Flower Power!

TLC aired a show last year that changed my life. No, it wasn't one of those health shows or a show about families with 8,000 kids. It was Flowers Uncut; a reality show that followed the crazy vision and world of Mr. Jeff Leatham. I was instantly hooked, obsessed and starting googling this man every second I could. I had found the floral inspiration for our wedding. The talent, the unique arrangements, the beauty he brings it out in every flower; my jaw drops with each new show that airs. (It's finally back on TLC after a 6 month hiatus, probably due to my many angry emails to the TLC programming staff) He brings to life all the insane ideas I have in my head and it's rare to find someone who can do that. Here are some pics of his incredible talent:

I love how traditional he is with his flower choices (hydrangea, calla lilies, roses, etc.) and yet he uses them in a very unconventional way. Through it all though, it looks complete, polished and unique and still has that nod to arrangements people are used to seeing. From there, the stage was set. Our floral design would be a Jeff Leatham knock off.

I scoured dozens of florists websites and one kept jumping out at me. Their eye for detail, knack for original designs and very modern/traditional wedding arrangements was oh so perfect. The company is A Stylish Soiree and it is run by two young women who truly love what they do. From the second we sat down with Becca and showed her my, um, 17 page picture inspiration board, she instantly got it. There was no explaining who Jeff was, there was no playing of the 20 questions to try and understand the vision; she looked at the pictures and said "So you want Jeff Leatham to design your wedding and came to me to make it happen? :)" Since I hadn't mentioned his name yet, she stole my heart right then and there. They have done hundreds of weddings in DFW and she loves doing weddings like this one. It gives her the ability to be very creative with the designs and allows me to breath a big sigh of relief. I never imagined I could have a vendor this amazing!

For the ceremony, I'm doing a replica of Eva Longoria's wedding in Paris. The church itself (it's almost done!) is so beautiful that I wanted to do something to compliment it and not compete with it. I'll have pics soon of the church! Here are my inspiration photos:

If this isn't bridal done right, I have no idea what is! We'll have rose petals everywhere, lining the aisle and all around the arrangements. I'll have a few large vases in the back of the church to draw the eye in but the bulk will be at the front of the church on the alter. We'll have four 5-6 ft vases with large hydrangeas and phaleonopsis orchids in them and then it will taper down to 4 ft vases on the outside of that with roses and calla lilies in them as well. Add rose petals and candles to the bottom of it and viola, Eva Longoria's wedding! I literally cannot wait to see what this looks like all setup!!

Moving on to the reception: Becca drew out each of out designs for us for each table based on what we discussed. She also provided a picture of the flower she'll be using for each table to help visualize the entire process. Here are the flowers we're using;

Each table will have a different arrangement on it and the arrangements will only be featured twice. (so 6 different ones on 12 tables) The vases are varying heights ranging from 2 feet to 4 feet and I love the idea of having all of them "pointing" towards the center of the room. Here are the drawings she sent to us.



Our head table will be in the shape of an X with a large set of arrangements in the middle and vases filled with water and floating candles coming down each arm. The focal point will be this table and particularly the center arrangement.

I am so excited about the flowers that I'm having a hard time waiting for it all to get here! :) I hope everyone enjoys them during the reception and they feel like they're part of something truly special.