Friday, October 28, 2011

FABULOUS finds Friday!




Every so often we focus on things we LOVE in the wedding industry and share them with you on Friday! This week, I thought I would try something a littttttle different....Although, what I am going to share IS fabulous!

It's US! Did you know that Circle City Designers is it's own company? Often times I think people are confused that Circle City Planners (the wedding planning team) and Circle City Designers (the florists) can not only work together, but they can also be separate! Just because you don't need an event planner to help you plan your big day, doesn't mean Circle City Designers can't come and provide you with the city's most FABULOUS floral centerpieces and bouquets.


We need our favorite vendors, venues, and clients to help us spread the word that Circle City Designers is simply THE source for the modern bride. EVERYONE needs flowers for their big day, and we focus SOLELY on wedding day florals.

As Indianapolis area florists, we know what it takes to pull off the perfect day. There IS a difference between a retail florist and a wedding florist handling your big day. YOU are our only focus, we don't have the distractions of daily deliveries, holidays, or walk in customers.
We handle everything from delivery, set up, assistance during your ceremony, to tear down, clean up and return of rentals. Whatever you need!





If you are planning a wedding, come see us NOW to get started designing your FABULOUS FLOWERS! email tiffany@circlecitydesigners.com to schedule and appointment!

Happy Planning, Tiffany

Wednesday, October 26, 2011

How do you choose the RIGHT bouquet?





I have been doing weddings here in Indianapolis for nearly 20 years and I have seen lots of trends go in and out of style, only to come back again. So many of our Circle City Designer brides come into my office with pictures of the PERFECT bouquet only to have me tell them that the flowers in it are out of season for their wedding. There are so many things to consider when choosing your personal flowers....What time of year is it? What is the style of your wedding, casual, formal, modern, etc...What color is your dress? What is the length and style of your dress? How tall or short are you? What are the bridesmaids wearing? You are the focal point of the day, and what you carry is just as important as the jewelry you wear, the way you do your hair, and the shoes on your feet! (At least I think so ;) )

First: Season


Unless I can get a bride to wait to choose her date until she chooses her flowers....HA! than you are going to be at the mercy of the season. Fortunately most flowers are available all year round, and most brides are more concerned with color and texture than a specific flower type. As your wedding florist, it is my job to help you choose the flowers that are the best choices for your wedding date. If you are in love with a specific type of flower, or if they carry special meaning, you might considering calling me as you are choosing your dates so I can tell you when they are available. Peonies, anemones, ranunculus, and sweet pea tend to be the most common flowers that brides want when they can't have them. Makes me so sad!!!! Early summer (May and June) tend to be the BEST time to get most everything your heart desires.

Second: Color


I believe that most weddings photograph better under one of two scenarios.....I love lots of color, OR if you do soft colors or all white...do it right. Bright colors photograph best against your white or ivory gown. Color shows less damage, wilting, or flaws on the flowers. If you choose to go all white or very pale in color, you will want to use sturdy, hardy flowers like calla lilies, roses, or orchids. They hold up better if you are going to have a long photography session, take outdoor photographs, or have a gap between ceremony and reception. I think if you use softer colors for your bridal bouquet, monochromatic, but multi-tonal bouquets photograph better than a mixture of pastels. If you are looking for the sentiment of the "bride should have white"...then I recommend doing a colored bouquet rich in color with pops of white and keeping your bridesmaid's bouquets all colored.

Third: Shape


Body type and dress impact your bouquet shape more than anything. if you are a petite girl, a heavy, or long bouquet might overwhelm your look. If you are wearing a very ornate dress, or a long train, you should go ahead and take liberties with your flowers too, like holding a cascade, adding lots of jewels or feathers. If you have a simple, delicate dress, consider carrying a smaller than normal bouquet, possibly all one type of flower. Discuss stem length, and dimension with your florist to make sure they know your preferences. If you want a tightly compacted, round look, make sure you aren't getting a garden style bouquet with lots of height changes!

Fourth: Price


In my experience, a bride is willing to fork out the bucks when it comes to her own bouquet. So choose the things you love the most. You don't have to incorporate your same bridal flowers in your centerpieces or church decor, so if something is expensive and love it: keep in your bouquet and keep it out of everything else. Your bridesmaids should carry bouquets that compliment the bridal, but not mimic it. Here is another place to save, certain flowers are more expensive than others. If you are worried about cost, the ones to avoid for your girl's bouquets are stephanotis, peonies, gardenias, sweet pea, certain orchids, calla lilies, and catteleya and lady slippers. A cost saving tip on using the flowers you love is to create bouquets of all one type of flower. Mono-floral bouquets can have bigger impact when using fewer flowers.

