upon how large the “footprint” of your centerpiece is. 

In any case, you can see now, how far a 20 rose bunch from Costco will go!  It’ll save you a ton, and you can do it earlier during the week of your wedding so you won’t have to be making petals the morning of the wedding!  Incidentally, this method will work for other things, such as fall leaves, mixed flowers,  etc. that you might want to use.  Just mark off a 1 foot area, then do the math!

It’s an easy little DIY thing that’s hard to mess up, and adds a lot to the look of your day!

 

 





Try, Try Again!!!

Sooooooooo, yes, I have been a very bad blogger.  I’m sorry.  Blogging is kind of like exercising (and any of you that know me, can see that I’m not so great at that either!!)  it’s something that one can procrastinate over and all of a sudden, a year or two has passed.  I feel compelled to write though about some of the things that have been happening at Aberdeen Manor this summer, so I am going to give it another shot.  Maybe I’ll be able to establish my blogging exercise routine!!  Today I have huge resolve, tomorrow I may not, I hope you’ll forgive my inconsistencies!!  :)  I feel like I need to just dive in and quit apologizing—which is so incredibly boring—so that’s what I’m going to do.  We’ll just have to see how it goes.

Hopefully you keep up with our Facebook posts, which are much more frequent thanks to Megan and Lisa, and usually include tons of photos, which everyone loves.  We’ve had some amazing weddings, and a lot of wonderful couples this summer, and it’s been such a pleasure to be a part of their celebrations.  Over the next few weeks I hope to showcase some of these beautiful events for you, complete with photos!! 

Part of my absence has been due to all of the things we have been trying to accomplish with our website, and our beautiful new brochure.  Our website has gone through some transition to make it more “i-friendly” so that you can use it on your ipad, iphone, or i-whatevers.  :)  There have, of course, been some growing pains involved, particularly with our tux registration page.  So if you experience difficulties with any of our website, please let us know. 

The biggest change to www.aberdeenmanor.com is that we have added ONLINE INVITATION ORDERING!!  You can now browse through nearly everything that Carlson Craft offers, on our website!  You can also look through all of the beautiful papers and ideas that Envelopments has to offer.  The best part of this, is that any order that is placed online, will come through us, so that we can double check the wording and order details for you, and make sure that it’s all “shipshape”!  We’ll call or email you if there is anything we would suggest for your invitations.  AND if you are renting your 5 or more paid tuxedoes through Affairs, you will still receive that fabulous $200 discount on your invitation!!  So put your jammies on, grab your cup of coffee, or your glass of wine (depending upon the time of day!!  J)  and go shopping online with Affairs!   If you find something you love, and you want to see the “real deal”  you can always write down the number or just print out the page and bring it in to our shop.  We’ll help you find it in the albums, so that you can look at it “in person”.  Or there is also an option to order a sample online.  Basically you have all the ease and convenience of shopping at home, with all the confidence, help, and guidance of shopping in our store!  What could be better?! 

All of us at Affairs are excited about helping you with your invitations and stationery products for your wedding!  Whether online or in store, you'll always get the best of service and value. 

And just for a little inspiration and eye candy--here is the link for Carlson Craft's "Look Book"! This little ebook gets my blood pumping and my pulse racing every time I look at it!  So many awesome themes and schemes for weddings!  And everything in it is available through Affairs! 

Enjoy!  and hopefully I'll be talking with you again soon!  :)

The Special Event--Really Special!!

This last week was a busy one for Megan and I!  We spent four days in Tampa, Florida for a conference which is put on by ISES, The International Special Event Society.  Can I just say, AWESOME!!!!!
We went to meetings and presentations on all sorts of event production related topics.  I attended sessions on floral design, general trends and directions that the event industry is headed, lighting, as well as some on the more nuts and bolts aspects of the business.  I feel like my head is going to explode with all the new stuff! :)

 This was from a class on doing simple things with flowers that don't necessarily require a florist.  This is something we do a lot!  We really got some terrific ideas for simple centerpieces, decor, aisle runners, etc.  This was an herb wreath that was tied to the bride's chair with a pretty ribbon.  The wreathes smelled divine! The little table was done with a "vintage romantic" theme.  Lots of silver mercury glass, roses, ranunculus, mums, candles.  It was lovely! The main speaker was Ian Prosser who had an entire alphabet of letters behind his name!  He also had an absolutely delightful accent and a terrific sense of humor.  Just listening to him was so entertaining!

