I apologize, in advance, for the length of this post. I confess, it was hard to put into words what being a part of this special day meant to me...so bear with me as I try...
When you work in the wedding industry, I think that it is sometimes easy to loose sight of what a wedding is really about. I get so caught up in trends, creating beautiful details, and planning that I forget that a wedding is so much more than a chance to express your style. A wedding is the start of a union made between two souls, a celebration of two lives that are joining to become one. It is a commitment, a promise, a covenant made between two people. And a chance to celebrate that commitment with people that love you and plan to support your new marriage. And that's what REALLY matters.
This October, I was blessed to be a part of a wedding that stayed true to remembering this focus. Rachel (the owner of Talia Events) and I met a few years ago and have become great friends. Not only do I love working on weddings with her, I have truly been blessed by her friendship outside of work. She is a friend that is thoughtful, kind, and considerate of others. To do her wedding flowers was a huge honor to me. Rachel, more than any other bride I have ever worked with, LOVES flowers. She used to work in a high end floral shop and knows flowers better than most brides. She often said throughout the process of planning that her dress would be the backdrop for her bouquet...A floral designer's dream! She also wanted to use flowers that were in season and more filler (berries, branches, fruited vines, foliage) than flowers...
We had a blast working on Rachel's flowers, but I have to say, the best part of the day for me was when I had the honor of handing her her bridal bouquet---The bouquet we had talked about and dreamed about for several months! When I handed it to her and she began to cry, I knew I had succeeded in my mission. I cried too. You see, for a floral designer like me, these moments matter...
Rachel, being the savvy planner she is, had so many amazing details about her wedding, but the overarching feeling of her wedding was love...maybe that sounds cliche to you, but it really was. My husband and I walked away from their wedding feeling renewed in our commitment to working for a strong, healthy, and loving marriage and we also walked away inspired to be better at loving others. From the hand-written notes that Rachel and Sal wrote to EVERY guest to the thoughtful speeches during the reception, to their amazing first dance, their wedding oozed love, intentionality, and care for others. I genuinely left their wedding feeling loved, inspired, and blessed.
It was also a total pleasure to work with the team Rachel assembled:
Planning: Talia Events (Rachel's amazing associate, Chelsea, coordinated the day-of details with grace)
Photography: Tyler Jones Photography
Cinematography: Rising Moon Video
Flowers: Us! Cori Cook Floral Design
Venue: Planet Bluegrass in Lyons, CO
Catering: Greens Point Catering
Make Up: Makeup By Janine
Hair: Girls & Curls
Cake & Desserts: TeaCup Shop
Dress: Jenny Yoo from Anna Be Bridal Boutique
Brides: A little note about Tyler Jones Photography. This was our first wedding together. And let me tell you, he was amazing. Not only is he super kind, fun, and talented (I mean, look at these photos!), but being able to observe him in action at the wedding was a blast. This guy is so much fun and has soooooo much energy. You can tell he loves what he does. I would HIGHLY recommend him to any of my brides!
For those of you who are familiar with the Cori Cook Floral Design delivery process, you will know that we always deliver our florals in these wine boxes...they have all been converted for various types of arrangements. Sometimes this causes confusion as people think our business is called "Hundred Acres" which makes us laugh a little. I love this picture below that catches Rachel taking a peek at the flowers before they were set out.
This next series of pictures (below) is purely personal! Me handing Rachel her bouquet...such a sweet moment...
Rachel didn't really have "colors" for her wedding. Instead, she gave her bridesmaids some loose guidelines for choosing dresses and I love the result.
We made small wreaths for the three flower girls out of flowers that have symbolic meanings. Rosemary for "remembrance", heather for "wishes come true," and wheat for "friendliness."
This is perhaps my favorite photo from the wedding. Rachel and her mother celebrating after the ceremony. Love the pure joy and the way the light is...
Above: The hand written notes that had a personal written message to each gust from Rachel and Sal. It also doubled as their escort card.
For centerpieces, Rachel collected charming silver vases of all different shapes and sizes. We did organic, natural arrangement in each full of fall richness. There were three arrangements per table and they sat on planks of wood that served as a runner for each table.
Thank you, Rachel, for the honor of bring a part of your wedding. Tex and I loved every part of it and are excited to support your marriage...Congratulations!
See more photos of Rachel's wedding, check out her series of blog posts about her wedding here.
Monday, December 12, 2011
