Color & Candlelight Are Magic
Saying I Do in a foreign land. Working out of my studio in Chicago is one thing but working in a hacienda in Leon, Mexico is completely another adventure. What does it take to complete a wedding design in an unfamiliar location? How will it all come together? Will the end result be everything the bride expected? Read on to learn more about the answers to the above questions.
Leon, Mexico is my next stop on my floral journey. I am to design a wedding to take place at Templo Expiatorio Diocesano del Sagrado Corazón de Jesús. The marriage celebration was to take part at Hacienda Los Rincones. Two amazing and picturesque locations. I could not wait to get started. The bride specified color and romance were important to her. It was going to be fabulous to be a part of this wedding.
We land in Leon after two flights, thunderstorms, broken luggage and a desire to design an amazing wedding. Jaime and I brought many of the hard goods needed from Chicago with us. We placed orders for the floral/foliage at a local supplier in Mexico ahead of time. One thing I can tell you when designing destination weddings is: as prepared as you are you MUST be able to shift items quickly. Most of the items were as expected and some were not. The show must go on!
Our design location was in a guest room at the venue. We stored all the completed items in the room while we designed outside with an amazing view. Something to be aware of is that August in Mexico is HOT. Ensure all your floral has adequate water sources as well as yourself.
Candlescapes were important to enhance the evening. Nothing beats the glow of candles. I utilized some of the large gold pedestals to hold floral arrangements while the rest were adorned with pillar candles. The smaller gold candle holders were utilized as accents for the tablescape.
An Oasis European holder was used to design the bridal bouquet. I enhanced the back of the holder with a satin ribbon and pearl pin treatment. The boutonniere was a garden rose with satin ribbon wrap and Oasis bullion wire accent.
Time has come to set up the colorful and glowing reception! We used bright color fresh floral such as hydrangea, roses, garden roses, orchids, and alstroemeria. The foliages utilized for the wedding were seeded eucalyptus, plumosa, and salal. We accented with permanent botanical orchids, sheer ribbon and candles.
Tall centerpieces were designed for some of the tables. I placed the floral on candle stands the venue had on site.
Groupings of candles and pedestal floral were displayed on other tables.
The estate tables held long floral chandeliers designed upon a wood board. The board was placed upon glass vases the venue had on site. We then hung candles form the board to achieve the chandelier design aspect we were looking for.
The newlyweds sat at an ornate table we adorned with cascading floral and candlelight.
The bride carried a colorful bouquet consisting of orchids, roses, garden roses, hydrangea and assorted foliages as she walked towards her forever love.
Life takes us all on a different journey, but the final stop should always be love!
From Chicago To Puerto Vallarta With Love
Planning a wedding for clients is a passion of mine that I take extremely seriously. I had thought that the years of working on other couples’ weddings would make the planning of my own wedding easier. Although it did prepare me for organization and design, it did not prepare me for the obstacles that lie ahead. Oh, and we also decided to go to a different country to do it all. Read on for the highs and lows of planning your big day.
Some say planning your own wedding is a magical thing…. I will say yes, it is magical, but there are sure hurdles to jump to get to the “I Do.” Jaime (my husband) and I knew we wanted to be married in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. We did not realize just how hard it would be to find a venue. We went with family and friends on a scouting trip that took us to 20 venues until we found the perfect site for our wedding. Our wedding was to be held at the Hard Rock Hotel in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. Now it is time to start the planning!
How scout a venue for your wedding
When you go on a scouting trip have a list of criteria in hand and appointments made at various venues. Below is an example of our list:
Beach location for our first ceremony and welcome reception (we had two different ceremonies)
A covered location for our formal ceremony that would be private
A reception room that can be transformed into our formal reception
A room to design our wedding floral in once we arrive
Accommodations to fit our guests needs
Availability to hold 3 days of events on location
A team on location that can be utilized to help plan the events
Sourcing bilingual wedding invitations
Now the location was set and it was time to work on the details in Chicago. Our invitations were to be done in English and Spanish as our wedding was to unite the USA family and friends with the Mexico family and friends. We made sure every detail was completed to make everyone feel welcome. The amazing paper goods were designed by Charmant Invitations. We hired Rose Photos to travel with us from Chicago to Mexico to capture our events in photos. Having the best companies will also result in amazing outcomes.
Sourcing wedding flowers in Mexico
Once Jaime and I arrived in Mexico, we realized the floral product we had shipped did not make it through customs. Our once plan of cascading orchids and other floral was to be altered in a moment to plan B. We had all of the hard goods packed in our luggage so at least that was safe. Now the hunt began to find flowers and foliage for our wedding. We discovered a local wholesale house and purchased what they had in stock and completed our items at Costco.
A friend in need…
Never underestimate the power of friendship. Being a floral artist, I have many fellow floral artists as friends. One of my best friends, Frankie Peltier, AIFD and his husband Shaun arrived early to Mexico to help us prepare for the wedding. It was amazing to have Frankie help me design as Shaun and Jaime went on errands. Memories to last a lifetime!
Flowers for our big day
As the guests arrived the resort was filled with love and floral. As the formal wedding day arrived it was time to set-up the reception. Drapes were hung on the walls, lighting was ready, and our floral was complete. We used Oasis wire to create the designs. It was important to mix the hard and soft to complete the ambience. Frankie payed homage to the venue by creating music sheets out of design wire.
How to dress a wedding party
Our groom’s ladies were dressed in white and held bouquets of white floral with Oasis decorative wire armatures and pearl accents. Our flower girls wore white and carried pomander balls of orchids with gray pearls. My daughter and Jaime’s mother were to walk us down the aisle/marry us were dressed in black and white carrying a white cascade bouquet of phalaenopsis orchids, roses, tulips and Oasis decorative wire armatures and pearl accents. The groomsman wore black with a rose boutonniere. Jaime and I wore shades of gray with white orchid boutonnieres.
Our wedding day was magical and something we will always remember. It is not the troubles that should be remembered but the love and friendships will always fill our hearts.