Behind the Scenes

Shannon and Michael's wedding was a big undertaking.  Luckily I have a basement to spread out in because boy did we make a mess!  Here are some behind the scenes shots of what prepping for a wedding looks like.  

Processing flowers is a dirty job. All the leaves and thorns have to be stripped and the ends of the stems chopped. This left us in a sea of green!

The thing I was most worried about was the stability of the manzanita branches in the centerpieces. I was imagining someone bumping the table and the whole branch, candles and all, come crashing down.   I made sure they weren't going anywhere!  Chicken wire, tape, foam and tacky putty did the trick.  Unfortunately not the most 'green' but sometimes safety of the guests comes first.

Wedding centerpieces in progress...

Once all the flowers were processed and the branches were in place, we got busy making bouquets.  In order to use green cymbidium orchids in a bouquet you have to wire and tape each one (since the stems are so short).  This is a tedious job (but very satisfying to stick into foam once you're done!)  We did about 40 of these.  Oh and when I say 'we', I had an amazing assistant, Rachel, who helped immensely.  Here is what the wired orchids look like before going into a bouquet...

Cymbidium orchids wired and ready to go into the bridesmaids and bridal bouquet

There was A LOT to keep track of: 19 centerpieces, 7 bouquets, 15 boutonnieres, 5 corsages, 10 aisle chair ties, pipe and drape flowers, 1 escort table arrangement, 144 potted Rosemary plants (party favors) , 2 tall arrangements for the end of the aisle, and 8 cocktail table arrangements. Before packing up the truck I made a list of everything I needed to bring to ease some anxiety.  I've had nightmares where I forgot the bride's bouquet, but luckily, nothing that bad has ever happened (knock on wood).  Here's the list: 

the checklist

Success!  The only thing I forgot to bring was my ribbon shears but luckily my assistant Rachel brought some and we were saved.  Phewww!  See happy bride below... 

The happy bride walking down the aisle with her dad (and her bouquet!)