Ring around the ROSE-Y!!

We've noticed something a little unusual this year - a lot of summer brides are opting to use RED ROSES in their celebrations! Many other types of fabulous flowers peak around spring and summer, so what is so special about this flower that continues to bring brides back to the red rose?!


Traditionally, red roses are THE classic symbol for admiration and desire, making them perfectly appropriate for weddings! According to ProFlowers.com, the first ties between red roses and love trace back to Greek and Roman mythology, where the red rose was tied closely with the goddess of love, Aphrodite. Looks like the tradition has stuck around for quite some time!


Curious about what other colors of roses might signify?

Yellow - Friendship, Welcome, Joy
White - Purity, Innocence
Pink - Gratitude, Joy, Admiration
Orange - Passion, Energy
Lavender - Enchantment, Adoration
Green - Harmony, Peace, Tranquility




So, why not consider adding a few roses to your big day to really personalize the feeling behind your celebration! After all, there is nothing we love more than a CLASSIC love story :)



Sources:

http://www.proflowers.com/flowerguide/rosemeanings/redrose-meanings.aspx
http://www.theflowerexpert.com/content/aboutflowers/flowermeanings/rose-flower-meanings

Details Galore

Jessica & Eric- June 18, 2011- The Bridgewater Club

Jessica and Eric live in Cincinnati, Ohio so they were planning this special day from a far, but Jessica grew up in Carmel so her mother Cindy along with myself were in charge of making sure all of the planning came together flawlessly for the day! I spent time getting to know Jessica and Eric each month they were in town to work on wedding to dos and meet with their pastor. It was not hard to see why they were so in sync every time we met. On their wedding day, both Jessica and Eric were so calm, relaxed, and in LOVE. They were able to enjoy the day no matter what!

Cindy & Jessica are very detailed oriented people so we made a great team to bring it all together. No detail was missed from the candy bar, to the photo booth, and the blue water bottles and votive holders in each table! It was with all these special touches that made Jessica and Eric's day so memorable. The ceremony was held out in the tent area at the Bridgewater Club and the cocktail hour was to follow immediately outside. They weather was overcast and perfect for pictures until right when the guests were sent in to be seated for dinner when we got a little rain shower! Dinner was started with a memorable slideshow of both Jessica and Eric and the evening followed with a rockin' party from Dave & Rae! Enjoy your honeymoon in Europe!! XOXO Randi

"It was a complete success"

Sarah and Matthew

June 11,2011

Our Lady of Lourdes and Artsgardens

The title is what Sarah, the bride,said to me at the end of the night. Sarah and Matt contacted me just a couple of months before their wedding. Sarah knew she wanted her wedding to be FABULOUS but did not know exactly how to make it a reality. Tiffany from Circle City Designers and I worked closely together on the design of the wedding. Our focus was on everything- even down to the size of the diamond strand hanging from the centerpieces. Sarah and Matthew live in California so there were many late night phone calls and Skype meetings. But as Sarah and Matt's wedding day drew closer all the details came together. On the day of the wedding everything ran smoothly. However, I will admit that Sarah and her bridesmaids arrived to church just minutes before the guests which was not in the plan, but in the end everything worked out. The ceremony was nice. I especially liked when Sarah's mom stood up with the rest of the bridal party and gave her Matthew's ring. After the ceremony ended, Tiffany Stoner from Nathaniel Edmunds photography took the bridal party to a beautiful urban garden for pictures. I then raced to the Artsgarden and metup with my team to put the final finishing touches on the reception. Although Sarah and Matthew choreographed the cutest first dance, the highlight of the evening was the lion dancers. This was a Chicago based Chinese dance group who started the dancing off with a bang! I'm excited to see the video. I also wanted to thank everyone who was involved that helped make Sarah and Matthew's wedding a complete success. Of course, Tiffany at Circle City Designers, Jessica and Mark from the Ritz, Jess, Mike and Jeff from the Artsgarden, Tiffany and Meredith from Nathaniel Edmunds, Eyemax makeup, Bouquet and Garter, Jill at Westwood Paper, Evans A/V, DJ Jim Lewis and Tony Avellana for the music on the piano. I hope I'm not leaving anyone out. The couple is just now finishing up a two week honeymoon in China! Congratulations from the entire CCP and CCD team!

Life Altering Garage Sales: YEP, I said it!

