Strut Bridal

Important Points to Include in Your Wedding Florist Contract

Our final article in our series on wedding flowers concludes with some key points on things to include in your contract with your wedding florist.

1. Contact information (name, addess, phone number) of the delivery location. Be sure to include any backup venues, too.
2. Detailed description of every type (head table, bar, pews, etc.) of floral arrangement, including possible flowers that might be substituted (there are sometimes supply issues). Also include the total cost, amount of deposit paid and balance due.
3. Time the florist is to arrive at your site (be sure to include whether or not they need to go to more than one place, such as where you're getting ready to bring your bouquet, the wedding site, and the reception venue).
4. Name of the key contact or floral designer working on your project.
5. A detailed list of services provided, such as set up, delivery (including any additional costs for delivery), and breakdown.
6. Information regarding their cancellation policy, including whether or not your deposit is refundable.
7. The cutoff date for making changes to your order.
8. A list of items rented (such as vases or containers) and who is responsible for returning them.
9. A list of flowers needed to decorate the wedding cake, if needed.

Gardenia's Vegas Wedding

Gardenia came shopping at Strut with just over a month before her wedding date. Yikes! She was looking for an aline gown, but we put her in a princess-style plus size ballgown wedding dress that was available for purchase off the rack and she was done! Here she walks down the aisle with her father.

Gardenia chose a dropped waist satin ballgown. It featured a ruched bodice with beading at the top of the bodice and at the bottom of the skirt. She added a jacket to her wedding gown. We love the side-swept hair with flower.

Her wedding colors were black and red. She and Walter were married at the little white Wedding Chapel in Las Vegas. She said they partied the night away on the Strip in celebration!

Congratulations, you two. We know you'll make a striking couple at the upcoming black tie wedding you're attending!

8 Things to Bring When Meeting Your Wedding Florist

When you meet with a florist to discuss your wedding flowers, there are eight important things to bring with you. These items will help your florist get an idea of your wedding vision and help them prepare the most accurate quote. You should bring with you:

1. An idea of your budget. Sometimes brides have no idea what number to put down for their flower budget, but you have to start somewhere. If $1000 is your absolute max, then say so. If you have more of a range, then be upfront about that. You can always trim costs after seeing the first quote.
2. Photos of your wedding venue and reception area. Your florist can get a good idea of existing color schemes as well as the scale of the room.
3. List of places you'll want arrangements. Although you'll have photos of your wedding venue and reception room, you'll also want a list of places you'll need flowers. Think about all of the places you might have (bar, restrooms, cake table, place card table, head table, pew or aisle poms, etc.) and decide which ones need dressing up.
4. A photo of your wedding dress and the bridesmaid dresses. A florist can tell a lot about your personal style from the wedding gown you chose. They'll also want to create looks that complement the silhouette you chose.
5. Fabric swatches of your dresses and table linens. Your florist will be able to pick the right flowers if you're looking for specific shades of pink, for example.
6. Inspiration photos. Flip through magazines and tear out photos of table arrangements and bouquets that you like.
7. A list of people who need corsages and boutonnieres. Bring a list of your family, friends, and bridal party members who need personal flowers.
8. A list of things you don't like. If you want a fun and funky bouquet but hate feathers, for example, then you should bring a list of flowers, colors, trends and accents you don't want to have in your flowers or table arrangements.

Strut Will Be Closed for Thanksgiving

Strut bridal salon will be closed Thursday, November 24th and Friday, November 25th, so that we may enjoy the Thanksgiving holiday with our friends and family.

...And to catch the great sales. You might find us out shopping around Phoenix on Friday. Remember to shop local whenever possible!

Bobbi's Tea Length Wedding Dress

Bobbi found our bridal store on the Justin Alexander website because she had fallen in love with their tea length wedding dress #8465. She rocked it during her May 21st wedding and sent us some of her favorite wedding photos.

Bobbi got her tea length wedding dress in all natural, which is a light ivory. We love this close up shot of the incredible detail. Her wedding gown featured a silk cummerbund waist, beaded flower lace bodice and overlay on a full tulle skirt. How full is it? Well, you'll want to TWIRL!

Bobbi got married at her groom's parents' cabin in Michigan. She wanted a classic yet non-traditional feel.

We love how she used her accent color, yellow, in her shoes, flowers, and cake. Here she shows off her matching daisy garter from Strut.

We love how she stood on a small wood stool during the ceremony in the woods. You can see how they created a natural branch arch for the ceremony and decorated it with daisies.

If you love your wedding invitations, don't hesitate to give a set to your wedding photographer. This way you'll get a high-quality image of your hard work!

Bobbi and Erik make a striking couple in the Michigan countryside:

We wish them all the best in their next adventure: parenthood! Congratulations, you two!

Magda's Wedding Dress with Sleeves

Magda recently sent us a lovely thank you note and then stopped in with photos of her May 7th wedding to Fidel. Magda was referred to us by another Strut Bride, Raquel (thanks, girl!).

When Magda first came shopping, she and Fidel had recently celebrated their 9th anniversary. They were married in a civil ceremony and this would be their big church celebration. Because Magda was getting married in a Catholic church, she really wanted modest coverage and some kind of strap or sleeve. We showed her that for the most flattering look, adding custom sleeves to her wedding gown would be the way to go.

 

Magda used some material from the front hem of her gown to create these romantic, off the shoulder sleeves. We love how they look integrated into her gown.

She chose a ballgown style wedding dress. It had beautiful asymmetrical embroidery with beading all over the skirt. It was made of satin and featured a lace up back.

We thought her tiered wedding cake was beautiful and just had to share. Thanks, Magda!

