THE BRIDE'S CAFE

"What's Going On"

Hi Guys...I know I don't normally post on the weekend, but this is the first weekend that I don't have a wedding or an event to design florals for and although I have a lot of TBC work to do....I've decided to have a "Janie Day"!

"Janie Day" includes watching 8 hours of I Love Lucy episodes...hot tea...yummy salads and a slice (or two) of Oreo cheesecake....I can't wait..."Janie Day" officially starts at noon so I wanted to come on and share a few bits of information with you!

Checkout all the fun and great deals:

Magnet Street Weddings is offering a 15% discount on EVERYTHING for the week of November 24th - 30th....use coupon code: WBLG15 at the checkout....Happy Shopping!

The beautiful and fabulous Justine at The Unbride is looking for the next Unbride...so if you think you "fit the bill"...check out Justine's site  for all the details....AND....check out Justine and Gary's awesome video from their wedding....we are all excited to see the images...coming soon!

And last but not least....I am excited to share with you that we just added two more amazing vendors to the list for TBC's Ultimate Wedding Giveaway....but you will have to wait until next week to find out who they are.....OMG guys...the winning couple of this giveaway is going to be ONE LUCKY COUPLE.....I'm beginning to feel like we are having "Martha Stewart Throws a Wedding on The Today Show"....so exciting!!

"M" & "C": Part II

Welcome back to Part II of "M" & "C"'s beautiful wedding....their wedding was captured by the incredible Leigh Miller and I am so happy that she is sharing it with us today...the beautiful Rebecca Stone of Duet Weddings is the amazing planner for their celebration and the gorgeous florals were designed by Camille of Modern Day Design....three super talented ladies...the results could only be a STUNNING wedding for "M"&"C".....Enjoy!

 

Meet "M"&"C"...our stylish couple!

 

During the cocktail hour, a silhouette artist created works of art for the guests...how fun!

 

The guests got to keep one silhouette and the other was hung on a clothesline on display!

 

 

Camille did an AMAZING job designing all the florals....I LOVE IT!

 

 

SIMPLY GORGEOUS!!!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  

The beautiful chandeliers are from Bella Vista Designs!

Thanks SO much Leigh for stopping by today...as always...BEAUTIFUL JOB!!! and thanks to "M"&"C"....we wish you a lifetime filled with happiness and love!

Real Wedding "M" & "C"

Happy Friday Guys...I received the gorgeous wedding of "M" & "C" from the incredibly talented and wonderful Leigh Miller of Leigh Miller Photography.  I absolutely love Leigh's work and you are going to fall in love with "M" & "C"'s wedding...it's full of romance and beauty...the details are simply beautiful...Rebecca Stone of Duet Weddings is the amazing planner of "M"& "C"'s celebration....AWESOME JOB Rebecca....let's check out Part 1 of our 2 Part feature....Enjoy!!

 Our featured couple..."M" & "C"!

 

 

 

All of the gorgeous florals were designed by my beautiful friend Camille of Modern Day Design...Camille is  AMAZING....her work is always "magazine ready"!!

 

  

 

   

 

 

The ceremony was held at the Santa Ines Mission and.....

 

...school buses were used to carry the guests to the reception at Tres Hermanas Winery!

 

Now this is too cute and a fun idea...Rebecca created little lunch sacks for each seat on the bus..a shiny red apple...wine juice box.... a #2 pencil and a pop quiz about the couple....and a mead notebook that the guests signed and left notes to the couple...too cute!

  

Thanks Leigh for stopping by the cafe today...the images are gorgeous and as always you have captured the couple's story so beautifully....check back later for Part II...trust me...you don't want to miss it! 

Real Wedding: Annie & Kevin

TBC's featured photographer today is the talented and sweet Kate Harrison....this is Kate's first visit at the cafe but I am happy to say it's the first of many...Kate is sharing the beautiful and romantic wedding of Annie & Kevin with us today.  Their wedding took place at Deer Ridge Vineyards...a beautiful setting..... and I can truly see the love theyshare with each other and with their family and friends through the beautiful images that Kate has captured.....let's give Kate a warm "TBC Welcome".....Enjoy!

 

Meet Annie & Kevin!

 

Annie is such a beautiful bride...very glamorous!

 

 

 

 

 

One of my favorite shots....too cute!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I love how they decorated the tent....so beautiful and so fun!

 

 

 

 

 

Thanks SO much Kate for stopping by the cafe today and sharing Annie & Kevin's special day with us...guys make sure you check out Kate's site to see more of her gorgeous work.....and we wish all the happiness and joy to Annie & Kevin!

The Ultimate Wedding Giveaway!

Happy Wednesday Guys....Just in case you didn't know...I'm still celebrating TBC's One-Year Anniversary!

TBC has The Ultimate Wedding Giveaway for one lucky couple....I am excited to announce that JMFlora Design has partnered with Eleise Theuer of Eleise Theuer Photography and Event Planner, Maria Cooke of Ritzy Bee Events....and we are giving one lucky couple our wonderful services for their wedding day.....Flowers...Photography....and Wedding Day Coordination.