Fifth: Meaning



We are always trying to help our clients make their wedding more personal. Whether the couple enjoys the outdoors, or gambling, or loves the color red, we help them find ways of including these passions into their decor so they can share it with their guests. One way to do that is by including the meanings of the flowers you are using. For instance, white roses indicate purity, love, and youthfulness. Maybe he bouquet you lilies after your first date. You could name different tables at your reception by the meanings of different flowers and use those flowers as the centerpiece. Or maybe your beloved grandmother loved daffodils and you want to include a homage to her by placing them in your bouquet. Whatever the significance, it is fun to add another layer of meaning into your decision making process. Circle City Designers can help you choose the right flowers that say the things you are trying to say!

Happy Planning! Tiffany

Monday, October 24, 2011

Time of our Lives





























































































































Lauren and Tom
October 15,2011
St.Elizabeth Seaton and Grand Hall at Historic Union Station

Lauren and Tom are both super cute... and SUPER laid back. Tom was very involved with the all planning and Lauren was the crafty one.
The decor was so "Etsy"!!! Hand-made table numbers, clothes pinned place cards, and tree stumps used in fun and usual ways gave this wedding a very earthy, vintage garden vibe.
The weather was great, Jennifer Driscoll was able to get some AMAZING pictures. The Crowne Plaza looked FABULOUS. I was really excited to hear the reception entertainment, Cool 2 duel. They were a dueling piano band out of Michigan that Lauren and Tom had heard at one of their friends wedding. The band was fun and full of energy. For the first dance, Tom and Lauren reenacted "The time of our lives" from the Dirty Dancing movie. It was so cute!
Their cake added to the decor and tasted great! I'm still dreaming about another chocolate cupcake with peanut butter icing.
Thanks to everyone that helped in making Lauren and Tom's wedding successful.
Crowne Plaza, Circle City Designers, Jennifer Driscoll photography, Jake Stutzman video, True Colors,Yellow Rose Carriage and to Joely for tying 276 chair covers!!!

Wednesday, October 19, 2011

Avatar Inspired Wedding




















































































































































Megan & Noah
September 24, 2011
Coxhall Gardens and Bridgewater Club

When I first met Megan, she explained to me how she and Noah loved nature and thought of bringing aspects of the movie Avatar into her wedding. This idea very much intrigued me even though I hadn't seen the movie. I knew I had to get right vendors on board right away to carry out this inspiration in a classy way. Indianapolis florist Circle City Designers was brought on board right away to create the fabulous floral displays and Evans Audio Visual created the uber important lighting elements . The design that we came up with was AMAZING!!!!- The centerpieces were designed to create the look and feel of the "other-wordly" forest in the movie. We had 5 feet tall curly willow trees with floral accents, a water element with lotus pods, and futuristic manzanita branches with floral clusters for some serious drama. These took wedding flowers to a whole new level. Haze for effect and pin spots were just a few highlights from the design provided by Evans. We needed a great photographer to capture these design elements. Jessica Strickland on board to capture all of the AWESOMENESS.
Megan and Noah wanted everything for their wedding to go smoothly so there were lots of emails and phone calls during the planning process.
I was so excited the week of Megan's wedding, until Tiffany told me that it was going to rain. The back up plan for the ceremony was in a tent at Coxhall Gardens, rather than the planned outdoor ceremony with a petal drop. Jessica emails me the Thursday before and says the chance of rain was now up 70%!!! OH NO!
Even though rain is supposed to bring a couple luck, I was feeling luckier that the rain held off and ceremony got to be outside! Guests were greeted by strolling violinists and were surprised by the petal drop when Megan and Noah kissed. The happy couple left in a horse drawn carriage. At the reception, everyone was in awe over the way the room looked. Megan and Noah couldn't believe how their dream became reality. During dinner, the waterfall backdrop switched to Megan and Noah's love story created by Northern Light Filmworks. Jeremy from DJ's Direct kept party going all night long. A HUGE thank you to all that were involved in making Megan and Noah a success. Beverly from the BridgewaterClub, Scott and the entire Evans A/V team, Jessica Strickland Photography, Northern Light Filmworks, Karen Hall and Co., Tiffany and the Circle City Designers team, Jeremy from DJ's Direct, Encore Entertainment, Yellow Rose Carriage, Tom's Custom Trees, Indy Photo booth, Amazing Cakes, Vanilla Bean bakery, Emily and Jessica at Coxhall Gardens and my 2 super assistants Cara and Joely!!!

Monday, October 17, 2011

Circle City Planners shows off this weekend's wedding with Dave Mason!


Everyone knows Circle City Planners puts on the BEST weddings in Indianapolis and this weekend was no exception. Circle City Planners was at The Crowne Plaza and The Scottish Rite Cathedral doing what we do best. All the decor was provided by the our sister company, wedding florists Circle City Designers. Fall flowers in purples and oranges transformed the ballroom into a rich and regal space fit for a queen! Sneak peaks from the couple's wedding photographer, Dave Mason were provided lighting fast and we are excited for you to take a look!

