Flowers

Flowers:

When it was time for me to pick flowers I definitely had a hard time. First I was consumed with the need for something different. Second, I had to stick to a specific budget.
So my quest began. I made appointments with the some of the highly praised florists on the knot and went from there. Every florist I went to showed me the same pictures of the same tall, short, bland, boring centerpieces ( in my price range of course ;) ). But I had a specific idea in mind and I would not be deterred !

So I started making appointments at my neighborhood florists to see what really was the big difference. And I learned several things:

1) There really is a difference in the level of service ! Whereas the $$$ florist wined and dined you ( literally) upon your first visit ( I got offered staring at assorted imported cheeses to wine tastings !) The $ florist had a no frills this is what we do attitude. Here is a book, here is a chair, lets us know when you find what you like.

2) Though the price of a particular flower has a lot to do with the part of the world it is cultivated in ( a rose is not simply just a rose, I worked in the rose garden at the Botanical Gardens so I can tell the difference most times). Simple arrangements went for drastically different prices. This I found the most disenheartening but...

3) I noticed the pricey florist are much more open to new ideas. Though I did find that with a few gentle suggestions you could get them where you needed them to be\ without too much heartache.

Later I am going to review Designs By Rose....

Here is a pick of the centerpiece I ended up with.

The Riverside Church

Ahh the church. The best part of the whole wedding and the reason you got involved in this adventure to begin with ( the vows).

The Riverside Church is an interdenominational (American Baptist and United Church of Christ), interracial, international church in New York City, famous not only for its elaborate Gothic architecture — which includes the world's largest carillon — but also as a center for the promotion of progressive causes. It is situated in Morningside Heights between Riverside Drive and Claremont Avenue and between 120th Street and 122nd Street. The tallest church in the United States and the 26th tallest in the world, it was described by The New York Times in 2008 as "a stronghold of activism and political debate throughout its 75-year history...influential on the nation’s religious and political landscapes".

There are 3 chapel options:

The main space called the Nave is styled in the tradition of Chartres Cathedral and was built in both France and the United States. Measuring 96 feet in length and 64 feet in width it has a capacity of approximately 1,900.

The Second option is called The Christ Chapel. The chapel is patterned after the eleventh century Romanesque nave of the fortress church of St. Nazaire at Carcassonne. This one seats about 145 to 150


There is also a much smaller third chapel which seats 15 called the Meditation Chapel.


It is also one of the only churches that has its own event space (that doesn't look like the elementary school gym) and exclusive caterer ( madeline catering). Many options are available for party rooms depending on the number of guest and whether or not you will be having a cocktail hour. My personal experience with this site was wonderful. I was able to order custom chairs/linens etc. from the caterer directly and the couple in charge was super attentive and extremely helpful.

The wedding coordinator on the other hand could be hard to reach sometimes ( she also coordinates religious services for the church) and wasn't all hearts and flowers if you get what I mean. She definitely wasn't mean, but she didn't give the gushing emotion most brides start to take for granted after booking the gazillionth vendor. .

They also include an organist and a reverend if you do not have your own.

Please email me if you have any other questions regarding this vendor ( I have a lot of extra tidbits)

All pictures are originally from the riverside church website.

Reset

So I took a break...A long break...

But I'm back ! And ready to impart my keen observations .

October 6, 2007

One of the best weddings of the century !!! Ok, OK it was my wedding... but it was beautiful if I don't say so myself. Here is a teaser pic, I will be writing full reviews in the next couple of weeks. Overall I had a wonderful experience will all of my vendors because I was meticulous about selecting quality, affordability and most importantly client following. In the hopes of giving you all the ups and downs I will mark the reviews with a ** if there are additional negative comments I think a prospective client should hear.

It was sunny !YAY! It was hot !NAY!

I have been away forever!!! Parties, Parties and more Parties. The next couple of weeks will be crazy so I apologize in advance if I am not blogging more often. Here are some pics of a recent shower. Hosted, decorated and organizied by moi of course. It was held in the mom's garden/backyard.

