Harvest Fun

Simply put... Exquisite.

Stephanie and Nick were wed in an outdoor ceremony at Rotary Park. Their reception followed at the Best Western in Brookfield.

I was thrilled with the way the flowers turned out. Then we delivered them, and I was utterly speechless. Stephanie and Nick didn't overlook a single detail. Bails of hay and pumpkins flanked the aisle way, twinkle lights were strewn from the ceiling, the fireplace was embellished with curly willow designs, and Stephanie's dad even brought fall leaves in to grace the pavilion floor.

On a personal note, this was about the 3rd or 4th wedding that Nell and I have had the privilege to work on together. We have hit the ground running as a new floral design force and are quite excited for the new things to come... Stay tuned for some really awesome stuff...

Heidi and Todd... Dreams Really Do Come True

I cannot say enough wonderful things about Heidi, Todd, or Roy (Heidi's Father).

I was excited to see Heidi and Todd Begin their life together, but saddened to see the event come and go, as we no longer would have design elements to bounce chat about or ideas to ponder.

Heidi is indescribable. Intelligent, Witty, a visionary... she fluttered into my shop with Todd and a breath of fresh air followed. She knew exactly what she wanted, yet I could sense trepidation as she explained her vision...

It was only after we established a rapport that I learned other florists weren't understanding her vision... it was too 'out-of-the-box' for them to get their heads around... Instead of finding unique ways to orchestrate it, they were trying to manipulate her ideas into things they were comfortable creating...

I was just blown away, I was starry-eyed at how forward-thinking and stunning the whole concept was. I was immediately captivated by the wonderful juxtapositions Heidi desired.
Luxurious flowers like cymbidiums, lady slipper orchids, and stephanotis, paired with woven bear grass and crinkly bullion wire... ingenious... I was happy to oblige.

Roy accompanied Heidi to our final meeting to view samples. We spent about 3 hours tweaking the details and I couldn't' have had more fun....

I don't claim to be a religious person, but I do jokingly pray to the 'flower gods' when we need a hail mary in the 4th quarter. Heidi really really wanted Lady Slipper orchids in her bouquet... This was tricky b/c we were nearing the end of their prominent season. In the 9th hour, 3 gorgeous Lady Slipper Orchids arrived from a supplier in Chicago... I chalk this success up to good Karma :)

Here is a sampling of pictures (professional ones to follow) as well as the wonderful thank you Heidi sent me...

"We just got home from Milwaukee and are about to veg out on the couch but I just had to write and say thank you so very much!!! I didn't get your email until today so I didn't realize that you weren't coming back and I kept looking for you!!! I was ready to kiss you!!! Everything looked perfect and it was even better than my wildest dreams!!! If you EVER need a reference you send them my way!!! :c) I am waiting to see all of my pictures and if I have some nice ones of the room I'm going to submit them somewhere, as long as that's okay with you. I think that everyone should get to see how wonderful of a job you did. Everything was absolutely perfect!!! So I just wanted to say thank you very much for a job well done and I will send pics when I get them. I'm sure that I will be in touch again and thank you so very much!!!
Love,
Heidi and Todd Schmidt"

Heidi's Bouquet - stephanotis, lady slipper orchids, white mini calla lilies, bear grass, and bullion wire

The Ceremony Design - and archway adorned with ivy, dendrobium orchids, wire, crystal, and fabric The floral designs flanking the archway - crafted from green goddess calla lilies, white dendrobium orchids, and ivy

The place card table, linens by BBJ, graced with three rectangular vases with sculptural black forest calla lilies

1/2 of the table centers were graced by two tall cylinder vases adorned with full stems of cymbidium orchids, bullion wire, LEDs and crystals. The other half had 6 vases of varying height with callas, orchids, and stephanotis blooms.

The head table was embellished with a plethora of vases of varying sizes. Each vase contained 1 of 3 designs, they either had dendrobium orchids floating beneath a candle, flax leaves segmented and embellished with a floating candle, or miniature cymbidium orchids adorned with bullion wire. For heightened drama, we added copious amounts of votive candles... my take on candles... either forgo them, or use enough that it really has an impact. We opted for the latter.

