Friday, March 20, 2015

Destination Wedding - Rome

Destination Event - Rome

Years ago when I designed my first wedding for an Irish couple, I was amazed that 124 guests flew over from Ireland to attend the wedding.  It was even more surprising that this couple decided to have a wedding so far from home with so many guests.  My question was, “why get married in Rome?”.  The answer was, “if we get married at home we’ll have 300 guests and not know most of them”.  In addition they enlightened me about the weather in Ireland.  Rome is famous for its sunny days even when the temperature is low.  The weather makes Rome a preferred location for destination events.  When you add to that a panorama of history, good food and great wine, you will be happy you chose Rome.

After many years of working for couples from all over the world, I must say that it is very exciting work.  When  a couple chooses Rome it’s usually because they really want this city.  They tend to either have very clear ideas about what they want for their decorations or are very flexible and give me the freedom to create works of art for their wedding.
Here is a list of Suppliers who work in the English language which you will find extremely helpful when planning an event in Rome.  You will find that many local suppliers do not speak English and having someone who you can talk to and explain your dreams to will make all the difference in planning a wonderful, memorable event.
 
www.romeweddingteam.com  - group of English speaking suppliers for every need
www.irishcollege.org  -  Catholic Wedding ceremony
www.st-teodoro.it – Orthodox wedding ceremony
www.parrocchiamaronitaroma.it  - Maronite wedding ceremony
www.stisidoresrome.com – Catholic wedding ceremony
www.intercontinental.com/hotels/gb/en/rome/romha/hoteldetail  - lodging, rooftop ceremony and reception
www.hairmakeupnails-rome.com – Hair and make up
www.palazzola.it  lodging, Ceremony and reception location
www.tagliata.it – lodging, Ceremony and reception location (including garden wedding ceremony)
Remember you can always contact us for information…not just flowers.
Florally yours,
Debra
 

Thursday, February 26, 2015

The color RED

Red Weddings


Many couples like the traditional white for their wedding decorations but I assure you that the photos will not be nearly as dramatic as using color in some way.  Even using a strong color as an accent will improve the impact the photos will have and let’s face it, the photos (and the skills of the photographer) the most important part of the event.  Years later the photos will be the only record of the wedding day.

Ceremony Designs




Red Flowers:
There is good reason why red roses are given to sweethearts. Red is symbolic of passion, love, and energy. Red runs through our bodies in raging rivers of blood. Red rushes to our cheeks when we feel the heat of our feelings. Red resonates with the root chakra and reminds us of our animal instincts.  Red is the spark that kindles our flames of desire.  Send red flowers to someone who needs a jolt of energy - this shock of color is sure to get their engines revving!
 
Red Bouquets




My suggestion to you is that you look at wedding photos online and reflect on how you would like your wedding album to look.  This will help you decide if adding some color will make you smile for years to come.

If you have any questions, please feel free to seend them to me.

Florally yours,

Debra

Thursday, February 5, 2015

Gattinoni Couture - Floral Seamtress

Floral Seamtress
 
When the phone rang and on the other end was Guillermo Mariotto, creative director for Gattinoni Couture my heart began to beat faster but when he asked if I was free to work with him on a special project my hands literally began to sweat.  He was looking for a florist who is also a seamstress and that’s why he called me.  My professional biography states that I am an artist, seamstress and florist.
 
The collection for Spring/Summer was dedicated to Food which is the theme for Expo 2015 which takes place in Milan.  Each garment in the collection was in some way connected to Food.  I was assigned to “Bread”, the element found on every table in the entire world in some form.  Specifically I had dried wheat which had to be hand sown onto a corset base using fine golden thread.
The Base
 
 The base was constructed by the skilled seamstress at the Gattinoni Couture atelier.
 
The entire construction required 53 hours of careful stitching in order to complete the entire garment. The combination of organic material (wheat) and sartorial skills was an incredible challenge for me but the skills that I honed will remain with me for the rest of my career.

 
Attending the presentation of the collection was the high point of the week that I spent working in the Gattinoni atelier.  It was held in an elegant restaurant, “Open Colonna” that specializes in recreating traditional Italian dishes in an unexpected way.  It was the perfect location for a fashion collection with a food theme.

 
Working for Gattinoni Couture will remain one of the most exciting events of my floral design career.
 
Florally yours,
 
Debra
 

Wednesday, January 28, 2015

Unusual Bridal Bouquets

Unusual Bridal Bouquets


The 2014 wedding season was particularly interesting for me.  Many couples presented me with challenging requests.  One woman walked in saying that she heard that we “work miracles”.  I love a challenge but that was a tough one even for me. 

Couples came to us who didn’t want any flowers at all but wanted us to create awesome decorations and others came who wanted literally thousands of flowers.  All of us at DebraFlower had a great time working together to realize the dreams of our customers. 

The bridal bouquet is specifically my responsibility so in the middle of all these unusual requests came the bridal bouquet.
 
My all time favorite was the bride that did not want flowers.  I designed a bouquet of lollipops for her and she loved it.
 
 

Then came the bride that asked for contrasting textures. I created a bouquet that included items that are not often seen in a bridal bouquet.


Large sunflowers create a challenge especially when the bride is petite but loves them. 

 
Color, color and more color……Luisa made it clear that she wanted as much color as possible.
 
 
I had such a wonderful time finding ways to make my clients dreams come true.


What’s your dream?

Debra