Here are the rules.....if you are "getting hitched" in the Richmond, VA/Tidewater/DC/MD area between the months of April and December 2009, we would love to hear from you!  Please email the following information to me at janie @ jmflora dot com

1. Couple's Name.
2. Wedding Date.
3. Venue (are ceremony and reception at the same location).
4. Number of attendees in your bridal party.
5. Number of guests.
6. "Wedding Theme".
7. Tell us in 75 words or less why you think you should be chosen and please include a "couple photo" that we can feature when we announce our winner.

You have until midnight, December 31, 2008 to enter and the lucky couple will be announced on January 26, 2009....this is so exciting....we can't wait to hear from you!!!

Stewart & Darryl: Part II

Welcome back to Part II of Stewart & Darryl's beautiful celebration....if you are just joining us, make sure you check out Part I....Eleise Theuer is the amazingly talented photographer behind all of the beautiful images and she has stopped by the cafe to share them with us today....let's begin...Enjoy!

 

Our handsome couple...Stewart & Darryl....Stewart's chocolate brown silk-cashmere wrap is from J.Crew!

 

 

Stewart's dear friend Stretch Ledford performed their ceremony!

 

 

 

Beautiful floral designed by JM Flora Design!

 

 

 

 

These arrangements were on the reception tables....Hydrangeas...Stock...China Berries...Cymbidium Orchids!

 

And these were on the cocktail tables........

 

and so were these...we filled the vases with coffee beans!

 

Stewart wanted the favors that were green...in color and environmentally....so she ordered cedar seedlings back in May from Itasca Greenhouses in MN....she placed them in straight-sided highball glasses...

 

...the beautiful favor tags were printed by Bella Figura...the tag read...dig hole..plant..add water...add sun...watch grow...remember this day fondly!

 

Kalico Kitchens made the delicious and moist apple spice cake...how pretty are the fall leaves cascading down!

 

 

 

 

Thanks SO much Eleise for capturing Stewart & Darryl's wedding so beautifully....I can't wait until our next event so we can make a little more "magic"....and a huge thanks to Stewart & Darryl....you truly made my job easy and very enjoyable...I wish all the happiness and joy to you! AND before I forget...Stewart is the owner of  The Yarn Lounge....make sure you check out her site...... it's totally "hip" to knit!

Real Wedding: Stewart & Darryl

Meet Stewart & Darryl....their wedding is so full of gorgeous details and I'm excited to share with you that their wedding celebration was captured by my friend Eleise Theuer....Eleise's work is AMAZING.....and the beautiful florals were designed by JM Flora Design......I gave you all a "sneak peek" a few weeks ago and now I get to share with you the "magazine worthy" images of Stewart & Darryl's big day.....Let' s start with Part 1 of our 2 Part feature....Enjoy!

 

Our "stylish" couple....Stewart & Darryl....Stewart shares her wedding vision with us....."For a long time I knew I wanted to get married at Melville Farm overlooking the Great Wicomico River (close to the mouth of the Chesapeake Bay) in Reedville, VA.  My great-grandparents bought the property back in the 1930's and I have such fond memories of spending most weekends there during the summer as a kid.  The set up is perfect....a nice boxwood-enclosed field looking out on the river, a formerly formal brick-walled garden which is perfect for the cocktail hour and an adjacent clearing...ideal for the reception (and tent just in case).  In deciding a color scheme, I knew I wanted chocolate brown and I let Darryl pick the other color...forest green..... and adding ivory into the mix was the perfect fall combination."

 

 

At the entrance of Melville Farm, I hung baskets of florals from Shepherd Hooks...I found these baskets on sale at Pier One and I spray painted them brown (they were white) and filled them with moss and filled a container with flowers and set the container inside the basket!

 

The mile-long lane leading to the main house and the most beautiful cedar trees line each side...it is SO beautiful !

 

We made a beautiful wreath for the front door of the house...it was perfect for the "fall" day!

 

Stewart's gorgeous Monique Lhuillier Gown!

 

OMG Guys....I LOVE this collar....it was custom made for Stewart...."I did a search of craftspeople in Ireland and found Bonzie.  Her work is very elegant and somewhat Victorian...I sent her a swatch of my dress and told her the color scheme of the wedding and she made the most perfect accompaniment to my dress."

 

There is a cute story about Stewart's shoes..."My shoes were a brown thick-heeled pump from Cydwoq.  They are based in California and they hand-make shoes in really innovative designs...being a girl with options, I also brought traditional wedding shoes...ivory-faux gem strap-kitten heel, but I forgot to take into account the wedding would be on grass....I'd sink like a stone!"

 

 

Stewart's bouquet consisted of White Ranunculus...White/Green Cabbage Rosettes..Berzillia Berries....Green Millet...Green Cymbidium Orchids....Mixed Grasses...it was perfect for her "style"!

 

Stewart's sister carried a bouquet of White Hydrangea...White Ranunculus...White Lisianthus....Berzillia Berries....and accented with Green Millet!