A sampling of one of the designs on the head table

La Piece De Resistance - The Cake Table...

Whoa nelly... I have nothing more to say... I cannot take credit for the concept... just creating the product. Heidi found this in a magazine... 5 vases of varied heights supporting 5 cakes of varied diameter. Each vase housed LEDs, wire, crystals, and orchids, orchids, orchids... YUM!

Hollywood via The Intercontinental

Kari-Lynn and Bill chose to marry their diverse tastes to create one glamorously contemporary affair.

Calling upon Bill's love of Asian color and design and Kari's lust for all things glam, the event was rich with texture and color.

Among the flower selections, Roses, anthurium, and orchids. Embellishments included feathers, and crystals.

The ceremony was held at the art gallery in The Intercontinental, with cocktails to follow in the Zen Den. Finally, the party moved upstairs to Kilawat for many courses of fine dining Kari-Lynn and Bill Style.

Here are some pictures of the event, professional pictures from A and A to follow.

Catherine & Jesse - A Fall Affair

This event definitely places in my top 5 for this year. Catherine and Jesse really wanted to keep the impact of their event to a minimum, yet still create a warm and inviting atmosphere for their guests.

The ceremony was held at the Schlitz Audubon Nature Center with a reception to follow at Radisson North Shore.


For their flowers, they selected seasonal varieties including rover mums, sunflowers, mint sprigs, green hydrangea, red and orange roses, gerbera daisies, asiatic lilies (orange, yellow and red), celosia, chocolate cosmos, yellow zinnias, curly willow, button yarrow, and viking pom poms.

To lessen the carbon footprint of the event and support the local economy, Catherine chose items that could be purchased locally or from California that were grown in a responsible and sustainable fashion.  Rented vases further decreased the event's environment impact.  Finally, the most local and sentimental element of the event were the florals harvested directly from Catharine's family farm. Harvested varietals include green hydrangea, lambs ear, and mint.


Here are a few pictures from the wedding... A wonderful bevy of autumnal beauty and texture.
Enjoy...

Creating a Wedding (or event) Budget

The benefits of crafting a detailed budget are innumerable. Your budget will keep you organized and provide clarity when decisions need to be made; it will also assist vendors in crafting the most fiscally effective design plans. 

FIRST: Have a heart to heart with those involved with the planning process/paying for the event (significant other, your parents, your in-laws -to-be); talk specifics. How much money is everyone contributing? What elements are really important to you and your partner? Are there any special elements the parents would like you to consider incorporating?

You should walk away from your meeting with a clear picture of what your overall budget is.  While there are not hard and fast rules, a typical Milwaukee wedding will cost between $25,000 and $75,000.  That being said, don’t assume that is what you need to spend to have a stunning affair.  I strongly urge you to figure out what funds are available and allocate your resources in an appropriate fashion.

NEXT: Re-cap your priorities list… What are your top 3 priorities?  (See Previous Post)

1 –

2 –

3 –

 

NOW: Allocate…

The following list demonstrates how to portion your budget.  Allocate monies first to those elements of your event that matter most.  Utilizing percentage points allows for greater flexibility; if you and your groom are culinary aficionados, you may want to splurge on catering/bakery (30%).  To offset the splurge, you might decide to select more economical bridal attire and printed materials.

Catering/Bakery - 15-30%
Ceremony/Reception Site Fees - 5-15%
Fashion (bride/groom only) - 5-10%
Flowers/Decor – 15-20%
Lighting - 5-10%
Linens - 5% or less
Misc. (gratuities, planners, etc.)- 5% or less
Music - 5-10%
Photography - 5-15%
Printed Material – 5% or less

 

FINALLY: Meet with vendors to acquire written estimates. This is a time to be forthright with vendors; express your wants and desires and share your budgeting requirements. If you are uneasy about providing a concrete number, at least give a range with no more than $1000 between the high and low numbers.  Being open with your vendors helps them advise you on how best to allocate your resources.  Select vendors that fit your budget requirements, but also fit your style and collective personality as a couple.

