Nice day for a white wedding? Victorian Fashion Slaves vs. those who tell the Queen to Kiss It

Whatever happened to Billy Idol’s little sister, anyway?  Well, he voiced his opinions, but in the end, whether or not she wore white was entirely up to her.  Historically, white does symbolize purity.  So that’s why the Pope wears it.  But brides? That’s all Queen Victoria’s fault.  Prior to Victoria’s wedding to Albert, one simply wore one’s best dress down the aisle.  And everybody wore their dresses again. She was the first high profile bride to wear white.  So technically, every major designer, and 99.9% of brides are following Victorian bridal fashion trends rather than 2011 bridal fashion trends. Now purity is no longer signaled by your gown, and some gals just like a little color.  Reese Witherspoon was recently married in a pink dress (although IMHO, it was a little matchy-matchy with her skin tone for my taste, and her flowers seemed to match her hair…but we’ll deal with that another day).  There are women who decide to get married in orange, or deep purple, or whatever color makes them happy. What color flowers do we recommend when brides go rogue and tell Queen Victoria that her era is SO over? There’s nothing like a colorful dress to inspire great work.  Anything goes really – the color the adventurous gal chooses opens a thousand doors.  We generally advise though, (sorry Reese, you got steered astray) that you don’t match your bouquet to your hair.

Oh and by the way? Victoria had her dress restyled so she could get some more use out of it.  Now THAT’S a trend we could all get behind – especially on Earth Day.  Reduce, Re-use, Recycle your wedding gown!

Prom Posies do not always Pose Problems, people! Prom Ponderings Part II

Sorry guys, got a little carried away with the Prom Posies alliteration.  Our prom etiquette post sprouted searches genuinely looking for information on prom posies, so we thought we’d oblige.  Customer service! Just like at the store 🙂

A prom posy is a small bouquet that can be given to a young lady by her prom date, (or a good friend or loving parent) as a substitute for a corsage.  Some girls are finding corsages unwieldy, and some just like the idea of carrying a little something, but prom posies are a growing trend that is only going to get more popular as we gear up for Prom 2011

This is a beautiful posy of cymbidium orchids and hydrangea with organza ribbon accents
Example of Prom Posies: cymbidium orchids and hydrangea with organza ribbon accents

Prom posies also give your friendly floral designer a chance to work creatively with ribbon and different blooms in ways that just don’t work with a corsage structure.  Additionally, when made with flowers that dry well, they can make beautiful keepsakes of a special evening. Just ask your florist to work with flowers that will dry successfully, or investigate a flower preservation service in your area.

If you decide not to save your posy, know this: in Victorian times, the meaning of flowers was practically a spoken language as it was one of the only socially acceptable ways to flirt.  Posies were messages between sweethearts to be decoded bloom by bloom. So be careful if you give away your prom posies girls, you might be giving away your hearts too.

Ah, youth. Parents of prom-goers? Stop by the store anytime- to order flowers, or for a complimentary daisy, a symbol of patience.

Ho-tel, Mo-tel, Esmeralda Renaissance Inn, If your flowers start actin’ up…

OK so we’re event designers, not the Sugar Hill Gang.  But if your hotel lobby flowers do start acting up, let us know.  Here is a recent lobby arrangement from the Esmeralda Renaissance resort and spa, a great Palm Springs wedding location (or Palm Desert wedding location, or Indian Wells wedding location).  2011 wedding trends are towards the economical: and if you’ve read previous blogs about budget conscious wedding locations like Country Clubs, then you know places that come with onsite staff, catering, rentals and parking can save big chunks of your wedding budget.  And if you’re having a destination wedding, who wouldn’t want to come to a beautiful resort? And that’s where the Esmeralda Renaissance Palm Spring Resort and Spa comes into play. As you can see, we do the lobby flowers each week, and love to work there for events which we do regularly. We have some coming up!  What about yours?  Prom 2011? Destination wedding in Palm Desert? Bring it on! And remember…hip hop and you don’t stop! (oy vey. We better stop).

centerpiece wedding beautiful modern elegant
An elegant statement piece at the Renaissance Esmeralda