 

 

Stewart is truly a beautiful bride...the dress...the collar...the bouquet...all so perfect for her....and Homer has a "flower collar" for the celebration!

 

 

One of my favorite images of Stewart....she is STUNNING!

 

 

Our handsome groom Darryl....his suit was custom-made by Nathan's  here in Richmond and the silver silk tie is from an Etsy vendor found here!

 

Thanks Eleise for all of the beautiful images...as always I love working with you...you ALWAYS  deliver gorgeous work.... and I have to give a special thanks to Event Planner, Dee Kirchmier of Occasions Events...Great Job Dee!.... and it's been a pleasure getting to know you!.....Check back later for Part II...more beautiful eye candy! 

Cake Opera Co.

I'm so excited to introduce you to our featured guest today...the beautiful and incredibly talented Alexandria Pellegrino of Cake Opera Co.   Alexandria is a wedding cake artist with an extensive background in Fine Arts and Pastry....her designs are STUNNING......truly works of arts and I'm so honored to have her stop by the cafe today and share a little of her beautiful designs with us and a little "411" on her....Enjoy!!

 

TBC:  What 3 adjectives describe Cake Opera Co.?

AP:  Boldly Original...Sweetly Excessive.....An Opulent Feast for the Eyes!

 

 

 

TBC:  How did you come up with the name...Cake Opera Co.?

AP: The name Cake Opera Co. came to me in two ways...Opera, the Italian word for "life work" or opus seemed fitting at the time I was developing my company.  Designing and creating exquisite cakes was the perfect marriage of my life long passion for the art and baking.  Also, the word "cake" is so unpretentious and lovely while the word "Opera" is so theatrical and vibrant.  Together they seem to conjure up a beautiful synthesis of magic and enchantment.

TBC:  What inspires you?

AP:  I am often inspired by the simplest things...a pile of twinkling vintage buttons and scrap fabrics in an antique shop....a bundle of cabbage roses tied easy with a  crushed ribbon....an intricate brocade detailed with faded glass beads....anything romantic.

 

 

TBC:  What are some of the questions you ask a bride during the initial interview that helps you decide on the design of her wedding cake?

AP:  Of course establishing colors, flowers and if there is a running theme through the event but the most important thing is understanding what the mood should be.  How does she wish her guests to feel at the reception?  Is she imagining a warm gathering, a swanky bash or an opulent affair.

 

 

 

TBC:  What should a bride look for when choosing her cake designer?

AP:  I believe a bride should look for someone who really listens to her.  It is our job as cake designers to pull details that will allow the cake to render her extraordinary story.  I think it is important that a bride feels her cake designer is truly investing their complete creative attention and willing to take time to understand her unique needs.

 

 

 

 

 

Alexandria....thanks SO much for stopping by the cafe today....your cakes are AMAZING....as I said before...they are truly works of art!  Guys make sure you check out Alexandria's site to learn more about Cake Opera Co.!

Weddings Unveiled Magazine

Happy Friday Guys....I am so happy that the weekend is here and even though I have a ton of work ahead of me.....I have made a promise to myself to take a little "ME TIME" to curl up on the couch with my blanket...candles lit.....my cup of tea....and a copy of Weddings Unveiled Magazine.  For those of you who aren't familiar with Weddings Unveiled, let me give you a little "411" on this beautiful magazine.

Weddings Unveiled sprang from the minds of Terri Lambert, wedding planner and Brooke Thomas, fashion photographer.  These beautiful ladies are both natives of  the South.  They imagined a beautiful magazine reflective of the South's modern sophisticate with a fresh, edgy  take on classic style.  The result proved to be the most exciting, talked-about wedding publication in the South by brides and wedding professionals alike.  Weddings Unveiled is everything weddings with vivid imagery, lush editorials, incomparable fashion and a sophisticated manner that appeals to intelligent, modern brides.

Guys...you will absolutely love Weddings Unveiled....it is truly a sophisticated and edgy magazine and I love the sleek look and design of it....hurry over and check out their blog site...it's a wonderful extension of  the magazine!

Terri and Brooke sent over copies of Weddings Unveiled to share with the wonderful and fabulous TBC readers....SO....leave me a comment letting me know what's on your agenda for the weekend...I will randomly select the WINNERS and announce them on Monday evening....have a wonderful weekend guys!!

Becca & Ben: Part II

Welcome back to Part II of Becca & Ben's beautiful celebration....if you are just joining us make sure you check out Part I....their special day was captured by Laura Novak....I love Laura' s work...and I'm always excited to have her stop by the cafe...make sure you check out her site to see more gorgeous "eye candy"......now let's check out Part II of Becca & Ben' s beautiful day....Enjoy!

 

Our featured couple...Becca & Ben!

 

 

 

How cute are the little ones!

 

 

 

   

 

Becca and her Dad...how sweet...special moments!

 

 

 

 

Laura the images are SO beautiful...thank you for sharing them with us today and congrats to Becca & Ben and Hannah!