Platinum Pro Custom Dance Floors was introduced to us by Preston Bailey, and we are just in love. They are based out of San Diego, but have locations across the US. We can’t wait to be able to integrate one of these into one of our weddings. Every bride wants their wedding to be unique, and what is better than splashing your name, initials, or even picture all over your dance floor?

No matter what style you are going for; fun, glamorous, or formal, you can customize your dance floor in shape, color, and design. Gobo lights with initials used to be all the rage, they are quickly fading from the spotlight and these dance floors are rising in popularity. Using spotlights to highlight the designs, add more colors, or just create special effects can be used to enhance the dance floor as well.

You know how we feel about seating at weddings, especially near the dance floor. Lounge seating is a great way to integrate those who don’t necessarily want to dance or can’t into all the fun that takes place on the dance floor. Using customized dance floor shapes like these ones below, make the lounge seating even more integrated and more of a focus point.

Check out Platinum Pro Custom Dance Floors at www.platinumpro.com

The main shape that was showcased at this event was circles. We decided to do pomander balls with colors that highlighted the theme  and kept the simple yet young and hip vibe that everyone was going for. We used Bear Grass to add some green and fun while highlighting it with cute butterflies that seem to be perching on the flowers.

The cake pops by Sweet Lauren Cakes and the lanterns hanging from above with the butterflies attached by Kristen of Sugar Rush Events mirrored the pomander balls and created a bouncy environment for this great event.

The event was held in Verite Photography studios, so their photos were displayed and gave a really unique feel. With all of the collaboration from the vendors, being surrounded by the wedding photos, and the fun group of people who attended the event it really was a paradise of sorts. A paradise for someone who enjoys a well thrown party, that is,

We also included a loose arrangement of several types of fluffy flowers next to the buffet. The flowers and the circular tables and pedestals around the buffet allowed for the carry over the circular and fun vibe. Leaving the stems exposed and using tinted glasses for vases allowed for the natural feel of the event, leaving all of the party attendees at ease.

P.S. Don’t those bacon wraps look great?!

This wedding had both tall and short centerpieces with lots of loose layers and colors. In the low centerpieces the tangerine and celery colors mixed well with a few light blush blooms and some seeded Eucalyptus. We love it when we are able to give our brides a little something extra, in this case we had some extra centerpieces so we were able to place one on the buffet table. Once we saw the stark black and white vase on the buffet, we knew that was the perfect place to create some contrast with our fluffy and whimsical arrangement. The tall centerpieces made more of a statement with Bells of Ireland and Curly Willow creating a playful and lighthearted feeling.  When trying to create an arrangement with a natural feeling, it is important to think of color blocking sort of like flower blocking. Keeping each type of bloom in loose fitting blocks, you can create the natural feeling while still keeping a pulled together look.

Whimsical weddings are all about freedom of design, rather than a formal feeling of wrapping everything together in a pretty ribbon. Mason jars are a great way to create this feeling because it allows for that, D-I-Y feeling of, “I just pulled these from my canning cabinet” and allows you to keep the stems bared for adding that extra bit of natural color.  As you can see in these photos, wooden crates were also heavily used. They are able to give a neutral background for the arrangements, while still keeping a natural and D-I-Y feel.

The cake was also fantastic and truly embodied the style and feeling of this wedding. At first glance it looks like a stack of old wooden crates, but no, it is in fact another successful cake done by the Wente pastry department. Not only was it a cake, but also a great photo opportunity for the new couple and guests alike. With the wedding details embellished on the cake, it was a way to really remember the special day. Using flowers such as Callas, Dahlias, Vanda Orchids, Hypericomb Berries, and Circus Roses this cake became a tangerine extravaganza to remember, which is exactly what every couple wants on their special day.

Eli Pitta Photography

The next day, as I was sitting at my desk a bouncy excited bride walked through the door. Many of our brides come in with ideas, knowing what inspires them, and having a vision; she was no different. She had seen one of our featured bouquets on our website, in the aubergine photo album, and instantly fell in love. She mentioned how she sent it to all of her friends and her mother and they all saw instantly that it was the bouquet she needed to have. What caught my attention was the fact that this bouquet also used succulents, and she had even pointed one out that we have growing in front of our office on her way in.   As we found out more about this bride we learned that her favorite store was Anthropologie, she liked the natural look of things but adding edgy touches to keep everything up-to-date, she is today’s generation of young brides.

This up and coming generation of brides has a specific style. Think of individual French press coffee’s for desserts, mixed greens from a local farmer for salad, microbrews for the bar, and succulents included in their bouquets. We are going to need to embrace clean lines that may be little bit blurred, rustic colors with pops of aubergine and celery, a retro style with today’s hot trends mixed in, and crème not white. Today’s hipsters are tomorrow’s brides and grooms, non traditional but classic.

The article lists 5 sure-fire ways to receive rave reviews; 1) Giver her the attention she deserves, 2) Decipher her style, 3) Address the thorny issues upfront, specifically, the cost and flower availability, 4) Don’t let her look like a fool, and 5) Eliminate (at least some of) her worries. Jinger and The Flower House feel they are familiar with and have mastered these 5 steps. That is seen through the many positive reviews online, but she also takes it a step further in many cases.