 This class titled "Four Weddings and a Budget", discussed four wedding schemes with very expensive tables, where they showed how the table could be done more economically.  What was most interesting about this class was that the floral arrangements really drove the cost of the tables up! They showed one table where the centerpiece alone was $1200!!!!!  Not thinking we are going to see a lot of those at Aberdeen Manor!

This class was on having hard goods on hand that could be reused and repurposed.  We have accumulated quite an inventory at Aberdeen Manor.  It was fun to see some new and fresh ways of using some of the things we already have!

So what were some of the trends and directions that weddings are headed this year?  Well, according to Pantone--the world renown gurus of color--the color of the year is TANGERINE TANGO!  If I had to describe it, I guess I would call it a deep red orange.  Now since orange is probably my least favorite color, I'm sure you can guess how excited I was about this news!  Fortunately though, it's actually a pretty orange (I never thought I would say that about any orange!) and with the right accent colors it could be gorgeous!

Last year the "color of the year" was honeysuckle, which was actually a sort of dark pinky mauve.  We will probably start seeing more of it in weddings this year and next.  It takes us a while in Indiana for these things to filter in from the coasts! :)
Silver continues to hold firm as the metallic accent of choice, however gold is beginning to make a comeback.  And of course, bling, crystals, sparkly things, are all still huge in weddings.
The three big trends in weddings that we heard lots of talk about? 
First, the romantic, blingy, vintage theme is huge.  Lots of lace and ruffles, lush linens, extravagant centerpieces and florals with lots of hydrangea, roses, garden flowers, tons of candles.  soft colors or even all neutrals. 

Another popular theme, was the country/shabby chic direction.  Antiques, wildflowers, milk glass, mason jars, handpainted signs, homemade jam for favors, you get the idea.

The third trend we saw mentioned quite a bit, was Urban Sleek.  Lots of clean lines, minimal fuss, sharp contrasting color palettes, really, totally opposite to the other two trends! 

Of course the one thing we all agreed on was that when it comes to weddings, there are no rules!  And the trends and themes of weddings all get mixed and matched on a regular basis.  What is important is that all the elements hang together.  So you might be shooting for an urban sleek sort of wedding, but you love the "bling" so maybe you would have circles of faceted ribbon around the sleek cylinder vases on your tables. 

Another hot trend is the David Austin garden roses.  SO beautiful!  And they smell awesome!!

Take a closer look at the one in the center--that's called Green Eyes.  They are amazing! 

It's so different!  Here's an even closer look:

Isn't that an interesting look?  Can you see it in a very modern bouquet?  Or mixed with other flowers in a country bouquet?  I thought at first they had somehow stuck a green Trix in the middle of a white rose!

When push comes to shove, you go with what you love, and somehow it all ends up working together.  That's what's so much fun about weddings and being in "the biz"!  We get to play with all these themes and colors, designs and ideas--I LOVE MY JOB!!!!!!

There is so much more to talk about, but I'm concerned that all these photos are going to stop up the download, so I'm going to stop for now and see if this works.  I'll write more about the conference tomorrow! As if all of these fabulous sessions weren't enough, they had a huge trade show!!  OH MY!!!!  So there's lots more to report!  Stay tuned!

Being "Unique and Different"

Recently, I had an epiphany of sorts.  I was thinking about vendors and weddings and such.  It has always confused me that we would have brides who felt that they needed to choose vendors that were all new to us.  Nobody off of my Favorites List, all people we had never seen before.  Hmmmmmm.
So this is where my epiphany comes in.  It dawned on me that the reason some brides feel compelled to choose vendors that are different from the ones we normally use is because they think that having unique vendors will make their wedding unique!!!
In a nutshell, they couldn't be more wrong.