Please take peak at Kat and Eric's big day on Dave's blog. AMAZING!

Circle City Planners are Indy's finest wedding planners.

Circle City Designers is adding fabulosity to your wedding flowers in Indianapolis and surrounding cities.

Tuesday, October 11, 2011

A Starry Night









Marissa and JW
St. Joan of Arc and IMA
September 17,2011

When I first met with Marissa and JW, I knew that their wedding was going to be special. Marissa told me about a suitcase full of paper stars that her and JW brought back from India. At that moment, I knew that the stars were going to be the focal point of the wedding! We also incorporated some really cool ornaments as favors that were brought back as well.
JW is a total free spirit and enjoys every moment of life. At the church, I went up to check on him and found that he and his groomsmen were playing a friendly game of shoot the groom with Nerf guns. I just had to laugh because that's exactly how JW is. Marissa on the other hand, is calm, quiet and thoughtful. Both are in the medical field, he is a doctor and Marissa a nurse so needless to say they are SUPER busy. September 17th was a beautiful day for a wedding,everything went very smooth. The ceremony was full of love, music and a tear from me as Marissa and her dad walked down the aisle. The IMA looked fantastic. Dinner was amazing. But the 1st dance topped my night. At the very end of the song, I saw JW mouthed "Okay I'm going to lift you" and Marissa mouthed back "NO" but he did anyway and twirled her around and around at least 15 times. By the end of the song, both ended up falling gracefully. I was lucky to work with some great old vendors for this wedding including, Joe from Kahn's catering, Bob with Indy Visual, Jack with Antique Limo, Nicole at the IMA, Karen Hall and Co., Evan's Audio Visual and of course Tiffany of Circle City Designers. And some great new vendors Amanda and Nate with Turtlepond (awesome photos) and the Groove Essential Band.
It was pleasure working with Marissa and JW. The couple is back from their honeymoon and enjoying life as a married couple!

Friday, October 7, 2011

Two-Lips for TA-TA's!


Ladies, October is breast cancer awareness month, and we need to come together and support our ta- ta's. Without a doubt, Circle City Designers is here to support. Please help us out by sending your most creative and unique photo of you and your significant other putting your "two-lips" to work.

The contest will go on during the month of October, and we will choose a winner at the end of the month.

The winner will receive a free bridal bouquet of her choice.

Not only does the winner receive a gorgeous bridal bouquet, but a percentage of all bookings participating in the contest during the month of October will be given to support the Susan G. Komen Foundation.

Please email all photos and inquiries to tiffany@circlecitydesigners.com, and tell us why your picture is the most unique, and we will post the winner at the end of the month. The winner must book their wedding (minimums apply) with Circle City Designers to redeem prize.

Good luck ladies!

http://www.circlecityplanners.com/wedding-event-design


Wednesday, October 5, 2011

VIVA Las Vegas! Kassie and Ryan's I DO's!!!!



About a month ago, Circle City Planners and Designers had the honor of creating the wedding of a lifetime. Kassie and Ryan worked with us for eighteen months planning every detail of their perfect weekend in Las Vegas. It isn't often that I get to do a destination wedding, but I literally BEGGED to be a part of this one!!!! The couple had big plans for their guests and we were thrilled to help pull it all together for them.


We had parties and dinners on the Las Vegas strip, and a stunning outdoor ceremony and GORGEOUS reception at the Springs Preserve Botanical Gardens with catering by Wolfgang Puck. From black and white with pops of pink, feathers, crystals and diamonds, 6 foot white manzanita trees, to a 24,000 petal aisle....this wedding had EVERYTHING a girl could want and more!....The wedding felt very "cosmopolitan meets vintage chic with a big scoop of girlie-ness"...Of course Kassie created her own unique style! She is one of a kind! I was blessed to be able to attend this wedding (which I NEVER do!) and I have to say, it was one party I wouldn't have wanted to miss. The DJ had us dancing all night, the food was UH-MAZING, and with such an intimate crowd, we really got to know all the guests and had a great time!!! I have never witnessed a couple who was more in love than Kassie and Ryan, truly and amazing day, and I felt very lucky to be there.


Wearing the most stunning dress I have ever seen (St. Pucci), our bride was picture perfect! Ryan is a photographer himself, so the pictures were one of the most important details of the day. Chelsea Nicole Photography was selected to shoot the big day! Thank you for these amazing shots and I can't wait to see the full reel. BIG thank you to Kassie and Ryan for trusting us to put their vision together and pull off this celebration that we will never forget!





Many hugs and blessings to you! Tiffany