I would never have banked on a garage sale having an effect on my psyche. However, this weekend, all of that changed. In an amazing turn of events, I did NOT have a wedding this weekend. Instead, I had a garage sale. A sale that accumulated items from not one, not two, but THREE homes I have been living in (meaning my possessions were there). I have never worked so hard to drag, lift, move and trash belongings that have encompassed nearly 30 years of my life. It was a span of time from the days when I got my first set of baseball cards and comic books, to the time I first became a mother, to days of picking up Little Tykes and My Littlest Petshop toys from all over the house, to the days I went back to school, to the days I decided to open my little flower shop, to the days I said "I Do". I realized all of these"things" had symbolically become of part of who I thought I was, a reflection of my likes and dislikes, my mistakes, my accomplishments, my joys and my sorrows. And now, after 3 days of work, these "things" lay in my garage with a masking tape price tag on them. How do you determine their worth? The little table that I love, the stuffed animal my daughter snuggled with while she was teething, the first set of dishes I bought when I got my first apartment. They "seem" so important. Can anyone else truly understand their worth?

Here's the therapy part. I know you were worried I wouldn't get there :) So, amidst all this "stuff," I have about 85 various vases and floral related things from my old flower shop. Anyone who knows me, knows that I define myself mostly as a florist. So this "stuff" is important!!!! I have held onto it for nearly 5 years now, collecting dust in the garage. It DEFINES me, right? I NEED it, right? SOMEDAY, it will be useful again, RIGHT????

Well, that probably seems silly to the reader. It's just a bunch of "stuff!!!" However, in an event that can be translated as nothing short of fateful, a young lady walks up my driveway, eagerness in her step, a smile on her face. She is simply out garage-saling hoping to find miscellaneous things that will help her get her business "inventoried". She didn't know she was about to walk on a landmine. This "STUFF" that I held on to for so long, just created a future for this sweet girl. She is a young florist, opening a little shop, hoping to get her feet wet in a big, expensive industry. I just made that a little easier for her. Each of these vases and miscellaneous "flower" parts will help her get started! I was just so excited at that, that I forgot all about how that stuff defined "me".

In the end, we sold almost every single item from those 3 decades of life, and here's what I discovered: NONE of it was worth ANYTHING to me. On this Independence Day, I want to celebrate my "independence" of material things. I will live a simple, clean, and clutter free life FOREVER after going through this experience. Life is not made up of the stuff we bring into our house, it is made of the love we put in our hearts.

Thank goodness I am also blessed to be in the LOVE BUSINESS!!!!!!

Happy Independence Day, go have a garage sale! Tiffany

We LOVE Beach Bum CARES!

Areas like the Caribbean and Mexico are traditionally the most popular honeymoon and vacation spots among American couples and families. While we are laying in the sun, sipping on a delicious daiquiri at our favorite resort, children and families just a few miles away are living in extreme poverty. Beach Bum CARES was founded to bridge the barrier between these very different lifestyles and give hope to the communities that provide us with such fabulous vacation opportunities.

Beach Bum CARES partners with schools and orphanages in your favorite vacation destinations, providing them with financial aid, relief and educational supplies. A team made up of Beach Bum CARES board members, vacationers and clients are then sent to these locations to personally deliver the gifts collected by the organization and make a difference in the lives of those most in need.




The organization pairs its volunteers with a partner in their general area of travel and provides transportation to and from the site. Anyone traveling in the area can participate, not just customers of Beach Bum Vacations! If you are interested in the opportunity to give back while on vacation, be sure to contact Beach Bum CARES through their website at www.BeachBumCARES.org!

If this opportunity just isn't for you, there are plenty of other rewarding ways to contribute to the organizations. Their website offers instructions for donating monetary funds and supplies that will directly benefit these communities as well.


If you are looking for a way to incorporate philanthropy in to your big day, consider donating your time and efforts with Beach Bum CARES!

A Notre Dame Wedding

Caitlin & Paul are the sweetest couple. He is a Notre Dame grad and she is a St. Mary's grad, so these families had strong traditions and they displayed them in such fun ways! Being a Notre Dame fan myself it was great to see them incorporate many fun things from the fight song to hearing their families speak of how they met at college. Caitlin & Paul now live in California and served wine from Paul's family's winery! Great personal touches throughout the day!

Thanks to Nate from Nathaniel Edmunds Photography for these great shots! It was so great to work with you Nate!

Once again the Crowne Plaza staff did an amazing job with everything!

Susan & Brian's Perfect Spring Wedding

Susan and Brian

May 21,2011

St.John and The Omni

Susan is one of the most sweetest brides. I had a FABULOUS time helping her plan her beautiful spring wedding. Susan had most everything planned when they hired me but wanted my expertise with decor and pulling it all together.

Pinks and golds were the perfect back drop for the Omni Severn. Maxi and her staff were top notch. The other members of Susan and Brian's dream team did a fantastic job as well. Thank you to Dan at Twisted Scissors, Tiffany of Circle City Designers, Paige from Sweet Seductions, Terry at Djs Direct, LSG Limo and the amazing photographs from Angel Canary.