How to Wear a Blush Wedding Dress

You saw in our recent post on 2012 fall wedding dress trends that colored wedding dresses will be next fall. Colors include blush, peach, pearl, champagne and even silver. Well, Bridesmagazine put together a little cheat sheet for how to pair blush colored wedding dresses with metals for a perfectly luxe yet vintage look that we love!

Our colored wedding dresses will be arriving November '11 through February '12. Give us a call to schedule a time to check them out!

FAQ: What Is that Ruffle Thing?!

Ladies, that ruffle thing you've seen on jackets, dresses, blouses and now wedding gowns and bridesmaids dresses is called a peplum. They originated in the 19th century. They've been in style on and off but we've seen a resurgence in them on formal wear since 2009. And now, they're invading bridal. Here's a photo of a Jennifer Salzman wedding dress with a peplum:

Peplums can be long or short (sometimes they just look like a flounce on the bottom of a shirt) and one layer or many. Here's a great blog post showing peplums on the runway. You might think, "Wow! I never knew there was a name for that!"

So, you might be asking, do these work for plus size wedding dresses? Well, it depends on several factors, including:

• The material used (is it stiff or soft? how does it react to the curve of your body?)
• How big the peplum is and where it falls
• Where the bride carries weight

Here are some examples of peplums on wedding gowns:

The peplum can either hide or accentuate tummies. In bridal they can be made of any fabric, including lace and organza. We can't wait to see if curvy brides embrace this trend. And we think we're getting in a bridesmaid dress with a peplum this fall!

So let us know... what do you think of the peplum?

Sarah's Old-World New Mexico Wedding

Sarah came shopping at Strut back in February, and she was looking for a wedding dress that was both fun and elegant with a bit of sparkle. We were thrilled to get some fantastic photos of her July nuptials.

 

Sarah wrote,

"Hi Pam!! ...Here is some pictures from my wedding.  Thank you ssssoooooo much for all of your help.  Everyone LOVED my dress!!!"

Sarah got married July 23rd, 2011 to Billy Lujan in Grants, NM. She chose a dropped waist taffeta ballgown. Her wedding dress featured a ruched bodice, pickups on the skirt, and exquisite embroidery and beading (you can see a bit of it just below her hips on both sides of the skirt). Often times curvy girls shy away from wearing a plus size ballgown wedding dress, but one that shows off a bride's hourglass shape can actually slim the tummy and hip area.
 

Sarah added, "We were married in an old Catholic Church in San Rafael (in a nearby small village) by Bishop Ramierez of Las Cruces....a huge honor!!  Our reception was in a tent on Billy's grandparents property."

We love how Sarah's bridesmaids all wore the same color but different style dress. This works best when all of your girls wear the same material dress, like they did below. 

Sarah's colors were green and purple. Here's a photo of her wedding cake, which alternated round and square tiers:

Congrats and best wishes you both, Sarah!

2012 Wedding Flower Trends

We asked local wedding florist Boka for some insights on wedding flower trends for 2012. All images are of their most recent work.

We know that most weddings are thought out and planned far in advance; its practical and helpful. This will also enable you to learn what the upcoming seasonal trends are, as well as which have been introduced and possibly carried over from the previous year. Like fashion and interior design, wedding flower designs have their trends, and these are transcended and highlighted in the bridal planning.

 

Romantic and vintage is the flower wedding fashion influence for 2012. The abundant use of flowers and those that have a high petal count remain to be in demand. Meaning large bloomed flowers that give the appearance of being in full bloom that have that hand picked appearance like those found in an English garden. Flowers like roses, peonies, ranunculus, hydrangeas, lisanthus and anenomies to name a few. Whether combined with others or used independently the look is ample!

 

The shape also contributes to the old world romantic look to the bouquet. The tight round hand tied bouquets with clusters of flower groupings in the arrangement are what make this suggestion.  This will continue to be highlighted in 2012; a greater use of texture and the variety of texture will be featured. Including the popularity and interest in the use of miniature succulents and cactus like foliage in the bridal bouquet design. So out with the waxy foliages and in with those like Dusty Miller a velvet feel and dusty gray/green color foliage. Feathers too are also being added as a fun accessory to the bouquets, adding whimsy and character; plumes soften and give movement and they come in a big color range to add more pop to the bouquet.

 

Adding to the romantic 2012 feel, we are going to see more creative detailing found on the bouquet handle. Covered with velveteen ribbons and damask fabric ribbons layered and topped with vintage looking pins and brooches and the continued use of rhinestones, and pearls.

 

Not only is the round tight concentric sphere shape ideal for the 2012 wedding flower bouquet trends but also these topiary like designs are going to be seen on the table centerpieces as well as the ceremony arrangements. Spheres everywhere, adding to that English garden romantic design. This shape can be displayed as hanging pomander balls with colorful scented carnations, roses, hydrangeas and chrysanthemum buttons to name a few. You may hang multiple sizes with a variety of flowers from pew stands and aisle arrangements, to hanging tree ornamentation, to being placed on top of large urns or glass cylindrical glass vases for either the ceremony as well as the reception table centerpiece. Also the continuation of multiple and variations of smaller vases lining the center of the oblong tables with mix matched single stemmed flowers loosely arranged in the collection of fine vases. Along with lots of branches seen colored and adorned with mini orchids attached to their limbs while secured in elegant pottery.

 

Creativity is going to be visible in 2012 flower fashion and making the arrangements and ornamentation personal. From themed events with cultural influences with endless selections to personal touches with deep routed meaning let this help create newer and more inventive trends for the future bridal party and event.

For more information about wedding flower trends or to get a quote for your wedding, please contact them at:

 

Bokā (bō káy)

Karen bever|wedding & Event Floral designer

P|480.444.6419 f|480.786.5270

www.bokaeventflorals.com