What makes your wedding unique?  What sets it apart from the weddings of all your friends?  I can tell you one thing that doesn't affect the uniqueness of your wedding, and that is your vendors.  Vendors are the framework that you build your wedding on.  They are the 2x4's and lumber that your house is constructed from, and upon which you decorate, furnish and paint to make your house unique.  It isn't the lumber that makes a house unique, it's the work that your architect does on the design, and the decorating that you do once the design is accomplished that make it so special.
So to carry that analogy along, you, my brides and grooms, are the homeowners, and I am your wedding architect/General Contractor (we do design/build weddings! :).  It is my job to help you design a beautiful and unique wedding.  Just as General Contractors have subs that they work with all the time, I have "subs" (that we call vendors) that I work with best.  We have our framers, our dry wallers, HVAC, windows, flooring, and painting, roofers, landscapers, concrete and asphalt contractors: all the different people that it takes to build a house.
It's my job as your "General" to bring all these people together, coordinate their work and schedule them so that your house is built efficiently and on schedule.  It's also my job, since we are "design/build" to help you tweak your floor plan to make it fit your family, to keep your design consistent throughout the changes we need to make, and to ultimately provide you with a home that reflects your tastes and your vision, and that you will be happy living in!
I have often said that I could use the SAME VENDORS for every single wedding we do, and our weddings would all still be unique and different!!!  Just as an interior decorator wouldn't do the same design in every house, a florist is going to talk with you and design something unique for your wedding. The DJ is going to play different music, suited to YOUR tastes, and provide the extra activities that you request.  Your cake designer will create the perfect cake for you.  It isn't WHO you choose that is important, it is THEIR LEVEL OF EXPERTISE!
The folks on our Favorites List have proven their expertise over and over and over again.  I could work with them week in and week out, and still have beautiful unique weddings every time.
I just finished reading a fun series of books by Nora Roberts, her "Wedding Day Series" which follows four women who start a wedding venue in the one friend's Mansion in Connecticut.  They are fun books, a little racey, because after all, it IS Nora Roberts!  Parker, who owns the Mansion, is the coordinator, Laurel makes the cakes, Emma does all the flowers, and Mackenzie is the photographer.  Together they create all these beautiful, unique weddings for their clients.  Basically the same people doing every wedding, but every wedding unique in its own way because they are professionals and know how to make them unique and flawless.
We often talk about "A-Team" weddings at Aberdeen.  These are the weddings that have all of OUR vendors for their event.  These weddings are as smooth as glass.  No worries about flowers that haven't shown up at 4:30, no cakes that are starting to slide apart, no DJ dragging his equipment in through the guests because he is late arriving.  These issues just don't happen when we have an A-Team Wedding.  Everything happens as it is supposed to, on schedule and perfectly timed.  Mike (the Transaudio DJ we work with most) and I have developed a psychic connection when it comes to orchestrating a ceremony and reception!  I look at him and he knows what to do!  It's magical!  We're like a pitcher and a catcher--we have our little signals that we pass back and forth, and the wedding progresses, perfectly timed and flawless.  The correct music plays, it fades beautifully in and out at the absolute perfect moment.  Who wouldn't want that sort of perfection for their wedding?
This same symbiosis occurs when Stringsounds plays for a wedding, or Cynthia Shelhart, or any of a number of other musicians on our list that work with me over and over again.  We all work together like a well oiled machine.  It doesn't mean that they play the same music each time, of course not!  Each wedding has its own unique music, what sets them apart is that they are flawless!
I could write a book about the issues we have had with vendors over the years.  Photographers and DJ's particularly because these are the people we work with throughout the event.  Some of them were just plain bad.  I've had to testify in court against a DJ who absolutely trashed a reception.  With others, I've had to try to fix the problems that they have created, either because they were unprofessional, inexperienced, or sometimes just unfamiliar with how we work and what we do.
It isn't that the people on our list are the only good vendors in Northwest Indiana; that's not my point at all.  There are, of course, other good vendors out there, it's just that they aren't necessarily familiar with our facility and us, and how we operate.  Consequently, it is much more difficult to create that perfectly timed, and flawlessly orchestrated wedding.
To continue our analogy, if your framing contractor isn't good, your house is eventually going to have structural problems, regardless of how beautifully you decorate it.  The walls will develop cracks your roof might leak, who knows what might happen?  If your landscape sub isn't up to par, you might have big problems with the sprinkling system, or the beautiful curly willow might be planted over your sewer line where it grows into it and creates problems later.
Even if you get lucky and choose good subs for your home contruction, if they aren't people that your General Contractor works with regularly, you could experience months of delay because he can't get them there to do the work.  When your GC uses a sub regularly, he has a lot more "clout" when it comes to scheduling them and getting them on HIS time table.
Obviously, the analogy could go on and on, and of course, it doesn't translate totally but you get the idea, right?   My point is this:  USE OUR FAVORITES LIST!  It's only purpose is to help you plan a flawlessly timed and orchestrated wedding!  It is YOUR personality, uniqueness, input, and ideas that will make your day unique and different from anyone else's.
And as ever, I am here for you to help you with the ideas portion.  If you need some help in that department, just let me know and we'll get together and see what we can come up with!!

