I confess……

I love gorgeous chapels, churches and cathedrals. They can be intimate and romantic, simple yet sublime, dramatic and awe inspiring.

  Grundtvig Church in Copenhagen, Denmark

Can you imagine walking down this aisle ? Is it possible that something so “concrete” could feel so “ethereal” ?  OK, that’s a rhetorical question because clearly it is possible ! This beautiful piece of architecture makes my heart skip not just one beat, but several beats. It fits all my descriptors…intimate (think of the sense of quiet this inspires), romantic (totally), simple (yet sophisticated), sublime, dramatic, awe inspiring.

I was gobsmacked when I saw this on Pinterest  which found its’ way there via a lovely blog by Murray Mitchell. By the way, did you know that Pinterest is THE hot new social media tool ?  It’s all the rage. A girl tries to keep up (sigh).

But I digress.

One of my favourite chapels in Toronto and comparable to the glamorous Grundtvig, albeit on a smaller  scale, would be the serene yet sublime Trinity College Chapel on the University of Toronto campus.

Trinity College Chapel

Photo via Stacey Kinkaid 

This is such a handsome, exquisite chapel.

We’ve had the great privilege of putting our flowers in this lovely chapel. But I must say, it really doesn’t need a lot of decoration. In fact I detest (2) symmetrical arrangements at the alter. I always recommend (if you do insist on flowers) just one extra large floral bouquet off to one side (monofloral or just simply wild and natural) and that’s it. Enough. No pew flowers. No flower petals. Nothing. Nada. Stop. Please. It’s already outstanding !

Now….the Reception….OK, let’s talk flowers.

Love M

 

Thoughts…….

“Flowers are about today. They’re not about tomorrow or five days from now. They’re about the moment you gave them, the moment they were received. They have the ability to express our feelings. No words required.

Love M

Hear Hear !

“A good product needs to begin from a sincere and authentic purpose. It must be designed with integrity and a sense of timelessness”. Dennis Paphitis, Founder of Melbourne based Australian beauty brand Aesop

I could never fake what I do. And I couldn’t do it if I didn’t feel passionate about it. Love M

This is so funny….srsly…love it

This has absolutely nothing to do with weddings but I thought it was funny so  I wanted to share it with you. Enjoy !

 

SHOPGIRL from SRSLY. on Vimeo.

Sage advice for hosting a wedding party

Photograph by Wild thyme

Weddings can be pretty stressful events. Even when you’re marrying the man of your dreams, planning such a festive occasion can take its’ toll. And no wonder. You’ve basically decided to celebrate and share something extremely intimate and special with maybe 50, 100, 200 or, as with our couple in the picture above with 350 guests. Many of whom, especially beyond 200 guests, you really don’t know, if at all ! The details (and believe me they are endless) can overwhelm.

The bottom line is you want your party be a roaring success. You want people to leave your reception and say “what a wonderful evening and by the way, didn’t the Bride look beautiful” (sorry Grooms, it really is about the bride).

So, when I meet with couples to talk about their wedding I always remind them of the following:

You’ve decided to throw a party. Enjoy the planning. Glitches will and do happen. But most are manageable and easily corrected.

Be confident that you have chosen the best vendors for your wedding. Yes, have ongoing dialogue and communication with them, but in the end you must trust them to do their job. That’s why you hired them. Right ?

Smile, smile and smile some more…….have fun !! It’s one day. Relish all of it because it goes by pretty quickly.

I WANT IT TO BE PERFECT…is wayyyyy too much pressure to put on yourself and everyone else. I saw famous wedding planner Colin Cowie on Oprah. Oprah asked him what can a bride expect from him. He replied “I will do the best job I can and work very, very hard to achieve the look and feeling you want but……I don’t do perfect. It’s impossible”. Ladies, Mr. Cowie does weddings costing millions of dollars !

Most importantly, remember that your guests are following your cue. If that six tier wedding cake suddenly collapses on one side resembling a small landslide (BTW that did happen at one of our weddings) and you fall apart crying, your guests will cry. If you laugh, your guests will laugh. That’s the difference between a wonderful wedding and a bad wedding. Make your guests feel great. Because they want to see you have a wonderful time and have a fabulous party. 

