Modern Floral Centerpieces I

I dream of color! Shades of vibrant pinks, soft oranges and lush greenery. Clusters of blooms - Peonies and roses. Exotic notes of bamboo or horsetail as accent. And loops of bear grass for a whimsy twist.

To-Do List: October & November

- Currently meeting with potential florists, hope to book before the end of this month.

- Tasting with our cake caterer this Saturday. We will make our flavor selection and finalize the details. Put down a deposit.

- Hotel room blocks (This is an urgent matter I have to attend to soon b/c Newport hotels book up quickly)

- Meet with our caterer to discuss the menu and put down a deposit.

- Start a few DIY projects including our invites and the manzanita tree + escort cards. I plan on purchasing the supplies this month via Amazon for the origami paper and Blooms and Branches for the manzanita tree branches and containers. I still need flowers and crystals to decorate but I will check the craft stores and ebay for deals.

- Order STD and send them out by the end of November

- Order supplies: Guestbook, sign-in pen and card box

- Order Golden Blossom tea set from Teavana. This will be used for the Chinese tea ceremony. It's also a great piece of fine bone china set to own too. Currently on sale for $69.97

- Finalize linen selection and send out swatches to Cambodia. We are having them custom made there.

- Order my dress. I have a meeting with my seamstress, Rose on Monday to get the proper measurements. I am leaning more towards the custom made route but I am still going to two more bridal shops in the next month to get a better feel for the style of dress that best flatters my body shape.

- Continue to reach my goal for weight loss.

Stress Free Planning

So I am either on drugs or blissfully ignorant because I think our wedding plans are going to turn out perfect. Uh yeah I might be jinxing us here. But you see...I get this euphoric feeling whenever I do anything wedding related. I get high off of the gold metallic gleam of our European flap envelopes. (This might also be my allergy meds in full effect as I am currently nursing a post nasal drip.) I do a happy dance whenever I find decor pieces that will pull together our wedding theme. I truly enjoy every part of the planning process including the tedious work of organizing guests information. BTW I heart Google Docs. I'm not even at all fazed by the obstacles we've encountered. First, my dress does not fit me and can't be altered as I am too petite for it which means still no dress with less than 8 months to go. Second, I have increased our battered budget for flowers ($1800) and cake ($400-$450) so the budget is really getting a beating here. Third, we have no idea who we will hire for the band or how to go about putting together the Cambodian portion of our wedding. Although we are lucky that our families have offered to help in this area but the uncertainties still make me kinda nervous. However, I am confident everything will turn out beautiful and unforgettable as we have a dream team of talented vendors with our best interest at heart. :-)

Uplight or Candle light?

The original plan was to have uplights to brighten up the cavernous white space of the Rotunda. However, we are not sure if we want to splurge on uplights when the sunset is so late in the evening. Is it worth the money for only a couple of hours? After all, we are having vibrant shades of pink, orange, and aqua/turquoise linens custom made for our reception tables and our floral centerpieces should also provide warmth and color to the room. What we want to achieve with the uplights is a soft subtle amber glow not the heavy saturated colors of a night club dance floor. The candle light is definitely more budget friendly and still provides a similar effect. I'd like to utilize the window space with candles galore. Of course they would have to be LED lights since our venue does not allow open flames. I'm definitely okay with that and I have a few ideas for the candle holders. We can string paper lanterns, use paper luminaries, clear glass votives, or capiz candle holders in the shape of Lotus blooms. The possibilities are endless. I guess it will largely depend on the florist since my linens and decor will have to compliment the style and color of my flowers. I have met with a few florists but have three more to meet with in the next two weeks. I was initially smitten with one florist but after discussing his concept ideas with Pepe, we want to see if someone else can best match our style and budget. I was a little turn off by his rejection of some of my ideas and my request to have half short and half high centerpieces. I do want someone who will give me honest feedback but not someone who tries too hard to impose his or her ideas on my wedding.

Reception Inspiration

The Rotunda with uplights