(And by the way, do I need to say this again? WE DO NOT RECEIVE ANY KICKBACKS FROM OUR VENDORS!  The ONLY reason we recommend these folks is because we KNOW they are good, and we also know that they are familiar with our facility and each other.)

Awesome Winter Wedding Photos!

I wanted to share with you a post on the "Ritsy Bee" blog about winter wedding photos.  It really shows how beautiful and unique a winter wedding can be.  It's the perfect opportunity for the bride and groom who like to think "outside the box" and want to do their own thing rather than the same thing everyone else does. 

I'm particularly in love with the bouquet!  Is that not the most gorgeous thing you've ever seen?  Just look at the color palettes it inspires!  Pale, pale platinum satin, or a really soft grey green bridesmaids, even a deep but very subdued forest green would be amazing!  I love the idea of using pinecones in the centerpieces, what an economical way to get a ton of pow for a few bucks!  Some seeded eucalyptus sprigs or dusty miller stems tucked between the pinecones to dress them up a bit.  You could even use platinum Christmas balls in various sizes to add a little shine and sizzle. 
Take a look at the photos from this beautiful wedding!  It might just inspire you to fall in love with winter!  (Keep in mind that we have December 10th and New Year's Eve still available! :)

15 Days and Counting! William and Kate Updates!

So, are we all going to get up at 4 a.m. to watch the coverage of the Royal Wedding?  Hmmmm, I may have to think about that one!   I'm thinking that I can watch most of it live, and still make it to work at noon, depending on whether the time difference is 5 hours or 6.  I think it's 5 during daylight savings time.  So if the ceremony is at 11 a.m., and the guests will begin arriving between 8 and 10--wow, that makes it really early!
This morning I've been looking at all the information online about the wedding.  I found a VERY interesting itinerary of the day on the official website.  It has information on their wedding party, which will be Kate's sister Phillipa as Maid of Honor and William's brother Harry as Best Man.  The rest of the "wedding party" are children!  Interesting!  Four girls ages 7, 8, 3, and 3, and two boys 8, and 10.  They are officially called bridesmaids and page boys.  One adult attendant on each side and the rest children?  Hmmmmm, I think this makes me glad I'm not coordinating weddings in the UK!  I have enough trouble getting grown ups down the aisle sometimes!! :)
Here's a very informative link for information on wedding traditions in the UK.  I was surprised at how many differences there were! 
Kate and William came up with their guest list just like all of us commoners.  The couple made their list, each family made their lists, and then they put them all together.  Another little fact I found very interesting--they have invited 1900 guests to the ceremony, 650 guests to the lunch reception at Buckingham Palace (hosted by Her Royal Majesty!) and then dinner and dancing for 300 guests in the evening (hosted by Prince Charles).  Wow!  We could have had their reception at Aberdeen!  Ha! 
Most interesting though, was the information on their wedding cake!  They have hired Fiona Cairns, a well known cake designer in Lancastershire, England.   Fiona is apparently the UK's answer to Sylvia Weinstock, Colette Peters and Ron Ben Israel!  She has some beautiful pictures on her website of things that she has done.  The Royal wedding cake is going to be done in the Joseph Lambeth technique which is very popular in England as well as in Australia and New Zealand.  It is SO beautiful, and SO delicate!

The Lambeth technique involves delicate piping and intricate details.  Either in all white or colors.

I have a sneaking suspicion that after the 29th of April, our local cake people will need to brush up on the Lambeth technique!
The other interesting fact about the cake is that it will be made of fruitcake, which is the traditional wedding cake in England.  The tradition of putting a piece of wedding cake under your pillow to dream about who you would marry involved the fruitcake, rather than our traditional American wedding cake.  Much less messy I would think!  It's usually covered with marzipan which is made from almond paste, and applied similar to rolled fondant--but it is much more tasty!  (Incidentally, the one plus that fondant has over marzipan is that it can be white, whereas marzipan is a light beige color, with white royal icing on it though, it can be really beautiful!)
In the coming two weeks we'll talk more about the big wedding, and how it will affect our wedding traditions here. 
What aspect of the wedding are YOU most excited about?

"Pretty in Pink" Erin and Bo -- April 2, 2011

I think if I had to choose only one color for every wedding, forever more, it would be pink.  There is just something so "weddingish" about pink!  It's feminine and frilly and of course it is the "girl" color!