Party, Party, Party

One of the cutest web sights I have seen for out of the ordinary party accessories is Plum Party.

Depending on your theme or lack thereof, you can find basic linens in really pretty opal colors or out of the ordinary maracas for a festive backyard party or Mexican themed kids birthday. Even a fun wedding favor ! My favorite invite? The oh so yummy bubble gum shower invitation. Several different versions allow all types of options for different types of events. They also have plenty of boxed invitations with little Knights and Princess !

Heart Stamps !

Stamps are an important element on your wedding invitations. Imagine receiving a beautiful calligraphic invitation with this as your stamp. Now unless you are having a Star Wars themed wedding (which do happen) this doesn't necessarily set the tone for your special day. I know that a lot of brides use the traditional USPS love stamps like these. But now there are so many options to customize your own special vision.

Sites such as Zazzle and Photo let customize your stamps to match your invitation perfectly.

Paper, Paper Paper !!!

I *heart* paper. Like a lot. I love all the pretty options. Colors, textures, shapes, sizes. Needless to say, wedding invitations were really hard for me. If it wasn't because I almost gave myself an ulcer making my engagement party invitations I totally would have made them myself. That and my pc crashed ( the pc gods have not been shining on me lately). So I went on a search for the "perfect" invitation. Now if I had all the money in the world I would have indulged my inner designer and lept head first into letter press. Alas I had to compromise and ended up customizing one of the selections offered by Wiley Valentine. My stationary needs were fulfilled at Bloomingdale's! Funny I would have never known, but they have a small stationary section run by Judy Paulen Designs. Though I stalked the invitation selection at various retailers for months, I always ended up there. Will definitely post picture when they come in!

Kates Paperie had great selections for the traditional bride, a bit pushy service for someone who is still in the "I'm just looking phase", Papyrus would have been nice but I found all their stores to be so small. Wedding Things had a really fun selection plus tons of favor ideas, trinkets, bridesmaid gifts and accessories all in store ( the web has an overwhelming array of options as well).

Let me demystify what all the different printing methods mean. The slightest difference can make or break the bank. Definitions courtesy of Wikipedia =)

Letterpress: is a term for printing text with movable type, in which the raised surface of the type is inked and then pressed against a smooth substance to obtain an image in reverse.

See how the print looks like it is indented in the paper. This process looks best on heavy stock paper, so the images are more defined. * Think of it as the the BMW of invitations, Lux but semi-affordable, depending on the whether you go for the SUV or the compact*

Thermography Printing: post print process done immediately after printing. It can be done inline or offline as long as the ink is wet. Thermography powder is applied to the sheet of paper after it leaves the printing press. The sheet is then vacuumed or shaken to remove excess powder. This leaves powder only where there is wet ink. The sheet then travels through a heat tunnel; there the heat causes the powder to melt which leaves a raised effect. * Thermography falls somewhere in the middle, I found printers who could provide the printing at really affordable prices if given the artwork, and other ready made stationers that combined engraving and thermography which could really get up there*

Flat or Laser Printing: Is a common type of printing that rapidly produces high quality text and graphics on plain paper. Like photocopiers, laser printers employ a xerographic printing process but differ from analog photocopiers in that the image is produced by the direct scanning of a laser beam across the printer's photoreceptor. In plain English this process is like printing on your computer at home, only difference is that printers can produce really vivid images and graphics in mass quantities. *Really Affordable*

Engraved: The plate ( burin) is inked all over, and then the ink wiped off the surface, leaving only the ink in the engraved lines. The plate is then put through a high-pressure printing-press together with a sheet of paper (often moistened to soften it). The paper picks up the ink from the engraved lines, making a print. The process can be repeated many times; typically several hundred impressions (copies) could be printed before the plate shows much sign of wear. The work on the plate can also be added to by repeating the whole process; this creates an engraving which exists in more than one state.

Somewhere in the middle, again one of those depends on your design selections*