The article does a great job of talking about the importance of being professional with clients, but also being a professional. Being a professional in the industry is extremely important and allows you to make sure your brides are receiving the most up-to-date arrangements and stylings. The Flower House prides itself on staying on top of event industry trends. Knowing what is going on in all areas of the industry allows you to understand where your brides are coming from, and where you can take them. Brides are coming to us and entrusting their wedding to us, when they are able to see that we are an authority and a professional within the industry they are much more at ease.

Another important aspect that The Flower House highlights with each of its brides is that of uniqueness. Every bride is different, you can refer back to your photos from other weddings, you can recall what their relatives or friends had at their weddings, but letting the bride know that they are special makes all the difference. We see it over and over here in the office, brides are constantly thinking about themselves and their special day. When you let them know that you see them as unique, special, and one-of-a kind, they also begin to believe that you are only creating for them. We may have 3 or 4 other weddings going on the same day, but we truly do believe that taking care of each bride on an individual level is the best way to create.

In this business we are counting on and working towards happy marriages, therefore we don’t count on return customers…unless it is for their baby shower or birthday party. Referrals are everything in creating a reputation for your self, and with the power of the internet it is important to harness it. By making sure you are consistent you can make sure that the reviews are positive, but you also need to make sure you realize who you are as a floral design company. When you are secure in yourself as a brand, you are able to employ the criticism from the reviews. Although some reviewers may leave negative comments, don’t get to down on yourself. Think about the situation as a whole, where you can learn from this situation, and get ready for your next bride!

It was a great evening and learned a great deal.  Especially when he sells these types of screens for events costing $10,000 each.  I am ready how many would you like?

We started the evening with his new bridal line.  The DJ had the crowd going crazy with current hits and to get us all pumped up to see and hear him speak.

David thinks RED is the color this year and went all out decorating it feeling the love and passion that this color brings.

A special group of people that paid alot extra walked the red carpet.  The carpet being a women as seen in one of his previous episodes.

The DJ had a fantastic setup with ice sculptures and fire imagery on them.  Even the dance floor was red!  The front of the bar also had a great texture and visuals to it.  A feast for the eyes for professionals that pay attention to the details.

If you did not want to go up to the bar, we had women in rolling steal dresses that you could help yourself to champagne off of her skirt.

Finally it was my turn to take a photo with weddings biggest and most famous of planners.  It was a great event.

This weekend at Casa Real there was an explosion of purple! The entrance hall at Casa Real has big wooden doors, which contrasted nicely with this burst of purple Dendrobiums and Curly Willow at the guest book table. The Dendrobiums are set on top of a submerged Manzanita branch adorned with more of the beautiful purple Orchids. Also on the table are varying sizes of circular vases with floating candles. For this specific wedding a photo was also on the table where the guests could sign the matting around it.

Casa Real also has the lovely Amber Room for the ceremony, where we placed clusters of jewel-toned flowers with hanging Amaranthus atop bronze iron stands adorned with hanging crystals to give that extra glimmer. We love the Amber Room at Casa Real, it has a very romantic ambiance and a beautiful mantel which is easily tied into the rest of the wedding by placing floating candles and flowers that match the arrangements.

After the ceremony the flower clusters were moved into the Grand Salon where they were placed atop submerged Manzanita branches with attached orchids as centerpieces. The tables with the tall center pieces were highlighted by spot lighting, this type of lighting really makes a dramatic effect and highlights the statement you are trying to make.  The table linens by Napa Valley Linens were eggplant lamour with black lamour satin napkins. We love the printed napkin rings that were provided by Unveiled, the print on the napkin ring matches the sweetheart table linen and pulls it all together.

Casa Real has great spaces for weddings from the Amber Room to the Grand Salon, both of which are so versatile for every different style of wedding. Bringing in flower arrangements and bold colors really allow you to create the space that you want for your special day.

I am Bethany Wallace, and I am so excited to be working here at The Flower House with Jinger.  I will be helping Jinger with all things social media, administrative stuff around the office, and even helping a little bit with the floral designs. I have never worked with flowers before, but I’ve always thought they were pretty. J After my first week here, I already feel right at home and am so excited about the opportunities that this position will bring to me.

Umbria, Italy

A little about myself, I am currently finishing up one last class at Las Positas College and I will be graduating from Franklin College Switzerland with my B.A. in Comparative Literary and Cultural Studies in May 2012. I spent the past two and a half years living and travelling around Europe, going to school in Southern Switzerland, but I am originally from the Tri-Valley. I was involved with many activities around my campus such as Programming Board where I planned and decorated for many events and also worked as a student scholar for a few conferences that were held through varying departments. With my degree I hope to go into non-profit advocacy for women’s rights. Right now I am still exploring the non-profit field by volunteering with varying organizations locally and nationwide.

Cairo, Egypt

Like I said, I am so excited to be here at The Flower House as my first job out of college. I love hearing about all of the weddings and events, being able to become more familiar with some of my favorite venues in and out of the area, and I truly love helping with all of the “behind the scenes” set-up in order to create any event a true success.

Hope to see you the next time you stop by!

Bethany