Erin chose to use soft, pastel pink with ivory for their wedding colors.

Wedding programs gave the guests a run down on what was going to take place, as well as who the participants were. 

Pew bows with hydrangea and roses on every other row were repurposed across the head table for the reception after the wedding, along with the table arrangement which was placed in the center of the head table, and the two side arrangements that were positioned behind the head table.  The flowers were done by The Flower Cart in Chesterton.  As usual, an awesome job!

Aberdeen Manor provided the balloons for the balloon release.  They all stayed in the coat room until after the ceremony ended, when our servers took them over to the chapel and gave them to the attendants to pass out to the guests.

Three little flower girls took their job VERY seriously!  So cute!  Their petal gowns (from Affairs) were adorable, especially with the pink organza sashes.  One little flower girl was older than the other two.  She was able to lead the way and help get the little ones down the aisle.  It was a HUGE help. 

I know you are wondering--well, the groomsmen wore champagne vests and ties, and the groom wore ivory.  None of them were required to wear pink!  (although, we have some beautiful pink vests and ties, and personally, I think it's a very becoming color on most men!)

The balloons were passed out to the guests after the ceremony as they left the chapel, with instructions to wait to release them till the bride and groom stepped out and released theirs.  It was a beautiful sunny day, and the guests didn't mind waiting outside the chapel.

After greeting all the guests, the new Mr. and Mrs. Casey stepped out and released their balloons!

Absolutely beautiful!!  (And contrary to popular belief, the balloons freeze in the upper atmosphere and turn into dust.)

A beautiful placecard table awaited the guests' arrival after the ceremony. 

Their cake was simple and elegant, with pink spray roses decorating the tiers, a sparkly "C" on the top!

 Their tables were decorated with alternating centerpieces.  Half were tall, like on the placecard table, and the other half were low bowls with huge pink roses--the size of teacups!  Beautiful!

 Bo and Erin opted for the "Crystals and Candles" ceiling decor, as well as a gobo heart shining above the head table.  Magical!  And of course, it snowed over their first dance!  Mike the DJ commented afterward: "Well folks, let's hope that's the last snow we see for this season!"

A magical evening for a terrific couple!  If you want to see more photos of Bo and Erin's wedding you can go to Bella Photography's website.  They have a terrific montage set to music of their photos from the wedding.
http://weddingsbybellaphotography.blogspot.com/2011/04/wedding-of-erin-and-bo-april-2-2011.html

Kristin and Tony’s Awesome Short Takes Video!

Granted, I am a bit prejudiced when it comes to winter weddings. Our anniversary is December 14th, so I have personal experience with this and I have practiced what I preach! Haha! I love the coziness, the warmth of a burning fire and the “fuzzy blanket feel” of tons of candles and soft lights. But I have to tell you, our wedding at Aberdeen Manor on December 30th was over the top! Kristin sent me the link for her "highlights" video this morning, and honestly, I am blown away!!


Kristin & Anthony Wedding Trailer from Studio This Is - Jason Monroe on Vimeo.

AWESOME!!!! They had Studio This Is for their video and photos. Jeremy Bustos, the owner, is an incredibly talented photographer. He has a great eye for the unique.

Did you see their ring dog, Wilma, dragging the little flower girl to the front of the chapel? Kristin and Tony never would have seen this without the video! It was the talk of the ceremony, SOOO cute, but because Tony hadn't come out from the side door yet, and Kristin was at the "end of the line" , they would have missed it! There are so many moments during your wedding day like this. So many things that fly by, or that occur when you can't see them. Isn't it wonderful that it can be preserved and saved for you to see later, over and over if you want to? The other thing about it is the REALITY of it. A still picture of this happening would be cute, but it could never convey how funny it was, not in the same way that the video does anyway. Hearing the guests laughing, seeing how the flower girl stumbles down the aisle behind Wilma, the surprised look on her face, and the funny expressions, all of these things would be missed in a still photo.

Here is what Kristin told me about her video in a note she sent me yesterday: “Boy, I gotta tell you, I almost didn't do video either and a few weeks before the wedding I changed my mind and I'm SOOOO glad I did! You're so right, I would have completely missed those moments like Wilma and the flower girl plowing down the isle! I just love it!”

And this is just over the highlights! I can hardly wait to hear what she has to say when she gets the full video back!

While you are looking at this, notice the up lighting around the ballroom, and the “pin spotting” on all the tables—awesome!!!

We’ll talk more about lighting options!!!