Remember, crafting a Wedding/Event budget doesn't have to be overwhelming and awkward. Approach the situation logically and be honest with all involved parties (including vendors). There are no hard and fast rules for weddings these days; instead, you should craft an event that truly speaks to your personal style yet fits within your budget.

Cheers!
s.

Priorities for Planning Your Wedding/Event

Priorities

Clearly labeling what elements matter most to you (as a couple) will help determine the allocation of resources.  Print two copies of this list, both you and your groom should fill this out separately (no peeking).  Then compare notes and see what adjustments need to be made.  

Rank in order of importance, 1 being most important, 2 next important, etc…
 

___Bridal Gown & Accessories
___Cake/Desserts/Pastries
___Ceremony Location
___Cuisine
___Flowers/Décor
___Lighting/Candles
___Linens
___Music
___Month/Day
___Number of Guests
___Number of Participants in the Bridal Party
___Photography/Videography
___Quality of Printed Materials
___Reception Location
___Season
___Transportation
 
OTHERS
___ _____________________________________
___ _____________________________________
___ _____________________________________
___ _____________________________________
___ _____________________________________
___ _____________________________________
___ _____________________________________
___ _____________________________________

Motor Yacht Blue Moon

For the past two summers, Muscari Design has been the exclusive floral purveyor for Motor Yacht Blue Moon (MYBM) when she is docked in Milwaukee/Chicago.  MYBM is a nearly 200' luxury yacht suited for both warm and cold climates. She traveled up the East coast this summer and through the locks of the Great Lakes, making her way inland to Lake Michigan.

 

 

Bauer Wedding

Lani & Tim
July 26

Ceremony - Old Saint Mary's Milwaukee, WI
Reception - Silver Spring Country Club

Lani and Tim have a very special place in my heart.
Lani became a good friend throughout the planning process.

Lani's vision was bright and vibrant with an eye for the unique.

Included in her design plan were hydrangea, gerbera, gumphrena, button pom poms, orchids, nerine lilies and dianthus.

All Photos by Ari Rosenthal Photography
http://arirosenthalphotography.com/

An Enchanting Dinner Party

The Bachs and 22 of their closest friends and family members celebrated a momentous wedding anniversary this Saturday.  A quiant venue located on the shores of Lake Michigan, Harbor 550 is an up-scale restaurant available for dining and private events. 

For this event, the color palette included soft pinks, greens, and creams.

Flower choices included hydrangea, orchids, double tulips, freesia, kale, and seeded eucalyptus.

We had the pleasure of re-creating Mrs. Bach's wedding bouquet, crafted entirely of creamy polar star roses.  The design was finished with a full stem wrap of creamy Swiss Satin ribbon complete with  bow detail. 

For Mr. Bach the accent was more understated; a boutonniere crafted from miniature orchid blossoms embellished with seeded eucalyptus.  

The tables were elegant, romantic, and understated.  Low and lush table centers ran the length of the family-style seating arrangment while orchids embellished the napkins at each placesetting.  The flicker of votive candles added a soft touch to the event. 

Rainy June Wedding... Still Stunning

Tanya and Andy were wed on a misty June day at the Greek Orthodox Church of Milwaukee.  Their reception was held at Radisson North Shore.  As you can see from their smiley faces, the rain drizzles certainly didn't bring this elegant affiar down.  If anything, it provided great phot opts.

The color palette for this event included spring green, fuchsia and white.

The flower palette included cymbidium orchids (green and white), roses, wax flower, and bupleurum.

Photographs courtesy of A&A Photography

Tanya and Andy waiting out a shower

The bridal party in front of the amazing Greek Orthodox Church

Tanya's Bouquet - Clutch style crafted from cymbidium orchids, roses, and wax flower