You decided to throw a party. Go with it !

Where will you say “I do” ?

We all dream of that perfect setting for our wedding ceremony and reception. For some, it’s a gorgeous beach with clear blue skies and a sunset to die for. For others, it’s an architectural treasure in the midst of the city filled with history and romance.  Or perhaps you prefer a very modern, contemporary setting with clean lines and minimal decor. Yet for others, it’s up north in the wilderness, at a cottage or in the woods (secretly hoping that a fawn will appear adding that whimsical touch). 

I’m with you. I love all of these settings.

But what do you think about an ancient chapel and castle in a hilltop town bordering the regions of Tuscany and Umbria……in Italy ?  YES, Italy.

Sound romantic ? Well then…….. follow me……

The following photographs were taken by London UK based photographer Marianne Taylor

Isn’t this a fabulous photo ? The black and white is so 1950′/60′s Italian !

Such a charming chapel. Only big enough for family and close friends. This reminds me of a Brueghel painting. There’s  a few things going on before the cermony. The groomsmen are keeping the groom occupied (perhaps helping to settle his nerves) while the the others take their seats and peruse the ceremony proceedings, and others are chatting away anticipating the bride’s arrival. Isn’t it beautiful ?

What a gorgeous setting.

Classic confetti —-fresh rose petals.

What a wonderful picture of a great aunt or grandmother who is clearly delighted about the union. Very memorable. This is a picture the bride and groom will definitely cherish.

 

 Quite a cool, chic crowd. Isn’t the car sweet ? 

Cocktails in the garden.

Uh..dorable !

 

Great photos. The photographer really captures the day.

The lilac tree used as a guest seating display. Gorgeous !

Total yum.

What an absolutely fabulous wedding. 

Feeling inspired ? I know, I am.

You can see more of Marianne’s work on her charming website www.mariannetaylorphotography.co.uk

Vera Wang Bridal Fall 2012

I love Vera Wang. I think she is one of the smartest and most creative designers around. For Fall 2012 she has really pushed the envelope for bridal gowns. They are “Gorgeous”!

But I don’t know if most brides are ready to walk down the aisle in one of these sensual dresses. Though I do think they would be amazing to change into for an evening wedding reception.

If I were to do this, I would opt for a much simpler gown for the ceremony. Something chic, quiet and demure. Then for the evening…..one of these dresses would be so fabulous !

Would love to hear your thoughts ?

Love M xo

Hello Gorgeous !

After two years of  ”Should we or shouldn’t we “, and then six months of planning, we are thrilled to tell you that we are launching GORGEOUS Events. Unofficially we’re launching on this brand new blog, but officially we’ll be at The Wedding Co show January 13 – 15th at The Carlu.

And I must say…… we are sooo excited !

Many of you will know us as Wild thyme flowers, which still exists and will continue as a luxury online floral gift service.

GORGEOUS Events, however, is our NEW venture into full service wedding planning and co-ordination. Yes ! We can now help couples plan their own weddings and we’ll be there from start to finish. 

It has always been one of our dreams to co-ordinate and style an entire wedding. The idea of taking an initial concept and turning it into something exquisite and elegant, coolly sophisticated or super chic is very exciting for us. Plus, anyone who knows us knows that romance is in our bones. In fact we’ve been called “modern romantics”. Helplessly so I’m afraid.

Indeed, in many ways, we have already been working closely with couples on the decor elements connected to the floral details. But now we can offer so much more ! During our ten years of designing wedding florals, we have had the great privilege of working with some of the best in the industry; amazing caterers, gorgeous venues, the most creative photographers, cake artists, the coolest music mix masters, wedding dress couturiers, calligraphers and stationary designers. We also know some pretty fine florists ! Let’s just say…… we know a lot about weddings. And we look forward to sharing it all with you.

So, we hope you’ll spread the word, follow our blog and check us out on Facebook in the coming months.

And please, come see us at The Wedding Co. show in January.

Oh, and of course, Wild thyme is still at your service for that special luxe floral gift . We can’t give up flowers entirely !

Did I mention we also have a great Wild thyme blog here ?